Pacific Dunes hole #1

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Tom, that area to the right has seen my sweet mug a few times too.

[ed_getka]

Tom,
 In general, I would be most interested in the details of how you arrived at the routing. What features first caught your eye that you knew you would absolutely find some way to use. How many holes would you say you identified along the way? Which holes were the most problematic to fit into the cohesive whole of the course? Now that the course has been open for awhile, is there anything you feel could be improved upon?

[Eric Smith]

I read on Will Smith's site where he calls Pacific Dunes the greatest course built in the past 70 years.  That's quite a compliment and from all I've read and heard, he may be right.

But Will also mentions, when asked to name the weakest hole on the golf course, that he thinks it is #1 and that he doesn't like the tee shot.

What do you guys think about #1?

Tom's initial post on this thread is a must read btw.

[Tim Bert]

My comments from the hole by hole photo tour.  You'll note that both myself and a couple of my playing partners have experienced the death that is WAY RIGHT off the tee:

The 1st is a quirky and potentially uncomfortable start for the first-time visitor (I speak from experience.)  I just didn't have a good feel for where I wanted to hit the ball and how much club I wanted to hit when standing on the tee.  One thing is for sure, you don't want to be in the massive dune to the right.  I was embarassed to find myself there my first time around after trying to start the round with a "safe" 6-iron.  I felt a bit of redemption on my 2nd trip when one of my playing partners put the ball in the same spot and had equal difficulty in extracting the ball from the sand mounds back to the field of play.  It's not a pretty place to play, but it really shouldn't come into play in the first place.

After repeated plays, I really enjoy the hole and I'm much less intimidated standing on the first tee.  In general, the hole is a bit underwhelming compared to some of the other par 4s on the front nine, but consider the company!  The green can be tricky to read and feels much smaller than most of the greens to follow.  Its setting carved into the surrounding dune is a nice start to the round.

All-in-all, a good start to a great experience! 

[Dan Herrmann]

I think it's a perfect first hole.  It really gets your mind into the round.

[Bill_McBride]

I think it's a perfect first hole.  It really gets your mind into the round.

For a hole that looks very simple on the scorecard, it is a very good starting hole that gets one right into the mystery of Pacific Dunes,

From the sort of blind tee shot - once the ball gets over the crest, who knows where it goes and where it stoips? - to the awkward short irons into the green, to the wild green contours, it is a hole that makes you think and get into the ground game.  It's a very good opener.

[PCCraig]

Hopefully Tom Doak could update us all as to when his Pacific Dunes book will be released?

[John Kirk]

Hi Eric.  I agree with Will, that #1 is the "least good" hole on one of my favorite courses, for two simple reasons.  The penalty for a sliced first tee shot is too severe, and the environmentally sensitive area (ESA) to the right of the first green disallows play after a pushed or sliced approach shot.

I prefer to play Pacific Dunes from the back tees (6600 yards), and you almost have to hit driver if the prevailing summer wind is present.  The chances of a pushed or sliced tee shot from there probably rise above the 25% mark in a 10 mph breeze.  From the green tee at 305 yards, a long iron tee shot is the prudent choice.

Pacific Dunes...that's how to build a golf course.

[JC Jones]

Hopefully Tom Doak could update us all as to when his Pacific Dunes book will be released?

  I was thinking the same thing.

[PCCraig]

Hopefully Tom Doak could update us all as to when his Pacific Dunes book will be released?

  I was thinking the same thing.

And of course when the updated GCA.com edition of the Confidential Guide come out!   

[JC Jones]

Hopefully Tom Doak could update us all as to when his Pacific Dunes book will be released?

  I was thinking the same thing.

And of course when the updated GCA.com edition of the Confidential Guide come out!   

I bet Tom never dreamed how many demands there would be once he achieved celebrity status.  Celebrity to about 1501 people that is...

[Norbert P]

  If you're teeing off early (not too many groups ahead) you can play to the 7th fairway. 

  I like the 1st but I always seem to get into trouble somewhere.  But 1st tees are my nemesis wherever I go.