The greatest opening hole in the world!

[THuckaby2]

That is VERY interesting indeed and sure as hell shoots my "introduction to the course" praise all to hell, Tom!

CBM just got lucky.  

TH

[Jeff_Lewis]

Have to agree with Machrihanish. Shinnecock never seems to get mentioned for this, but I think it is a fine opener. Does everyone agree with Doak that Prestwick's is one of the worst in golf?

[JakaB]

Dave,

I love #1 at #2 because of how it just gives you a big ole hug and says "I know this is gonna hurt...be here just relax for the next couple of minutes before I pull all of your teeth out."  kinda like the beautiful dental assistant that know just how to rub up against you before the pain starts.

When taking the hole in the context of the entire course how great is it to hit a nice drive on one of the most difficult of all championship courses in front of the large clubhouse.   The design makes almost any shot appear to be a good one...The appoach to the green is basically a wedge or nine iron where as long as you are below the hole a nice little par is carded and all types of mental images of greatness start to dance in your head.   I think this is a real gift given to the golfing masses by Donald Ross...a short lived gift...but a gift just the same.   Like I said at the start this only works in the context of the rest of the 17 holes that follow...but honestly don't you like the assistant more than the dentist anyway.

[Bob_Huntley]

Pine Valley No.1 or The Old Course.

Tom Huckaby.

When you come to think of it, Spy Glass Hill is not much to look at off of the tee. It only becomes an exhilirating hole on the second and third shots.

TEPaul.

Gary Cowan played at Nchanga G.C. in the early sixties and was a cracking player. Like Lanny Wadkins there was no flag-stick that could be hiden from him.

[THuckaby2]

OK, I love Shinnecock as much as the next man unless said next man is Rich Goodale, but I'm gonna come clean and say I don't get the reverence for #1.  It's a fine hole with a very nice view, and yes it does have a certain "bite off as much as you can chew" feature to the tee shot... and yes the green is rock hard so that's a fine intro to what the rest of the course holds, and....

Well I was about to say I didn't see what's so great about it but I believe I just talked myself out of it.  It belongs.  Strike my first comment above and never mind!

I also don't see what's so bad about #1 at Prestwick.  We're talking the Old Prestwick, right?  Train tracks on right and tight as bejesus?  I kinda liked that hole...

TH

[THuckaby2]

Pine Valley No.1 or The Old Course.

Tom Huckaby.

When you come to think of it, Spy Glass Hill is not much to look at off of the tee. It only becomes an exhilirating hole on the second and third shots.

Very correct, kind sir.  But that's enough for me.  And that tee shot is a tough one, particularly from the back tee, given the cathedral of pines you hit through... That gives it enough interest for me also.

Right on re TOC, also!  Tee shot there is of the great butt-tighteners in golf.

TH

[TEPaul]

Jeff Lewis:

Shinnecock's #1 was originally routed as #10 and #10 was #1. The fact that it was that way originally also explains another oddity about Shinnecock--that is why the 9th is right next to the clubhouse instead of the 18th which is down the hill below #9!

[TEPaul]

Bob Huntley:

Cowan (like Wadkins) sure was a pinseeker but that's not all I mean by aggressive! He seemed to like to take direct lines at things and would not hesitate to hit the ball over, under or through anything between him and a direct line--he did stuff I never would have even thought of. And he hit everything real far too and always tried to!

Which brings up another real oddity about him as a player. I have never seen another golfer anywhere who stood that close to the ball--not even remotely that close. He stood about twice as close to the ball as the next closest I ever saw which always made me wonder how he could have generated as much distance as he did!

[Jeff_Lewis]

Wow. If 10 at Shinny were 1 it probably would be the best opener in the world. Talk about a tough start, routed that way, oof! 10-11-12. Yes, the first at Prestwick has the train tracks along the right side. I played it twice in sideways wind and 30mph winds and thought it was pretty darned sporty. It basically said, welcome to a very quirky place.

[TEPaul]

Jeff Lewis:

If you think Shinnecock's #10 would be a tough opener how about #14?? Do you think that just might be one of the real ball-busting openers in all of golf? I sure do!

Well guess what? On one of Flynn's routing and design iterations #14 was a #1!! Of course some of the holes that followed it in that iteration never got built-but still it was a possible opener before the routing was finalized!

[Bob_Huntley]

TEPaul:

Now that you mention it, I thought the same about his setup. The closest to it than I can recall was Don January's;I thought he might give himself an orchiectomy, his hands were so close to his body.

[A_Clay_Man]

Bob- I must point out that the first at Spy has it's own specialness, to it.

One thing that is unique to the first five holes, is the fact that, not a structure is visable.

Other special attributes to standing on the 1st tee are mostly weather dependant. If your lucky enough there are very few days when every tree top is visable all the way to the ocean, which is also magnificiantly in sight. It kind of reminds you of what Stevenson must've seen when he was there. All Forest!

There is one tree top that is flat like pancake and that is the ideal line for a big hitter.  

[bm]

It's been a long time since I played Machrihanish, but I wonder if it would be possible to flip 1 & 18 with the current routing without making too many other changes. #18 is dull and could be better used as an opener and #1 with the green where the current tee is would be quite the finisher (elevated tees as well), the beach would come into play on the approach shot as well as tighten up the tee shot for longer hitters.

The again, the sign leading to the beach warning beachgoers that golfers have prioity is one of the coolest signs in golf and not to be seen anywhere else.

And perhaps #1 wouldnt quite be so memorable as just another great finishing hole.

[ian]

Machrihanish is the most spectacular hole, but the greatest opening hole has to remain St. Andrews. The first tee is simply the most inspiring place any golfer can be.

[Bill_McBride]

As a precursor of what's coming ahead, Oakmont's #1 is hard to beat - 460 yards with a fall away green, perhaps one of the fastest in the world.  All the pitfalls of Oakmont illustrated on the first hole you play!  I guess it was a par 5 at one time but today it's one of the toughest par 4's anywhere.  That probably makes it one of the best opening holes in the classic golf rota.

[Bill_McBride]

As a precursor of what's coming ahead, Oakmont's #1 is hard to beat - 460 yards with a fall away green, perhaps one of the fastest in the world.  All the pitfalls of Oakmont illustrated on the first hole you play!  I guess it was a par 5 at one time but today it's one of the toughest par 4's anywhere.  That probably makes it one of the best opening holes in the classic golf rota.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

I think it is about time to give Machrihanish its due and realize (Please allow me to speculate, after all, this is GCA!) that Machrihanish #1 is more then likely the REAL "Cape," thus brought ot America and Bermuda by one C.B. MacDonald. (after all, he did know Old Tom personally)

Uncle George, it is time for you to come out of hiding and give us the evidence!

[archie]

TEPaul

having watched D. January play I can't imagine anyone could possibly stand any closer, he hit it off his toe!!!!!

[Michael Dugger]

How about Pac Dunes???  A straightforward hole that is not too demanding.  Talk about an introduction to the rest of the golf course!!

[Brian Phillips]

I played Sand Hills and Pine Valley within two days of each other and Sand Hills wins without a problem.

Sand Hills #1 is strategically much better and what a view and feeling you get stood on the tee having finally made it there.  Three of us played the course three or four times in a weekend and all three always chose a different way to go(not always on purpose though!!).

At Pine Valley you are just trying to hit the fairway!!  Rocky my caddie gave me my driver and I asked if I could hit a 3 wood and he just laughed at me!!  I hit driver and then a 5 iron to about 10 feet.  Rocky gave me the line and I three putted!!

I three putted 6 of the first nine holes!!  

Sand Hills
Machrihanish
Pine Valley

Brian.

[TEPaul]

Brian:

That's a pretty special post--great to see Sand Hills stand above that company and who could say they played Sand Hills and PV within two days of each other?

However, in the comparison of Sand Hills to PV you must honestly admit PV had something that Sand Hills didn't and that would be Rocky!

[Brian Phillips]

Tom,

I can honestly say the time I spent with you, John, Jeremy, Graeme and Rocky at PV is one of the most special moments in my life.  Only the birth of two healthy kids and my wedding day come before those two days.

As with anything good it is never enough and that is the way it should be.  Time just goes too quick.

Rocky made my day.  He didn't give up on me after shooting 16 over par and you know what happened on the back nine!!
You have said it before but I believe that you could shoot 150 and still enjoy yourself on that course.  When people look at pictures of PV they think it is the waste areas that make the course difficult but it isn't.  It isn't the trees either it is the strategy of the holes and the greens.  The breaks are so subtle that if it hadn't been for Rocky I would have another 28 putts on the back nine not 14.

Brian Phillips.

....a very lucky man.

[TEPaul]

Brian:

You must be a very special person to have been given Rocky Carbone in the first place. All the years I've been going down there they've never given him to me.

And it's nice to know that he didn't give up on you after all those first nine putts because he's been known to give up on loops pretty damn quick I would guess as evidenced by his remark to one player on the 2nd green who'd been hacking the ball around and hockey pucking it around the second green;

Player: "How does this putt break Rocky?"

Rocky: "Listen Pal, I don't read putts for quads!"

[Herb_Flood]

#1 @ CRYSTALL DOWNS, from the back tees, of course!

[Paul Richards]

Crystal Downs is very good, but I'd lean toward Machrihanish.  It's pretty tough to beat that opening ocean tee-shot!