[Bill_McBride]

"The dune on #10 at Friar's Head."

 When I saw the title of the thread #10 immediately came to mind. So many guys get up on the tee and say 'oh man".  Then when they get to the green and look back it's usually something like "wow".......then you know it's an original.....

Pete Dye built several short par 4s with a giant "dune" mound blocking most of the green and the visible part of the green stuck out into the lake that forms the left side of the fairway.  I think the dune at Friars Head works a lot better, I always thought that Dye hole was pretty artificial.

The ninth hole at Kingsley Club with the tees 270 degrees around that tiny par 3 with the unhittable green is pretty original.  The only way I found to make par was up and down from the front bunker.

[jeffwarne]

Bill,
I worked at Long Cove and played the 5th hundreds of times.
I loved that hole and his others like it as your tee shot risk determined your approach ease.

I found the Friar's Head Dune much less strategic and very much "in your face" depending upon pin placement.
Very unique and intimidating (without a lose your ball fear) in the modern world of golf

[Bill_McBride]

Bill,
I worked at Long Cove and played the 5th hundreds of times.
I loved that hole and his others like it as your tee shot risk determined your approach ease.

I found the Friar's Head Dune much less strategic and very much "in your face" depending upon pin placement.
Very unique and intimidating (without a lose your ball fear) in the modern world of golf

I think the reason I was turned off by the Dye hole I played at Mission Hills in Palm Springs was that everything else surrounding it was quite flat and then here was this big mound.  

It is definitely an "original" which was the question.  How poorly I played it is irrelevant!  

[Tim MacEachern]

To me, several holes at World Woods Pine Barrens.  The expanses of sand where a run-of-the-mill job would have fairway and rough.

Google Maps View

[Patrick_Mucci]

I ask because I think that's what is important in design, but I certainly recognize that a lot of design is derivative.

Tom,

It's a good question.

I'll have to think about it and get back to you.

I think your question becomes harder to answer as one's playing experiences increase.

[Kyle Harris]

The fairway length but completely blind collection areas at Long Shadow, I thought this was a very interesting and effective spin on a fairway hazard with short grass.

[Ian Andrew]

Tom,

There's a few but there small details rather than concepts. I honestly don't think I've seen a novel concept since the 17th at TPC.

The combination of sod walls and torn away faces at Castle Stuart caught my eye as an original idea.

At The Castle Course by David Kidd - I was facinated and pretty impressed with the idea of create "new" aggressive knolls and then turning them into long fescue. It reminded me of many features like it at Blatray where the slope was so severe that they left it long and natural despite it being in the middle of play. He used them as a subtle way to seperate areas where fairway flowed from one hole to another.

It continues to snow again today - so I'll have lots of time to try to think of more.

[paul cowley]

Tom....your groups tee complexes at Ballyneal.

[J_ Crisham]

The 10th green at Erin hills-didn't care for it. The Dell hole here was unlike any blind par 3 I'd ever seen -or not seen!

[jim_lewis]

It seems to me that originality is way overrated. Most of the original stuff I see is not that good. I'm ok with things that have worked before. Maybe that's why I like Raynor courses so much. A lot of folks on this site celebrate originality. I celebrate quality. Same applies to a lot of things besides golf courses.

Bah Humbug!

Jim Lewis

[Michael Whitaker]

Several elements on Mike Young's Long Shadow... especially the fairway collection "corrals" on #15 (I think) and the par three 17th hole. I've never seen anything quite like them before.

[Mike_Cirba]

Several elements on Mike Young's Long Shadow... especially the fairway collection "corrals" on #15 (I think) and the par three 17th hole. I've never seen anything quite like them before.

I'm sensing a trend.  

[Ari Techner]

The windmill and straight uphill 18th hole at Sand Hills.

The Klondyke and Dell at Lahinch.  

The grass ledges and non blended overshaping at Morgan Creek.

The raised front lip and back lip circular bunkers at Papago Park.  

The couple tees on huge rock outcroppings at Lookout Mountain.

The free form tees with no tee markers at Ballyneal.  

[W.H. Cosgrove]

#5 green; Home Course, Dupont WA.

Potato Chip on Steroids

[paul cowley]

....small donkeys bringing me margaritas between holes!

[Chip Gaskins]

#1 at Tobacco Road

#9 green at Bandon Trials (new, but original for 2007)

#8 green at Ballyneal, wow, good work Tom!

[paul cowley]

....really elaborate[decadent] halfway houses!

[ward peyronnin]

The periscope on the first hole at Elie. What a start!

[Lloyd_Cole]

Absence of supposed essentials is, I think the most surprising and, often encouraging thing to encounter.

Absence of water, sand, rough, tee markers, trees, flags.

Absence of direction, or definition.

My personal favourite - absence of the bag drop.

[Rich Goodale]

Just about everything at Painswick.  How Brown managed to get 18 interesting and challenging golf holes on that piece of land still astounds me.

[ward peyronnin]

Lloyd

Are u saying absence makes the heart grow fonder?

[Patrick Kiser]

Not totally original obviously but rarely have I seen or even played one.

Split fairway...

The one at Callippe Preserve in Pleasanton, CA caught my attention.  Also made me think of the one Sharp Park would have had all those years ago.

[Jim Nugent]

There were a couple of greens like this at Parada.  

What is it like putting from the lower tier to the upper?  From the upper to the lower?  Is 2-putting as hard as it looks?  

ETA: What is the most this green should stimp at -- and what is the recommended stimp?  

[Kyle Henderson]

Those photos of the new greens at Peacock Gap.  

[Mark Pearce]

The last time I was at Burnham I realized that all four par 3s are designed to be approached aerially AND that a runup  just doesn't work - there are steep banks leading to every approach area.  I tried to think of another links that this was the case, but I couldn't.  Anyone else think of a links with this odd feature?

Ciao

Muirfield.

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