Members playing shots out of order?

[SB]

A number of courses, particularly in the northeast, have layouts that encourage members to play shots out of order.  At Sleepy Hollow, for instance, the member I played with said it is not uncommon for the members play the 15th tee while walking down the 14th fairway to avoid backtracking (of course, we also finished in about 3:30).  I've also played other courses where the tee box for par 3 and a par 4 or 5 are at the same spot running parallel, and you hit both tee shots, putt in on the 3 and continue on down the other fairway.  Are these quirks the result of lengthening or redesign, or are some courses designed like this?  I noticed on Shell's WWoG that Carnegie Abbey (a new course) has just such an element.

[JohnV]

The Oregon Golf Club's 4th and 5th holes are like this. 4 is a drop shot par 3 and the 5th is a par 5 with the tee right next to the 4th tee and the hole runs in the same direction.  To play it correctly you play 4 and then come back up the same hill you just went down, hit the tee shot on 5 and go right back down the hill.  Some members definitely hit the tee shot on 5 before going to the 4th green.  This is not a modification, the course was designed that way by Peter Jacobsen and the brother of one of our regular contributors.  Actually, I'm not sure how regular he is but he does contribute frequently.

As a note, this is against the rules of golf and would result in a DQ in a tournament.  You must complete one hole before teeing off on the next one.

[hick]

Sbusch, Having played Carnegie Abbey many times, all of which i walked. There is more distance between the fairways than it looked on tv, as well as all the stone walls and fescue one may have to walk over to get to tee boxes. The only place i think it is possible to play out of order, is on the first hole after a carry over wetland,as the second hole tee box is on the right, and the greens are close to each other.You could try it on hole three,and play the par three fifth at the same time,first you would have to play the fourth hole first, as the fourth holes green is next to the third and fifth tee boxes. Dont know if that makes sense.you would still have to pass the par three third green to get to six.

[A.G._Crockett]

I do this on my home course in two different places to save long walks IF the course isn't crowded.  I pay homage to the golf rules gods every time, but it saves me about 15 minutes and a LOT of steps.

[SPDB]

I'll echo what Mat said. Apart from what he mentioned about 1, the only possible way I could imagine this working is if you hit your tee shot to 5 (since it is right next to the 3d tee), then played 3 and 4 before returning to the green. Wouldn't really buy you any time though.

[A.G._Crockett]

At my course, #5 is a par five.  In between where you typically hit your second shot and the landing area for the third, is the 6th tee off to the right.  The greens are approximately adjacent, separated by 40 yds. and a row of trees.  Hitting your tee shot on 6 after your second shot on 5 saves 400 yds. of walking, and about 10 minutes, IF there is nobody on the course.  You just finish out #5, then walk over to the 6th green, finish there, and on to the 7th tee.

I think this exists more places that you are imagining, though possibly not in numerical order like the example above.  I realize that, strictly speaking, it isn't golf, but on a day when it's getting dark early, or a day when my 52 yr. old hip is killing me (like today!) it makes sense.  I promise not to do it in the Open.

[Tom Renli]

The Field Club of Omaha has a sequence on the front nine, from hole six to seven I believe, where you hit your drive on seven prior to putting out on six.

The course hosted the PGA in the fourties and was home to the last amateur to win the US Open, Johnie Goodman.  The course was shortened to a par 68 or 69 to make way for a VA Hospital.  This may have contributed to the situation at six and seven.  Oh ya, you play over one of the roads to the hospital on your second a time or two as well.  

Other than that the Hospital had no effect on the course and Mrs. Washington enjoyed the movie.