Favorite shots after dropping/re-teeing a ball?

[Ran Morrissett]

And I don't mean tequila  

One answer is easy - watching a 1 iron come up just short on 16 at CPC and getting to do it over again! Same for the approach to 8 at Pebble and I am sure a ton of other holes by cliffs/sea.

However, how many neat shots do you ever play after taking a drop on an inland course?

The identified one for 17 at TPC Sawgrass seems to give the pros plenty of fits but I don't know if it's any good or not.

12 at Augusta is more interesting because you can play the shot from just in front of the creek to 20 yards to 60 yards to 80 yards to etc. behind it - the potential for such indecision is wonderful to see.

What are some other good examples?

Cheers,

[Paul Richards]

Ran:

It appears you're talking about these on the pro tour.

However, my favorite personal one came during a round at
the Arboretum, north of Chicago.

After hitting my 5-iron into the pond that surrounds most
of the green on the right 2/3rds of the green, I decided there
was nothing to be gained by dropping.  So I teed it up again
and knocked it into the hole!

A Hole-In-Three!

[Jim_Kennedy]

Ran,
Another obvious favorite is the one that's being played by your opponent after he drops.  

[Doug Wright]

Paul/Sonny,

Kindly move your dicussion to the correct thread.

Sincerely,

The Thread Police

Ran,

While I'm here, I'll mention my "favourite."    It's the 18th at High Pointe, a par 5 with the second over water to a peninsula strip of fairwayand/or the green. I hit a perfect drive there and had 230 or so to the green, reachable for me but marginal. Hit my second/fourth/sixth and eighth into the drink before reaching the greenside bunker. Call me Tin Cup!  

PS I don't like the hole but not for that reason. It is totally out of character with the rest of the course, which I liked a lot. It's like they needed some agua for a "signature hole".

All The Best,

[Paul Turner]

Re-teeing at the 6th at West Sussex could fit the bill.  The pond for the mishit and OB for the hook; it's such a demanding shot.

Or maybe searching for the perfect big draw to get home at Painswick's 14th.  Block the ball and you're OB in the woods, and a top or quick hook and you're stuffed in the quarry scars.

[Ran Morrissett]

Paul R.,

I am definitely not talking in particular about the pro tour, the U.S. tour of which could only be considered of minimal interest to someone who is into architecture.

The genesis of the topic was from a discussion with Tom MacWood where he was asking about the risk/reward par fives at Tobacco Road, the appealing aspect of them being that you can go for the green on 4 and 11 and if you fail, you will find your ball in the sand. Some days you will draw a decent lie and some days you will not but at least you can PLAY YOUR BALL to the bitter end.

Tom then remarked how he hated water hazards for that reason - the finality of going into a lake is in some respects... well, boring.

And it got us thinking of the relative paucity of interesting drop shots that then result on inland courses. Not only is going into a lake boring but the next played stroke is likely to be of little interest too.

See how lucky you are that Beverly doesn't have a water hazard that is in play?  

[Paul Richards]

Ran:

Hate to admit it, but this summer I actually hit it into the
water hazard at Beverly (that's not in play!).

[Mike_Sweeney]

6th Hole @ Merion West

The West course at Merion is normally called "The Sporty Course" at Merion. The 6th is 110 yards downhill to a small green surrounded by Cobbs Creek, sand and vegatation (think of the 11th green on The East divided by 2). The question is if you hit it in Cobbs Creek or other, do you tee up on the tee or take a drop down below where you can hit it from creek to bunker to OB? My friend who is a member once took a 12 during the Jr. Club Championship (a long time ago). Thus I disagree with the "Sporty" label of The West.

[ChrisB (Guest)]

#15 at Augusta National provides a very interesting scenario in the case of someone going for the green in two and ending up in the water short of the green.  The options include dropping immediately behind the hazard on a flat lie, but with a shot of only 20-30 yards or so (very hard to stop the ball), or go as far back as you please up the hill, but on a significant downslope (very hard to stop the ball).  Since it is a regular water hazard, the point of entry must be kept between the drop and the hole, so depending on the hole location the player may be forced to drop and approach from an awkward angle from a downhill sidehill lie.  I believe there is also a drop area in the extreme left of the fairway at the bottom of the hill approaching the green diagonally.

Especially if the greens are firm and the pin is on the left half of the green, it gets very interesting.

[Rich_Goodale]

This is a slightly perverse thread, which is why I am attracted to it!

I will vote, strongly, for the unplayable lie, in tournament conditions, match or stroke play.  It is a great feeling to find your ball in the middle of a gorse bush, then find that flat piece of ground 10-50 yards to the rear of where the ball lay where you can get relief, and then hit the green and sink the putt for a 4.

It has it all.  The agony of defeat.  The ability to control your own destiny. The infinite options.  The possibility of the thrill of victory, or even just a half.......

[SPDB]

When I played Pine Valley the first time, I had a horrendous go at the 14th eventually carding a 9! (+4 at the time). My host, sensing my cage was being rattled, promptly sent his caddy to the next tee to redirect the tee markers so they pointed across the water toward the 16th green. As I limped off the 14th green, thoroughly broken in every sense of the word, my host turns to me and says "shake it off, the next hole is just a little poke across the water." I arrive at the just-recently redesigned 15th hole, completely dumbfounded by the fact that I would be required to hit what looked to be about a 300 yard drive, just to carry the water. After hitting 2 balls into the water, and woefully short, my host finally let me in on the ruse.

My psyche completely ripped to shreds, i stumbled all the way in to a 93.

However, those dropped/reteed balls give me a helluva story  (and I understand there are countless PV initiates who have the same story to tell).

[Mark_Fine]

Bill,
You didn't let those "experiences" and prices didn't influence your opinions of the golf courses did you  


Engh's Sanctuary Golf Club in Colorado has several elevated tees we had a blast hitting golf balls in five different directions to different greens scattered below!  
Mark