tree gates

[Garland Bayley]

In his book, The Anatomy of a Golf Course, Tom Doak identifies a feature he calls a "tree gate". He illustrates the one on his 10th hole at Black Forest (shown below) and references another named "Faerie Dell" at Blairgowrie. My favorite hole at my home course, Orchard Hills, Washougal, WA, is very analogous to Black Forest #10 using the shorter 470 yard tees there. I love the interest/challenge created for the second shot by the tree gate. At Orchard Hills, the gate consists of 5-10 mature Douglas fir trees on each side of the fairway, so there is no way over, and no decent way around the gate.

Are there any courses by other top architects that use this feature? If so, what are the particulars, par, yardage, gate location, etc.? Does anyone regularly play a course or courses that use this feature? If so, what are the particulars?

[Michael Hayes]

Our 14th hole At Kitsap Golf & Country Club is a tree gate par four.  It playes 375 yards and the two trees (maple left and Douglas Fir right) are at 175 from green.  This is a favorite hole for the members to bitch about, "THOSE TREES ARE UNFAIR!  WHY CAN'T YOU TAKE ONE OUT..."  I am quite surprised that there are not about 350 copper spikes in the base of each tree .  The thing is, without those two trees it would be a very uninteresting golf hole...straight way with no fairway bunkers.  the "tree gate" has even made it into the clubs betting game.  A 'field goal' is worth one dot in the Kitsap game...


BTW, the trees really do come into play, a low drive through the 'uprights' or a high cut over the maple is the prefered play...

[Garland Bayley]

I guess I'm not surprised that the first answer would come from someone in the Pacific Northwest.

The Kitsap example supports my theory that tree gates work best on short par 5s when guarding the fairway. And, in guarding the green, thereby forcing a ground approach such as at Blairgowrie.

[Tom_Doak]

Every hole at Sahalee is a "tree gate" hole, and I only saw it after they thinned out a lot of trees!

There is a photo of the "Faerie Dell" in The Anatomy of a Golf Course.  The tree gate is right in front of the green.

[Jason Blasberg]

The 12th at Prairie Dunes comes to mind, although the gate is closer to the green than middle of the hole.  The 7th at Cuscowilla also has a bit of a diagnal tree gate from left to right, with another gate keeper short right of the green.

[David_Tepper]

The 5th hole on the original nine (currently the front nine) at Sea Ranch GL, on the northern California coast, is most definitely a tree gate par-4 (roughly 390 yds.). Unless you position your tee-shot correctly on the slightly dog-leg left 5th hole, you will be required to hit a major draw or fade on your 2nd shot to reach the green.

The original nine was done by Robert Muir Graves and features a number of "figure-8" and/or amoeba shapped greens - very 1970's.    

[Kyle Harris]

The 18th at PSU Blue Course is gated by two huge Elm Trees.

It's a short par 5 (510 yards).

From behind the green... the trees are about 80 yards down the fairway.


Hole locations on either side of the green make the golfer contend with the trees if going for the green in two.

A launched drive leaves a long to mid-iron approach depending on the wind.

I've hit 5 iron into the green and over the trees.

[PThomas]

Blackwolf Run, River Course,  the 8th,par 5,  Hells Gate - the tee shot

[Anthony_Nysse]

The appraoch shot to #11 and #15 at Long Cove.

Tony Nysse
Asst. Supt.
Long Cove Club
HHI, SC

[Garland Bayley]

Should I have been able to guess that Pete Dye would be the gate meister?

Responses tabulated
Archie, Course, State, Hole, Yardages, Par

N/A, Kitsap, WA, #14 {382, 375, 362} 4
Gate - 175 yds from the green.

Maxwell, Prairie Dunes, KS, #12 {390,371,323,249} 4
Gate - 75 yds from green

Coore/Crenshaw, Cuscowilla, GA, #7 {388, 362, 296} 4
Gate - Online materials not clear enough to determine

Graves, Sea Ranch, CA, #5 {406, 382, 354, 308} 4
Gate - I guess about 75 yards from green

Park Jr., Penn State Blue, PA, #18 {501, 481, 401} 5
Gate - 80 yards from green

Dye, Blackwolf Run, WI, #8(Hells Gate) {521, 512, 484, 401} 5
Gate - narrow gate through trees off tee for first 75 yards off of the 484 tee?

Dye, Long Cove, SC, #11 {372, 368, 342, 326, 311} 4
Gate - perhaps 120 yds from green

Dye, Long Cove, SC, #15 {590, 565, 530, 495, 444} 5
Gate - right at the front of the green

Schrock, Knollwood, IN, #6 {447, 406, 378} 4
Gate - 175 yards from green.

Bendelow, Medinah #2?, IL, #7 {527, 521} 5
Gate - Narrow chute off tee

N/A, Centerton, PA?, #4? {} 5
Gate - 60 yards from green

Dye, Ocean Course, SC #3 {390, 367, 306, 268} 4
Gate - right at the front of the green

Case, Minisceongo, NY, #13 {415, 383, 372, 329, 305} 4
Gate - 190 yards to green, website says area is quite generous.

Dustin, Morris Park, IN, #6 {418, 408, 314} 4
Gate - 75 yards off of tee

[Garland Bayley]

...
I've hit 5 iron into the green and over the trees.

Is it really a gate if you play over it?

[Andy Troeger]

I didn't have much trouble clearing the trees on #8 BWR-River either from the blue tees. I wasn't exactly doing it on purpose...but it did reach the fairway below.

[Anthony_Nysse]

Hey Garland,
  Yes, #4 at Long Cove has a spanish oak on the left about 10 yards from the green. #8 also has a massive oak on the left about 20 yards short.

Tony Nysse
Asst. Supt.
Long Cove Club
HHI, SC

[Andy Troeger]

Another one I thought of is at Knollwood Country Club, East Course (Granger, IN), #6. There are two big trees guarding the drive. Its a fairly strong par four from what I remember, maybe 420 from the back. Designed by Ernie Schrock. The "gate" is probably 150-175 from the green...I'm pretty well guessing there though

[Kyle Harris]

...
I've hit 5 iron into the green and over the trees.

Is it really a gate if you play over it?

Hehe, surely you've hopped some fences in your time.  

[Tim Gavrich]

There's an excellent one on the 5th hole at my home course of Hop Meadow Country Club in Simsbury, CT.  You'll need to Bang one between two big, pesky trees if you want to put the ball on or near the green (it's 310 from the tips, and a little downhill).

[Garland Bayley]

..The "gate" is probably 150-175 from the green...I'm pretty well guessing there though

Their website seems to indicate that you get passed the oaks on the drive and are left with a long iron in when playing the white tees. So I estimated the oaks were 150 from the tee.

[Andy Troeger]

Garland,
  I looked back at their website. Surprisingly to me, the back tee is 477 and the white (regular) tee is 406. I'm not sure if that back tee has always been there or not...I've never ventured back there.

  In either case, for a good player there is no way that its a long iron from the 406 yardage. A 260 yard drive gets the player inside 150 and a for some of the longer high-school kids I've seen play the hole its more like driver-wedge. The trees are in play off the tee, but they have to be at least 200 yards from that tee. I'd say the higher end of my range at 175 yards would be a good guess for the records you're keeping.
 
  I'd also add that I think the trees at BWR-River go for more than 75 yards, but that's a good estimation of the narrowest point from what I remember.

[Garland Bayley]

Andy,

I sent them a message asking the location. In the mean time, I'll go with your estimate.

[Garland Bayley]

Every hole at Sahalee is a "tree gate" hole, and I only saw it after they thinned out a lot of trees!
...

Understood! There are probably several tree gates on my home course. On 18 though is the only place where they alter the fairway mowing.

[Jeff_Brauer]

My first round of golf was at Medinah, so I always kind of liked tree gates. I recall the seventh on the ladies course in particular, because it was a narrow chute, but opened to a wide fw.

I also like tree gates (here in Texas football country, they are called goalposts.....) or even a large tree intruding on just one side of the fw, just beyond the landing area for a tee shot.  Often, these are the only hazard you need to punish someone on the wrong side of the fw, while leaving hazards that slow play out of the normal landing area.

[mike_malone]

 At my favorite bargain course, Centerton , they have a treegate on the first par five #4, I think it is. The hardwoods leave a 30 yard or so opening and sit about 60 yards from the green. They affect your thinking about where to lay up on your second shot. In fact, they make me risk the right side off the tee to possibly get home in two. They are a wonderful way to add fun to a par five.

   As Jeff indicates the single sided gates can also be good--if you are tempted to go near them. #4 at Glen Mills has a line of trees that comes in from the left about 225 from the tee on a par five. If you want to get home in two you need to hug those trees . Because they are hardwoods and there is some separation you can hope to get through them as well. The hole doglegs left around these trees then comes back to the right.

[Brent Hutto]

To add another Dye course to the list, the short Par 4 third hole at the Ocean Course has a pair of trees guarding the green. Stronger players can probably go over them with no problem (although I'd guess that brings any strong wind very much into play) but combined with the plateau green it's a very cool hole and no pushover for anyone.

[Bruce Katona]

#13 at Minisceongo Golf Club in Pomona, NY is a dogleg left par 4.  The tee ball needs to be places between two large existing trees about 190 yards off the tee.  That leaves about 150 yards up a rise guarded by bunkers short and right.  A nice par 4.

[Andy Troeger]

Andy,

I sent them a message asking the location. In the mean time, I'll go with your estimate.

Sounds good, let me know if you hear anything interesting.

I also thought of another...the 6th at Morris Park Country Club in South Bend. The drive has to go through a narrow gap that's 75 yards off the front of the tee (all the tee markers are generally 390-400 yards...there's no more than 5 yards difference on a daily basis). Hole goes sharply to the left at about 200 out...its a tough drive!