Your Heart is Beating Fast...

[Mike Benham]

I've said this before on this forum and I'll say it again.  The scariest tee shot to me is #1 at the Old Course. ... Likewise putting #18 is as scary.

I wouldn't call it intimidating but the the tee shot on the Road Holes is interesting.  At least the first time, you really don't believe how much you have to hit over the barn ... it might be more intimadating the second time because you know how far right to hit it ...

I also found the 2nd shot on 18 of TOC intimadating .. a simple wedge off of an uneven weird lie, tight fairway, the spectators, the fear of blading the ball into the gift shop ...

[George Pazin]

Thought for sure this was a thread on Wolf Creek tee shots....

For some odd reason, the only time I get intimidated on a tee shot is the opening tee shot when I'm playing with a GCA friend, especially for the first time. Everyone's been tremendous, but it still puts a quake in this bogey golfer's knees.

#18 at Tobacco Road gets my vote for weirdest tee shot I've ever played. Fun, interesting, but definitely weird.

[Brad Swanson]

#10 at Shinnecock was my most recent knee knocker.  We started off on the back, so it was our first hole, and we didn't get any warm-up in at the range.  I believe my gracious host told me it was the only hole where Jack Nicklaus lost a ball in the majors in his career or something like that (I could be mistaken).   That story only added to what was already a huge adrenaline rush for me.  Luckily I nutted it right down the gut to leave myself this approach.  


photo courtesy of Neil Regan

This for me was more of the Old Course type knee-knocker and not of the heroic-carry-do-or-die-to-a-10-yard-wide-fairway knee-knocker.  Getting to play a course I had dreamed of playing since watching Ray Floyd's U.S. Open victory as a youngster was a huge thrill.

First tee at Sand Hills was a pretty good knee-knocker too.  This one was more a 35-degree-30m.p.h.-wind-in-the-face-from-the-left-freezing-my-butt-off-how-do-I-keep-my-high-cut-tee-shot-in-play knee-knocker (added on to an already high level of excitement).  

I guess my most fond knee-knockers are more of the excitement variety moreso than the difficulty variety.

Cheers,
Brad Swanson

[Brad Swanson]

Thought for sure this was a thread on Wolf Creek tee shots....

I think 16 at Black Mesa might qualify for you George, no?

Cheers,
Brad

[THuckaby2]

Great stuff and great call on both of those, Brad!

Oh hell yes - if one doesn't get some butterflies and
knee-knocking on the opening tee shots at great courses
like these, well... one has some kinda focus, I'll just say.
It's only natural for the excitement to be overwhelming.

You know what scared me more than the tee shot on 10
at Shinnecock though?  The 2nd shot... and the 3rd....

 

[JohnV]

Brad,  Not just George.

A couple from the more fearful shots category for me:

#18 at Witch Hollow - it is worse for me from the blue tees than the black because from the blues you are looking through the wetlands while from the black you are looking over them.

#7 at Pacific Dunes - I still have never hit a good tee shot there and until I do I will be intimidated by it.  #18 is no picnic either.

[PThomas]

Dave's Blackwolf Run mention made me think of one there I think is even harder:; the 8th on the River...par 5 through a tiny gap downhill over what is probably not as long as a carry as it seems but which seems like a mile to me each time I play it!

[George Pazin]

What a tremendous photo of the 10th. Looking at it, who would think it would cause such problems for the tour pros? Lots to learn from that hole.

I plead the fifth on the 16th tee at Black Mesa.

[Bob_Huntley]

Pine Valley, No. 5

[Tom Dunne]

Fun thread! I humbly submit #14 at The Island. This picture looks back down the fairway, which is one of the narrowest in all of golf. It's not really a hole where one would be wise to pull the driver (though I did, anyway), but if you do it's a knee-knocker for sure. What a fun hole this one is. And if par-3s weren't excluded, I'd nominate the previous hole at this course as well.

[Kyle Harris]

1st Hole - C Nine - Huntingdon Valley


Helluva hole to start what is probably one of the toughest nine holes of golf in Philadelphia.

[Mike_Cirba]

Oh...I thought this was another thread with scantilly clad...

Er..ahem..

Frankly, winter has been long and standing on any tee overlooking a golf hole will get my heart racing at this point.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Kyle

Were you referring to #10 at Talamore in one of your many prior posts on this thread? I'm trying to help you surpass TEP.

Steve

[Kyle Harris]

Nope, not #10,

Was refering to #17...

I put the picture up in the thread after I posted.

Hole before that's tee shot is no picnic either:

#16 Talamore at Oak Terrace

[JohnV]

Fun thread! I humbly submit #14 at The Island. This picture looks back down the fairway, which is one of the narrowest in all of golf. It's not really a hole where one would be wise to pull the driver (though I did, anyway), but if you do it's a knee-knocker for sure. What a fun hole this one is. And if par-3s weren't excluded, I'd nominate the previous hole at this course as well.

Even more amazing when you consider that this used to be #1.  Imagine starting the day with this tee shot.

For another narrow tee shot see:



#3 at Astoria Country Club.  I wish they didn't have the cart path, but the fear of going over those hills and having to hit the blind shot back is pretty good.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Kyle

I don't play from the tips at Talamore but #16 is something especially when the green is wide,shallow and concrete on top of the tee shot.

There are some good forced carry shots from the tips at Commonwealth- 4,5,12,13,14,15 and 17.


Steve

[Tom Dunne]

John Vander Borght,

I didn't know that, but that would be a terrifying prospect indeed--even with a mid-iron in one's hand! And considering, on top of it all, that one likely arrived at that first tee shortly after stepping off a leaky rowboat....well, I guess contemporary members and guests of The Island have it easy in comparison.

[johnk]

I once played TOC number 1 with 3 oldster locals.  When I took out my 2-iron, the eldest (who was my partner and was called "The Undertaker" by his fellow New Club members) said:

"You're not gonna insult the old lady with an iron, now, are ya?"  


In poor contrast to all the great holes on this list, for me, one of the scariest tee shots in golf is at my home club: Shoreline Golf Links, #18 - during any match play scenario.  OB on both sides.  Wind always howling straight across from left to right.  The scar-tissue from the mishaps at the home club is far more psychologically scary than anything that could happen to me at say Dornoch #1...

I've won on a number of times on that hole by laying up on the tee shot and making 5.  However, the advantage to the bold player who laces one at least 240 on the fly straight gets, is pretty high.

[THuckaby2]

JK - GREAT call re #18 Shoreline.  OH yes, that is a ball-buster as well... and it is directional, not carry.  SO many ways to go OB.

And funny, I had a similar experience at Birkdale... I played there not too long after the last Open there, and watched player after player hit an iron off of #1 tee.  So of couse maleable me stood there with a 2iron waiting my turn...as several of my buds hit irons off that tee also.  One of my other buds asked a caddie "what's with all the irons off this tee" to which he replied "I don't think they have any balls"...  

Immediately my 2iron got put away and out came the driver....

TH

[Mark Brown]

17 Ocean Course
5  Pine Valley 1
1 &17 Secession
15 &16 Black Diamond Quarry
9 Castle Pines
18,17 TPC Sawgrass
16 Cypress Point
3 Long Cove
7, 13 August National
18 Doral
Most of the tee shots at PV
17 TPC at
1 Royal CountY Down

[Jim Franklin]

Good call on PV #5, that hole is brutal. My heart was pumping pretty hard on #1 too with being at the #1 course in the world and all. Kind of like #1 at CPC, but the PV tee shot is more difficult.

[Ted Kramer]

I've never played it, but I'm wondering why nobody has mentioned #17 at TOC?

-Ted

[THuckaby2]

Ted - my good friend Mike Benham did mention that hole.  And I find his words to be right on the money.  That is an odd one that is more intimidating the more you know... ignorance doesn't get you a par, but it also doesn't get you a lost ball.

TH

[Sam Sikes]

Shivas,

I had trouble figuring out what the 18th at Butler was trying to be.  Do you think it is a good golf hole.  I thought the trees were way to close to the tee shot, but I not sure it would be any better if they lost them.

However, with a good round going, that tee shot does get the juices flowing a little faster, because you could make anything on that hole.

[Ted Kramer]

Ted - my good friend Mike Benham did mention that hole.  And I find his words to be right on the money.  That is an odd one that is more intimidating the more you know... ignorance doesn't get you a par, but it also doesn't get you a lost ball.

TH

Sorry . . .
just saw the post.

-Ted

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