Is there a worse pond than 18 at Torrey South?

[MCirba]

Yes.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Yes.

I did a course in Lawrence, KS and without asking, the city engineer decided a sewage pond, complete with a similar fence, needed to be put in the LZ of the 5th fw.  Of course, the city had the option to call me out, but the additional gca fees were deemed "not worth the expense."

[MCirba]

Jeff,

You think you have it bad?   I just played here on Saturday.

At 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

[John Kavanaugh]

Literally a turdcicle.

[MCirba]

Literally a turdcicle.

[Joe Bausch]

Literally a turdcicle.

I'm having Steve Dahl WLS flashbacks now....

[Mark Pearce]

There's a shocker on the Eden course at St Andrews.

Thank God someone was on the ball enough to mention this.  Surely there isn't a worse one, not even at the European Club?  The 18th at Torrey Pines is a classy addition by comparison.

[Mark Kiely]

In the case of The Devil's Billabong as that pond is called, Rees could have maybe done better but a pond is a pond and most any water hazard there was going to look unnatural.

Maybe autocorrect got you here, but for the record, it's called Devlin's Billabong, not The Devil's Billabong. As in Bruce Devlin, who recorded a 10 on the hole in the 1975 tourney.

[Mark_Fine]

Thanks Mark.  Yes I typed that on my iPhone. 

[Carl Rogers]

Not crazy about the pond myself, but let me suggest another remedy.


Remove landing zone bunkers & trees.  Fairway height grass, no rough.  Reduce green size by half.  Severe bunkers at the back of the green with out of bounds close by. 


Now all the pros have to go for the green in 2. and much trouble and high scores could ensue.  No more boring lay ups unless they play wide (to the golfers) right.

[Mark_Fine]

Carl,
The idea of the hole is risk/reward just like most holes with this kind of hazard set up.  No one really wants to call it a "template" but basically that is what it is.  Long accurate drive between flanking hazards leaves a tempting second shot that must carry over a penal front hazard.  I recall two holes just like it but much prettier at Augusta National.  #15 at Augusta is also very natural looking     I actually never cared for the trees they planted on #15 that narrow up the landing area.  Like you, I don't want to see pitch outs.  I want to see those guys go for it.  I would have preferred a Mackenzie type bunker so they would have 230 yards or so out of a bunker if they weren't as accurate off the tee which would leave them with a decision.  It is good to make golfers have decisions to make vs forcing their hand. 

[Matt_Cohn]

Unfortunately I can speak from experience that the slope on the left half of the green and steep bank of the pond combine to be a legitimate problem. It's easy to spin a ball off the green, and I think pitching from long could even get dicey. I heard Faldo say on the telecast when Reed was on 18 tee that "the worst you can make is 6". Kyle Stanley and I could have reminded him that's not the case.

[Forrest Richardson]

Mark Fine and I wrote about it, and we felt it so bold and in your face that it deserved to be recognized. For my taste, I’d fill it with jagged lava rock and put in natural gas plumbing for an amazing fire show every 10 minutes. No recovery. Singed hair.

[Tim_Weiman]

I'd love to hear about it. Or worse water features in general?

Tom,


Only played each course once, but I would say the famous 16th at Firestone is worse than the 18th at Torrey Pines, mostly due to the length of each hole.


My member host at Firestone was right. The 16th hole is too long for most non professionals to take the risk of going for the green in two


By contrast, the 18th at Torrey Pines was reachable and tempting, at least when I played it 25 years ago.


Not really a fan of the pond at Royal County Down either, #17 if I remember correctly.

[Sean_A]

There's a shocker on the Eden course at St Andrews.

Why did you have to push my buttons?

Camberley Heath has an awful pond. It's ugly and badly placed.

Ciao

[Jerry Kluger]

I am surprised that no one mentioned Charles Howell III.  He was leading the tournament on the final day at TP and hit his third shot on 18 and hit the flagstick and bounced back into the water; he lost the tournament by a shot.  I believe it was the year that John Daly won by making a putt from back right down to the front left hole location.

[Mike Hendren]

Hogan posthumously nominates the 17th at Cherry Hills.


And what about the 9th at The Honors?  I don't recall anyone at Torrey pulling a Justin Leonard and wedging back to the fairway to avoid pitching their third into the water.


Bogey

[Tom Bacsanyi]

Mark Fine and I wrote about it, and we felt it so bold and in your face that it deserved to be recognized. For my taste, I’d fill it with jagged lava rock and put in natural gas plumbing for an amazing fire show every 10 minutes. No recovery. Singed hair.

Very innovative!

[Tom Bacsanyi]

Ok so what is the worst feature on a GREAT course? Is it the Dorito pond/bunker/lavafire pit at Royal County Down? Any feature will suffice, doesn't have to be water.

[Mark_Fine]

Tom B,
I am still curious what you think of the ameba shaped pond on #15 at Augusta? 


Worst feature on a great course is hard to define but I can think of all kinds of unusual ones that without knowing the context some might think are terrible such as having to play over a cemetery or across a sewage ditch or over a big hedge that screens a crossing road directly in front of the first tee to name a few on some of the greatest golf courses in the world. 

[Tom Bacsanyi]

What course do you have to hit it over a hedge/road on the first?


I absolutely love the 1930s ANGC, so I obviously prefer the undammed Rae's creek flowing in front of 15 vs. the pond. It is a bit awkward in its shape and how it ends abruptly with the Sarazen Bridge.

[Mark_Fine]

Tom B,
But you would agree that the little pond on #15 at Augusta serves the same purpose as #18 at TPS? They are pretty similar.


The golf course with the hedge/road on the first is maybe my favorite on the planet if I had to choose and very few here would disagree with me.  It is on 17 mile drive 

[Jay Mickle]

There's a shocker on the Eden course at St Andrews.

Concur!!!

[John Kavanaugh]

I was playing with a dude that found the pond on Pinehurst #2. I've even seen balls hit into the pond at Prairie Dunes. Now those are ugly ponds.


I never know what exact hole number I am or have just played so you guys can look it up.

[Kevin Pallier]

TP 18th pond looks so out of place its not funny.


Not on the same scale - but I was never a fan of the pond on the 17th a Royal C Down. Same goes for that on the 5th at Sunningdale Old. With regard to the later - particularly so - given there's realistically no water in play on the rest of 17 holes.