[Phil_the_Author]

On the thread asking the question as to whether we need dogleg holes, Tom Doak stated, "In general, I don't design a lot of sharp dogleg holes..."  

This isn't criticism of that, but it for some reason it made me wonder why with courses being lengthened although they are shoehorned into their sites, why we don't see the Boomerang Hole a bit more often? Tilly's sketch for the "Boomerang":



Anyone have any examples of good ones?

[Mark Pearce]

Or any at all?

Or any dogleg at an angle of 90 degrees, let alone 90+ degrees?

[Phil_the_Author]

Mark,

Take a careful look at the 9th hole on Bethpage Black on an aerial as it was originally designed as a 288 yard par-4 and you'll see that it was a near full boomerang with more than a 90% turn to the fairway. The original tee beeing up on the hill to the left of the 8th green and back in the trees. One had to drive out and then play back to the green.

I know of one done by Emmet as well. Interestingly also on Long Island.

[Jonathan Cummings]

Houston CC and The Prince have two good boomerang (horsehoe) Par 5s.  It is purported that Greg Norman once tried to "cut the corner" on HCC's boomerang...

[Jeff_Mingay]

Phil,

I'm consulting at a club here in Canada where Stanley Thompson designed the original 9-hole layout during the early 1930s. The par-5 7th (a Thompson hole, to the best of my knowledge) is a boomerang hole... it bends around a really attractive rock outcrop feature, at right. During my first visit to the course, I wasn't very fond of this hole. It seemed weird to me. But as I've been working on the plan over the past month and a bit, a number of factors have come to my attention that have changed my opinion of this hole. It's actually quite distinct, offering some interesting angles of play to be considered.

[Phil_the_Author]

Jeff,

I'm convinced that those who love a course with "quirk" would appreciate the occasional "Boomernag." They are very difficult holes to design into a good routing and yet it certainly can be done well and so provide a unique challenge to a course...

[Ross Tuddenham]

Not quite a boomerang but at a course I used to play (kings acre, edinburgh) there was a par 5 from a very elevated tee, say at least 150 feet, with about a 90 degree dog leg to the right.  The tee is on the edge of a steep bank and the the rest of the hole is flat.  You can try and cut the corner but there is internal OB all up the right hand side.  Cutting the corner would probably shorten the second shot to the green by up to about 100 yards.

Assuming you are not a big hitter the only option from the tee is to go down the middle where even the longest hitter would not run out of fairway at the outside of the bend.  One plus point of the hole is the width of the fairway, meaning you can end up adding 50 yards to your second should you play down the left instead of getting close to the inside of the bend.

The hole is set in the corner of the courses boundary.


Oddly two hole later there is a hole that is almost a toned down version of a boomerang hole.  It is a par four that goes steeply uphill all the way.  It also curves around a Knoll covered in trees all the way and seems to turn back in on itself.

So would the boomerang hole be a good way to travel up a very steep gap in a routing?

[Carl Rogers]

The 2nd hole at Royal New Kent is a par 5.  Though the closely mowed area might be called more of a horseshoe in shape, the hole plays more like a boomerang.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Phil,

I certainly don't disagree with you.

The main issue at the boomerang par-5 I've referenced above is the inside has become over-grown. With overhanging limbs in the way, it's become difficult - if not impossible - to play those shots tight to the inside of the playing corridor to really reduce the length of the hole, as an advantage. Everything is forced (relatively) outside because of the trees, which over-emphasizes the boomerang shape of the hole. Some limbing and tree clearing will go a long way to make the hole more interesting, again.

Happy holidays,

P.S. I say Tillinghast's sketch is more of an elbow hole than a boomerang.

[mike_beene]

the only hole I can think of that comes close goes around a lake.It is the 8th at the Falls course at The Cliffs development in upstate South Carolina.I guess it is first a cape hole and depending on the line you yak has more than a 90 degree dogleg back to the green.

[Ronald Montesano]

Philip,

It's a quirky hole, indeed, but I like how Tilly allowed for the right-handed slice...I believe that if it went the other way (boomerang left) that it would be a nightmare for the majority of golfers.  I'd certainly play one and believe that I might enjoy it.  There's something tantalizingly frustrating about having to play away from your target to get the best ultimate angle in to the green.

[Phil_the_Author]

Then I gather you never played the 9th hole on the Black from the original back tee? You had to play out to the far side of the fairway with a slight draw. The hole played much further than its 288 yards.

The tee that is now beyond the 8th green was first built in the late 1970's or early 1980/81 if memory serves me correctly.

[Ronald Montesano]

I have yet to play any of the Bethpage courses...going to avail myself (plan) in 2011 of my NY resident status to play all five, with double rounds on the Black and Red.  I'll consult with you as we get closer to the date on how to approach the quintet.

[RSLivingston_III]

There is/was a course outside of town that had one. The guys that regularly played it learned a way to hit for the green through a specific opening in the trees. I think that is the ultimate downfall of these holes is they rely on a tall stand of trees that might, or might not last.

[Matt_Cohn]

The closest I've played is 13 at Oklahoma City G&CC. It's about 550 (?) par-5. The inside of the dogleg is marked pretty closely as OB. It's not a great hole I don't think; both of the doglegs were pretty early so it was kind of slice, slice, wedge. Easy to end up in the left trees with a straight shot on the first or second.

[Adam Clayman]

Aren't these holes generally lawsuits waiting to happen? It would seem that designing one today would be professional suicide. Unless the site allowed for it to be completely separated from the remainder.

There's one at Laguna Seca and even moderate length hitters try for the green. The other that came to mind was the closer at Kemper Lakes. It required a Hinkle tree. I once saw Michael Jordan go for it in one. He ended up taking his shoes and socks off to play his 2nd.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Phil,
I think the answer to your question is pretty simple: they're ridiculous.

There is a golf course in Greeley Colorado(and of course, Australia) named Boomerang, but it gets its name from the way that the holes are laid out at the corners of the property.

[Brian_Ewen]

[Doug Braunsdorf]

Phil,

  Is 6 at BSP-Red an example of a boomerang, or is simply a dogleg left that Tilly routed as such to take advantage of the sloping fairway and the depression on the inside of the corner? 

This may have been discussed prior. 

 Are you familiar with the trees on the inside of the dogleg today; was it possible to drive directly at the green from the tee when the course was built? 

[David_Tepper]

There is now a Boomerang-ish hole on the front-9 of the California GC (South San Francisco). I think it is the 6th or 7th hole.  The dogleg something less than 90 degrees and the fairway runs downhill all the way to the green.   

[Charlie Goerges]

Here is an earlier thread on this very subject! 

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40052.msg841065.html#msg841065

[JR Potts]

I guess #7 and #15 at Butler National could count.  18 at Isleworth.  Also, #4 at Urbana Country Club in Urbana, IL.

All fun holes...but a little strange to play.

[Phil_the_Author]

Hi Doug,

No, BSP Red #6 is not a boomerang hole. In fact, several of the examples posted so far aren't as well either. The main features of a true Boomerang is that the the turn is usually far more than 90 degrees. This is necessary as the "outward" portion is close to being in equal length to the "inward" portion. Yet the location of the green to tee is far enough away and the trees between them are tall enough that one can't turn it into a drivable par-4 by going over them.

When you look at Red #6 from an aerial shot the turn is less than 90 degrees and the "inward portion of the fairway to the green is short in comparison to the outward or drive portion. As far as the trees having been lower and the green drivable, this is not the case. The trees have recycled through the years, but they were never cut down from that section. By recycled I mean that there were always full-grown, mature trees there being replaced naturally when they would die by new ones growing wild to take their place. This hole was never driveable.

[Patrick Hodgdon]

Ross designed one at Interlachen which was his par 4 17th hole which wrapped around the pond to the right from today's 16th tee to todays 17th green. The head pro Willie Kidd redesigned it into two holes when he took out the short par-3 11th that was right behind the 10th green and 18th tee.

Also Kelly Blake Moran designed one at the Hideout in Naples, the par-5 17th hole which is an excellent hole.

I will try and post some pictures of each later.

[Pete_Pittock]

TPC Snoqualamie #14 http://www.tpcsr.com/club/scripts/library/view_document.asp?GRP=11682&NS=PG&APP=80&DN=COURSETOUR  by Jack is the only one I've played. Carry distance is the only dissuader with all the trees beow you in the ravine. Although it is driveable the hole works best if you leave a full shot because of green contouring and slopes.

Garland could entertain us with a 90+ degreer on his home course.

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