#9 at Kingsley: Fabulous match play hole or abomination?

[Jud_T]

I know there's been a lot said on here about Kingsley and #9 (#9....#9....#9!), but I think this hole bears continued discussion.  I absolutely love it and think it is perhaps one of the greatest match play finishing holes (front nine obviously) I have ever seen.  This may be due to the fact that I won a rather tidy sum by hitting it stiff in our nassau while my partner, a seven hdcp., took a 13!  I know the scorecard and pencil crowd will surely be in the abomination camp, but I don't think that's what Kingsley, and particularly #9, are all about.  I'd be interested to here whether people love or hate the hole and what other holes are better at the end of a match than #9 at Kingsley?

[Tyler Kearns]

Jud,

I concur that #9 at Kingsley is a fantastic hole, and no question asked, it will evoke less ire in match play than medal. In the strong winds that so often grace the Kinglsey Club, it is a real test, at all of 150 yards (or less). While I have only played the course 3 times, I think once a player misses the green, a lot of the trouble comes from trying to get up & down for par as opposed to biting the bullet and playing away from the pin (if necessary), yielding a likely 4. Recovery shots require a deft touch at this greensite due to the narrow nature of the target, if you pull it off you look like a star, but if you miss, the scorecard starts to take a beating.

TK

[tlavin]

Don't know the hole, because I'm a jackass and haven't gotten there yet, but if a hole has to be defended on the basis that it's a fabulous match play hole, doesn't that mean that it has issues?  Stroke play is the game we play, so designing a hole for match play seems fatuous.

[Jason Topp]

I think it is a good match play hole that could be better.  I would love to see the slopes at the elbow of the green provide a reasonable "safe" option for getting to a pin on either elbow.  From what I could see, using those slopes is not a reasonable way to play the hole.  The target is too small and the penality for missing is too great.

[Jason Topp]

Don't know the hole, because I'm a jackass and haven't gotten there yet, but if a hole has to be defended on the basis that it's a fabulous match play hole, doesn't that mean that it has issues?  Stroke play is the game we play, so designing a hole for match play seems fatuous.

Interesting question Terry.  To me a match play hole is one where a big number is a strong possibility.  Such a hole is less desireable as a stroke play hole because it should be played defensively all of the time.  In match play the decision is not as clear cut because the risk is losing one hole rather than making an 8 and blowing an entire round.

I disagree that "stroke play is the game we play."  In my experience, casual groups rarely play stroke play.

[Kalen Braley]

Like Terry,

I've yet to play Kingsley, but based on the comments I've read about the 9th hole over the last year, it seems shots are rewarded based more on luck than actual skill.  Combine that with seemingly no where to bail out and it would seem this hole is one tough hombre.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Cant go along with the skill versus luck interpretation.
It is a very tough hole, but if you hit the green your ball will stay there...I mean it's only 150 yards, so a missed green should result in some difficulty in recovery!
I think the left tee provides the best angle to play the hole, and probably the "fairest" bit from either tee it is a challenging yet realistic shot to hit the green.
The putting surface could be softened without any detriment to the hole, but that been said it is what it is.

[Bart Bradley]

I have played the hole 6 times...3 from each tee...

The hole is demanding...Luck has little to do with the result.  It is fun..way fun...way,way,way fun.

For a professional tournament the hole would cause great consternation because the margin of error is quite small.  For a group of golfers out to have fun, it is great just the way it is.

I strongly recommend seeing it in person.  The complaints about this hole seem overdone.  In my foursome (playing 6 times), I saw 2 birdies,  and 5 pars...I never made more than a 4....but saw as high as a 7...we all liked the hole because it was fun.

Could it kill a stroke play round?  Absolutely...but I thought this website advocated getting over the "pencil and scorecard" mentality.

I vote "fabulous".

Bart