The most interesting/distinctive non-golf feature on a golf course

[David Cronheim]

A lot of golf courses have interesting "things" (to use the broadest possible term) located on, near, or viewable from a golf course. NGLA has the famous windmill, this week's US Am site at Erin Hills has an allegedly haunted basilica replete with werewolf legends, Pete Dye Golf Club has a coal mine tunnel and a coal car, etc.. What's the most interesting "thing" (defined as a permanent fixture on, near or viewable from a golf course) you've seen on a course?

For me, hands down the winner is the fort (Whale Bay Battery) next to the 15th tee at Port Royal, Bermuda. (lousy picture below):



The original fort is buried in the sand below the existing fort (built in 1876). I like it because as you wait to tee off on 15, you can walk right into the fort and look around. For someone who wrote his college thesis on colonial North American naval history, it's about as cool as it gets.

[Sam Morrow]

There is a course in Scotland where on one hole, think about that, one hole you drive over a shed with a hotel next to it, then you have a road right over the green, and a wall.

[Bill Seitz]

Old Works in Anaconda, MT is filled with old remnants of the copper smelting process, beyond just the black sand bunkers.  The fourth hole plays directly towards the huge "Flue" from the old plant, which gives the hole its name.  I always thought that was kind of cool.  Here's a picture from Old Works' website.

[Pete_Pittock]

Painswick's iron age hill fort.

[George Pazin]

There is a course in Scotland where on one hole, think about that, one hole you drive over a shed with a hotel next to it, then you have a road right over the green, and a wall.

 

Pete Dye Golf Club has a shortcut from one tee to another through an old coal mine. Spooky.

I like the walls only visible from one side called ha ha's.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

The ruins of the Castle built by Henry VII at Woodhall Spa....just off the second/third fairway.

[David Cronheim]

I might throw in the ruins of an old stone house/church/fort on the 12th at Bulle Rock.

[Phil McDade]

David:

The basillica at Erin Hills isn't exactly "on" the golf course; it's a good half-mile-to-mile away.

[David Cronheim]

David:

The basillica at Erin Hills isn't exactly "on" the golf course; it's a good half-mile-to-mile away.

Well, I fit that into the "viewable from" the course category, the same as I might put a great view of the statue of liberty as a "viewable from" Bayonne or Liberty National. You can blame me being a lawyer for an expansive question, but there might be neat "things" visible from courses and I didn't want to exclude those, whatever they might be.

[Bill Seitz]

David:

The basillica at Erin Hills isn't exactly "on" the golf course; it's a good half-mile-to-mile away.

It's further than that.  More like 3-4 miles as the crow flies. 

[Dan Kelly]

I have never failed to stop and look at the prairie dog village downslope from one of the front-nine greens (can't remember which! it's been too long now) at Sutton Bay.

I hope that both Sutton Bay and the prairie dog village will be as permanent as this world allows -- or, better yet, more so!

One of my favorite structures on a golf course is the barn to the left of the fairway on No. 11 at StoneRidge (Stillwater, Minnesota) -- the site of my most unlikely par, after my drive smashed off the barn and ricocheted back into a world-class thick lie just outside, or just inside, the water hazard that guards the 10th green, but is supposed to play no role in the play of No. 11.

There's a very pretty red barn to the right of No. 1 green at Baker National (Medina, Minnesota). It comes into play, occasionally, though it shouldn't. It's my favorite thing on that course.

When I think of Sand Hills, the first thing that comes to mind -- before any of the holes -- is the windmill to the left of 18.

I remember a very cool-looking church steeple behind some hole at Highlands Links (Cape Breton, Nova Scotia) -- but I don't think it was ON the golf course.

[Peter Ferlicca]

A pretty cool one up in Washington is on the brand new Rope Rider course at Suncadia Resort.  It is called Tipple Hill, which is a 120' hill made of coal taillings.  You play three holes around this massive coal hill that has trees coming out of it.  All of the golf holes are built of former mining shafts since homes are not not allowed to be built over them.

[David_Tepper]

The church & small graveyard behind the 10th green (and surrounded by several other holes as well) at St. Endoc is a classic. I believe English poet laureate John Betjeman is buried there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Enodoc%27s_Church,_Trebetherick

[Phil McDade]

David:

The basillica at Erin Hills isn't exactly "on" the golf course; it's a good half-mile-to-mile away.

Well, I fit that into the "viewable from" the course category, the same as I might put a great view of the statue of liberty as a "viewable from" Bayonne or Liberty National. You can blame me being a lawyer for an expansive question, but there might be neat "things" visible from courses and I didn't want to exclude those, whatever they might be.

Those are just accidents of geography. The more interesting query might be -- man-made features not germane to the course originally that come into play. One of the more famous, of course, is at the Pit, at the North Berwick links. Stonehaven has a cemetery that's next to the line of play on two holes.

[Jud_T]

The Indian Teepee at Onwentsia comes to mind...

[Dave McCollum]

Slain’s Castle on the distant promontory at Cruden Bay.  Supposedly the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s house of Dracula.

[David Cronheim]

The Indian Teepee at Onwentsia comes to mind...

I don't think the Teepee is there any more. At least, I've never seen it in the dozen or so rounds I've played there over the last few years. Where was it?

[Dave Herrick]

Two immediately came to mind, the Roman road at Deal and the (sadly NLE, but there when I frst played the course) ski jump at Hanover (NH) CC.  

[Jud_T]

The Indian Teepee at Onwentsia comes to mind...

I don't think the Teepee is there any more. At least, I've never seen it in the dozen or so rounds I've played there over the last few years. Where was it?

On the back 9 I think,  # 12 or 13....

[David Cronheim]

I can't believe they got rid of it! It's definitely not there anymore - what a shame. Unless, perhaps it's something temporary that they put up for the Fall pow-wow. I seem to recall my girlfriend's father saying they put up some sort of building between the 8th and 10th fairways.

[Kalen Braley]

The old structures At Chambers that serve as a back drop to 17 and 18 are pretty cool.

[Joe Stansell]

I agree with Kalen - the sorting bins at Chambers Bay add to the feel of the course, and I'm shocked whenever I run into someone who thinks they should be removed.  An example (not my photo):  http://www.flickr.com/photos/chekmate/4918020305/

[Joe Bausch]

There is a course in Scotland where on one hole, think about that, one hole you drive over a shed with a hotel next to it, then you have a road right over the green, and a wall.

 

Pete Dye Golf Club has a shortcut from one tee to another through an old coal mine. Spooky.

I like the walls only visible from one side called ha ha's.

The mine entrance is nicely visible from the approach shot on this par 4, the 6th at PDGC:

[Dan Kelly]

None of this, of course, compares to the El Tracks and graffiti-laden pedestrial tunnel bisecting the Reverse Alps Hole or the fire station that must be carried on the approach to the Long Hole on the Reverse Jans National...

Has anyone ever posted an aerial of the Jans?

Daughter No. 1 has graduated from Northwestern, and I never played the Jans -- forward or reverse!

[Tried to post aerial. Screwed it up!]

[Jeff_Brauer]

Ian can tell us the name of the course that has the huge stone arch rail bridge going behind a green......

Many golf courses in the SE have Civil War Trenches, and some in VA are on Revolutionary War sites, no?  I think there is now a golf course on the Normandy invasion site, too.

In Azle, TX, we designed a course with an old stone safe house from Indian attacks, and of course, Opryland has its distinctive stone, springfed Springhouse, where they once hung hams.