Surely some of the holes at that Northwoods Club north of the Bay Area should come up for consideration in this thread?  I'd bet that the narrowest playing corridor--at its widest point--may exist there.

In major championship golf courses, the tee shot from the tips on 18 at ANGC looks like threading a needle.  At least on TV.  In person what is it like?  

When a narrow corridor causes my palms to sweat, my cheeks to clench and my decision-making process between the driver, the five-wood and the three-iron to take longer than 8.5 seconds, that's a sufficient scientific measurement for me.

well-done Rick!

Quote from: DESchmidt on November 28, 2006, 11:15:48 PM

Quote from: Jonathan McCord on November 28, 2006, 10:00:56 PM

Here's the 7th at Pasatiempo from the teebox.

Can I say something honestly?

If you show this picture to someone blindly and don't tell them it's Dr. M and that it's Pasa, this hole and its architect would be UNIVERSALLY LAMBASTED HERE and it wouldn't matter a damn how good the back left pin position is!!  

Stupid trees...flowerbeds...hideously sickening cartpath...hacker's pull-shank fence to the left...please tell me honestly that this course doesn't get a free pass on this site ...(and oddly, I'm part of it, and I can't explain it rationally--I love the place! )

you are correct Shivas...that is a freakin' ugly picture!

Makes me wonder about that Doak character being so negative about the cart path in the narrow hole at Astoria. After all he has worked on Pasatiempo, and I haven't seen him criticize this one. (Admittedly, that may be an oversight on my part.) The only difference is the elevated tee at Astoria makes the cart path slightly more visible.

Couple things. One is that cart paths always stand out more in pictures than they do in actuality, imo. Your eyes are just drawn to it.I have played Pasatiempo 6-8 times and never noticed the cart path here.

Two, this board is a big proponent of quirk.  Why can't an occasional super tight hole with trees be considered (good) quirky?  I can tell you having played Everett for 5 years that that hole is a lot of fun.  Drivable par 4 that takes a perfect tee shot to get there, and a mishit can be disaster. A layup with an iron is safer, but still very difficult as an option, so most people have at it with driver or 3 wood. I can tell you I made lot more bogeys + than I did eagles and birdies, and I am a decent player...

in the Confidential Guide Tom D mentions some course where the tree branches from each side of the fairway actually touch each other...

I believe (but am not positive) that reference is to the second hole at Bayonet.

What about that par 3 at Prairie Dunes? Is it 15?

Mike, do you have any photos before they did all the clearing on #2? The first time I played there was in 1994 (when the course was still closed), and branches were literally touching the ground to the point that guys that went to the right would take an unplayable!

What about that par 3 at Prairie Dunes? Is it 15?

From the back part of that tee box, those threes are absolutely in play, particularly if you are a high ball hitter.  From the middle or front, the narrowness is too high to come into play...

I must admit the thought of another tirade had occurred to me.

 

Because while Mike's photo is illustrative, good lord it was nothing compared to the old days... heck Jon by 1994 a lot of clearing had already occurred... you should have seen it in the early 80s....

The ultimate test of golf, it was, and absolutely unique.  Not that that matters or anything.  

St. Enodoc #10 has a fairway which is about 4-6 meters wide in places. I hit it. Doak was circumspect describing this hole in CG.
Laurel Hill is a nine hole executive course in Gold Hill, Oregon.
Nect to I-5 a few miles north of Medford, the closest I have come to playing it is standing on the first tee and thinking I ws in a one lane bowling alley. Towering trees where the branches don't touch, they're interweaved.

Update: It was not Doak in CG, it was Donald Steel in his Classic Links...

I think it NLE. Also written up in the Confidential Guide. (Dukes) Lakwview Golf Challenge. Here is a Jeff Shelley writeup.
"The Greens (new owners) continue Wager (Builder) tradition of changing the layout's "diffilculty rating" every Thursday. On a scale of 1 to 10 the settings are determined by the pin placements on greens cut as low as 7/64" Lakeview has 10 greens and 18 different tees. Except for holes 1 and 10, each green is equipped with two flagsticks. When rated as it's toughest, holes are cut in the peripheries of domed greens, mere inches from deep sands traps and ponds. Trees don;t line these holes, they're in them; drives off mat tees must be lofted ovr the 20 foot high obtsacles. The grass on the fringes of greens is allowed to grow as tall as 7 1/2". SO if you miss the greens, or roll putts off them, expect to perform a flop shot of superior touch.. In addition to zany pin placements Lakeview has 10 bunkers, two grass traps and 10 ponds. One green (8-17) has a pond in the middle. The toughest holes are frequently the shorrtest. When set up as a 10 even the best golfers have a rugged time parring a hole. It is not uncommon to see players-including pros- get a 20 on a hole as short as 60 yards.