Public Road that is in play on a golf course

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

Dellwod has to have the most dangerous road running through the golf course.  Both on 1 and 7 the road is in the landing area for the longer players. 

[Phil_the_Author]

Robert,

I believe it is 1 & 17, not 7. No one is allowed to hit driver or any other club that might carry their tee shot close to the street. My understanding is that the penalty for a drive that either ends up on or goes over the road is loss of playing privileges for a time.

This is an original Tilly design that the club had mistakenly thought was redesigned by robert trent Jones Str. It wasn't and has retained Tilly's original routing and a nice set of greens.

[JMEvensky]

Was the road built before or after the golf course?

[Dave Givnish]

Whitemarsh Valley had a road bordering the 10th and 11th holes that was almost as much in play as this.  The distance from the right edge of the fairway to the street couldn't have been more than about 15 yards.  I remember plonking a Subaru on the hood - and found out it was a student driver being taught by her father.  He probably thought that he had picked a nice quiet street...

[Matt_Ward]

If memory serves doesn't CP have a road crossing the 1st -- and SH has one that crosses I believe the 12th.

[Tim Gerrish]

Matt,

You are correct with both CP and SH.  The 1st at CP is buffered with a tall, thick hedge so the road is not visible.  At SH players and drivers seem to take their chances, but the road is between landing area and green. 

At Pine Orchards just outside New Haven, CT, a road crosses the 3rd and 4th holes.  The road actually "frames" the second landing area on #3 and, similar to CP #1, the 4th the road crosses just in front of the tees, but +20' below the tee shot.

[Jay Flemma]

white bear yacht club and Atlantic city country club are two more courses with roads to hit over.

[Phil_the_Author]

Jeff,

The road was both there and not when the course was built. It was an entrance road to the home of Adolf Zucker, Hollywood mogul, and was built as his private course. After his death the estate went through a series of owners and with the growth of the area the entrance road became an active public street.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Phil,

It's # 1 and # 7.

RMD,

There used to be a stop-light on the tee and you could only tee off when it was green, because it was synced with the stop-light at the intersection of the road shown in your picture and another road.

I liked the golf course.

There was some work done to a few early holes that I wasn't crazy about, but, all in all I liked the golf course despite the rugged climb on # 1

[JSPayne]

The road's bad enough, but of what use is the bunker in the second picture that appears to be 50+ yds to the side of the green? Nice striping though. 

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

The 7th hole is a 550 yard par 5.  The seemingly useless bunker is another wonderful example playing corridors not being properly utilized. The fairway should be extended so that the bunker is in play.   Doesn't it look logical for the fairway to go towards the bunker?

[Jim_Coleman]

Teeth of the Dog used to have an active airport runway in play.  When a plane was landing, an alarm would go off; a gate would drop, and you'd have to wait to cross.  Does this count?

[Tom_Doak]

St. Andrews has Granny Clark's Wynd across the 1st and 18th fairways.

Shinnecock, National, Pebble Beach, Cypress Point ... you could make a case that a great course HAS TO have one.

For me the scariest is Mid Ocean Club where we do the consulting work ... you hit over a main road four times in 18 holes, and the majority of traffic on the road is people on scooters so you could knock them right off.  Thank God they have a helmet law in Bermuda!

[Lenny Polakoff]

The holes are #1 and #7.

95% of the membership can't get it to the road on number 1 so it is rarely and issue.

The 7th hole is a par five that you have to lay back off the tee.  Local rule is OB if the ball crosses the road off the tee.  Since everyone who is playing the hole is playing with a member who knows the rule, that too is rarely and issue. 

On both holes you are often waiting for cars to pass on your second shots.

Robert - you are correct about the bunker about 100 yards from the green on #7.  I have yet to see a ball in it, it is just not that reachable from the short side of the road.

What are your thoughts on the course overall?

[Peter Pallotta]

Tom D - hee, hee. Lucky too that most golfers hit weak fades: the scooters are either driving away, or at least can out-run them....

Peter

[Blake Conant]

Curious if anyone can add to this list and help with a little research I'm doing.  The stipulation is a public road that not only bisects a golf course, but bisects a golf hole.  Adjacent to a road doesn't count.  It must cross, and crossing multiple holes is a bonus.


Mid Ocean has 4 hole crossings. The course I'm researching -- Field Club of Omaha -- matches it, but I'd like more examples if there are any.


My list so far includes:


Cypress Point
NGLA
Shinnecock (not much longer as I heard they've agreed to pay to reroute the road?)
Pine Orchard Yacht Club
Mid Ocean
Paramount CC


Thanks!

[Pete_Pittock]

Stanford (1st)
Bandon Trails? (3rd)

[Kevin_Reilly]

Orinda CC's 6th hole.


Lake Chabot Golf Course (Oakland) has a public road that comes into play (Golf Links Rd), but it dead ends at the clubhouse, so probably not what you're looking for.

[Ben Stephens]

Trevose 1st and 18th


I played in a comp last Sept and was ready to hit my first drive starting to swing back and was stopped by the starter abruptly because a bleedin' car driver wouldn't stop 


Thanks to the car driver for putting me off as my first drive went at least 40 yards right


Cheers
Ben

[Sam Krume]

Verulam golf club in St Albans has a par 3 (#17) where you play directly over a road. If I remember rightly it is only about 130 with a huge net on the tee side of the road. Reigate Heath is another that jumps out regarding road crossing holes.

[Tim Gallant]

Has anyone mentioned Ganton yet?! That might be the most contentious road on any golf course in the world! It comes on the 18th, and is actually considered OB!!! I loved it because it added a real thrill element to the hole and I could see matches turning at the very last shot at Ganton, but my playing partner, who's opinion I respect greatly, was less than thrilled with the OB element of the road

[James Bennett]

Painswick #17 in the Cotswolds.

[Thomas Dai]

Painswick #17 in the Cotswolds.

....plays over 2 roads. The 13th and 16th are more modest in only playing over 1 road. You could also add the 1st as the medal tee plays over the immediately adjacent road.


A few more -


5th at Clyde on the Gower
12th and 17th at Radyr in Cardiff
18th at Llandrindod Wells
1st, 9th, 10th and 18th at Ludlow


Atb

[David McIntosh]

How about the 9th at the Sacred Nine? It has a country road that cuts across just in front of the final green.

The other one that springs to mind locally is Ratho Park on the outskirts of Edinburgh. I’m not sure if this qualifies as a public road but the main road to the clubhouse/car park weaves through the course and bisects a number of holes (6 in total but not really “in play” on a few of those). The course is quite heavily tree lined so it’s not uncommon for a car to appear seemingly out of nowhere mid downswing!

[Terry Thornton]

1st at Royal Dornoch