Extraordinary Holes on Ordinary Golf Courses

[Duncan Cheslett]

It is a predilection of mine to fill the odd spare afternoon by visiting a golf course I have never heard of before and playing a solo round - usually at a bargain green fee. Rarely am I not rewarded with at least a couple of holes of interest - even on the most mundane tree-lined parkland track.


Now and again however, a pleasant enough but routine round is interrupted by a hole or even stretch of holes of utter magnificence. This to me is one of the great joys of golf - to be stopped in your tracks by the sight of an unexpectedly superb or even just a bizarre hole in the middle of an otherwise uneventful round.


This week I visited Stand Golf Club, an unassuming and rarely mentioned course in the north Manchester suburb of Whitefield. I paid all of £18 ($23).


The first three holes play on the clubhouse side of a busy road which is crossed to access holes 4-11. It is immediately apparent that the ground here is of significantly better quality and would have been open moorland when the course was built in 1904. Unfortunately a couple of appealing looking holes were out of action due to maintenance and replaced with shortened versions but it was a lovely crisp winters day and I was rather enjoying getting out for a knock.


Nothing could prepare me however, for the sight awaiting me as I stepped off the 7th green.


Hole 8 by Duncan Cheslett, on Flickr

Being winter, the daily tee was well forward revealing this view of the hole in all its glory. The regular tees are 50 yards further back and to the left - a blind drive thus necessitating the marker post on the right of the pic. The carry over the top of the ridge sloping down from the right is 230 yards from the forward tee - 290 yards from the back. The hole is 392 yards at full length.

The rest of the course was okay without being spectacular, but this hole immediately leaps into my all-time favourites!

Any other examples of memorable holes on otherwise forgettable courses?

[Ira Fishman]

Extraordinary is a bit of an overstatement, but two come to mind:


Number 3 at Chick Evans which is a Park District course outside Chicago. I grew up playing it (as well as other Park District courses). The hole is shortish Par 5 whose fairway is effectively an island created by the North Branch of the Chicago River. It sounds gimmicky but it is a bending dogleg and the river crosses probably 40 yards in front of an uphill green. A good drive leaves a nice risk reward shot while a layup leaves a not slam dunk wedge.


Number 14 at Kenwood in Bethesda (our home course). It is a bunker less Par 4 that plays 425 from the back and 400 from the regular tees. You tee off from a chute of trees to a generous fairway that bends slightly right. But the tee shot is blind. The second shot plays downhill to a green protected by grass hallows that slopes severely right to left/back left corner. Fun hole for players of all levels because requires good drive and even short iron approach tricky to judge. Pitches and chips are quite challenging.


Btw, Chick Evans is right across the street from the Glen View Club, a Flynn design.


Ira

[Jon Wiggett]

The one that instantly springs to mind is the 7th at Abernethy GC in the Scottish Highlands. I must admit to having a soft spot for the course and club but even without this the 7th should be regarded as amongst the finest par 4s in Scotland.


https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,63974.msg1523322.html#msg1523322


Jon

[archie_struthers]

 


Tall Pines  in Southern NJ  had one of the best short par fives I’ve ever played.  The drive had to be fitted into a fairway which fell off abruptly in the left corner. If you could hit it far enough down the right side you could go at the green which was distinctly downhill, and approximately 220 yards from the right corner of the fairway. The green was fronted by a creek so there wasn't much room for error if you hit it crooked. Lots of angst hitting that shot but at 20 years old fear wasn't much of a factor.


The course was significant in that it had nine lighted holes for night play. It was later purchased by quarterback Ron Jaworski and renamed Eagles Nest. Eventually it was closed and became a state park over the 110 or so acres.

[Ally Mcintosh]

13th at Royal Tarlair.

[Kalen Braley]

Antler Springs - A home grown course north of Spokane built by a guy on his own land.  A lot of quirky/goofy holes , but it has a cracker jack par 4 that winds it way up a hill in double dog leg fashion with a cool green saddled in between some pines.  Just a terrific golf hole with some great undulations and lots of options!

[David Wuthrich]

How about the 2nd hole at Hay Harbor on Fisher's Island.  Might be the best hole on the island!

[Brad Tufts]

I found this book years ago and there are lots of these...it's a fun read with lots of pictures:


http://www.amazon.com/Britains-100-Extraordinary-Golf-Holes/dp/1904328121

[Jeff_Brauer]

Would the clown mouth hole on your local putt putt course count?

[mike_malone]

#4 at Porky Oliver fits that description for me. It is a long uphill par four that has a significant hill to the right of the green. It was very satisfying to play it well even once a year. The uphill slope was also visible and pleasing to the eye.

[Tim Martin]

How about the 2nd hole at Hay Harbor on Fisher's Island.  Might be the best hole on the island!

David-That’s a good one!!!

[Joe Bausch]

#4 at Porky Oliver fits that description for me. It is a long uphill par four that has a significant hill to the right of the green. It was very satisfying to play it well even once a year. The uphill slope was also visible and pleasing to the eye.

It is a good hole, but it is #3.

[David Wuthrich]

Tim, I had a good friend (FO) tell me to go play there or I never would have discovered it!

[Joe Bausch]

How about the 2nd hole at Hay Harbor on Fisher's Island.  Might be the best hole on the island!

Four pics of this wonderful hole on a course that is a blast:

[David Harshbarger]

At Hay Harbor do they have cop bunkers across the fairway on 8?
And a pair of spectacle bunkers about 2/3's of the way to the green on the par 3 6th?

Is it a really early course?
Golfnow says....1898?
And that land looks awfully linksy....


Hidden gem?

[Ryan Hillenbrand]

Hole #4 (previously #13) on The Cove course at Lodge of Four Seasons in the Lake of Ozarks, MO.


Its an RTJ Sr. course from the early 70s that was a big deal (formerly private) back in the day. The 4th is an ode to #16 at Cypress Point in my assumption - 230 yard par 3 that is all carry over a lake cove. Really exciting tee shot.


The whole course is actually pretty good if you want to see a relatively untouched Jones Sr course, just not maintained very well in the hot and wet Ozarks summer.


Its sister course was built in the 80s by John Kavanaugh's brother

[Mark Hissey]

#5 at Timber Point. The Gibraltar hole.

[mike_malone]

#4 at Porky Oliver fits that description for me. It is a long uphill par four that has a significant hill to the right of the green. It was very satisfying to play it well even once a year. The uphill slope was also visible and pleasing to the eye.

It is a good hole, but it is #3.

Thanks,Joe. My memory fades.