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

[Mike Wagner]

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

Yep, Cypress #'s 1-14.  I didn't really have any clue about those holes when I first played it.  You can imagine how surprised I was every hole

Pebble #4
SGC #'s 8 & 12 redesigned.

[jonathan_becker]

#14 at The Ocean Course - challenging chipping area over and short right of the green and what a view!!

#15 at Erin Hills - Tons of options off the tee and the green is not to be taken lightly.

#17 at Canterbury - possibly one of the greatest and most difficult par 3s in major championship history.  I had no idea what I was getting into until I stepped on the tee.

#2 at Pete Dye - pick a line and trust your swing!!

[Tommy Williamsen]

#15 at Cypress Point.  When I first played there some 25 years ago I was pretty ignorant about the course.  I knew about 16 but was completely awestruck by 15.  I din't know whether to play it or paint it.

[John Mayhugh]

Pretty much very single hole at NGLA was even better than I expected it to be (no easy feat), but especially 1 & 3.  No way photos can prepare you for those.

If I stick to lesser-discussed holes at well-known courses, west coast edition:
Riviera - 16th
MPCC Dunes - 9th
Pebble Beach - 6th

[Peter Pallotta]

Not exactly in keeping with Jordan's question, but how much I liked all the Par 3s at Crystal Downs surprised me. I enjoyed every one of them, and the 14th was all I will ever need or want a Par 3 hole to be. I was also surprised by how much I liked the Par 5 8th; I know it is not 'under-rated', but I never expected to like any Par 5 -- and I never have -- as much as I liked and appreciated that tough son of a gun.  

Peter

[Rob Miller]

I second the nomination for the 15th at Cypress. 16 deserves the love but 15 especially when the sun is coming down is stunning, simply stunning.   

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

The one that amazed me the first time I played it, which is a long time ago, is the short par3 at Manufacturers (I think it's the 12th?) With it's carry over the quarry.  Hadn't seen anything like that before!

[Jay Carstens]

#2 @ Pine Valley.  Spectacular 2nd shot and a green to match.

[Anthony Gray]

  North Berwick 17 may be the strongest on the course.

  Anthony

[Mike Hendren]

I was overwhelmed by the 17th at Pebble Beach Golf Links and underwhelmed by the 18th.  Go figure.

Mike

[Tim Leahy]

No.s 3 and 4 at Spyglass Hill.  No. 3 just doesn't photograph as well as No. 7 at Pebble or No. 16 at Cypress but from the tee it is a great hole and No.4 following it may be the most fun difficult hole on the Penninsula.

[Matt Bosela]

First hole that pops into my mind is the 3rd hole at Oakmont.

I knew the hole was famous for the church pew bunker feature and was pretty excited to see and play the hole but what I didn't understand until actually playing it was how great the hole is right from tee to green. 

The uphill and right to left cant of the fairway gives way to a green that slopes the opposite way, offering a pretty intimidating visual while demanding a very exacting approach.  Then the green, which features a significant false front, falls away at the back and there to collect your wayward approach is a huge chipping depression that offers the player a number of different options to get the ball back onto the putting surface.

It's really quite a brilliant golf hole in my opinion.

[Sean Leary]

3 at LACC North. Don't make 'em like that anymore...

[Dan Herrmann]

#5 at Augusta National.  A great hole that gets almost no TV coverage due to its location up on top.

#7 at Pine Valley.  Who knew that Hell's Half Acre was so darn big?

#5 at Pine Valley.  The first time I saw it, I can remember saying "Oh.. My...  Gawd"

#1 at Merion East.  Perhaps the best #1 hole in the world.  Short - but deadly if you misfire.  And that tee shot next to the dining area!

#11 at Pacific Dunes.  Sheer beauty and one helluva golf hole.  Photos don't do it justice.

#18 at Bandon Dunes.   Sorry, but it was kind of an emotional letdown for me, which really surprised me.

[Wade Whitehead]

The 18th at the Old White was an unexpected treat the first time.  Every time since, it's been an expected treat.

WW

[Jason Topp]

12 at the Old Course.  I had no idea those bunkers were there until we walked down the fairway 18 years ago.

15 at Kingsley Club - I really enjoyed that tiny green on a long par four.

6 at Pacific Dunes - great deception in that the safe play looks dangerous from the tee

16 Sand Hills - I love trying to hit the speed slot on the left side off the tee.  Pretty much the ideal tee shot challenge.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Merion #11  and 18
On 11, I could not blieve how small the green was and how tight the stream comes into play.
The precise nature of that shot intothe green, makes it even at about 120 one of the scariest shots I have ever played.

The terrain on #18 shocked me, I had no idea that the slopes were so severe, even after years of looking at the Hogan pose.
The severity of that green was also a shocker...

[Jud_T]

Bandon Trails #14  

Kingsley #9 

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jordan,

There have been a lot of them, on different courses for different reasons.  Some of them are:

# 17 at Pacific Dunes

# 5 at Pine Valley.

In both cases, neither hole was what I was expecting as I walked off the previous green, and when I came upon them, they were startling.

Both were very dramatic and challenging, yet both had a really neat feeling about them, an architecture all their own.

[Simon Holt]

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

Wow- its cool how many people had some of their most memorable experiences at NB West.

Sean- the 17th and the 1st were indeed one green back in the day.  Believe it or not the 17th green was the lower portion of the now 1st green.  The 1st was the upper so approach shots for the respective holes cross each other.

In medals we almost always go down the 2nd fairway for the best line into the green on 17.

12 and 6 also shared a green which now just has the 6th on it. In fact, the green for 5 was down in the corner next to the little cottage in the woods and the 6th was a par 4 from where you play your second into 5 now.

[Bill_McBride]

12 at the Old Course.  I had no idea those bunkers were there until we walked down the fairway 18 years ago.

Jason, I hope you make the trip for the Reverse Old Course program one year.  The reverse 7th plays from the 13th tee to the 11th green and everyone of those bunkers in the normal 12th hole is visible right there in front of you!

[Simon Holt]

#15 at Cypress Point.  When I first played there some 25 years ago I was pretty ignorant about the course.  I knew about 16 but was completely awestruck by 15.  I din't know whether to play it or paint it.

Tommy- I think in that time 15 has had a lot of coverage as the 'least talked about hole' because of 16.  I played for the first time last year and 17 is that hole for me.  Absolutely beautiful- most dramatic par 4 I have played visually.  White surf all over the rocks....awesome fairway...and the view back to the 16th tee to your left.

[Richard Choi]

#9 at Pacific Dunes - I have played holes with double greens before, but certain not like this where they are fire and ice different in approach.

#6 at Ballyneal - Did not expect a green design to be so dominant in a par 4 strategy.

#4 at BPB - Never thought that "wall of sand" you face on your second shot is so vast in scale.

[Jeff Martz]

... all the Par 3s at Crystal Downs surprised me. I enjoyed every one of them, and the 14th was all I will ever need or want a Par 3 hole to be.

Peter

I concur.  I've had the picture I took of the 14th as my computer desktop ever since.  #5 at CD was also great.
Kingsley Club #6, 7, 8 and 9.  I loved that stretch.

[Mac Plumart]

While playing the following courses and anxiously anticipating other holes, these snuck up and surprised me...

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