I'll go first and throw out #7 at Sand Hills.  I pushed my drive a little and caught the ridge to the right of the green.  Made five after not getting my first shot far enough on the green and having to replay the shot a second time.

Easy birdie turned into bogey.  

275 yards plays slightly uphill  and when Colt designed it, he must have pictured a running draw.  Can't wait to play it and report back

16th at Tandridge - 290 something off the whites.

Not sure it is reachable in 1 due to the hole being uphill and bunkers guarding the direct line. OOB on the right and fairway slopes to left towards some trees. Hard pin to find with the 2nd shot especially if the hole is on the front lower portion of the green.

I'm sure #7 at Olympic (288 Yards) and #9 at Cypress (289 Yards) are worthy of this discussion.  In the 1998 US Open, I believe John Daly drove the green and took a birdie at Olympic's #7 the first day and carded an eight the next day at that hole.

Garland,

I am starting to think you have a certain fondness for that hole...did you lose your virginity on that green or what?

#6 at Myopia.  260 yards straightaway from the tips.  The green is small, slightly elevated, crowned, and slopes hard (like 4-5 feet in the span of 30) right to left, barely puttable.  There is a creek crossing the hole at about 210 from the tee, and it curls to within 15 yards of the left edge of the green, where there is a small bunker.  Also, there is a pond down the entire right side of the fairway short of the creek, and fescue rough on the other side of the fairway.

#1 at Myopia.  274 yards from the tips.  The hole plays directly straight and uphill, and the flag can be seen on the green.  A blind bunker lurks right of the fairway.  The green is benched into the hillside and is very flat.  The left edge of the green leads into a shaved bank that feeds into a bunker maybe 7-8 below the green edge.  It is not common for weak bunker shots to roll back down the hill into the trap again.  There are stories of people driving the green, putting to a left-pin too agressively, ending up in the bunker, and making 6 and worse....

#6 at my course, Tedesco, 277 from the tips.  The green is uphill from the tee maybe 30 feet.  The tee shot is blind to a fairway past a small ridge.  When going for the green, this brings woods, bunkers, deep grass bunkers, and a wildly-sloping green into play.  It is the most sloped green on the course, and widely considered the best.  There are several spots where uphill putts look downhill and vice-versa.  Even though I can make the carry to the front edge, I always hit 5-iron off the tee here so I can more accurately choose an easier part of the green with a wedge.

Multiple holes at Northeast Harbor in Maine...#7 is only 270, dogleg right through dense woods to a pretty Ross pushup green, #18 is about 295 downhill dogleg left to a small crafty putting surface....and at Kebo Valley...#12 is about 280, with a great crowned green, and #16 is 268 uphill to a green fronted by a cross bunker, and several wildly-shaped bunkers within 50 yards of the green.

Painswick#1

220 from the front tees and a whopping 224 when you cross the single track road to get to the tips.

At Buda II in over 100+ rounds, none of the 30+ players (including a Walker Cup player) made it near to pin high.

That is unbelievable no one could get to a par 4 that sounds like a long iron based on the scorecard.  Does it play into the prevailing wind?  Up a mountain?  Is there something in front of it (e.g. a stream) to keep players from giving it a go on their first swing of the day?

Yes, it plays up a mountain with a quarry in front of the green; the wind wasn't much of a factor the day I played it. I've never been so winded by playing a golf hole on foot than the first at Painswick!

The 17th hole at The Peninsula Golf and Country Club is certainly in this category.  The hole plays 285 yards from the back tees and is a slight dog leg right, which of course requires a fade.  The green is fairly wide, but not very deep.

Mr. Rowlinson, can I sneak in the great 10th at Royal Melbourne West? 305 yds I believe, but some days when the tees are up, it qualifies.

Mark Chaplin did you ever play this one when you were living nearby?  
It's a fun hole to end the round.  270ish downhill feed your ball in from the right.

No love for Cypress #9?

8 or 12 at PV?



Up around these parts I think a couple good candidates would be (provided Google Earth Co-ords for those available, for those people interested):

#14 Shuksan Golf Club - Bellingham WA

Five iron is all that is needed to get it into play to leave an 8-W in. There are trees right and creek left, both are dead. The green is perched on a 30 foot plateau, and is hard to judge distance and hold from the standard landing area. Junk on the slope on the left side, and a trap at the bottom of the slope in front.

If you gamble with a 3W or driver around the treeline you may be rewarded with getting on, or a chip shot from 15 feet below the green with it's entire length to work with, unless the pin is in front.


#16 @ Northview Canal - Surrey BC

 49° 7'28.02"N  122°46'23.87"W

Tee shot of 280 carry over water straight to the green, or wuss out and play to the fat of the fairway. Don't be long with the layup as there is water over the other side of the fairway as well. Prototypical Palmer R/R hole.

#8 @ Northview Ridge - Surrey BC

 49° 7'19.45"N  122°46'6.65"W

Though measured through the dog-leg at 350, the straight distance from back tee to green is about 300 yards, and it suckers you to ignore the fairway and go for the green every time, usually resulting in a tentative swing and a wet ball. Oh, I forgot, it's 260 to clear the water in front, but it's also about 30 feet downhill off the tee.

11 @ Semi-ah-moo - Birch Bay WA

 48°57'38.02"N  122°47'15.60"W

Palmer again. Straight line carry over water (and over the 12th green as well) of 270 yards. Green is TINY and best hope is to land in the bunker in front and hope it doesn't plug, Most mortals will not risk it on this hole and play conservatively to the fairway.

17 @ Quilchena - Richmond BC  

49° 9'35.36"N  123°11'27.68"W

Pond fronting entire green, but club pro's have managed to get on in one. Would be a typical par 3 if it were 70 yards shorter. Rumor has it former head pro Cec Ferguson aced this hole.

True story, my friend pushed one waaaay right and almost put it OB of the NEXT hole, found it in the treeline, hit a wedge that we heard rustle striaght up into the branches, and had no clue where it went. We looked at the green, and all of a sudden it plopped dead on the pin a settled to two feet. Lucky bastard.

13th @ Northlands - North Vancouver, BC

 49°19'3.17"N   122°58'32.18"W

OB all down the left side, you can flirt with trying to hit the green by going over the fairway bunker on the left, but the  green is situated in a bowl obscured behind the crest of the landing area off the tee. The green itself is surrounded by humps and hollows, as well as traps, so these is no guarantee as to what kind of lie or stance you will have if you aren't dancing. Of course, you can always play safe, but it's still a tough target to hit even from the fairway.

That's all I got for now.