Great par 4s with no hazards

[Mark Mammel]

Reading the "Best par 5's with no hazards" I was ready to post my favorite hole with no hazards- which I then realized was a par 4. And I also realized it was the only one I could quickly come up with. It's the 14th hole at Royal Dornoch, "Foxy". 445 yards, from the back tees that most never play, it asks for a soft draw from the tee to the left center of the fairway, where a nice bounce leaves you with a thrilling risk/reward debate- do I hit it to the left front of the elevated plateau green, which is narrow from front to back on the left, with more room but more trouble to play over on the right- where the pin usually isn't? The member play is to hit ti the left, make a solid pitch up the steep drop to the green and make a putt for par. Of course, my son, who hits a nice ball, hit an 8 iron into the green, landed soft to the right of a middle pin and made birdie. No sand, no water, no ocean, no bunkers, just turf, elevation, and linksland.
Really marvelous. Others?

[Mark Chaplin]

Isn’t the whole point of links golf the land form is the hazard whether on its own or with rough and/or bunkers?

[Richard Fisher]

A slightly Mandy Rice-Davies-ish answer from me, but the 15th at Harlech is surely one of the best hazard-less holes in the world (in the exact sense of the thread) albeit packed with hazard from start to finish. Observant golfers pulling their drives long and left will note the relics of historic bunkers in what is now rough, but these were given up (I think) pre-war: competitors in the 1926 Ladies Championship are photographed with them in situ.

[Tim Martin]

Yale 14

[Mark_Fine]

I think these threads are very interesting because they demonstrate a few important aspects of GCA:


- it is really challenging to come up with great holes that don’t have hazards.


- the holes we do come up with all have features that are clearly hazardous in some way


- for a hole to be great it has to feature something of interest that is at a minimum thought provoking and presents a problem/s and/or challenge/s that have to be overcome


- this threads helps us broaden our own definition of what a hazard really is regardless of the rules definition (which by the way doesn’t even define a “hazard” any more).  This leads to more creativity in GCA.  A hazard doesn’t have to be just a bunker (which a bunker isn’t anymore) 


Happy searching 

[Sean_A]

Foxy is always tough to beat I think in part because it is a longish par 4.  Many of the hazardless great 4s will be on the shorter side. 

I will throw out 6th at Alnmouth Village. A severe dogleg left and very much uphill.






Happy Hockey

[Michael Felton]

14 at Augusta?

[Thomas Dai]

I could pick a few but I’ll go with the 9th at Minchinhampton Old. It’s a cracker.
Atb

[Tom_Doak]

There are lots and lots of them.  Here's a thread with a bunch of good nominees


https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,68407.0.html

[JESII]

Is #14 at Augusta a great hole?

[Sean_A]

I could pick a few but I’ll go with the 9th at Minchinhampton Old. It’s a cracker.
Atb

A good choice!

Happy Hockey

[jeffwarne]

Depends on the definition of "hazards"
hard to keep up with what a hazard is according to rules of golf.
Greenside bunkers are rarely hazards for better players and clever greensites, mounding,grassy hollows , fall away greens, even and especially short grass  are far more effective as deterrents against better players.


But using the example of holes without water or bunkers, 14 at ANGC is one and I would argue many holes would qualify if a bunker was removed (8 at ANGC where the bunker detracts from the hole IMHO) or 15 at Palmetto where the left fairway bunkers merely save a duck hook) The green is well protected by slight elevation,slope and gravity and a green running away.


I am saddened by the recent trend overseas for wholesale conversion to revetted bunkers, which in many cases were previously mimicking or actually sheep refuge areas.
If the sand won't stay in ,perhaps the bunker just shouldn't be there.

[Mark Mammel]

There are lots and lots of them.  Here's a thread with a bunch of good nominees


https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,68407.0.html

Ah, there's nothing new under the sun! Thanks Tom for the link!

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

The earlier thread was a real pleasure back in the day, but it seems to have been forgotten.
Having been fortunate to play quite a few awesome par 4's that were dependant upon the topography instead of bunkers or water, the 14th at Baltray has to be considered among the best

[Scott Warren]

The 14th at New South Wales.


The 6th at Royal Cinque Ports.


The 6th at Barnbougle Dunes.


Great landforms are a pretty good start.

[Mark Chaplin]

6 St Andrew’s New
14 St Andrew’s Castle
4 Rye

[Jeff Schley]

The 14th at New South Wales.


The 6th at Royal Cinque Ports.


The 6th at Barnbougle Dunes.


Great landforms are a pretty good start.

Good list Scott.

[Jeff Schley]

6 St Andrew’s New
14 St Andrew’s Castle
4 Rye

Mark like the new point.  Does the water stream on The left side of the 14th at castle count?

[BCrosby]

Is #14 at Augusta a great hole?

I think the green makes the 14th a great hole. Its green is enormous, but given almost any pin position there are places you can't leave your approach and expect to two putt. Compounding that challenge is that approach shots are always from uneven lies, usually with the ball well below your feet.


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