The Best Tree in Golf

[Neil Regan]

   This is the great elm at Winged Foot in 1925, in a photo taken by the clubhouse architect Wendehack. The case can be made that Tillinghast and Wendehack used this tree together to tie the clubhouse to the course. From this photo, you can see clearly that the tree was an integral part of the clubhouse design. The clubhouse seems to bend around the tree. The green itself is also clearly of a piece with the tree and clubhouse. It is the 10th green on the East course. The unusual routing of 10 and 8, instead of 9 and 9, is more evidence that this tree was the anchor for the entire 36-hole site.
   For the golfer. this was the most benevolent of strategic trees. The hole is a short par-4, and the shape of your 2nd shot was constrained from the right side by the tree, and from the left by the steep bunker. From the tee, all options were available, but only half those options from either side of the fairway. From the right, the low shot demanded by the tree was rewarded by a green that can feed the ball to all points left. But a mis-struck high shot, 9 times out of 10 I'd say,jostled through the huge canopy that leant over more than half the green in latter days, and landed somewhere on short grass.



This is the green today. The putting here is as wonderful as ever, but a tee shot to the right can now be followed by as high a shot as you care to try.

[CHC1948]

I don't have a picture but I can see it in my head.  Third fairway at Seminole, left side, at the turn, not sure of the type but the trunk and limbs are perfect.  Anicent Oak?  Anyone know what I'm talking about?
CHC

[Dale_McCallon]

It may not be very relevant for today's game (pro anyway), and I'm not sure it is the BEST tree, but the Eisenhower Tree at ANGC is definitely one of the most famous.

[GeoffreyC]

Neil

I remember the one time I played the east course I tried to hit a knockdown 8 iron from the right side of the fairway and my ball hit the tree branches (they were lower then the picture shows by about 1990) and kindly deposited it on the fringe. It was indeed a beautiful tree.

What is that large specimen tree on the other side of the clubhouse (left center of the picture) and is it still there?


Another great strategic tree is the huge Oak on the corner of the dogleg of the long par 4 6th hole (15th for the Buick Classic) at Westchester CC. I have to try to hit my left handed draw with a driver to go around that tree to gain a spot where the green is visable. I remember when only a Jack Nicklaus and then Greg Norman would try to go over the right center of it to cut the dogleg. Now lots of or most tour players can do so but the risk is lots of trouble.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

The tree complex short of 14 at Cypress is one of my 10 favorite spots on the course. I always use it for personal leakage on the back nine.  It is nothing short of magnificient.

[Carlyle Rood]

Brian,

The greatest thing about your pic of the 18th at CPC is the silhouette barely visible left of the flagpole.  For that reason alone it is one of the best golf photographs I've ever seen.

Mike  

I agree.  It's one of the most outstanding photographs I've ever seen.  The photographer obviously possesses a tremendous amount of talent.

Carlyle

[Paul_Turner]

Paul:

I watched a lot of golf shots off the tee at the 14th at Ganton. In my opinion, that's one of the best little holes I've ever seen---there's just so much neat stuff going on on that hole architecturally and in combination---but for the life of me I just couldn't see what that tree added to the hole. I don't know that it detracted in any real way but if that hole didn't have that tree do you really think the hole would be less because of it?

Tom

That tree really gets in the way if the player chickens out and blocks his tee shot to the right.  The big clump of gorse on the left scares players into this shot.

The reason I thought Tom D would possibly include it is because he highlights that tree in both of his books.

Did many Walker Cup players go for that green?  Did the tree come into play if they laid up with an iron?

[TEPaul]

Paul:

Frankly, I didn't get a chance to look all that closely at the mid-section of #14 at Ganton. I'd say it was about half and half with the players trying for the green. On the last day a lot did. On the last day, playing clean-up, Trip Kuehne ripped about a beautiful 50 yard draw right onto the green with a 3 wood. I thought he was going to win his match and the cup but after birdie to win #14 he hit a poor 2 iron on #15, lost that hole and his momentum. I recall some of them laying up in front of some cross-bunkers. Does that make sense? The tree is past those cross bunkers in the bail-out area on the right, correct? It certainly is very visible from the tee though--although the green doesn't seem to be. I don't think I was really at tee height though.

[Andy Silis]

I'd like to nominate the tree on the Par 5 tenth at Tom's Black Forest course in Michigan. Due to it's existence and Tom's use of it in the design, the hole becomes one of the great strategic Par 5's I've played.

[Neil Regan]

What is that large specimen tree on the other side of the clubhouse (left center of the picture) and is it still there?

Geoff,
  It's 2 trees. Here is Wendehack's picture of the clubhouse behind the 18th green on the West course. Both trees are gone for many years now. There is now a maple (I think) tree there.

[Mark Brown]

Harbour Town Links -- you could go nuts evaluating the trees on holes 1 thru 16. Hundreds of trees are on the borderline of being the best and the worst. It just depends on how you're playing that day.

Toughest "tree" holes: 1, 7, 9 (a great short par-four depending on your viewpoint) 10, 13, 15, 16.

Many times you have to be on the correct third of the fairway. But that's what makes it a great test -- trees and small greens.

[Michael_Burrows]

The tree in the middle of fairway on the par 5 15th at Austin Golf Club. The hole is named "Ant tree" because when they were building the course Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore climb the tree to get a better view of area. The whole time they were up in the tree, they kept getting bit by ants so thus the reason behind the name. I will try to get a picture up online soon.  

[Tommy Williamsen]

One tree I will never forget is on 16 a Cypress Point.  It is the saddest most beautiful tree I have ever seen---crutch and all.  It only comes into play if you bail out to the left.

[Lynn_Shackelford]

TW, Huckaby never gets to see the tree or what is left on the 16th at Cypress, because he never never ever bails.  Goes for the green regardless of conditions.
My nomination goes to the sycamore on #12 at Riviera.  Just a few fee off the left front of the green, it frames the green site beautifully, yet seldom seems to affect a good shot from any where on the hole.  It always baffled me.  Humphrey Bogart used to sit there during the LA Open in the old days, with flask in hand, and visit with the pros when they came through.  Hence the name, Bogart's Tree.

[SPDB]

There is a tree on the backside of the Ocean course at Olympic that occupies the left side of the fairway. I can't recall but I think it is 16? In any event, I liked it, and the hole was pretty cool, shooting through the gaps of the two very high mounds at the end of the first fairway.

[Gerry B]

Olympic Lakes Course has a copuple of gems especially on the front nine including with some overhanging branches.Oak Hill East also has a couple of great trees as well.

North of the border -Scarboro -Tillinghast's only existing contribution  to Canada has a couple - the 215 yard par 3  - 2nd has a beauty  on the right side in front of the green - this little talked about par 3 is IMHO in the same league as #10  at Winged Foot. The draw becomes very risky as there is a mini ravine on the right side about 30 yards in front of the green that will gladly receive one's ball if you hit the tree.  The 220 yard Par 3 14th has a tree about 30 -40 yards in front of the green on the left side - forces faders to re -think their strategy.

My home course  -the National in Toronto has a couple of great ones as well - the tree on the par 5 -4th - comes into play for errant tee shots that find the left side  -very penal. Honorable mention to the strategically placed single trees on #10,11,12 ,15. All come into play or at least force the player  to  really think about one's options off the tee.
Some of the other previously mentioned threads are great examples of great strategic trees -Ie. Cypress, Winged Foot, etc.

[DMoriarty]

Somewhere in the middle of Lost In Translation, Bill Murray tees off on a very peaceful hole.  It faces Mt. Fuji but not on-center but rather just left of center.  The fairway looks to roll gently downhill (probably an illusion) and then might dogleg left. Although the fairway is treelined the landing area is quite generous.  The mature tree (some sort of conifer?) is in the center of the fairway, also slightly left of center relative to Mt. Fuji.  

Now I have no idea about which tree is "the best tree in golf," and I would usually tend to dislike a lone tree in the middle of the landing area, but this image has stayed with me.   Something about the tranquility of the setting, with everything just skewed enough to avoid contrivance.  

Everything appears tilted, tilted substantially to the left.  I'd likely pull it right, unable to overcome the overwealming feeling that it was well beyond my control to keep my ball from sliding too far left.    

I'm sure someone knows the course and hole . . .

[THuckaby2]

TW, Huckaby never gets to see the tree or what is left on the 16th at Cypress, because he never never ever bails.  Goes for the green regardless of conditions.

Ah, not so, oh great one.  I just have yet to play in conditions that would require me to go left.  I hope it happens, some day.  And of course I can see and appreciate the tree on the left fairway - I've walked right past it each time, walking up to my birdie putt.    

[Lynn_Shackelford]

Tom H.  Nice to see you take Sundays off from GolfClubAtlas.  I knew you might respond Monday AM.
Birdie putt on 16th at Cypress?  Man you are good with that 4 iron.

[THuckaby2]

Lynn, it is likely a 4iron for a big hitter like you.  Sadly it's all I have in a driver, unless somehow it gets to be down-wind....

And one time the putt was for bogey, also.  

One way or the other, that is a very cool tree.

TH

[Matthew Mollica]

I've always liked the lone tree behind the sixth green at Pebble. It acts as a good sighter for the golfer bombing the second at the green, as they stand at the bottom of the rise. The tree would seem to cause little by way of angst to golfers, as so few would seem to play long of that green...

Matthew

[A_Clay_Man]

Matthew- Good call on 6. All the benefits as a sight and the great loooking lone cypress visual, with few of the headaches. You would be surprised at how many do go long. evidenced by the number of balls found in the hairy hillside, long left.

There used to be a couple of beautiful old Live Oaks (nle   ) well to the left off the drive on #6 (near forward teeing ground). They had a circular spheroid shape and were refeshing amongst the asymetrical Cypress and other pines. They also were great for referencing your tee shot on 14.