Is 15 at Oakmont the best hole in the world?

[mike_malone]

 I played it a few times and saw it at the US Open. Watching it today at the Am I just think it is otherworldly. It’s a great tee shot, a testing approach, a nasty bunker right of the green, and an outstanding green which slopes front to back.


It has it all. While it’s very challenging I laughed at my peril.

[Jon Sweet]

I played it a few times and saw it at the US Open. Watching it today at the Am I just think it is otherworldly. It’s a great tee shot, a testing approach, a nasty bunker right of the green, and an outstanding green which slopes front to back.
18 at Merion>>>>


It has it all. While it’s very challenging I laughed at my peril.

[mike_malone]

18 at Merion has a great green but 15 at Oakmont is a level higher and  the tee shot is a little less challenging, the green side bunkering is much less interesting. Merion 18 is very good hole but falls well behind Oakmont.

[Ronald Montesano]

superlatives are a fool's errand.

[mike_malone]

superlatives are a fool's errand.

But they should spur discussion.

[Joe Hancock]

superlatives are a fool's errand.

So, YOK should have been WOK (Week of…), DOK (Day of…), or ROK (Round of…)?

[Bill Gayne]

Mike,


I've never seen in person or played 15 at Oakmont but I do respect your evaluation of golf holes. I know that you've played 11 on the Ballybunion Old Course and I've also played the hole. Are you definitively saying that 15 at Oakmont is better? If so, I need to get myself to Oakmont.


Bill

[Ronald Montesano]

Mike...they do, indeed, spur discussion.

Joe...heck no. DOK (decade of Kevin) COK (century of Kevin) and MOK (millennium of Kevin) are still available. However, you will be happy to know that, as he pissed us mildly off through the week, we reduced it to WOK and DOK, then HOK and finally SOK.

I don't doubt that during my first 5-8 years on GCA, I often spoke in superlatives. It's unavoidable, as part of the process. As we do enough time here in the Big House, we come to understand that the best of anything depends on so many factors: weather, light, conditioning, company, performance, and the most elusive of all...true memory. I think that's part of why I love photography.

Here is a USGA fly-by of the hole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlXCJv2KIlo

It looks to be a heck of a hole.

[Anthony Gholz]

Mike:


Hogan called it the best par-4 in the world.  He was hitting 3-5 irons into it.  This week I saw 9 irons and wedges and it played 30+ yards longer than in Hogan's day.  And the greens this week are NOT Oakmont speeds, or at least those I saw at the last two opens.


When does it stop? (I know, separate thread).


Anthony

[Jim Hoak]

Great course and great hole.  But it doesn't approach #13 at PV.
I also agree that this sort of discussion is impossible.  We fight over the merits of whole courses; how could you ever pick one best hole anywhere?  But it is fun to think about and remember and reminisce about some of the great ones we have played.

[John Kavanaugh]

The best holes in the world come with a built in audience. Group plaudits irrigate memories while reinforcing historical significance.

[Matt_Cohn]

What makes it better than, say, 18 at Oakmont or 3 at Oakmont?

[mike_malone]

I’m a sucker for front to back sloping greens and this one is awesome.