Eclectic Quirky

[Ira Fishman]

This probably has been done before so if it has, ignore. Otherwise here are my initial nominations:


1–Elie
5–Lahinch
7–Golspie
8–Broadmoor West
9–CPC
13–North Berwick
14-The Island Club
18–Brora


Ira

[Tim Gallant]

No opener beats the 1st at Ratho Park in terms of quirk. Hit over a fenced in sheep paddock to a semi-blind par-3. Photo below. Elie is unusual, but this one takes the cake.

[Tom_Doak]

Is the green for that hole just over the small dark building in the middle, inside the next field that's fenced with wire? 


Or is it over and to the right of that, toward the tawny-colored paddock?

[Tim Gallant]

Is the green for that hole just over the small dark building in the middle, inside the next field that's fenced with wire? 


Or is it over and to the right of that, toward the tawny-colored paddock?

See the very small white building in the distance? The flag is on that line, maybe 175 away. You'd need to carry about 150ish to clear the paddock. I honestly thought he was pulling my leg, when he said this was the first hole. But it was fantastic.

[Jeff Schley]

Is the green for that hole just over the small dark building in the middle, inside the next field that's fenced with wire? 


Or is it over and to the right of that, toward the tawny-colored paddock?

See the very small white building in the distance? The flag is on that line, maybe 175 away. You'd need to carry about 150ish to clear the paddock. I honestly thought he was pulling my leg, when he said this was the first hole. But it was fantastic.

So I guess the farmer didn't want to sell and the golf course owner said..... well I'll build it anyway?

[Tom_Doak]

So I guess the farmer didn't want to sell and the golf course owner said..... well I'll build it anyway?

No, Ratho Farm is supposedly the oldest course in Australia . . . built on a farm in Tasmania, which was the first part of Australia that was settled. 


The original course was only a few holes.  The farm had been in Greg Ramsay's family for years, and after we built Barnbougle, he went back to the family farm and "restored" nine holes, and then eventually expanded it to eighteen.


I have not been there to play it, but Brian Schneider helped him a little in building the newer greens.   However, I am pretty sure that whatever "farm" is left there is still part of their property, and just intended as local character.

[Duncan Cheslett]

No opener beats the 1st at Ratho Park in terms of quirk. Hit over a fenced in sheep paddock to a semi-blind par-3. Photo below. Elie is unusual, but this one takes the cake.

You had me confused Tim. Ratho Park near Edinburgh looks nothing like your photo.


Ratho Farm in Tasmania however...


... what's 10,755 miles between friends?


 

[Tim Gallant]

No opener beats the 1st at Ratho Park in terms of quirk. Hit over a fenced in sheep paddock to a semi-blind par-3. Photo below. Elie is unusual, but this one takes the cake.

You had me confused Tim. Ratho Park near Edinburgh looks nothing like your photo.


Ratho Farm in Tasmania however...


... what's 10,755 miles between friends?


 

Hahah! I meant Farm!! Apologies

[Thomas Dai]

Ratho Farm golf - http://www.rathofarm.com/golf/
Atb

[Peter Pallotta]

Ira - just an aside:
It seems to me you have broad tastes in gca (and certainly more widely encompassing than mine). You start this appreciative thread on quirk, but you are also a big fan of Ross' Pinehurst area courses -- and I can't remember ever reading here 'Ross' and 'quirk' in the same sentence. [Of course I stand to be corrected.]
As I say, just an aside -- from someone who is almost completely incapable of appreciating quirk. Maybe I've yet to encounter/play the good kind.
P

[Kalen Braley]

Here's an oldie from several years back.  Half moon shaped green, 

[Brian_Ewen]

Craigie Hill can not be left off any Quirk List IMO

[Ira Fishman]

Ira - just an aside:
It seems to me you have broad tastes in gca (and certainly more widely encompassing than mine). You start this appreciative thread on quirk, but you are also a big fan of Ross' Pinehurst area courses -- and I can't remember ever reading here 'Ross' and 'quirk' in the same sentence. [Of course I stand to be corrected.]
As I say, just an aside -- from someone who is almost completely incapable of appreciating quirk. Maybe I've yet to encounter/play the good kind.
P

Peter,


I appreciate the compliment, but many on here have broader experience and range of tastes. That is why I impose so often with travel planning questions. No way I would have experienced the joys (and quirk) of Golspie, Elie, and Kilspindie without the folks on this site. And you definitely should embrace quirk because it is like adding Ken Kesey, Salinger, or Ishmael Reed to your reading list. As far as Ross and quirk goes, I have found him more quirky than one might expect. I have Broadmoor West 8 on my list in the OP.  The Volcano hole at Bedford Springs and Number 7 at Hope Valley qualify as well. And Jay Mickle probably would add Number 4 at Mid Pines, which is one of my favorite Par 4s.


Ira

[Jaeger Kovich]

2. Dannebrog

[Thomas Dai]

5th hole, the up-n-over short par-3 at Painswick (a course that has a few other contenders too).





18th at Royal Malta - over the around the stonework battlements of the old fort - not this severe these days!



Sun City (Lost City course) - the crocodile pit par-3



And maybe one of the most obvious and thus easily omitted -



atb

[jeffwarne]

[jeffwarne]

above #12 Cullen-179 yards over #11 green ,then marker post to severely right to left sloped green
below #13 Cullen

[Jaeger Kovich]

Yup, after Dannebrog, I was thinking which Cullen hole to include!

[jeffwarne]

Covesea #7-over marker post to the ultimate potato chip green

[David_Tepper]

Ira -

I think #5 at Golspie has more quirk than #7 at Golspie, but can't remember how it compares to #5 at Lahinch (which I last played 25 years ago).

DT
 

[Michael Felton]

The two that spring to my mind are 6 at Deal and 3 at Burnham & Berrow. The average of those two holes' greens is fairly normal...

[Tom_Doak]

2. Dannebrog

Strongly seconded !

[Tom_Doak]

Other candidates:


There is a par-3 hole at The Hills (NZ) with a canal / drainage ditch running beside the green, except it's several feet higher than the green or the tee.  I think it's the 16th.


Some of the oddest stuff I saw this year was in Kenya, at a course called Vetlab [which is also an odd name:  the course is attached to a small veterinary college].  One hole had an elevated tee hitting through a chute, and about 100 yards in front of the tee, at the bottom of the hill, was a large tree rising up and blocking most of the landing area, that you had to hit over . . . if you tried to play either side of it you would probably wind up in the trees lining the fairway.  There was also a crazy wild green on a par-4, that would have been neat to study, except the green was also right in the line of second shots cutting the corner of a par-5 that played up and around the green in question . . .

[Sean_A]

A few holes that come immediately to mind

1. Nefyn Old
5. Nefyn Old
7. Bude & N Cornwall
9. Liphook
10. Painswick
10. Temple
11. Minch Old
12. Bude & N Cornwall
13. Strandhill
13. N Berwick
14. N Berwick
15. Appleby
15. Church Stretton
16. N Berwick
17. TOC

Happy Hockey

[Thomas Dai]

A few holes tha come immediately to mind
1. Nefyn Old
5. Nefyn Old
7. Bude & N Cornwall
9. Liphook
10. Painswick
10. Temple
11. Minch Old
12. Bude & N Cornwall
13. Strandhill
15. Appleby
15. Church Stretton
happy Hockey

Interesting that you picked the 11th at Minch Old although I am aware of your fondness for it. I was pondering the 13th there with its diagonal bulwark ramparts but then again the 13th at Strandhill is pretty cool.


How about the 18th at Llandrindod Wells - the wonderfully named “Death or Glory” - for the 18th?


Atb