I agree, Bill. To me "Penal" means you are severely punished for not achieving the goal at hand... you have to play backwards, you have to take a drop, you lose your ball, etc.
Michael - thanks for posting that comment. To me, I think it crystallizes the crux of any discussion about "penal" architecture.
When I think about penal architecture, I break it down into two general schools. There's the "take your ball away / penalty stroke" school vs. the "erode your score / half-stroke penalty" school.
Your comment seems to be referring to the former, rather than the latter.
A few years ago, I played two decidedly “penal” courses on back-to-back days. On Thursday, I played Oakmont (Slope 144) and then traveled to the Reserve at Thunderhill (Slope 148). However, the designs couldn’t have been more different.
At Oakmont, missing a shot will generally force you to hit a lofted iron to either escape from the rough or navigate a high-lipped fairway bunker. Your most important scrambling tool likely will be your 50-80 yard wedge shot from the forced lay-ups, followed very closely by the putter. However, it’s rare to accumulate a penalty stroke.
In contrast, the Reserve is a former fish hatchery and has 73 ponds all around. There is no recovery from water and missing many fairways requires you to layup much farther back than at Oakmont.
In essence, the difference between these two difficult courses is like the difference between a strong undercurrent and a crashing wave. While both will kill you, they appear quite different at a glance.
Oakmont provides a serene setting, with open expanses and no water or OB to steal your ball away. But underneath the surface, the combination of rough, deep faced bunkers, and the hardest, fastest greens in the world will wear you down to the point that your score is swept away with half-strokes added everywhere.
At the Reserve, you see everything coming at you. The holes are tree-lined and water-lined, with bunkers filling in the other areas. Thunderhill just beats you over the head, preferring to add to your score in chunks with penalty strokes. You may score 90 at both courses, but you’ll take 90 swings at Oakmont, but may only swing the club 82 times at Thunderhill, and add your penalties.
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Ultimately, I think when people criticize “penal” design, they’re referring to courses like the Reserve. I don’t like penal courses that give you ZERO chance for recovery (i.e. a lost ball or penalty stroke). It’s the reason I abhor courses that fall in love with water – there’s just no room for imagination.
At Oakmont, you’ll generally be punished for missing the proscribed shot, but it’s not a given. You can still grind out a par with some creative scrambling. There’s just a greater range of penalties that can be levied without water, resulting in a much more interesting design.
In the end, would you rather watch a pro take a drop from the edge of a pond or see if they can create some magic from the trees (e.g. Sergio at Medinah / Tiger at the Buick)?