Well Designed To Be Great?

[Mike Hendren]

Are good golf holes holes necessarily well-designed?

I'm prompted to ask this based on the thread on Sleepy Hollow's 16th hole.  Looks like a good hole that I could have designed in the 7th grade.

Mike  

[Tom Huckaby]

That's a hell of a good question.

And I am glad you added the word "necessarily."

The Old Course rather proves to be the exception to the rule, as it often is.  But that Sleepy Hollow hole works to.

I'd guess that MOST great golf holes are well-designed, but great design is not NECESSARY.

TH

[Kalen Braley]

While watching MythBusters, Jamie made a comment once about good engineering that can be applied here.  He said something to the effect that the best designs are the ones that are the simplest solutions, are effective, and easy to use for anyone.  

I think this also carries over to golf course architecture and has been alluded to on several occasions.  But I think MacK put it best...its the mental effort that goes into a golf course that is most important and probably/likely the most difficult. I think this is what seperates the men from the boys so to speak.

Sure almost anyone could jump on a bulldozer, level everything and start over.  But its walking the grounds, seeing what the land gives you, and figuring out the best way to put the pieces of the puzzle together that is the great engineering feat.

So while a brillant golf hole may have little to no dirt moved to create it, I wouldn't mistake this for not being "designed or engineered".  Its the "leaving it alone" and letting it work in its environment that is the brilliance of its design.