9th hole at Stonewall question

[Tim Leahy]

Just watching midam and have not seen a course go back to the clubhouse after 8 and then have a par three away from the clubhouse and away from the 10th tee. I wonder if the 9th was not designed as a 19th hole much like Stone Eagle or was the clubhouse moved from the original design?

[Joe Bausch]

Believe it or not, Tim, but the North course does the same thing!

[Eric Hammerbacher]

It's not really that far from the clubhouse-it's just a short walk from the 9th green back to the clubhouse.  Plus you get those delicious soft pretzels a hole earlier after finishing 8.

[Matt_Cohn]

When Doak inherited Fazio's routing for the Old Course, he turned a problematic 10th/18th hole combo into three holes that worked better. This extra hole necessitated removing one from the front nine — a par 3 that would have gone between 3 and the current 4. Therefore instead of #9 going back to the clubhouse, it was now #8.


As for why #8 also goes back to the clubhouse on the North, I forgot to ask. 

[Tom_Doak]

With regard to the Old Course, Matt explained it correctly.  That was my principal change to the original routing:  Fazio's 18th hole was supposed to start from the 10th green, drive to above the 9th green, then play around the water to a green by the pond.  I didn't understand what would stop players from going straight down his 10th fairway [today's 18th] on the bee line from tee to green, cutting 40 yards out of the hole and taking the water more out of play.  So, I reversed his 10th and 18th, and broke up the former 18th into two holes to prevent short-cuts.


As for the North Course, there is much less land on the one side of the clubhouse than the other, and I was lucky to find an 8-hole loop that came back to the clubhouse over there.  But there was a beautiful site for a par-3, and since none of the founders had a problem with my par-3 9th on the Old course, I figured they wouldn't mind if I did it again.


Players in the Mid-Am can't do it, but when members start on the back nine, they usually play the 9th hole and then decide whether they're going to count it, or play it again at the end 

[Eric LeFante]

10 and 18 are my favorite holes on the course. I think it was brilliant what Tom did. 18 is such a beautiful finishing  hole. Many suggested to Tom to put 18 green next to the pond but it's perfect the way it is.


Today's final was incredible. Stewart Hagestad came back from 4 down with 5 to play to win on the 37th hole. 17 was a pivotal hole since Hagestad made birdie to stay alive. It's great the hole was changed prior to the championship to Tom's original concept of the hole. Hagestad flew a 4 iron on the green and Harvey hit a 5 iron short and let the slope take the ball to the hole. It was fantastic.