Uphill short risk/reward par 4s

[Bill_McBride]

In honor of Mr. McBride I nominate 16 at Pensacola Country Club, very cool hole.

But not uphill.   Nothing is uphill at PCC. 

How is that not uphill, it sure looks it from the tee.

It's that neat ridge in the fairway with the green perched up behind.   But I'll bet there's not five feet of elevation change on the hole.   

[Tom_Doak]

10 at Royal Melbourne (West) is uphill. Maybe one of the best short fours in the world.

Scott:

I agree that the hole at Royal Melbourne is a great hole.  It's just not really uphill.  The elevation of the back tee is 39.5 meters, with the third tee down to 37.5 meters.  The elevation of the green is 38.5 meters.  [One of the cool perks of being consultant to Royal Melbourne -- a detailed topo of the course!]


As for the general category, the first hole(s) that came to mind for me were a couple that Bill Coore has built recently ... the 8th at Colorado Golf Club [sharply uphill to a tiny, severely sloping green] and the 3rd at The Dormie Club [which wasn't built when I was there, but which I saw on a thread this week, and which reminded me of the CGC hole except that it has a much bigger green].

[Bruce Wellmon]

#11 at CC of Spartanburg. 274 yards from the back tees. Straight uphill all the way.
Tee shot.

Approach.

False front.

Bunkers left and right.

Left and long falls off.

Back down the hill.

[BCrosby]

The best I've played, and it's the best by a wide margin, is the 5th at Cuscowilla.

Bob

[Pete Garvey]

Hole #5 at Idle Hour is a fantastic example of a Ross short, uphill risk/reward par 4.  Measuring only 314 yards, this hole can wreak havoc when a player is thinking a sure birdie.  As you can see from the pictures, there are a total of 9 bunkers, 8 fairway and 1 greenside, that need to be avoided if one is going to gain a stroke back from the course.  The rookie mistake is to grab the driver and swing for the hills.  The seasoned pro will hit a mid iron into the 40 yard landing zone then hunt the pin with a wedge. 

[Bill_McBride]

The best I've played, and it's the best by a wide margin, is the 5th at Cuscowilla.

Bob

The 12th there is no slouch, nor is the 4th.  None are uphill, are they?

[Bill_McBride]

Hole #5 at Idle Hour is a fantastic example of a Ross short, uphill risk/reward par 4.  Measuring only 314 yards, this hole can wreak havoc when a player is thinking a sure birdie.  As you can see from the pictures, there are a total of 9 bunkers, 8 fairway and 1 greenside, that need to be avoided if one is going to gain a stroke back from the course.  The rookie mistake is to grab the driver and swing for the hills.  The seasoned pro will hit a mid iron into the 40 yard landing zone then hunt the pin with a wedge. 

Pete, "The seasoned pro will hit a mid iron into the 40 yard landing zone then hunt the pin with a wedge?"   I don't know that many seasoned pros or amateurs who can hit a mid iron 275 yards uphill!   Good call on a lay up though, those fairway bunkers are ferocious.

[BCrosby]

The best I've played, and it's the best by a wide margin, is the 5th at Cuscowilla.

Bob

The 12th there is no slouch, nor is the 4th.  None are uphill, are they?

Bill - The 4th at Cusco is mostly downhill. The 12th is flat.

But the 5th....wow. I've played it maybe 50 times and I'm still not sure of the best way to attack it. I've posted birdies and triples. The hole has no water, no bunkers and the rough is really not in play. The big wash-out through the fw centerline and the green make it work superbly well. In terms of scoring spreads and their relation to hole quality (read: the TEP Conjecture), the 5th at Cusco is a poster child.

Bob

[Pete Garvey]

Hole #5 at Idle Hour is a fantastic example of a Ross short, uphill risk/reward par 4.  Measuring only 314 yards, this hole can wreak havoc when a player is thinking a sure birdie.  As you can see from the pictures, there are a total of 9 bunkers, 8 fairway and 1 greenside, that need to be avoided if one is going to gain a stroke back from the course.  The rookie mistake is to grab the driver and swing for the hills.  The seasoned pro will hit a mid iron into the 40 yard landing zone then hunt the pin with a wedge. 

Pete, "The seasoned pro will hit a mid iron into the 40 yard landing zone then hunt the pin with a wedge?"   I don't know that many seasoned pros or amateurs who can hit a mid iron 275 yards uphill!   Good call on a lay up though, those fairway bunkers are ferocious.

Bill, Sorry for the confusion.  I meant that by hitting a mid iron you will land your ball in a 40 yard wide landing zone and avoid the bunkers.  This will leave you roughly 115 uphill to the center of the green.

PG

[jeffwarne]

Hole #5 at Idle Hour is a fantastic example of a Ross short, uphill risk/reward par 4.  Measuring only 314 yards, this hole can wreak havoc when a player is thinking a sure birdie.  As you can see from the pictures, there are a total of 9 bunkers, 8 fairway and 1 greenside, that need to be avoided if one is going to gain a stroke back from the course.  The rookie mistake is to grab the driver and swing for the hills.  The seasoned pro will hit a mid iron into the 40 yard landing zone then hunt the pin with a wedge.  

Pete, "The seasoned pro will hit a mid iron into the 40 yard landing zone then hunt the pin with a wedge?"   I don't know that many seasoned pros or amateurs who can hit a mid iron 275 yards uphill!   Good call on a lay up though, those fairway bunkers are ferocious.

Bill, Sorry for the confusion.  I meant that by hitting a mid iron you will land your ball in a 40 yard wide landing zone and avoid the bunkers.  This will leave you roughly 115 uphill to the center of the green.

PG

In reference to the 40 yard landing zone, what's an appropriate size for a landing zone (depth wise) -both visually and actually -that will  entice a player to comfortably land in and STAY in that landing size?
Obviously if it's hitting into a hill or something other than a driver, it can be shallower.

When i play the short par 4 5th at Sebonack I must say i feel there are probably one too many bunkers out there for the average golfer(and me) to negotiate without a bit of luck. (they're probably farther apart than I think) I realize that hole is downhill

[Matthew Petersen]

The 13th on the Raven at Verrado on the west side of Phoenix is a very uphill hole that is at least conceivably driveable, though I've never seen anyone do it.

I couldn't find a good photo, but hopefully this link to a rendering will give you an idea:



It's just 310/290 in the dry desert air, but the green is at least 50 feet above the tee, which is a significant gain for the short yardage. The most significant gain is just in front of the green, which means the front of the green also acts as a severe false front. Come up short with a wedge approach and the ball might come a long ways back.

The blind green surface is quite shallow and has significant left vs. right tiers.

It's certainly the most controversial hole on the course, both due to the significant elevation gain and the severity of the green for a blind (albeit short) approach shot.

[Lester George]

15th at Kinloch (we have had a 1)

1st, 11th at Ballyhack

Lester

[Michael Essig]

Thank you Matthew S. I appreciate the picture.

[Mark McKeever]

5 at Boston Golf Club comes to mind very quickly.  I made ANOTHER bogey with a half lob wedge in my hand last weekend.   

Mark

[J_ Crisham]

One of the better short uphill par 4 's I played this season was the 6th at The Country Club in Brookline. Very sporty hole that birdies can be had, but bogeys abound due to the smallish green and severe bunkering. Great series of long/short par4's on the front nine.

[Bill Brightly]

Tillinghast's "five and dime" at Ridgewood is the best I can think of. There are three ways to play it. I hit rescue or 5-wood to the end of the fairway and leave a 60-80 yard wedge from the fairway:



But the green is SOOOO narrow, maybe 20 feet wide, that even a five yard pull leaves me in the rough or bunker with a terribly hard shot



Many members just hit it as close to the green as possible and hope for a good lie in heavy rough, figuring that proximity is more important than lie. Others, including about half of the pros, just go for the green and accept traps shots if they miss.

[Sean_A]

Sean,
4 at St. Enodoc is DEFINITELY uncomfortable.
I love the idea of the hole, but could do without OB as the penalty on the drive, but hey that's what keeps it uncomfortable
I think what I really like about this hole is it takes more than one play to gain a (bit) of comfort.

Jeff

Yes, the OOB is an essential aspect of the hole as it effects long and short hitters alike.  As a guy who believes it is the archie's duty to present a hole or two which makes the golfer uncomfortable, St Enodoc's is unusual because it is a short par 4.  Usually, a long par 4 is used for this purpose. 

If you like (sorta anyway) uncomfortable holes, you must see Stoneham's 13th.  The blind tee shot is such a tight margin for error for the lay-up or the go for it shot.  If you layup there is plenty of space, but most of it leads to bogey.  If you go for it, there is very little space period.  Its a great use of the trees left and and the crest of a hill with the ridge running left.  I wish I had pix.

Ciao

[David Nelson]

I dont have any pictures (Will try and get one) of it but one of my favourite uphill short risk/reward par 4 is the #5 at Irvine Bogside, from the course guide;

 Hole 5 – Sandface
Gents 279 yards, Par 4 – Ladies 243 yards, Par 4

This is a short par four to an elevated green, lying on the top of a sandface, from which the hole takes its name. The longer hitter may be tempted to go for the green, which is reachable in the right conditions, and could be well rewarded with a birdie or better if successful, although the pitfalls of failure are many should the green be attempted. The sensible play is a positional tee shot short of the fairway bunker, leaving a short iron approach up and over the sandface to the green.

[BCrosby]

5 at Boston Golf Club comes to mind very quickly.  I made ANOTHER bogey with a half lob wedge in my hand last weekend.   

Mark

The 5th at BGC is a great little hole.

[Tim Martin]

# 8 at Merion West-242 Yards
Photo courtesy of Professor Bausch

[Dean DiBerardino]

15th at Fenway.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/fenway-golf-club/fenway-golf-club/