"Speak" to the golfer on the tee

[Tal Oz]

On the US Am thread someone brought up this fantastic article of DMK describing the 16th at Bandon and a sentence really made me stop in my tracks.

"The killer move was taking the very small ridge that initially split the fairway in two and emboldening it, steepening it, exposing the sand and making it, as I like to say, “speak” to the golfer on the tee."

Speaking to the golfer can mean a multitude of things from directional to strategic to deceptive to heroic to merely photogenic.

What are some holes aside from the usual cast of characters (13-17 at Cypress Point, 16 at Sleepy Hollow, The Road Hole) that if you described to another golfer would make them want to travel and play that hole? Bonus points if you don't need photos. Ideally I'd really love to get great stories of how these holes came to be.

https://www.golfersjournal.com/editorial/point-of-pride/

[Adam Clayman]

At 480 yards along a gentle flowing river, this walk isn't a hole, it's the transition from the 12th to the 13th at Highlands Links, in Nova Scotia. Walking off the 12th, the cart path goes right, up the hill, but the fortunate walker goes left around the other side of the hill that backdrops the 12th. This path takes you on a mini adventure towards absolute serenity, traversing a natural walkway through a tree canopied tunnel. At the end of the path, there's evidence of an old teeing ground, at grade, where you'd be remiss not to experience the hole from this angle. As you pick up your tee, the sophisticated golfer should show just a tiny bit of a smirk, knowing they have experienced the hole from the proper perspective, accentuating the terrains influence on the hole's design, in a manner those playing the current "formal" teeing grounds, miss completely.

[Brock Lynch]

I am amazed that only one person has replied to this thread and more than 20 have replied to the great and enlightening topic of ball marks.


On the few occasions that I have been to Bandon, I remember the beauty of the 4th at the Bandon Dunes course. You are just trying to keep your ball between the ridge that runs along the left and a cluster of small dunes on the right. As you walk down the fairway at about 220 yards from the tee, the full view of the 4th green appears with the Pacific as a backdrop. This a view that is among the best in golf and the anticipation of reaching this point adds to the experience. It seems to me that the build up of playing the first few holes, acting as an appetizer for what is to come, was well thought out by the designer. I look forward to the next time I am there.

[Tim Martin]

Ballybunion 11

[Jim Lipstate]

How about the first tee on the Old Course at St. Andrews for the golfer playing there for the first (and perhaps only time). Architecturally undistinguished with a fairway as wide as the eye can see but the thoughts of the golfer dwell on the history of the place and the ghosts of all those who have played these sacred grounds. I had thoughts of Old Tom Morris, Bobby Jones and all of the more modern greats flash through my head. I will always cherish the opening shot and was thankful to put a decent swing on the ball to start my round.

[Jason Thurman]

The hole that immediately comes to mind for me is 14 at Blackwolf Run Meadow-Valleys. It would be a fantastic 425 yard hike, really. Play from a high bluff above the Sheboygan River out to a wide plateau of a fairway. Favor the right-center and hit a good drive. The approach rivals the 8th at Pebble for best greensite relative to the hole's natural features. Just like at Pebble, it slowly reveals itself as you get closer to the edge of the cliff at the end of the fairway - the green tucked on a peninsula ringed by a tributary snaking to meet the rest of the river. It's an exceptionally attractive downhill shot, both scary and thrilling, and it comes with a gallery in the form of kayakers, fishermen, herons, and salmon watching from the river. I'd be happy just so sit in a chair where the waters meet all day, but getting to smack a golf ball through there is next-level awesome.



The OP asks for holes that would make golfers want to travel to play them. The irony here is that the average golfer who travels to Kohler has basically no interest in the Meadow Valleys course. Which is stupid. Because even though the front nine is on the dull side, the back might be the best 9 holes in Wisconsin. You could make a pretty good case for 13, 15, and 18 to be on this list too.

[Ira Fishman]

Jason,


One of the holes that immediately came to my mind was on the River Course at Koehler. Number 5. There is a good reason it is named “Heaven” with the elevated tee playing to a beautifully framed fairway and back up the green in a way that takes your eyes back up the sky above the tree line.


I think Swinley Forest 9 also fits the bill among holes with no water.


Ira

[Brad Steven]

I'm admittedly biased but 10 at Kirtland is as pretty a golf hole as you'll find on an inland golf course I believe.  Very long par 4 looking down from the tee into the river valley maybe 100 feet or so below with the stout par 3 11th running alongside the Chagrin river is worth a special trip.  Not the most strategic hole on the golf course, but everyone who sees it for the first time is in awe.

[Jeff_Brauer]

How does that concept work when the gca is working in a foreign country?


Or in an area with a slow southern drawl in the US?