Cadence

[Tommy Williamsen]

During the Open, I considered cadence on golf courses. There are a few ways to approach it. One way, of course, is to see the cadence of par. As I watched the Open at #2, I considered difficulty against par from the white tees for me, with 8 and 16 as par fives. I scored it this way: one is the easiest, and ten is the most difficult. This is how it plays for me. The toughest stretch is 11-14. Each of the nines is almost identical in distance: the front is 3164 yards, and the back is 3143 yards.
Many of you are familiar with Ballyhack. I was a member for a dozen years. As I grew older, I moved up a tee. Here is how the course played for me the last few years.
So how do your favorite courses play?

[Matt Schoolfield]

I'm a bit confused, could you explain how you calculate these numbers?

[Brian Finn]

If I follow - each hole is rated 1 (easiest) to 10 (hardest) in terms of how difficult it is to make par on that hole. 

Using that method for my home course, for my own play, would look something like this:

Front: 4 / 5 / 9 / 7 / 7 / 5 / 8 / 3 / 6 = 54
Back: 8 / 6 / 3 / 3 / 5 / 8 / 6 / 7 / 7 = 53

[mike_malone]

8/7/4/6/4/7/3/9/8 56
7/5/4/8/8/7/3/4/4 50


   The middle is challenging.


Just for fun. Pine Valley


5/8/4/5/6/4/9/4/6. 51
3/5/4/6/6/15/8/5/8 60

[Tommy Williamsen]

I'm a bit confused, could you explain how you calculate these numbers?

The numbers were just how difficult those holes played for me. Ten being the most difficult and 1 easiest. The numbers are subjective. They will be different for you. For instance, six at Ballyhack is difficult for me because of how short off the tee I am now. The second shot is invariably played from a downhill lie to a green that is some fifty feet above me. Longer and younger guys do not find the second shot very difficult, except they don't see the bottom of the pin.

[Michael Felton]

8/7/4/6/4/7/3/9/8 56
7/5/4/8/8/7/3/4/4 50


   The middle is challenging.


Just for fun. Pine Valley


5/8/4/5/6/4/9/4/6. 51
3/5/4/6/6/15/8/5/8 60

I found 5 and 13 to be comfortably the hardest holes on PV. 5 is ridiculously hard. 13 is impossible not to miss it right (that's how I found it anyway). You have both of those as 6 and 7 is a 9? You also have 15 as a 15, but I assume that's a typo. On a similar basis, this is roughly how I would rank them.


6/5/5/7/10/4/4/5/6 - 52
3/4/3/9/7/4/6/3/6 - 45

[Tommy Williamsen]

I'll do PV


5-6-6-7-9-6-7-5-6   57
6-5-6-9-5-7-7-6-8   59


Four through seven on the front is the meat of the nine, while thirteen through sixteen are on the back. Both come in the middle.

[mike_malone]

8/7/4/6/4/7/3/9/8 56
7/5/4/8/8/7/3/4/4 50


   The middle is challenging.


Just for fun. Pine Valley


5/8/4/5/6/4/9/4/6. 51
3/5/4/6/6/15/8/5/8 60

I found 5 and 13 to be comfortably the hardest holes on PV. 5 is ridiculously hard. 13 is impossible not to miss it right (that's how I found it anyway). You have both of those as 6 and 7 is a 9? You also have 15 as a 15, but I assume that's a typo. On a similar basis, this is roughly how I would rank them.


6/5/5/7/10/4/4/5/6 - 52
3/4/3/9/7/4/6/3/6 - 45

15 is 15 I only made it in single digits once. 5 fits my 3 wood which I often hit well.

[Brian Finn]

So, what can we learn from these sequences?  In my case, I am talking about a Donald Ross course that was restored/renovated very nicely by Kris Spence.

It starts pretty gently. 1st is a longish, but not difficult (4/10) par 5.  Definite chance to get off to a good start, especially with good course management.  2nd is short par 4, most difficult part is the tee shot, plays to a tricky green, but still very gettable (5/10). 

Then, the 3rd hole punches you (me) in the face.  A long (200 from middle tees, 235 from tips) par 3 to a volcano green with difficult recoveries from 60%-70% of the perimeter.  For me, this is the most difficult par on the course (9/10).  Brilliant hole, but so tough.

The 4th through 7th is a very challenging stretch (7, 7, 5, 8 out of 10), all par 4s, only one of which I consider a good chance at par.   

The 8th is the most scoreable hole on the course for me (3/10), a short par 5, usually reachable in two.  Even when I hit a poor drive or second shot, I usually have a good chance at par.  I don't make a ton of birdies in general, but I birdie this hole often.

The 9th is a par 3 that plays 186 +/- with some tricky pin positions.  Playing to the front middle of the green will always give you a good chance at par, but (a) I am not smart enough to ignore where the flag is located and (b) I am not good enough to execute consistently.  6/10 for me.

In considering the above sequence (4 / 5 / 9 / 7 / 7 / 5 / 8 / 3 / 6 = 54), it is most interesting to compare to the original order of play (when the original clubhouse was on the other side of the property).  At that time, the 7th hole (8/10 now, 10/10 in 1929) was the opener, before going to the current 6th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 1st*, 2nd*, 3rd, 4th.  That sequence, using my same ratings in different order, would be 8 / 5 / 7 / 3 / 6 / 4 / 5 / 9 / 7.  That is quite a different cadence.  Which would you prefer?  Can either be classified as more typical of Ross?  Did he really prefer a "gentle handshake?"

*Note: the current 1st and 2nd holes are not original Ross holes.  What were then the 6th and 7th holes were shortish par 4s.  While I never played them, I get the sense they would have fallen in a similar difficulty range, making the above cadence comparison still relevant.

[Tommy Williamsen]

While I do not think architects design with a particular difficulty cadence, there seems to be a run of difficulty in the middle of each nine.