What is the hole that most surprised you on a great course?

[Jordan Wall]

The title speaks for itself, what hole on a great golf course surprised you as being so great, either because other holes get all the attention or because it just goes under the radar?

For me, it was #4 at Cypress Point. 

#4 at Riviera also did that for me, although I had heard much more about that hole so it was less of a surprise.  It does get overshadowed by the tenth though.

I would include the 14th at Pasatiempo in this list as well.

Many people speak of #12 at Cypress under this category.  It certainly is a great hole.

Any others, or people that agree with those listed above?

[Scott Szabo]

Ballyneal #2 - but I've already taken enough abuse on an earlier thread to go into detail again

[Garland Bayley]

I was surprised I couldn't carry the waterfall at Sherwood in all three attempts. The saving grace was that in alternate shot Bob Jenkins was able to take on the duty after I failed in my first attempt.

[Mike Wagner]

Bandon Dunes #1
Pacific #3 (I think my favorite par 5 in the world)
Erin Hills #14

[Jordan Wall]

Bandon Dunes #1
Pacific #3 (I think my favorite par 5 in the world)
Erin Hills #14

Mike,

You've seen a lot of golf courses, its interesting you post holes from three relatively new ones.

Any holes on some of the older greats that surprised you as being great?

Cheers,
Jordan

[Ally Mcintosh]

Here's a few Irish examples of holes that I think get overlooked... Maybe not quite what you are looking for but the jist is there:

Ballybunion - The 9th... rarely mentioned as a stand-out hole but I'd choose it above all others
Lahinch - The 9th... gets a lot of love on here but amongst the general public, it is somewhat overlooked... Again (with the 6th), my favourite on the course
Portmarnock - The 3rd... fairly unique hole between the water and a dune ridge with good use of deception up at the green site... Along with the 8th (which shows you what a good designer can add when John Morrison moved the green site and reduced the number of bunkers from 10 to 1), this one rarely gets mentioned... and the 9th actually... It's all about 9ths for me...

[Alex Miller]

Mine is kind of an after the fact revelation...

16 at Bandon Trails.

I always like to look at a course before I play it, and because the trip to Bandon was booked months in advance I had time to look at all three courses extensively. On paper 16 didn't really seem very special, but playing it really brings out the character of the hole. After the round 16 and 17 were incredibly memorable, but I wasn't expecting both.

[Pat Burke]

#10 at Kingston Heath.  First time I played it, I just thought it was awesome.
Looked like you could throw the ball on the green, it was sho short.
The bunkering was incredible, and I remember hitting it inside 15 feet a few times and really wondering what the hell
to do with my putt.  The green is very cool.
Just love a really short par three that messes with you

[Sean_A]

St Enodoc: #14 - excellent use of dodgy land

Woking: #3 - all the talk is of #4, but I think the third is the best hole on the course

North Berwick: #17 - very tough approach - I was surprised to find that approaching from the 2nd fairway isn't so bad.  I was also surprised that this isn't a double green with #1 - it looks like in all other worlds it should be.

Merion: loads of the holes as I didn't really know much about the particulars. I am still bamboozled how it all fits together.  If I have to pick one hole it would be the 5th - that right to left slope is unbelievable with the sort of speeds Merion keeps their greens.

Old Town: #12 - what the heck is going on with the fairway?  Plus the green just looks to be setting there ripe for the pickings.

Kiawah: #17 - I didn't realize there was a water hole of this sort til I walked over the hill.  On a more positive note I would say the very cool 3rd was the best positive surprise at Kiawah.

Ciao

[Matt Day]

#10 at Kingston Heath.  First time I played it, I just thought it was awesome.
Looked like you could throw the ball on the green, it was sho short.
The bunkering was incredible, and I remember hitting it inside 15 feet a few times and really wondering what the hell
to do with my putt.  The green is very cool.
Just love a really short par three that messes with you

I'll second that Pat, I was so happy to walk off with a 3 when I got the chance to play it. Shame it wasn't in play for the Aussie Masters.

[Brett Hochstein]

#5 Crystal Downs.  I had just a little pitch from the left side of the green and a whole lot of room to the hole.  I thought I flubbed it a bit and would have a long putt now for par.  Then it kept going, and going, and going...right off the green and a few feet off into the rough.  I consider myself to have a pretty good view and feel for slopes, especially having caddied at Franklin Hills where putts seemingly break uphill, but this just completely stunned me unlike any other shot I've ever played.  This is why I think the greens at the Downs are on another planet.

#10 Oakland Hills--Seeing the fairway slopes at the 2008 PGA made me remember just how good that property is.

#12 TOC--with all the reading I had done and all the images I had seen, I never realized just how blind those fairway bunkers are.

#12 North Berwick.  The view from the tee and the greenside bunkers make it seem that playing to the right is the best angle.  A semi-hidden ridge fronting the green and the actual fall of the green to the left instead dictate that taking the aggressive line off the tee and hugging the left hand bunkers is the way to play.  I found this to be a very solid golf hole lost in the shuffle on a course loaded with all sorts of wild eccentricity.  Great start to a great finishing stretch.

#11 Renaissance Club.  Most photos really do not give justice to the elevation changes at this hole, and none really give any idea of the strong back left to front right slope of the green (it must be like 6 or 7 feet of change--anyone know exactly?).  It seems most of the focus here always goes to the wall and tree behind the green, but in taking those away you still have one of the best holes on the course.

[Scott Warren]

14 (Perfection) at North Berwick. As much fun as any of the more famous holes that bookend it. Sadly the only pic I got of it when I played was one with my big fat head in the way of the green.

2 at Royal St George's/Sandwich. The risk/reward of the drive and the fantastic green don't get enough talk.

12 at Co. Louth/Baltray. Everyone rightly trumpets 3, 5, 6 and 14, but I thought 12 was their equal.

10 at Royal Cinque Ports/Deal. It might not have the dramatic land of 3, 6 or 16,  but that green dictates play so well and the approach may be the most frustratingly difficult shot on the course given it's rarely more than a 7i.

16 at Rye. The diagonal ridge on the drive that makes you fly it further if cutting the corner, then the awesome green. What a hole. No surprise to discover it's one of the two we can allegedly credit to Colt.

[Ally Mcintosh]

12 at Co. Louth/Baltray. Everyone rightly trumpets 3, 5, 6 and 14, but I thought 12 was their equal.

Now you mention it, '4' doesn't get enough love either... and '7' is an all-world par-3 for me... It and 5...

In fact, I'd go as far to say that 3 through 7 and 12 through 16 are two of the best 5 holes stretches of links golf you will find...

[Scott Warren]

It's a bit like that, isn't it mate?

3-7 is an amazing stretch, and then 12-16 is also brilliant. You could make an argument that any one of those 10 holes is the best on the course, I reckon.

EDIT- Great minds think alike. I just noticed you added your bottom paragraph in the post above while I was posting this!

[Anthony Gray]

I was surprised I couldn't carry the waterfall at Sherwood in all three attempts. The saving grace was that in alternate shot Bob Jenkins was able to take on the duty after I failed in my first attempt.

   

[Anthony Gray]

  Pebble Beach 8 was a hugh surprise. You hear all the talk about 18 being so great but nothing compares to 8.

 Cruden Bay 14 is the most unique great hole.

  TOC 12 with the blind centerline bunkers....surprising.

  Pac Dunes 14...WOW!

  17 at Diamonte.....Scottish feel in Cabo.

  Anthony

[Tim Nugent]

Not much surprises me until reality is not what the expectations were. The amount of uphill slope on #6 nd #8 (tee shot) PB were more than I imagined.  Especially #8 because everyone concentrates on the photogenic 2nd shot.  Also, the flatness of #17.
Another was the green on #4 at SH.  Such a long and narrow green coming from RTJ was quite surprising.

[PCCraig]

#3 at Shoreacres. IMO a very underrated hole as most only see a bland tee shot, however the green complex is fantastic. If the pin is up left or down left you're in for a fun ride if you miss you wedge or short iron just a little bit. And I love the hidden pot bunker short left of the green.

More holes should be built like this on flat land!

[Tim Martin]

# 18 at Yale-  I always marvel at this hole. It is the most unique hole on a course full of them.

[Jeff_Brauer]

11th at Royal County Down with its pop up tee shot over the dune.  How hard was that in the old days?

[Mark Pearce]

15 at Cruden Bay.  I expected to like it, despite the controversy.  I hated it.

[Bill_McBride]

What Anthony said - #8 at Pebble Beach the first time I saw it was amazing.  #7 was already the most beautiful hole I'd ever seen, then I followed my tee ball up to the top of the hill at #8 and saw that yawning chasm with the ocean below and the tiny green 180 yards away.  That was a "wow" moment if there ever was one!

Years later, #13 at North Berwick was a huge surprise.  You mean we have to hit our approach shots over that wall?  

Of course I'd already played off the beach at #2 and made par, and hit a spoon second shot over the wall on #4, so how surprising could another wall be?  North Berwick proved to be the most surprising (and fun) course ever, with Perfection and the Redan and Gate #16 with its over the wall tee shot and Biarritz-style green.   Oh my!  

[Chris Roselle]

#3 at Waterville - I had heard so much about the back nine but this hole really stood out when I played there.
#18 at Old Head - I didn't know about the tee right under the lighthouse
#12 at Merion - Everyone know the story about Bobby Jones and #11 but the green complex on #12 is unmatched and hitting it through the shoot of trees on the tee ball is fantastic

[Ally Mcintosh]

One of the biggest surprises on a golf course occured in multiples at North Berwick. I anticipated playing the Redan for the first time, but I was totally taken by surprise playing the 3rd or walking from the 3rd to the 4th, can't recall exactly, and looking to my left and there it was! I didn't realize I would meet it so early and I recall staring at it as I walked by, it was a real delight. The other surprise had to be the 16th green. It was remarkable to see it in person. I could not believe someone saw fit to make that site a green. That takes a special person to do that. Finally, in playing the 15th and 16th, I was surprised to see a mom and her kids beating balls around a junior course to the right of both holes.

That kids course is a revelation.... Take every opportunity you get to knock a ball round there quickly - some great golf to be had... You just have to make sure you have a child in tow (which is another great thing about it)...

[Shane Wright]

I feel like I did a good amount of research before playing each of these courses, but after playing, these were the holes that I either missed in research or was completely astounded by when I played them.

Bethpage Black - #15 - might be the most difficult hole I've ever played
Prairie Dunes - #13 - doesn't need to be long to be mighty
Pacific Dunes - #3 - Everything from the tee, to the path thru the shrubs, to the approach knowing what is behind, fantastic
Sand Hills - #16 - felt so similar to several par 3's from GB&I
Ballybunion - #6 - just an awesome, delicately conceived, and nice entrance into one of the best stretches in the world
North Berwick - the entire course - I was a bit of a GB&I virgin when we played this and was left with my jaw dropped
Lahinch #6 - possibly the best on the course, but definitely not the most publicized
Royal Dornoch #3 - it is definitely mentioned plenty, but I didn't realize just how great of a vista it was, IMHO, it is a better hole than it    gets credit for
Royal County Down #7 - again, doesn't need to be long to be mighty, so much strategy for such a short hole, I mean, really, is it that hard to hit it 135 hards where you want?
Muirfield #5 - IMHO - a world class par 5 that doesn't get much mention


I'm sure I could come up with many more, but these are the first ones that come to mind

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