[THuckaby2]

Jeff - since creating this list back in November (and it's curious to me why JShackstein resurrected it - funny post in doing so anyway   ) my thoughts and prefences likely have changed a bit.  I've heard others extol the virtues of Shinnecock #1, and yeah, I can see it.  I suppose if I include NGLA I oughtta include this also...

But hmmm... it is one beautiful hole - it looks right across at NGLA!  I agree it is indeed a "beautiful, inviting, (and) panoramic start."

But as a golf hole, it's pretty basic... bite off as much as you can chew off the tee, but even a safe drive to the left leaves a relatively short, simple approach... Of course it fooled the heck out of me as I couldn't stop my wedge on that green, but next time I'd be prepared for the firmness and bounce it up a bit.  Nothing is really in the way, it's just a tough firm green... and given the drive is fairly simple, well....

I'm having a hard time including it with all-time great openers.  Maybe it's me.  I'm thinking for a more proper "introduction" to the bitchly test of golf Shinnecock is, you need a a tougher opening hole...  Where NGLA's opener "fits" (quirky, weird, incredible green - here's what you're in for), to me Shinnecock's seems out of place a bit.  

Of course one's eyes are opened on 2 - maybe a break on 1 is warranted.  Many ways to look at this.

TH

[Robert "Cliff" Stanfield]

Since I have not been able to access many of the US courses and play that all of you speak of I have created my list really fast to detail some of my favorite front nine since moving to Scotland.  So bear with me I may jockey a few around and look back over my stroke savers.-

1. Prestwick-An interesting opener...ob along the wall and a mid iron can be the opening tee shot as long as you carry the left side moguls and hug the right wall.  A great old church sits to the right of the road with vines growing over the bricks with no roof.  The green is guarded by the driver with two cross bunker 30 yards from the green and the green slopes front to back.  Slaps concentration into the player and says hold on for the ride with #3 looming.

2.Royal county Down- 421 yard hole starting with a blind tee shot over a huge saddle.  The second shot without a stroke saver is brilliant...the two mounds with the bunker riding between them is great (50yds from green front with two greenside left bunkers)  I mean riding because it seems that the bunker is always moving closer or away from the green.  Great double blinder.

3.  I will have to research this one a bit more

4. Cruden Bay- short par 4 driveable on a good day and has the Bram Stoker castle in the view.  The tee shot is toward a blind green with a large dune guarding the front right.  Fade one down the middle and catch the down slope to the green, that has a wicked right side backboard.  Fun hole to try and eagle...or even birdie...or even par!

5. Old Course- good golf hole liked the idea of deciding about the second shot or third in my case to the green...from the Sectacles to the front the green there is all kind of short trouble.

6. Cruden Bay-ok I am partial to this hole/ golf course it is a par 5 stretching straight then doglegs to the left with a semi hidden green.  A creek runs thru the property here and the green complex is hugged by dunes starting middle left all the way around the back.  Ok Panmure was tied here maybe be even better..Hogan's hole.

7. Gleneagles-Kings- an interesting hole to play for the first time.  Off the tee you see two bunkers and stroke saver leads you to beleive that going more to the right is the way to go....The fwy sits in a valley with the highpoint stretching diagonally from your right to the left, actually pointing you to play the hole more to the left....although the large ditch gives the first timer a huge ditch to view so automatically its easy to go right an then have a long shot into this 444 yard par 4.

8.  I will have to research this one a bit more.

9.Ballybunion-Old- all I can say is what a damn green.  The day I played this with two friends the wind had begun to pick upi and I was right of the green and then left it short on the edge an let it roll back to my feet, then compelled to get it I hit a stronger shot over to the identical left side..went back and forth for a 10!

I know I have no par 3's in there but that's my first try at this...I still have alot of golf to play before it can be a refined as some of the others before me.  I have to find my way onto some of the great US courses when I get back to do that...since the requirement is the ones you have played

[David Kelly]

#6 at Green Springs certainly is a beast but I think it would have been a much better hole if they had widened the fairway. In order for the average golfer to have a chance to carry the gorge on his second shot he needs to hit a big drive but there is little or no room for error with the gorge on the right and OB on the left.  As it is the pace of play grinds to a halt as soon as a group reaches the hole.

Incidently I looked up my scores on the hole and found that I have played the hole six times and carded 2 Pars, 1 Bogey, and 3 Doubles.

[Bill_McBride]

As someone mentioned above, these are actually "My Favorite 18":
#1  Spyglass              great opening par 5
#2  Pinehurst #2         best green complex
#3  Valley Club           strategic par 4, great use of creek
#4  Pacific Dunes        what can you say, all cliffs on the right
#5  Mid-Ocean            greatest cape hole?
#6  Pacific Dunes         wonderful short hole, many optiions
#7  Pebble Beach         start of my favorite 3 hole stretch
#8  Pebble Beach         what else?
#9  Pebble Beach          and still #10 to come
#10 Oakmont               world's best chip shot
#11 Pasatiempo            too tough, then you reach the green
#12 Oakmont               super par 5, fall away green
#13 Pacific Dunes         ocean left, great blow out bunker left
#14 Valley Club            overlooked but difficult par 3
#15 Sonoma GC            favorite dogleg right par 4
#16 Pasatiempo            MacKenzie's best par 4
#17 Mid-Ocean             favorite Redan
#18 Pebble Beach          sentimental favorite

I think I've played some other great holes, but these stick out in the memory.  Wonder what the course rating/slope would be?

[Ken_Cotner]

Tim,

I also like the opener at Pinehurst #2 -- nice strategy and deception.  Actually, I like #3 a lot also.

Later,
KC

[ian]

Tom, did you concider the 2nd at Carnoustie?

[THuckaby2]

Ian - GREAT call - 2nd at Carnoustie is one great golf hole.  Darn I did this too quickly and there are likely many other ommissions.

DavidKelly - that's damn good playing on 6 Green Spring.  At one point my group of buddies had 36 playings of this hole (12 guys, 3 times each) and there was ONE PAR for the group.  Even today as the number is closer to 72 playings, I think we're still at only 4-5 pars.  That is one beasty hole.  Yeah, it would be "fairer" if the fairway was widened, but if they did that, it would immediately fall of my list.  This hole is unique for it's beauty 5% and how damn bitchly hard it is 95%.  Soften it and its reason for being ceases.  Hey, I don't want an entire golf course of bitch holes like this, but this one is indeed so unique, I love it.

TH

ps - some darn good further lists added here, guys - well done!

[Jeff Fortson]

My back nine is as follows:

#10 Shinnecock Hills  (some may have a real problem with me on this one  but I love the hole.

#11 Shinnecock Hills  My favorite par 3 in the world shortest Par 5 on earth

#12 St. Andrews  Old Course   feisty little Par 4  risk/reward

#13 Cruden Bay  Great Par 5

#14 St. Andrews Old Course  Hell Bunker  Elyssian Fields  need I say more

#15 Pinehurst #2  Tough green to hit and tough chip when you miss it

#16 Pasatiempo  Best MacKenzie Par 4  of all time

#17 St. Andrews Old Course    Road Hole  ummm  no other words to describe it

#18 Olympic Club (Lake)   Such a fantastic short par 4 with an ampitheatre setting and tough driving, approach shot, and green complex

I have yet to play some other big daddy courses   but these are my favorite.

Jeff F.

[SPDB]

heck, i'll do this. I never do, because I always invariably forget one or two, or 9 holes. But here, off the top of my head.

1. Winged Foot
2. Pine Valley
3. NGLA (in a deadheat with TCC)
4. Fishers
5. Merion
6. The Creek
7. Brookline
8. Pebble
9. Yale

[Gene Greco]

Here goes (Faves):

1. Sand Hills

2. Pine Valley

3. NGLA/Royal County Down

4. Spyglass/Cruden Bay/Seminole/NGLA

5. Bethpage Black

6. Crystal Downs/Pacific Dunes

7. Sand Hills

8. Prairie Dunes/Pebble/Cypress Point

9. Maidstone/Turnberry

10.Pine Valley/Sand Hills

11.Ballybunion/Pasatiempo

12.Old Course/Lahinch

13.Augusta (Only one haven't played but there is [was?] nothing better on this earth. I've walked the hole fifty times - it is [was] perfect).

14.Shinnecock/Sand Hills

15.Portmarnock

16.Cypress Point

17.Old Course/Sand Hills

18.NGLA/Pine Valley

[Richard_Goodale]

Since it takes me 15 minutes to decide on what aperitif to order at a restaurant, this was a hopeless task for me.  Hell, I couldn't even narrow the 4th holes that I have played down to under 18.  Here's that list, in alphabetical order:

Bandon Dunes
Barona Creek
Birkdale
County Down
Dornoch
Lahinch
Lundin Links
Merion
NGLA
Olympic (Lake)
Pacific Dunes
Pebble Beach
Rye
Sandwich
Spyglass
TPC-Sawgrass
Turnberry
Westward Ho!

[Bryan_Pennington]

#1  Tobacco Road/Kiawah Ocean Course
#2  Pinehurst #2/Carnoustie
#3  Prestwick
#4  Spyglass
#5  Pinehurst #2
#6  Kingsbarns
#7  CCNC-Dogwood
#8  Troon
#9  Turnberry

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