[Lou_Duran]

Gene,

Fully concur.  A more ideal starting hole is hard to imagine.  Perhaps if the second shot was not quite as demanding (a problem- lack of challenge- that I find at many par 5s elsewhere, and in particular at Torrey Pines-South).

[Gene Greco]

Lou:

     The opener at Desert Mountain's Geronimo as mentioned prior is also a nifty par 5 with many of the same characteristics as Sand Hills #1 - easy tee ball, nice vista, choices for approach with approprite penalties for failed aggression.

     Would you concur that the first at La Cantera is the best opener in the state of Texas?

What are the openers like at Onion Creek and Austin Golf Club?

Haven't been to Texas in a while. Still have a dental license there. Maybe this autumn or early winter I'll head down and we'll tackle a couple of these together.  

[Bill Gayne]

Two of my favorite opening holes are at Royal New Kent in Virginia and Ballybunion Old.

Royal New Kew Kent is a Mike Stranz design that is a 364 yard dog leg to the left. The dog leg is probably close to 90 degrees. The hole plays into ravine that is about 70 feet deep. You really have two options in that the safe play is to hit an iron or fairway wood into the corner of the dog leg and be left with about a 150 yard shot uphill, probably about 60-70 feet change in elevation, to a green with a false front and multiple tiers. The other option is to try to cut off the dog leg and leave much shorter shot into the green. The penalty for coming up short is some pretty severe rough that will often be a lost ball.

I'm may be one of the few people that like the first at Ballybunion. Yes, you do play along a graveyard and the view on the first of tee is of the caravan park behind the green. In addition to that the fairway is for the most part blind from the tee. The length of the hole from the championship tee is 396 but I think they probably set it up at about 380. The hole plays slightly down hill. I have always found the green fast and firm and the chiping area that surrounds the green is like crumpled paper. I think my scores on that hole has ranged from par to probably an 8 or 9.

Bill

[THuckaby2]

Billg:

Add me to the short list of admirers of #1 Ballybunion Old.  I just have to love any hole that literally has death to the right side... first time I played there we walked by and noticed hundreds of golf balls in that cemetery, wondered why no one picked them up... then saw a sign that said something to the effect of "out of respect for the dead please leave this ground untrod upon."  Right then and there I knew I loved Ballybunion....

The fact #1 actually is a very fine golf hole, for just the reasons you state, just cements my admiration.

TH

[Brian_Gracely]

I'll try and remember to post a picture of #1 at Portstewart tomorrow as I agree it's an excellent start.  #1 at Prestwick is still my favorite.

#1 at Tobacco Road is a great starter.  Like alot of the holes there, it's visually intimidating but has a ton of options and has more room than you can see.  

 

The tee-shot can be played short of the mounds or through the opening.  Anything into the mounds and you're looking at anywhere between 7 and X (btw - that left mound is also the 9th green).  From there, you've got a blind shot over a sand dune that does have a narrow opening that could also be played through.  The green is reachable in two for the long hitter.  If you play short. the approach is to a green that slopes away from you and is guarded on the right by a huge (and deep) bunker that hides the right 1/2 of the green.  

Great opener!  Anywhere from 3 to X is possible.  And considering that you just drove into the club off US-1, which is very flat and covered with tall Carolina pines, the visual shock to your system is incredibley when you see this place that looks like Irish linksland in the middle of a pine forest.  

[Lou_Duran]

Gene,

Looking forward to your visit, though you may wish to leave your license at home.  My dentist acquaintances tell me that this is an extremely competitive market.  And with 4" of snow on Saturday followed by 80* with 40mph winds yesterday (Thurs.), the weather is not at all that pleasant.

I am embarrased to admit that I have not played La Cantera, Onion Creek, or Austin GC.  I used to practice at Onion Creek while working in Austin, but the course was not considered anything special so I never took the time.  Ditto for La Cantera.  I've been trying to play Austin GC for a year, but so far I haven't been "invited".  The noise on the street is that it is rustic, very exclusive, but not top shelf.  Spanish Oaks, nearby, is a course I like very much and has received wide acclaim.

In thinking back about Texas courses with outstanding starting holes, I am coming up with blanks.  Most are too bland, or too hard, or not representative of the course.  Even Dallas National starts out really slow with what is probably one of the least interesting holes on the course.

I guess that my candidates for Texas would be Spanish Oaks, opening with a mid-length meandering par 5 into or quartering the prevailing wind, with quite a bit of elevation changes from the tee to the landing areas, and back up slightly to a well bunkered green.  The other would be at Pine Dunes, a mid-length par 4, DL R/L, with a deep, heavily contoured green falling of at the back.

BTW, I doubt that C & C set out to make a statement with SHGC's #1.  But if one was writing a book on designing ideal starting holes that one ought to be on the cover for the reasons you stated.  I am not good at remembering holes that I haven't played numerous times, but that one is clearly etched in my mind.  It is a microcosm of the course, and a fantastic invitation to what a great experience follows.

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