A Fan's Photo Tribute to Kingsley Club - 18th hole commentary now in progress

[Mike_Cirba]

The second hole at Kingsley might be the most demanding par three in the game.

It is certainly among the top 5 best short par threes in this country, and probably on the globe.

The closest parallel I can draw is number 11 at Shinnecock in terms of exactitude required, and severity of possible penalty incurred without taking a drop.

[Brad Fleischer]

I  only played kingsley once well I will rephrase that twice in one day. First time around(hole 2) I put it in the left bunker  with a front pin, the  member say's to me good luck. Well I was able to get up and down after making my 5 footer and the member did get me that corona he promised.... Tim thanks for bringing back a fun day at kingsley. That course has stayed in my mind for over a year now. I love the way you drive up a dirt road in the middle of nowhere ,than start smiling with anticipation as you can't wait to see what comes ahead. Than you come upon the small but adequate clubhouse and that smile turns into a big dopey grin as you make your way to the first tee. When I was done I couldn't wait to go right back out,and that's exactly what I did. Kingsley left a lasting impression.

[Andy Troeger]

Does anyone have a photo of the swale off the right side of the front of the 2nd green? For anyone to understand this hole without having played it, they need to see the depth of that area, it is as intimidating as any water hazard I've seen when the pin is up front.

Mike's comment about amount of potential penalty without taking a drop is truly in effect here. I would guess to a rear pin the hole wouldn't be nearly as intimidating.

[Jon Heise]

Andy, here you go!  This is what you'll see when you miss the green on the right side by one foot going after a front pin...

This is your walk up to the green, and...


umm, don't try to be cool, just aim for the middle of the green!

[George Freeman]

Here are a few more pics from the website...hopefully they will show the sevarity of the hole better.  The hole drops off sharply left and right.  To the left, sharp teirs of deep, penalizing bunkers await.  To the right, a deep swale/collection area that gobbles up balls and makes recover a very delicate undertaking.  You're a fool to go at the front pin postion (or very confident).  Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but you can't have more than 3 yards of space left and right of the flagstick to miss...It has to be that perfect.  I've heard members and pros affectionately call this hole the shortest par 5 in the world.  The first time playing it you will laugh at the phrase; but then when you're walking off the green with a 7 you start to understand.

This is one awesome hole!  And as Tim said, the view of the rest of the front nine are magical...





Here is the collection area short and right of the green...Good luck getting up and down from here

[K. Krahenbuhl]

This is my favorite hole on the course.  It completely satisfies my fetish for the short par 3.  It is exposed to the wind and a mishit shot spells disaster with a great green and devilish bunkering.  To put it in perspective I had a tap in 4 on the first hole and a tap in 7 on the second.

[Tim Bert]

It's funny because I know the hole is difficult but reading the comments here I definitely didn't appreciate the terror in my two rounds. Two pars and no wind probably tainted my view. I thought the 2nd was only the second most terrifying of the short par 3s on the front nine - forget about the world!!  The 9th was nearly impossible from both tee angles to the pin we played. More on that later.

[Andy Troeger]

I think it wouldn't be that terrorizing to a back pin. Thanks for posting the photos of that area, I was down there three times in two rounds if that tells you anything 

I never tapped in for anything, I just gave up eventually!

[George Freeman]

when the pin is on the front little finger, can I see a show of hands (figuratively) of people that have gone from one bunker. across the green to the other bunker over and over and....

I for one have done it more than once 

[Eric_Terhorst]

I think it wouldn't be that terrorizing to a back pin.

I think Andy is correct about this--as long as you keep it on line from the back tee.  My first time around, I hit it close to a back pin. 

The good news about being down in the right-side hollow is that it is recoverable--unlike target-golf par 3s that are surrounded by swamps or water, you can hit a poor first and still putt for par.  Some of us get lots of practice at those difficult up-n-down attempts...

Excellent hole!

[John Kirk]

Tee shots landing just right of center will feed into a small back right bowl.

Club selection is key here.  It plays a little short of typical yardages, since the green is firm and only gently canted into the approach shot.  The architect likes the blue tee box, 15 yards shorter but positioned about 25 yards left of the back tee box, which gives a more awkward angle of attack to front and back left pins.

[John Mayhugh]

The second hole at Kingsley might be the most demanding par three in the game.

Did you skip #9?   

Both of the par 3s on the front are difficult just in different ways.   Each seems to be well suited for match play and offers nice disaster potential in stroke play.  2 is visually so intimidating and we didn't play with much wind at all.  Given where the green sits, I think wind could be significant.  Very little of the green is visible from the tee and there really seems like no place to miss.  In some ways, this tee shot reminded me of the one on 10 at Prairie Dunes. 

I think the hole also plays a bit tougher because of the assault on your senses from all the other holes you can see from the 2 tee vantage point.  Makes it hard to focus just on that one shot, especially for a first time player as you look around at what awaits you.  I thought it was interesting how both the tee shot on 2 & the one on 11 prepared you for the character of those respective 9s.  One could certainly stand on that tee and say "holy shit" more than once.  What a magnificent site.

[Tim Bert]

The second hole at Kingsley might be the most demanding par three in the game.

Did you skip #9?   

Both of the par 3s on the front are difficult just in different ways.   Each seems to be well suited for match play and offers nice disaster potential in stroke play.  2 is visually so intimidating and we didn't play with much wind at all.  Given where the green sits, I think wind could be significant.  Very little of the green is visible from the tee and there really seems like no place to miss.  In some ways, this tee shot reminded me of the one on 10 at Prairie Dunes. 

I think the hole also plays a bit tougher because of the assault on your senses from all the other holes you can see from the 2 tee vantage point.  Makes it hard to focus just on that one shot, especially for a first time player as you look around at what awaits you.  I thought it was interesting how both the tee shot on 2 & the one on 11 prepared you for the character of those respective 9s.  One could certainly stand on that tee and say "holy shit" more than once.  What a magnificent site.

When you say "both" par 3s on the front nine are difficult are you counting #5 as a par 4 from the tips?  I'd ask if you skipped it, but I was there to see you play it.   

I'll see your statement and raise you an "all three par 3s on the front nine are difficult!"

[John Mayhugh]

Oops.  I was so demoralized by 9 the fifth hole didn't even come to mind when I saw Mike's post.

Is there a nine anywhere with three tougher par 3s?

[Mike_Cirba]

The second hole at Kingsley might be the most demanding par three in the game.

Did you skip #9?   

John,

No.

Number nine is a par five. 

Seriously...when our foursome walked off the green on 9 this summer, I had the only 4 in the group, and mentioned how thrilled I was with my birdie to the chuckled, shell-shocked amusement of my playing partners.

[John Mayhugh]

Mike,
Great score.  Didn't come close to that either time through.

If I had been able to, I would have kept going back to that tee over & over until I figured out a way to play the hole.

[Eric Smith]

In the weeks leading up to my visit to Kingsley, I read Ran's course review probably half a dozen times.  The particular hole description I remember best and made sure to relay to my playing companions on the tee was of the 2nd hole. 

Here's what Ran wrote : "Perhaps the finest short one-shotter built since World War II."

That is quite a compliment, eh?

I followed my double on #1 with a double on this hole as well.  My hands were pretty much numb after 72 holes over the previous 2 days, playing Arcadia Bluffs and Forest Dunes.  So my 9 iron didn't draw, careened off to the right just short of the green and ended up down below just like some of those pics above represent.  At this point I'm telling myself, just enjoy the architecture Eric, which was easy to do.

You guys mentioning #9 here; you mean you didn't stick it 6 inches from the cup for a tap in bird and a smooth 49?   I'll expound when Tim gets to the 9th hole commentary.

 

[Mike_Cirba]

Mike,
Great score.  Didn't come close to that either time through.

If I had been able to, I would have kept going back to that tee over & over until I figured out a way to play the hole.

John,

Let me describe one of my greatest ever golfing feats.

I hit 8-iron, which caught a head-wind and didn't even come close to reaching.

Worse yet, it landed, and instead of bounding forwards, it sucked back down the hill into the edge of the high stuff.

From there, I tried a Mickelsonian cut 60-degree wedge that came off pretty well and esconced itself onto the edge of the front-left fringe.

From there, I barely allowed the molecular structures of my putter to make contact with a single dimple of my golf ball, allowed for about seven feet of break, and left myself a 4-foot uphill return putt, which I thankfully holed, with a fist pump. 

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Wonderful short par three, brutal if you miss the green..as simple as that.
With the wind usually blowing, hitting this small target is no mean feat.
That is especially so, if you are pin chasing and the pin is located in one of the tight areas.
The fat portion of the green gives you a sizeable target but from there the putts to the corners are very tricky indeed...as such the cautious approach to the hole can still be very punishing.
From the back tee, the green looks miniscule, and to that back right pin...then it looks like the pin is just floating on air..
wonderful par 3...

[Mike_Cirba]

A few more pics of the 2nd, including the first one from below the pit on the right...

[Tim Bert]

John

The four par 3s on the back nine at Pacific Dunes (when the wind is blowing 20mph) can be of equal difficulty to those at Kingsley with the negligible wind we faced. With equal wind I haven't faced three tougher 3s on one nine.

[David Neveux]

MIDDLE OF THE GREEN   The miss here is long or right, IMHO.  Anything left of the bunkers is going hard left in a hurry.  One can reasonably make a 4 from long or right, probably 75% of the time.  Again, the overall difficulty of this shot is dependent on wind velocity.  In no wind, it's not super demanding (see hole #9), but in the presence of a mild to strong wind, it's certainly daunting.  Nev's pro tip here, TRY AND MAKE BIRDIE ON 1.

[Richard Boult]

Happily added to http://delicious.com/golfclubatlas/Michigan

[Adam Clayman]

The day we played, I chose to hit one less club. The ball missed the putting surface by what looked like a foot and was rejected into the front right bunker. One of the other players turns to me and says "What are you gonna say to the architect about that?" My reaction was nothing. I'm the guy who hit it there.

My initial impression was the only problem with the hole was it's early placement in the round for such an exacting shot. But, by the time the ninth hole rolls around, I'm without that excuse, so the hole is fine. 

[JC Jones]

My one time playing I missed right and had no chance at keeping it on the green out of the hay.  I played to the back of the green and smoothed a 3 putt up there for a 5.  Tricky little devil of a hole.