Effective Use of a Property's Corner

[Mike Hendren]

I'm fond of holes whose green is tucked into the corner of a property.  Thankfully someone pulled forward Sean Arble's Huntercombe thread as the second hole there prompted this post.  There is a certain intimacy to these holes I like.  Also, they typically have strategic merit from the tee:  Does one flirt with the boundary from the tee so the approach can be played away from same.  Or does one play conservatively wide from the tee, only to stare into the boundary/tree line angling beyond the green.  Also, a simple feature, perhaps a modest bunker or the fabulous cop at Huntercombe's 2nd really tests the player's ability and confidence on the approach.  The lesser talent is forced to sneak up on the green with a flanking move. 

It seems many Golden Age courses feature great corners, likely because the sites were more contricted and also generally rectangular when on an infill, platted parcel.  

What are your favorite corners in golf?

Mike

[Sam Morrow]

Amen Corner and The Horrible Horseshoe are the first two that come to mind.

[Bruce Katona]

a corner boundary sometimes has the ability to allow for a short par 3 and the corresponding next teeing ground to be worked into a routing.  if there is a bit of topo in that corner all the better.

[Phil McDade]

Mike:

I know of a pretty neat one here in Wisconsin in which the green is tucked into the far corner of the property, bounded on two sides (left and back) by OB. What makes it strategically interesting is that the hole is a reachable par 5, with the chance of a blind second shot into the green.

[Terry Lavin]

Beverly's two nines are each rectangles, so there are corner opportunities aplenty.  Ross did an ingenious job of making interesting corner holes.  The fourth hole is a boomerang dogleg left hole that deals with the northeast corner of the property.  Ron Prichard added a big bunker at the inner turn to add more difficulty and visual appeal.  The next hole, the fifth, starts at the northwest corner and is a straight uphill par 4 to a plateau green, probably one of the most iconic par four holes in Chicago.  Then, the ninth hole is another dogleg left (though not as sharp as the 4th), to a figure 8 green turned at a devilish angle to the fairway, leaving a difficult second shot from almost anywhere in the fairway.

On the back, the 10th is a 190 yard par three that is squeezed diagonally into the northwest corner of the back nine's rectangle.  This is probably the best example of utilizing a small amount of space to design a great par 3 hole.  Then, the 13th is a great straightaway par 4 with a blind tee shot that plays from the southwest to the southeast corner of the property.

One of the charms of Beverly is that you play on two big rectangles, but the several corner holes are so good that it doesn't feel at all repetetive.

[Greg Tallman]

The Old Course?

[Jim Colton]

How about the 3rd and 4th holes at Fenway?

[Phil McDade]

Beverly's two nines are each rectangles, so there are corner opportunities aplenty.  Ross did an ingenious job of making interesting corner holes.  The fourth hole is a boomerang dogleg left hole that deals with the northeast corner of the property.  Ron Prichard added a big bunker at the inner turn to add more difficulty and visual appeal.  The next hole, the fifth, starts at the northwest corner and is a straight uphill par 4 to a plateau green, probably one of the most iconic par four holes in Chicago.  Then, the ninth hole is another dogleg left (though not as sharp as the 4th), to a figure 8 green turned at a devilish angle to the fairway, leaving a difficult second shot from almost anywhere in the fairway.

On the back, the 10th is a 190 yard par three that is squeezed diagonally into the northwest corner of the back nine's rectangle.  This is probably the best example of utilizing a small amount of space to design a great par 3 hole.  Then, the 13th is a great straightaway par 4 with a blind tee shot that plays from the southwest to the southeast corner of the property.

One of the charms of Beverly is that you play on two big rectangles, but the several corner holes are so good that it doesn't feel at all repetetive.

Terry:

Do you think the big hitters feel hemmed in at Beverly's 4th? Maybe that's the intent -- two of the guys I played with on the US Mid-Am media day two years ago hit the dang wall, or came darn close to it. But it does have a good deal of strategic interest, because it seems you want to be as close as possible for your approach, because that's a tough, raised green to hit surrounded by trouble. You really have to work the ball there.

I really liked that par 3 10th -- a very nice hole that's snugged in tight to the clubhouse and rail line.

[Mike Hendren]

On the back, the 10th is a 190 yard par three that is squeezed diagonally into the northwest corner of the back nine's rectangle.  This is probably the best example of utilizing a small amount of space to design a great par 3 hole. 

Terry, Beverly's 10th is a great example where a hole is routed in space that many would have considered an afterthought.   Instead Ross routed the hole right toward the corner.  It nicely sets up what I think is among the best 8 hole finishing stretches anywhere.

Mike

[jonathan_becker]

The 6th at Seminole is the best I've seen.  The boundaries come into play with OB right and long and the land mainly feeds towards the right.

The best position is to hug the left side off the tee but you have to contend with a series of bunkers and the ball below your feet for your second.  Coming in from the right gives a somewhat flatter lie but brings in more bunkers to carry from that angle.

[Sean_A]

Bogey

Funny you mention Huntercombe's 2nd as a corner hole.  I would have said the third is even better.  The green is hard on the OBB line left with a property (or two or three?) behind.  The entire shape of the hole pushes toward the OBB with the outrageous green is the kicker.



While not exactly a corner, but certainly a dead end, St Enodoc's 4th is a cracker in how the boundary line is used very well. 

An incomparably great use of a corner is Pennard's 16th.

Ciao   

[john_stiles]

The  11th  at Saunton East is a good example of using a property corner.   The hole is a dog leg right with a property line running across the direct line to the green, and then property line makes a sharp 90 degree bend forming the corner of the dog leg.  This bend is about the distance you want to carry a drive.   The property line runs on the right side of the fairway,  parallel to the fairway, all the way past the green.   Once you reach the bend in the dogleg,  there is also a deep small drainage feature, 3 feet wide, that runs just inside the property line, and on past the green as well.  The drainage ditch runs down the property line, and is immediately between the green and the property line.   There is only about a 6 foot fringe between the green and ditch.  You can chip across the green and into the hazard fairly easily.  You essentially drive left of the property corner and if you push it right, you still have to go over the OB /fenced property, cutting across the property.  It is shorter but leaves a difficult shot that is semi-blind.

If you hit towards the green you are aiming just left of the 90 degree sharp corner of the property line. Long hitters have to take the proper longer route left, as they may drive through the fairway and out of bounds.  Long hitters trying to reach the center of the fairway over the property corner always have to worry about slicing the ball out of bounds.   Imagine some long hitters can cut the corner.

For my one play, the hole played into a good wind. It is a short par 4 and my drive faded right, and into the wind, I was short of property line.  My second was the most interesting shot of the trip, across the corner, to a green that was just next to the ditch and property line.  

[Mark Pearce]

I think one of the great things about Hanse's routing of the Craighead course at Crail is how he fits so many holes into corners of an oddly shaped property.  Arguably each of 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 14 are boxed into a corner at the green end of the hole.  10, 13 and 14 are the best of these, a short (driveable) par 4 with the boundary with the Balcomie course hard on the left and a wall and trees behind the green, a shortish par 3 with OOB (over a wall) hard on the left and slightly further behind and a long par 4 with the North Sea hard all the way down the left of the hole and a cape style green surrounded by the sea on the left and a wall behind.  With serious crap on the left of both 11 and 12 that part of the course is a hooker's nightmare!

[Terry Lavin]

Beverly's two nines are each rectangles, so there are corner opportunities aplenty.  Ross did an ingenious job of making interesting corner holes.  The fourth hole is a boomerang dogleg left hole that deals with the northeast corner of the property.  Ron Prichard added a big bunker at the inner turn to add more difficulty and visual appeal.  The next hole, the fifth, starts at the northwest corner and is a straight uphill par 4 to a plateau green, probably one of the most iconic par four holes in Chicago.  Then, the ninth hole is another dogleg left (though not as sharp as the 4th), to a figure 8 green turned at a devilish angle to the fairway, leaving a difficult second shot from almost anywhere in the fairway.

On the back, the 10th is a 190 yard par three that is squeezed diagonally into the northwest corner of the back nine's rectangle.  This is probably the best example of utilizing a small amount of space to design a great par 3 hole.  Then, the 13th is a great straightaway par 4 with a blind tee shot that plays from the southwest to the southeast corner of the property.

One of the charms of Beverly is that you play on two big rectangles, but the several corner holes are so good that it doesn't feel at all repetetive.

Terry:

Do you think the big hitters feel hemmed in at Beverly's 4th? Maybe that's the intent -- two of the guys I played with on the US Mid-Am media day two years ago hit the dang wall, or came darn close to it. But it does have a good deal of strategic interest, because it seems you want to be as close as possible for your approach, because that's a tough, raised green to hit surrounded by trouble. You really have to work the ball there.

I really liked that par 3 10th -- a very nice hole that's snugged in tight to the clubhouse and rail line.

Phil,

I think the dogleg is awfully sharp on #4.  The effect of the dogleg is then exacerbated by the out-of-bounds fence on the outside of the dogleg.  The difficulty/fairness of the hole is also impacted by a fifty foot locust tree that is right in front of the bunker on the inside of the turn.  To me, this tree should be removed, inasmuch as the bunker exists to challenge/punish golfers who try to bite off too much of the dogleg.  Were that tree not there, the correct risky play would be unencumbered and players would try to carry the bunker at a sharp angle and keep the ball in the fairway.  If they hit it too far, it goes in the rough or out of bounds.  If they hit it too short, it goes in the bunker, leaving a very challenging 165 yard + bunker shot.  The tree exists to save a shot destined for the bunker or to dissuade the aggressive play off the tee.  Both are bad uses in my judgment.

[Mark McKeever]

Holes 6-8 at Merion West are a really neat way to use the corner of the property.

Mark

[Tom_Doak]

Michael:

You should make a point of going to see the nine-hole course at Royal Worlington & Newmarket someday.  About half the holes seem to be "corner holes" of one type or another, and there are some terrific ones in there -- par-3 2nd with the third tee hitting over its green, par-5 4th, par-3 5th (sort of), and par-4 9th.