[Gary Daughters]

Much is said of #17 at TPC Sawgrass and (notwithstanding its merits), the way it lurks in the minds of golfers as they progress its way.

I started thinking about the courses that draw me to them again and again, and all seem to have that one hole that I'm always thinking about coming to.  Interestingly, it can emanate from a sense of glee or one of dread.

Here are a few of mine:

#17 Patriots Point Golf Links, Mt. Pleasant South Carolina. 
#16 Browns Mill Golf Course, Atlanta.
#14 Stonebridge Golf Course, Rome, Ga.
#10 Long Shadow Golf Club, Madison, Ga.
#18 Atlanta Country Club

The common denominator among these holes, though not exclusively, would seem to be that they offer me the chance to be a hero or to want to dump my clubs into a snake infested creek.

[Craig Sweet]

#17 at the Missoula Country Club.....its a huge green, and I have to walk mow it...its a killer!

[Eric Smith]

18 at Harbour Town.  A perfect ending. Especially at sunset.

[BVince]

10th at Winged Foot West
4th at Bethpage Black
16th at Kinloch
18th at Olympic Lake
7th at SFGC
11th at Pacific Dunes
15th at CPC

[Tom Huckaby]

Byron - 15 at CPC more than 16?

My experience has been that 16 dominates one's thinking from the moment the invite is secured and really never leaves thereafter, to one's dying day.

But perhaps I am easily impressed by heroic great golf holes.

 

[BVince]

Tom I like it, but I think of the sight from the 15th tee with 16 in the distance.  That what I think about.

[Tom Huckaby]

Tom I like it, but I think of the sight from the 15th tee with 16 in the distance.  That what I think about.

Interesting.  I absolutely love that sight, and site for that matter.  I have waxed poetic in here before about the beauty and greatness of 15.  Believe it or not, others here pooh-pooh the hole... and 16 for that matter....

But it is 16 I think about, and dare I say it's the same for darn near all others who have played the course with whom I've discussed this.  That is, nearly everyone mentions how 16 dominates their thinking.  You are unique in pointing to 15.

Which of course is very cool!

TH

[Jon Spaulding]

#8 thru #10 - Pebble
#3 - SFGC
#7 and #11 - LACC

[Jason Connor]

The hole that I think about because it's my nemesis is #18 at the Links at Grand National.  That hole has my number (I finally hit the green in reg. last summer but 3 putted).  So all round, it's on my mind.

I also love Black's #4. 

While I've never played it, I've walked Pebble and #8 may be my favorite shot in golf.  Just standing in the fairway, looking over the chasm.  So inviting, yet so frightening.  I know when I play it, I'll be so anxious to get there -- and never want to leave.

18 at Caledonia is also a hole I always look forward to / think about during a round.

[Tim Gavrich]

#13 @ Pawleys Plantation

[Peter Wagner]

The 18th at Pacific Dunes.  My personal demon hole.  No matter what I do I always seem to end up going from bunker to bunker to bunker to snowman city.  Grrrr.

Other than the above demon hole, I love both Bandon and Pacific especially when it's really blowing.  I was there about a year ago when the wind must have been a steady 40 mph+... so strong it was hard to walk into it.  It was impossible to hit anything higher than 20 feet off the ground.  One of my friends hit a solid 5-wood high into the wind from 150 yds out only to have the ball finish behind him.  Jeez, was that fun!  We had to adapt with knock downs and drivers off the deck and all kinds of creative stuff.  It was great.

I think about #11 on PD as one of my favorites.  A shortish par-3 into a strong wind each time I've played and set on a cliff over the Pacific Ocean!  LOVE it!

Best,
Peter

[Kalen Braley]

The 18th at Pacific Dunes.  My personal demon hole.  No matter what I do I always seem to end up going from bunker to bunker to bunker to snowman city.  Grrrr.

Other than the above demon hole, I love both Bandon and Pacific especially when it's really blowing.  I was there about a year ago when the wind must have been a steady 40 mph+... so strong it was hard to walk into it.  It was impossible to hit anything higher than 20 feet off the ground.  One of my friends hit a solid 5-wood high into the wind from 150 yds out only to have the ball finish behind him.  Jeez, was that fun!  We had to adapt with knock downs and drivers off the deck and all kinds of creative stuff.  It was great.

I think about #11 on PD as one of my favorites.  A shortish par-3 into a strong wind each time I've played and set on a cliff over the Pacific Ocean!  LOVE it!

Best,
Peter

Peter,

That is spooky because I was just getting ready to hit the reply button on the same exact hole, however my reaction to it is different from yours.  PD has several fantastic holes and I don't know why this one isn't talked about more often.

From the tee, fairway, approach, and even looking back down the fairway the 18th is just a super hole with some very unique bunkering that you don't want any part of...as Peter has duly pointed out.   

I could write a 5 page college-English style paper just on this hole.. 

[Art Roselle]

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned 17 at TOC yet.  That is the poster child for a hole that you might think about/look forward to/dread for your entire round.  Others might be
16 at CPC
12 at ANGC
17 at Sawgrass
18 at Pebble
17 at Merion (east)
16 at Pasatiempo
18 at East Lake
18 at Doral

[Tom Huckaby]

Art:

I was thinking about this in terms of what hole would be the poster child too - to me it was obviously 16 CPC.  But all of those work also, I'd say - with the exception of 16 Pasatiempo.  Oh, it is a famous hole for sure, and Mackenzie's favorite does hold a lot of weight - especially now that the green has been restored to its former massive glory.  Only thing is, the more one plays Pasatiempo, the more one realizes it's not even the best hole on it's nine... I'd say 11 is a greater hole for sure, and 10 and 14 hold their heads up just fine also!  In any case, at least for me, 11 is the one hole I think of, even more than 16.

But if you want to list 16 I won't argue too much.  I do so love - and fear - 11 though.

TH

[Bill_McBride]

Tom I like it, but I think of the sight from the 15th tee with 16 in the distance.  That what I think about.

Interesting.  I absolutely love that sight, and site for that matter.  I have waxed poetic in here before about the beauty and greatness of 15.  Believe it or not, others here pooh-pooh the hole... and 16 for that matter....

But it is 16 I think about, and dare I say it's the same for darn near all others who have played the course with whom I've discussed this.  That is, nearly everyone mentions how 16 dominates their thinking.  You are unique in pointing to 15.

Which of course is very cool!

TH

I agree with Bryon in one sense - as soon as you leave the 14th green and head across the road and along the ocean, your heart just starts pounding and really doesn't stop, at least in my case, until the 18th tee.

Then I sort of calm down and think, WTF??? 

[Tom Huckaby]

Bill - I'd agree with that for sure - the blood does really get pumping when one crosses the road.

 

[Kalen Braley]

Tom,

A joke just for you:

"Why did the golfer cross the road?"
"To play the 16th hole, of course"

Oh wait there is a 15th hole?  Tom did you even realize there was a 15th hole?   

[Gary Daughters]

I'd like to try to prod this along with some questions.

1) Does your golfing mind/heart selectively gravitate on any given course toward one particular hole?
A:  Yes.

2) Why?
A: I have no idea.

3) Is this hole usually a course's "signature" or most talked about hole?
A: Extremely rarely.

4) How does this hole impact your play leading up to it?
A: In the back of my mind I am always looking forward to it.  Helps keep me in the game.  If I'm playing poorly it gives me something to cling to.  If playing well, amps up my confidence.

5) Is this hole a "great" hole?
A:Not necessarily at all.

6) Then what is it?
A: I posted earlier.. a hole that's a razor's edge between heroism and infamy.  On reflection that
is too narrow.  Still not sure.

7) Is this hole usually on the back nine?
A: Yes

[Jeremy Rivando]

The par 4 fifth at Pinehurest #2.

The hole is so challenging and more intimidating each time you play it,

I think it is a "signature" hole,

It's a great hole,

On the front nine, and after your best birdie opportunity.

[Art Roselle]

Art:

I was thinking about this in terms of what hole would be the poster child too - to me it was obviously 16 CPC.  But all of those work also, I'd say - with the exception of 16 Pasatiempo.  Oh, it is a famous hole for sure, and Mackenzie's favorite does hold a lot of weight - especially now that the green has been restored to its former massive glory.  Only thing is, the more one plays Pasatiempo, the more one realizes it's not even the best hole on it's nine... I'd say 11 is a greater hole for sure, and 10 and 14 hold their heads up just fine also!  In any case, at least for me, 11 is the one hole I think of, even more than 16.

But if you want to list 16 I won't argue too much.  I do so love - and fear - 11 though.

TH

I tried to err toward holes later in the round (although I could not resist the inclusion of 12 at Augusta).  Also, for me it is a combination of fame a difficulty.  Those are the ones I think about from the first tee onward.  I have not played Pasatiempo enough times to get beyond some of the reputations that I have heard or read.  When I play there, I think about 16 before the others.

By that combination of difficulty, fame and lateness in the round, I still think 16 at CPC and the Road Hole have to be 1 and 2 (probably in that order). 

Another thought I started pondering is if you knew you could never play a course, but you were allowed to play one of its holes, which hole (and course) would come the closest to satisfying your need to have "been there".    I think my list would be similar, although I would probably replace 17 at Merion with 11 (due to Jones) or 18 (due to Hogan) and eliminate 18 at East Lake.

[Bill_McBride]

Bill - I'd agree with that for sure - the blood does really get pumping when one crosses the road.

 

Actually, I would hate to have my blood pressure read during that brief hike to the 15th tee!

[Art Roselle]

Or, think about this.  When you hear someone mention a course, what is the first hole you think of?  It could be the best, or the worst, or the most famous, or your favorite, or the one you made a birdie on, or whatever.  If you don't think about it and just let an image pop into your head, what hole is it?  No cheating and no revising.  There is no right or wrong, but here is a partial list from my feeble brain.  Some are similar to the above topic.  Some are not.

TOC 11
Prestwick 18
Carnoustie 17
RCD 9
Portrush 5
Turnberry 9
Congressional (blue) 17 (now 18 I think)
East Lake  6
Augusta  12
Cypress  16
Pebble 18
Pasatiempo 1
Merion 13
Rustic Canyon 16
Yeamans Hall 5
Pinehurst #2   2
Oakmont 9
Sand Hills 7
Wade Hampton 3
Linville 4
Grandfather Mountain 7

[Reef Wilson]

one not mentioned already

18 at Harding - it's always lurking there ready to ruin a decent round

there are actually 2 less trees now. I'm still not sure why, but it makes trying to bomb it over that first tree even more tempting. You could actually be a little left and still be OK now.

[Jed Peters]

Art:

I was thinking about this in terms of what hole would be the poster child too - to me it was obviously 16 CPC.  But all of those work also, I'd say - with the exception of 16 Pasatiempo.  Oh, it is a famous hole for sure, and Mackenzie's favorite does hold a lot of weight - especially now that the green has been restored to its former massive glory.  Only thing is, the more one plays Pasatiempo, the more one realizes it's not even the best hole on it's nine... I'd say 11 is a greater hole for sure, and 10 and 14 hold their heads up just fine also!  In any case, at least for me, 11 is the one hole I think of, even more than 16.

But if you want to list 16 I won't argue too much.  I do so love - and fear - 11 though.

TH

Tom,

More specifically, I think about the SECOND shot into the green...

But the shots/holes I think about at Pasatiempo?

Probably the tee shot on the 7th, to be honest.

I hate the tee shot.

I'm gonna shoot like a million and two next time I go play the Lake I bet.

[BVince]

I was thinking about this in terms of what hole would be the poster child too - to me it was obviously 16 CPC.  But all of those work also, I'd say - with the exception of 16 Pasatiempo.  Oh, it is a famous hole for sure, and Mackenzie's favorite does hold a lot of weight - especially now that the green has been restored to its former massive glory.  Only thing is, the more one plays Pasatiempo, the more one realizes it's not even the best hole on it's nine... I'd say 11 is a greater hole for sure, and 10 and 14 hold their heads up just fine also!  In any case, at least for me, 11 is the one hole I think of, even more than 16.

But if you want to list 16 I won't argue too much.  I do so love - and fear - 11 though.

TH

TH, I agree with you about the 16th.  I felt like the sleeper at Pasa is the par 5 13th.  It is a great hole that really entices the better player to go for it in two when the more I think about it, thats not necessarily the wise play. 

I really enjoy the 11th.  When you play the hole, it almost seems as if it was supposed to be laid out that way.  I love the strategy of the tee shot and the use of the baranca.  It doesn't demand the long tee ball, but it does challenge the golfer to risk a bad score to gain the advantage of a better angle and shorter approach into the green.  I also think the 12th hole is under appreciated because of the green.  That front right pin placement is a dangerous one on a short hole. 

BV

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()