The greatest shots ever hit inspired by the architecture..

[JESII]

Measurably less Tom?

Or just the fact that today it would very likely not be Nicklaus?

[Tom Huckaby]

You don't remember?

Distance was 215 (I believe) - that I am not sure about - it's the hardly-ever used back tee on 17 - attached to back of 4 tee.  Conditions I already gave you - quartering wind, mostly right to left, partially against.  Competition was the 1972 US Open.

He was wearing a yellow cardigan, duplicated many years later by our own shivas.

Anything else you need to know?

[Tom Huckaby]

Measurably less Tom?

Or just the fact that today it would very likely not be Nicklaus?

Both.
And of course, my man is 66 years old now.

 

[John Kavanaugh]

You don't remember?

Distance was 215 (I believe) - that I am not sure about - it's the hardly-ever used back tee on 17 - attached to back of 4 tee.  Conditions I already gave you - quartering wind, mostly right to left, partially against.  Competition was the 1972 US Open.

He was wearing a yellow cardigan, duplicated many years later by our own shivas.

Anything else you need to know?

I just need to know why that shot wouldn't be just as impressive today...Don't tell me it was the 71st hole of the tournament.

[Tom Huckaby]

JK - easy - less impressive today because it can be done with so much less club.  That's it.

TH

[John Kavanaugh]

Huck,

Are you saying that a hole in one on 12 at the Masters on Sunday of the final round would be less inpressive today than if it happened 30 years ago...

[Tom Huckaby]

Well.... for shots that are that short, the differences are pretty negligible.  An ace there remains as impressive today as it was 30 years ago.  Pros don't use clubs with any forgiveness for a shot of that length even today, and they didn't back then.  They don't need to.  Seems equal to me.

Shots of 200+ with wind involved are just a lot easier to pull off today given how far the ball goes and the forgiveness in irons that even pros use for clubs required for that distance.  Thus when they are pulled off, it is less impressive than 30 years ago.



TH

[Kevin_Reilly]

JK - easy - less impressive today because it can be done with so much less club.  That's it.

Plus today's PGA Tour Bot would not have to make the same mid-swing adjustment that Jack had to make on the shot...the straighter ball and 10000% more forgiving 4 or 5 iron (than Jack's butter knife blade) would make it easier.

[JESII]

You're kidding right?? Please tell me you're kidding!

Huck,

Is he kidding???

[Gerry B]

tiger's cut 3 wood on the par 5 -15th at olympia fields in the 2003 us open - it was his second shot - for those who have been on the right side of the fairway where his tee shot landed i am sure would concur - the cut / slice was at least 60-75 yards - shot was about 260 yards to a front right pin which was guarded by bunkers. you cannot even see the green from where the shot was executed.

[Gerry B]

redanman:

totally agree- have debated this with many -as far as risk / reward as good as it gets

[Gerry B]

another memorable tiger shot was at sawgrass the year he won his 1st us amateur against trip kuene.

he was  about 5 down after the morning 18 and fought back during the afternoon 18 to even the match.

on 17- the island green -he hit the railroad ties at the back of the green and his ball went straight up in the air and managed to stay up in the fringe - i would give 100-1 odds that any other shot is wet. He makes a deuce and goes on to win the title.

[Phil_the_Author]

Arnold's drive on the first hole of the U.S. Open at Cherry Hills.

[Jim Nugent]

A real good one: Sandy Lyle's 2nd out of the bunker on the 72nd at ANGC.  Played the ridge above the pin perfectly, the ball crept back to around 6 feet, he made the putt and won the tournament.

One of the worst: Fred Couples' drive on 13, last round of 1998 Masters.  Tied for one of the worst: Couples' 3rd shot on the same hole.

One of the luckiest: Couples' tee shot on 12, last round 1992 Masters.  Miraculously stayed dry.  

[Kevin_Reilly]

You're kidding right?? Please tell me you're kidding!

Yeah, exaggeration for effect.  

[Doug Siebert]

Hogan playing the 11th at Augusta out to the right all the time.  Nothing particularly great about the shots (how can they be evaluated as such if you are trying to miss the green) but it shows the architecture influencing the decision making process and one of the all time great ballstrikers giving deference to the feature and altering his playing strategy.

I like the Hogan's Alley one and perhaps Tiger and Jack's shots on Augusta's 16th using that rather severe slope in the back left, but I fail to see how any of the other examples given were "inspired" by the architecture.  Just because a great shot was hit on a great hole doesn't mean that the great shot was inspired by the architecture.  If I hole a putt through the Valley of Sin it may be a great (and lucky to some extent) shot, but how exactly would I have been inspired by the architecture?  How else am I going to get it in the hole, bounce it off the fat guy in the gallery watching behind the green?

I'll tell you the #1 place where more greatest shots ever hit (or greatest putts ever hit, at least) have been hit that were inspired by the architecture is the Himalayas putting green at TOC.  There are sometimes a half dozen different ways to potentially hole a putt, sometimes aiming almost 180* away from the hole.  If you make the game closest to the hole in one rather than fewest shots into the hole the direct route is probably the worst choice more than half the time.  You just gotta play it when it isn't too crowded because some people wouldn't understand why you keep rolling your ball across their lines all the time

[Chris Perry]

Theres a few that I'd thought of that were already mentioned, but here's a few more, both great and dubious.

Tigers approach to Valderrama's 17th
Dave Barr's turned over wedge chip off the bulkhead at TPC RH
Langer's chip out of a tree
Tiger's infamous rock turning incident
Tiger stowing the driver at Hoylake
Shinnie's Redan sans-watering
Trevino's Alcatraz Ace

Any HO1 or Eagle/Albie where they had to aim AWAY from the stick to feed it into the hole.

And, of course, Roy "Tin Cup" McEvoy's 3 wood dunk with the last ball in his bag... er.. wait a minute...  

[David Mulle]

In the risk/reward department: Let's not forget the two-iron Bobby Jones hit out of the rough and over the water on the 18th hole at the 1923 US Open at Inwood.

[Chris Moore]

How about Els' par on the Railway hole at Troon?