A few weeks ago, our athletic director and I had the opportunity to play the inside loop (1, 8, and 9) of Hotchkiss Golf Course (and catch up with the great Jim Kennedy, who very kindly signed a copy of the new “Golf at Hotchkiss” book for me) before our football game against them. Traveling up on the team bus, I brought my 5-wood, my 8 iron, and my putter. It was a glorious New England fall day, I was one over through the first two holes, and I don’t remember having had more fun on a golf course, and certainly not in such a short period of time.
Those three holes put me in mind of other loops that have felt like complete, or nearly complete, courses within courses. I hit every club in my bag (all three of them...but I would have used 8 or 9 with a full bag, I should think), it was a wide variety of stances and shots, and finishing just about where we started made it feel like a complete round. Other examples from recent rounds include 10, 11, and 12 on the Clyde/Squirrel course at Brookline, 10, 11, and 12 at Kittansett, and 11, 12, and 13 at Lost Tree in North Palm Beach. The three hole loop that first made me think of the holes that I’d want in my backyard are 3, 4, and 5 on the Royal and Ancient Chappaquiddick Links, which is a wonderful example of a home brew course that is just so much fun.
Are there other three hole loops that contain most of the shots you’d want to hit on a regular basis? Extra points, perhaps, for those that cut across the scorecard, a la 1, 8, and 9 at Hotchkiss, in order to return you in short order.