[TEPaul]

...and if so how and why?

JESII mentioned on the Merion fairway thread that to him (a very good player) that the difference on the tees of #7 and #8 Merion East one sort of felt like it called for a draw and the other a left to right tee shot (actually he didn't say which was which and I don't know ).

How true is this? To me it's very true and I think of all the holes I've played and others have with me where something about the hole just feels it calls for one thing or another. Often we run into holes, over and over again, that seem wrong of innately contrary to what we want to do or think we can do best and they bother us, sometimes eternally. How many holes, particularly tee shots, just "suit your eye", or don't, and you seem to play the former so well so often and the latter so badly so often.

We know what this is but what is it about those holes on either end of the spectrum that does that to you?

[TEPaul]

It occurs to me having watched Nebraska's Long John Hurley for two rounds each on two courses (Merion East and PCC) that there most definitely is something about this to most good golfers (or all golfers).

When I think back on all the tee shots he hit on both those courses there is a remarkably identifiable pattern at work here on how certain aspects of architecture affected him psychologically and consequently his shot and its pattern. And these were two courses he'd never seen before so he had no good or bad memories.

Right off the bat on one hole he said even before he ever hit a tee shot on it that it just made him feel uncomfortable, and on a few others he said they felt comfortable to him.

I think there was definitely something about either the visibility of the ultimate target (perhaps the green) but particularly the flow of the land one way or the other or the available visible space one way or another that psychologically produced good and poor results. And I think there was a distinct pattern to it through four rounds on two courses.

[Jeff_Brauer]

TePaul,

Absolutely.  The essence of strategy is to use everything at your disposal to increase your chances of sucess on each shot.  While many here focus on the antiquated notion of tee shot position for a frontal opening, I think modern golfers focus on getting the shot to the target. based on their own strengths, and not completely hazard position.

The wind, angle of target, slope of target, slope at ball position all suggest a shot type to good players.  What they love is when all the signals point the same direction. As one pro told me "IF the target angles left, the wind blow left, and I have a hook lie, there are smarter guys than me, but pards, I think I'm going to hit a draw!"

As he further explains, how would you feel if you came to a traffic circle with both a stop sign and a green light? You would be confused and there is a greater chance of a wreck.  When shot signals are mixed, golfers get uncomfortable and are more likely to "have a wreck." ie, bad shot.

[TEPaul]

"As he further explains, how would you feel if you came to a traffic circle with both a stop sign and a green light? You would be confused and there is a greater chance of a wreck.  When shot signals are mixed, golfers get uncomfortable and are more likely to "have a wreck." ie, bad shot."

JeffB:

And that is precisely why I feel more architects should build more holes (not all but more) like that. In my opinion, it is not up to the architect to show the golfer the way and make him comfortable. That should be for golfers to figure out for themselves. And if they do I think they feel a whole lot better about themselves all around.

[Tom_Doak]

Tom:

One thing I've noticed about Coore and Crenshaw's work is that they tend to go with the flow ... if there is a prevailing left-to-right wind, they'll give you a left-to-right angled green or at least an opening on the left front.

Pete Dye, on the other hand, would do his best to get you off balance as often as possible.

I believe there are also many subconscious signals which get you off balance or on, in the lines of the fairway and the background for the hole, which is why we pay so much attention to those things.

When I played at my best I used to pick out a specific tree on the horizon for an aiming point, to take all of the "static" of mixed signals away and allow me to focus on what I wanted to do.  Haven't done that well lately, though ... and it's tougher on courses with no trees!

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