Ladders

[johnk]

The golfer climbs a steel ladder to see when the fairway is clear and then fires his blind tee ball between two sand hills

This quote from the Siloth-on-Solway write-up over in "Courses by Country" recalls the not uncommon experience of stepping up a ladder, or using a periscope, or some odd semaphore while playing in the UK.

Last May at Painswick, during the GCA RC, I remember one of the older locals manning the ladder by the 17th tee, and over several minutes, just as the player was getting ready to swing, he'd yell: "NOOO!" in a very military fashion, since yet another car was coming up across the road.

What about other ladders on UK holes?

How many ladders are there in American golf?  All too few, I think...  

[Jay Cox]

The 18th hole at Redtail in central Massachusetts features a ladder up to a lookout tower to see over the crest of a hill to the tee shot landing area.  The course is on the old Fort Devens, a recently closed military base, and the tower is an old military tower.  Neat local flavor, although I'm sure the hole can't hold a candle to most of the UK ladder holes...

[Brian Phillips]

John,

It is quite common to have ladders on courses in Europe.  

The best form of getting a clear view of a fairway is at Elie. Here the starter uses an old submarine persicope to check the first fairway and then tells you to play away when clear!

Brian

[Peter Galea]

I really like periscopes. I have played two courses with them.
Don't know if the scopes are still there. At Peninsula CC in San Mateo, CA you climbed a flight of steps (kind of a ladder) to get to the periscope. The other one was at Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland, CA.

[SL_Solow]

Used to be ladders and  a periscope at Putterham Meadows in Brookline Mass. (next to The Country Club)

[Mickey Boland]

Played a course this summer in Ruidoso, N.M. that had a periscope on one hole.

[David_Tepper]

The Presidio Golf Course in San Francisco used to have mirrors on two holes mounted on 20 ft. tall poles behind the tee box.  By standing in the right spot on the tee, you could look into the mirror and see over the crest of the rise in the fairway. It was the only way to tell if the coast was clear before teeing off. I think the mirrors may still be there.    

[peter_p]

There was a 30-40 step ladder on the 15th (par 5) tee at Portland Golf Club

[Andy Hughes]

The Furman U. (Go 'Dins!) Golf Course has a periscope on the first tee

[Rick Shefchik]

I've played a couple of public courses with periscopes -- Hanover Country Club in Hanover, N.H., used to have one (I think it was on the 14th tee, but my memory is hazy on that one). I think Enger Park in Duluth used to have one, too. Maybe still does.

I never fully trusted the things, what with the fixed view (who was to know if there were stray golfers to the left or right of the picture), but it seems to me the liability issues involved with a ladder makes the periscope a preferable option.

[mike_beene]

My home course,Lakewood in Dallas has an old periscope that works well.Shady Oaks has two holes with the tall mirrors.Our tort system plus ladders would lead to plaintiff lawyers being the primary owners of golf courses in the States.

[ForkaB]

I prefer to avoid potential litigation by playing with tall people.  Two of my regular partners are 6' 6".   "Ladders?  Ladders!?  We don't need no stinking ladders!!!!"

[Bill_McBride]

I really prefer a bell.  There is something infinitely cool about hearing the bell ringing and knowing it is okay to hit.

My former home club in Virginia, CC of Fairfax, is famous for its blind tee shots.  #5, #7, #8, #16, #17, all blind or semi-blind, and the second shot on long par 5 #5 as well.       CCF really could use either bells or periscopes but has neither.  Only a private club, where the members know what's out there, can afford such shenanigans!    

[David_Tepper]

Bill McBride,

They tried using a bell on one of the holes at the Presidio, but after the first two bells were stolen, they gave up on that idea!

DT

[johnk]

Presidio still has the mirror system on the 6th hole.  For a while they had a closed circuit TV with a monitor.  That broke, but the mirrors still work.

[Larry_Keltto]

Rochester (Minn.) CC, a Tillinghast course that suffers greatly from a misguided and aggressive evergreen-planting program in the 1950s, has a ladder behind the tee at #9. I should clarify: #9 had a ladder when I last played there, in about 1997.

[Jonathan Cummings]

Brian - ladders quite common in Europe???  I've played many courses on that side of the pond and to call ladders common is a bit of a stretch...

[Mark_Rowlinson]

There aren't an enormous number of ladders in the UK but I can think of at least a dozen on courses within a fifteen mile radius of my home.  Very often they're only five or six feet high, simply to see over a ridge.  I think there's still a periscope at Whittington Heath in Staffordshire.  Bells are all very well but in a wind you might not hear it and if there's no match immediately in front of you you might stand there for a long time before you realise that it's never going to ring.  It's happened, I assure you.

[Tony_Chapman]

Who needs a ladder when you can have a "state of the art" video system? Right, Brian Gracely!!

     

[JDoyle]

Tony,

LOL....I played a round with Brian and all he could do was shake his head when we got to the tee box (#11?) and we saw the non-functioning box proped-up at sports bar height where the bell had once been.  Talk about not getting IT.  Does anyone out there really think replacing a bell with a video system is an improvement?  I think the fact that it was not working just added to the smiles.

[Brian_Gracely]

Tony/Jonathan,

You mean this eyesore?  



Not sure if the pretty RCC logo'd canopy was on there when we played.  It was added after our near-sighted management realized that they had installed the system in the winter, but the sunlight angle in the spring and summer were different...doh!!  

Yeah, a bell....silly concept.  They only have one at those dogtracks named NGLA, Prestwick, Royal Troon, etc...