There is something to be said for recovery shots

[Jordan Wall]

Just yesterday I played in a tournament at a course that, to me, was new.  This course has been ranked top-10 in state for as long as I can recall, and is a course heralded for it's "tremendous beauty".  Unforunately, for me, it was nothing but a sheer travesty.

Each hole, say for one, was lined BOTH sides with OB, and the OB was tight.  The other hole had OB left and a water hazard right.  The course featured an abundance of doglegs, where the green is way out of sight.  While I dont mind dogleg holes in the least bit, it seemed to bug me that even a slightly off line shot had a reasonable chance of ending out of bounds.  It didn't seem like golf to me.


So, I guess on my way home, contemplating my feelings on the course, there was one thing that jumped out at me that really seemed to seperate good courses I have played from mediocre courses.

Good recovery options.  Every player makes a bad shot, and penalizing every bad shot two strokes seems so weird.  I like when a player is forced to really think after a bad shot, as they should.  There is no thinking when a bad shot goes OB.  Just retee and pray, I suppose.

Don't all great courses provide room for interesting recovery shots?

How many truly great courses have an abundance of OB throughout the course?

Why do so many newer courses have holes lined with OB?
If the main reason is housing, then why are courses lined with housing so popular among the public?

What are good, or 'fair' ways to penalize a player after a bad shot all the while leaving an oppurtunity for recovery?

What are prime examples of courses that penalize a player almost perfectly based on the size of the miss and the recovery shot they must face?

[Wayne_Kozun]

While I agree with you for the most part - The Old Course has an abundance of OB throughout the course and Hoylake also has this as we saw in last year's Open.

[Ken Moum]

Each hole, say for one, was lined BOTH sides with OB, and the OB was tight.  

The other hole had OB left and a water hazard right.  

it seemed to bug me that even a slightly off line shot had a reasonable chance of ending out of bounds.

I HATE courses like that.

I played a similar one last weekend, where a new back nine was hacked out of the forest, and to expedite play on its narrow fairways, most of them had red stakes down both sides. Without staking the woods as lateral hazards, most members wouldn't be able to finish the round. It was stupid.

One thing that jumped out at me that really seemed to seperate good courses I have played from mediocre courses--
Good recovery options.

My favorite shot in golf is the recovery. Someone famous (Bobby Jones?) said the recovery was the most exciting shot in golf. My home course has enough openings in the trees that it gives you hope for a recovery, and when you pull it off, it's memorable.

Don't all great courses provide room for interesting recovery shots?

Not always, witness courses like Carnoustie, or Harbor Town. But it's one of my criteria for great course. And it's why Brora is my favorite course among the 11 I played in Scotland last July. The sheep keep the rough down just enough to allow finding and advancing the ball, but not enough to score.

How many truly great courses have an abundance of OB throughout the course?

Not many have it on both side of the hole. Not even TOC, where the OB is pretty close.

Why do so many newer courses have holes lined with OB?
If the main reason is housing, then why are courses lined with housing so popular among the public?

It is the demand for the maximum number of building lots and I don't know why people like them I certainly don't.  But in many golf-centric areas, they are about all you have to choose from.  One of my favorite AZ courses, Ken Kavanaugh's Longbow, has no housing on it, and that's one of the things I like most about it.

What are good, or 'fair' ways to penalize a player after a bad shot all the while leaving an oppurtunity for recovery?

Reasonable rough, scattered trees, moderately open desert areas, sandy wastes, clumpy native grasses, etc. These all give players hope, but it's not about "fairness" because in those places, luck is always a huge factor, as it should be.

What are prime examples of courses that penalize a player almost perfectly based on the size of the miss and the recovery shot they must face?

IMHO, that's not a worthwhile consideration. The courses I like best offer the opportunity to get lucky when you are off line, but often set you up for failure by making you think you can pull off a shot--when you actually have little chance of success. Like I often say, "You just missed the entire fairway hitting off a peg on a flat lie. What makes you think you can thread it through that gap out of the rough?

[Jordan Wall]

While I agree with you for the most part - The Old Course has an abundance of OB throughout the course and Hoylake also has this as we saw in last year's Open.

True, but TOC and Hoylake do not have it running on either side of every hole, correct?

And, they use OB as part of strategy.

I think Tom Doak points out in his book, The Anatomy of a Golf Course, that on #16 at St. Andrews, the OB is used to threaten players trying to gain the optimal angle into the green.  The closer to the OB, the better angle, no?  I think that is a lot better use than force a stright ball every hole.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Jordan, I totally agree.  And while The Old Course does have OB ringing the right side of the course it is pretty easily avoided.  The OB at Hoylake detracts from the course, especially the inertior OB.
 I feel the same way about water.  What fun is it to take a drop or rehit?  Water is pretty and periodically ok, but some courses have so much water that it detracts from the enjoyment of the round.  I have never heard anyone say, "Boy did I have fun avoiding water all day long."  

Recovery shots are some of the most fun shots in golf.  they require skill, imagination, and some luck.
I spend most of my practice time in bunkers, long grass, tight lies, under trees etc.  

[Jeff Doerr]

Jordan,

Was it Harbour Pointe?

Dropping or hitting the provisional all day is NOT fun! Thankfully the trend is now away from tunnel courses through wetlands, water, or trees.

[Andy Troeger]

Jordan,
I'd certainly agree. The use of hazards to me is predicated on being able to get around them somehow. I really don't care for OB, especially on both sides of a hole or if there's water or something on the other side. I can live with one side of a hole being a reload situation, but the other should at least give you a fighting chance to get back in the hole.

That's part of the difference I've seen with the better courses that I've played that have heather compared to some lesser ones. The really good ones maintain the stuff to give you a fighting chance to find your ball and sometimes make a decent hack at it. The frustrating ones are when its pretty well a lost ball and a reload.

[Jordan Wall]

Jordan,

Was it Harbour Pointe?

Dropping or hitting the provisional all day is NOT fun! Thankfully the trend is now away from tunnel courses through wetlands, water, or trees.

It was Semiahmoo.

I've almost stopped playing Harbour Point, except for fun with friends on occasion, due to the housing and lack of strategy.
It just bores me.

[Jordan Wall]

Jordan, I totally agree.  And while The Old Course does have OB ringing the right side of the course it is pretty easily avoided.  The OB at Hoylake detracts from the course, especially the inertior OB.
 I feel the same way about water.  What fun is it to take a drop or rehit?  Water is pretty and periodically ok, but some courses have so much water that it detracts from the enjoyment of the round.  I have never heard anyone say, "Boy did I have fun avoiding water all day long."  

Recovery shots are some of the most fun shots in golf.  they require skill, imagination, and some luck.
I spend most of my practice time in bunkers, long grass, tight lies, under trees etc.  

Tommy,

I think an over usage of water is just as bad as an over usage of OB. Some people say that recovery shots are the funnest shot in golf (funnest is a word in the Jordan dictionary!), and I tend to agree, to a point.  I also like shots which make you think off the tee and really get your mental game going by thinking of whether or not to go for the green.  But, next to that, I love recovery shots.

Plus, one thing to note about recovery shots is that sometimes, if a player refuses to take a penalty and play safe after a bad shot, more strokes can add up than simply putting an OB stake in front of the ball.  I think recovery shots are essential to golf not only because of the oppurtunity to be a hero or to be humbled by such a testing game, but also because it makes the player think.

I'd say thinking in a round of golf isn't necessarily a bad thing, either.
 

[Brian_Ewen]

"True, but TOC and Hoylake do not have it running on either side of every hole, correct?"

Tell that to Mr Baker Finch .

[Bill_McBride]

Jordan, I totally agree.  And while The Old Course does have OB ringing the right side of the course it is pretty easily avoided.  The OB at Hoylake detracts from the course, especially the inertior OB.
 

The OB at the Old Course is only on the right side coming home - the right side going out, the New Course, is in bounds.

Ah Hoylake - that's another story!  Although the only hole with OB both sides is #1 in the original routing (#3 Open routing), with OB left off the tee and OB right all the way on the 90 degree dogleg right, that infernal cop.  The clubhouse side is OB in the following photo, and the cop on the left.

[George Pazin]

I think Rich G has often said something along the lines of "Great courses should be judge on the strengths of their recovery options", or at least implied it, without any anthropomorphism. I know I've always thought that.

I don't think a course exists where I couldn't find and reach the OB.

As for the housing question, I think they're popular primarily for their convenience - walk out your back door, there's a golf course. Throw in a few waterfalls and everyone's gushing (pun intended).

[Kalen Braley]

I think if building cops was a good deisgn feature they would still be commonly used today.  I'm personally not a fan of them...

Where else besides Hoylake are these still used??  The only other course I can think of that is even somewhat in the ballpark is Oakmont with its long and skinny "inverted cops".  But at least those are hazards, not OB.

[Jordan Wall]

I think if building cops was a good deisgn feature they would still be commonly used today.  I'm personally not a fan of them...

Where else besides Hoylake are these still used??  The only other course I can think of that is even somewhat in the ballpark is Oakmont with its long and skinny "inverted cops".  But at least those are hazards, not OB.

Besides my opinion on whether I like the cops or not, I'd say at Hoylake and Oakmont they work well, or at least they did for their respective Championships.


Sean,

Perhaps once , but I struggle to see how OB on either side of one or two would enhance a course.
I see no problem with adding some sort of hazard, like a stream or something, to one or two or more holes as long as it does not force the player to hit the same shot every time.

[Jon Wiggett]

Jordan,

I think you will find that the internal oob at Hoylake is for the practical reason of protecting the practice ground. If it were not for this I doubt they would have the cop. The hole would be better from an esthetic point if it were not there.

Look on the bright side, atleast they didn't plant a conifer hedgerow!

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