The most disappointing opening tee shot on a great course?

[Rich Goodale]

Now that the Merion threads are just smoldering, let me try to inject a newish bit of iconoclasm (we've/I've mentioned this before).

Cypress Point.

Drive over an impenetrable hedge 50 yards or so form the back tees.  None of the rest of the hole is visible except the highest branches of the big tree in the right rough.

Making the opening tee shot at that great course such a bummer must have taken an incredible amount of poor design and/or wimpiness of later committees who allowed the hedge to be planted and/or grown.

Can anybody think of a worse example?

[Mike Sweeney]

The tee ball on #1 at Pine Valley may be the least interesting on the course. Blind dogleg, can't see the green.

If it was not for the old ladies eating turtle soup, Merion would be up there. 3 wood to hybrid to center of the fairway. Green somewhat blind.

[Rich Goodale]

Wash your mouth out with turtle soup, Sweeney.  This thread was NOT meant to be about M****n!

[Mike Sweeney]

Yes, but my comment was about architecture. The Merion threads have nothing to do with that! 

(Huntley one emoticon rule limits me)

[Mike_Cirba]

Perhaps not a "great" course, but a very, very good one, the opening tee shot and hole at newly restored Bedford Springs is hardly inspiring.

Playing only 310 yards from the tips, the first 220 yards is fairly flat, before a quick rise for the last ninety yards and a steep left to right slope into death on the right for the last 100 yards.

A series of four cross bunkers intersect across the width of the fairway between 225 and 250.

Your choice from the tee is to attempt an uphill 250+ yard carry on the first shot of the day to a hardsloping sliver of fairway beyond, or layup the tee shot to about 210 yards on the flat portion, leaving a slightly blind approach of 110 yards.

Unless you're a touring professional, or just dumb, there is no reason to do anything but layup..

It's in the category of #1 at North Berwick, only more visible.

[Rich Goodale]

Yes

From now on, Marquess of Huntley rules rule.

Getting back on topic, insn't interesting how many great courses have flawed opening holes?  I'd add the Old Course, Deal, Hoylake, and Rye to the list.

Rich

[Rich Goodale]

Oh, yes, Mike--I forgot North Berwick.  Thanks.

[Bill_McBride]

I've always found that first shot at North Berwick to be somewhat daunting.  You must hit a four or five iron crisply with no warm up other than swinging a couple of clubs.  Sometimes that's harder than swinging a driver on the first tee.

Once I made a par with a somewhat restricted swing after a semi-shank that just evaded the deeper rough down the right side. 

[Rich Goodale]

Thanks, Bill

Daunting, yes.  Goofy, yes too.

Rich

[Adam Clayman]

Clever turning disappointment into flawed.
 
Disappointment implies expectations. Flawed implies some formulaic rule.

Neither are applicable to CP, or, M.

Maybe Pebble Beach since they moved the teeing ground forward, removing the uphill nature.

 

[CJ Carder]

I would agree about the Old Course, but only partially due to the fact that you can almost hit it anywhere.  I would argue that the first tee shot there is not that disappointing simply because you are so amped to play.

I was somewhat disappointed by the #1 tee shot at Pebble though I can see where some interest would be present depending on how much of the corner you want to challenge. 

[Rich Goodale]

Sorry, Adam, but disappointment and flawed apply equally to Cypress.  As for the others, this semantic distinction is arguable.  Vis a vis PB, have they really moved the teeing ground forward!?  If so it must be driveable by players of your length and skill. (emoticon within the limit of Marquess of Huntley Rules).

CJ

Fully agreed re the Old course.  It is hard to be at all disappointed standing on that 1st tee, and while if the hole were laid out at E. Podunk Muni it would be weak if not flawed, as it is, it is what it is.  No more, no less.

[Tim Bert]

Pinehurst #2

Banff Springs

[David Stamm]

Pebble Beach

[Dean Stokes]

As good as Maidstone is, it's opening tee shot is a little high on the disappointing scale.

[PThomas]

Pebble's was the first that came to me

its definitely worse than CP's, imho

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

I'm confused by some of these answers. At Pinehurst II the course opens with a relatively easy par-4, a Ross trait and trait of many other architects of that area to get the golfer going into the round with relative ease. These courses were designed in the days before practice ranges.

I think a course that has a cart path running though the landing area might be disappointing but simple or wide open first landing area, to me, is not disappointing... other than Merion. Macdonald did an awful job on that hole.


Anthony

[Mike Hendren]

Lawsonia

[Andrew Mitchell]

Rich

Other have commented on the opening tee shots at TOC & North Berwick, both opening shots having their own peculiar difficulties.  Bill outlines the problem at NB, personally I would always rather hit driver or 3 wood for my opening tee shot as opposed to a precise iron shot.  For those reasons I would propose Lytham as a disappointing opening hole on an otherwise great course.

You also referenced Hoylake.  Are you referring to the 2006 Open routing or the old 1st (which was the third in 2006 for both the Open and Buda IV)?  If the latter I found it daunting but not disappointing with OB down the right, not knowing if you could carry the corner.

[TEPaul]

The replies to date only goes to prove my "Big World" theory which is for some of us who really understand the beauties of those opening tee shots mentioned on the above posts and simply love them, to balance us out there must be a commensurate group somewhere of mindless dumb ducks and troglodytes who don't understand those holes and are disappointed in them.  

Dean, not to pick another fight with you but that opening tee shot at Maidstone is one of my favorites in the world. Over the years I've actually given it a name which is "European Amorphous."

When I first went there about 25 years ago to play in the Maidstone Bowl I'd never seen the course before or didn't remember it. I sorta thought back then I was a pretty hot player and the tournament expected big things from me and my partner.

So, in my first round there which was quaifying for the Maidstone Bowl, I walked out of the lockerroom, grabbed a score card out of the box, looked at the length of the opening hole and pulled out a 1 iron. We had the honor and my partner asked me if I wanted to go first and I said sure. I teed my ball and then looked out at that hole and stopped and asked my partner where the hell the golf course was? He just said, hit that iron right over the left side of that bunker out there and I did.

Over the years I've come to just love that hole and that opening tee shot for at least the reason it is just about everything that modern golf architecture isn't and is not suppose to be.

And that hole and tee shot is definitely not the only one on that course a first timer will stand on the tee and look out there and wonder what the hell is going on.

That's one of the very reasons I love The Maidstone as much as I do!  

[Mark Pearce]

I agree with Andrew, the first at Hoylake is a fairly daunting and interesting shot, not least as baling out left can either leave a carry over the OOB if short or a shot from rough back towards the OOB if long.

I think the opening tee shot at Alwoodley is pretty mundane.

[Mike Nuzzo]

Tim,
Banff can't be included because it isn't the real (or old) #1.
Unless you are referring to the elevated tee shot into the valley...

[henrye]

Tim,
Banff can't be included because it isn't the real (or old) #1.
Unless you are referring to the elevated tee shot into the valley...

I was thinking the same thing.  The old opener is about as good as they get.  The new on is a dud.

Yes

From now on, Marquess of Huntley rules rule.

Getting back on topic, insn't interesting how many great courses have flawed opening holes?  I'd add the Old Course, Deal, Hoylake, and Rye to the list.

Rich

The Old course?  I also don't think Rye's #1 is that bad.  At least you've got the road and the dunes.  Deal's opener is a definite dud.  I'd also add Sunningdale Old, Walton Heath Old and Tryall to the list of weak openers.

[Bob_Huntley]

Does anyone approach the 1st at LACC with elation, trepidation or just plain ennui?

Bob

[Rich Goodale]

Mark, Anderw, Hnery et. al.

I was probably being a bit provocative (Moi?) in including the old 1st at Hoylake, but it is a very good example of the Fugawi school of architecture inferred by TEP regarding Maidstone.

rich