Your 12 Favorite Quirky Holes

[JNC Lyon]

I know this topic has been revisited a few times on this site, but I wanted to bring it back.  I've been thinking about it a little bit today.  I'm missing golf in the Northeast, as I always begin to do in the early part of winter, and the first holes I always return are the zany ones.  These are the holes that are the norm--they get me jacked up to play golf, they make me daydream about golf architecture when I'm doing other things, and they generally inspire me.

So, naturally, I wanted to explore my fascination with quirk in the best way possible: a list!  The first obvious choice was the classic eclectic 18 list.  But how conventional would that be for a list meant to celebrate unconventional architecture.  So, I cut it down to 12 holes, both in the spirit of the holidays and as a nod to one of my favorite quirky courses, Prestwick.

So c'mon!  Give me your 12 favorite holes!  I don't want 11, 3, 13, 18, or 36 holes.  12 will do it.  Also, another constraint: don't pick a quirky hole that is generally thought of as a great golf hole.  Exhibit A: The Pit at North Berwick.  We all know this hole is great and quirky, but at this point it's generally accepted as a great hole, almost devoid of controversy.  Gents, let's dig a little deeper than that.

My 12 holes:

10 at Yale Sure, Yale is almost universally loved on this site, but it is almost universally hated by the college golfers that compete there every year, along with any other prototypical modern golfer.  10 might actually be one of the tamer holes on the golf course, but it is outrageous compared to most run-of-the-mill medium-range fours.  The tee shot across the entrance road and over a small cliff sets the tone, but it does nothing to prepare for the second shot.  Straight up a mountain, over a fearsome Raynor bunker, to a green that, despite its incredible size, seems impossible to hit in regulation.  The fun only starts at the green, which one of the wildest on a course filled with extreme greens.  A true classic.  I'll argue that Raynor's most interesting holes are his great non-templates, and the two choices from Yale on my list provide some of my best evidence for that argument.

5 at The Country Club This course gets no discussion on the site, which, frankly, sucks.  However, I know a few GCAers played it recently (Big E? That Tennessee Tech game over yet? ), and I love to see a little more discussion.  Like Yale, you could pick a few from this layout, but I choose the 5th. This medium-length four is one that gets no attention from anyone.  I'll never forget how blown away I was when I got to that tee shot: the 3rd fairway directly to left, and nothing but a giant rock outcropping in front of you.  Of course, after a few plays, you'd figure out the line off the tee that gives the best angle into the green.  The green itself is maybe the steepest on the course, and it sits below some funky-lookin' apartments on the other side of a barbed-wire fence.  Urban!

7 at Byrncliff  Picked this course as one of my biggest surprises of the year.  It combines killer terrain (it's the only Upstate New York course I know that plays to both sides of a narrow north-south valley, the kind that are so prevalent in this region) with some flair around the greens.  7 at Byrncliff gets the best of both worlds, with some craters-of-the-moon centerline bunkers as a bonus.  I would love to play it with the pin cut on the tiny back shelf--I'm guessing the stroke average would go up a shot or two.

18 at Brora Brora is quirky in its fauna (sheep roam the golf course) and its locale (the northernmost great course in the world?), but the layout itself is actually fairly straightforward.  Yet, when you turn the corner after an all-Scotland par four at 17, you reach one of the strangest, and arguably one of the most fearsome, finishers you will see.  It's a 190-yard par three with a giant chasm taking a chomp out of the front of the green.  Any shot that does not get several paces onto the green will be regurgitated some 30 yards back into the bottomless pit that is the fairway.  3 is, uh, 3 is a good score here.

Four descriptions down, more to come...

[Kyle Harris]

The 2nd at Galen Hall: 500 or so yards reachable in two if you hit 4iron off the tee on the correct line and then launch a rocket down the hill... with the same club... or.... blast driver on the aggressive line and have a wedge into the green. Do neither correctly and the real fun begins...

The 11th at Reading Country Club: A half hour or so from Galen Hall, the 11th here is a stellar alps-like hole over a rock formation to a skinny little green. Not much earth moved on this one and worth the drive out from Philadelphia.

The 6th at Merion West: Another drop shot hole, but in this case achievable with a half-wedge shot.


The 18th at Bethpage Green: Bethpage's quirky golf course finishes with this neat little two shotters to one of the best green sites on the property.


Okay John... you're next four please!

[Mac Plumart]

These are not in any order other than the order they came to mind...


9 at Rivermont...short par 4, plays down hill then uphill to a punchbowl green...but the front of the punchbowl has a chip in it and you can see the green...kind of.  That chip is protected by a nasty little bunker.  The green is also not your standard punchbowl.  It has a whopty-do and a stage on the right side of it.  Unique and interesting.  All the golf architecture fanatics I take to The 'mont love this hole and the green, but the regular members hate it.  Always the sign of a good hole to me.







6 at Dismal River...again a short-ish par 4.  Plays over a ravine/gorge to a smallish landing area, then uphill to a punchbowl/saddle green.  If I am treking half way across the country, I want some unique golf.  Dismal gives it to me...as does this hole.




3 at Dormie...short par 4 (see any trends here?) that plays uphill to the best Coore and Crenshaw green I've ever seen.  Great undulations that make for cool putts and wonderful chips.


8 at Renaissance...that green is out of this world and the wall next to it is really cool.  Oh yeah, it is a short par 4.  





15 at Canterbury...yeah, yeah, yeah...short par 4....green is way up hill on the approach shot with a sloping green.


17 at Pete Dye Golf Club...truly amazing green.  Guess the par on the hole.




5 at Cuscowilla...options off the tee, carry the bunker or swing around it.  Crazy domed green.  (short par 4)


12 at Askernish...PAR 5!!!...dual fairways...one hidden off the tee, one visible.  Take the visible one and you've got a bllind approach...take the blind one and you've got a visible approach...green slants away from the approach shot...cows probably will be a fronting hazard to the green.  


6 at Olde Stone...looks like a mundane short-ish par 4, but a hidden bunker lies in wait right smack dab in the middle of the fairway.  Really cool!!


10 at Arrowheard Pointe...par 5 that snakes around left then right then left...creak bisects the fairway near the green...I suppose it is a bit like 13 at Augusta...but nevertheless it is pretty cool.




9 at Longshadow...(again) short par 4 that cuts 90 degree right then plays down hill and over a creek to a neat and smallish green.


11 (?) at Southshore...par 3 that plays from one mountain peak/hill top to another.  Neat shot!!

[Eric Smith]

5 at The Country Club This course gets no discussion on the site, which, frankly, sucks.  However, I know a few GCAers played it recently (Big E? That Tennessee Tech game over yet? ), and I love to see a little more discussion.  Like Yale, you could pick a few from this layout, but I choose the 5th. This medium-length four is one that gets no attention from anyone.  I'll never forget how blown away I was when I got to that tee shot: the 3rd fairway directly to left, and nothing but a giant rock outcropping in front of you.  Of course, after a few plays, you'd figure out the line off the tee that gives the best angle into the green.  The green itself is maybe the steepest on the course, and it sits below some funky-lookin' apartments on the other side of a barbed-wire fence.  Urban!

  The Golden Eagles (Women's team) nearly pulled it out against Marshall (who were the better team), but came up a bit short on the last few buckets. A great effort though.

Ah, # 5 at Brookline...I've played it just the one time, but I suppose I 'figured out' the preferred line of play is a pushed drive into the trees down the right hand side, leaving but one option: play a ground-hugging 4 iron that ends up rolling (and rolling) all the way to the edge of the green and then miraculously make the 15 footer for birdie. Nothing to this game! As for the quirk...hmm. Pretty much like you said; the big rock and the disco days apartments up top are pretty funk-y!

[Brad Tufts]

Last time I played #5 at TCC was in the round of 32 in the Mass. Am. three years ago and they actually placed the tee on the mound usually containing the ladies tee.  It played 305 straightway from there, and both my opponent and I hit our tee shots into the front bunker.  The pin was just over it, and neither of us could get up and down.  It was a fun hole from there!

[JNC Lyon]

Damnit! Everyone is stealing my choices.  First Kyle swipes the 2nd at Galen Hall (admittedly a reserve choice, but still, high on the list), and then Mac goes and takes 6 at Dismal River!  Time to recharge the batteries, shut down the engines, get back to neutral, and give my next four choices!

6 at Dismal River Yes, this one has to stay on the list.  I ran through every one of the holes at Dismal River, and while there is plenty of quirk out there, 6 best fits my list.  The huge fairway on the far side of the chasm, the strange bunkering, the elevated punchbowl green--it's all weird and awesome.  As a side note, I think this is one reason why Dismal River still gets mixed reviews from its esteemed critics.  Nobody expects quirk from a Nicklaus course, but they get in spades.  While a place like Ballyneal (just, you know, a random example) errs on the side of safety except for a few spots (3, 7, 13), Dismal River pulls out all the stops.  It might not come off completely in a couple places, but the course is brash and bold and all the better for it.

1 at North Berwick Every list of quirky courses needs a short par four from North Berwick, but obviously I couldn't pick 13 after my initial post.  This is the second strangest start I've ever had to a round of golf: 5-iron off the tee, pulled about 30 yards, then a punch 8-iron to two feet for a birdie.  The tee shot is very cool, with the walking path in play, and the clifftop green is a thrill.  You know the place is different when you see this hole.  Some may hate the hole, but I love it, and, of course, that's what this list is all about.

7 at Merion (West) K-Harris, I'll see your 6th at Merion West and raise you the 7th.  After much deliberation and gnashing of teeth, I've come to the conclusion that the 7th is the quirkiest of the three holes in quirk corner (8 could take the crown, but the greensite is to conventional for this list.  The tee shot is no more than a 5-iron, but a lot can go wrong with a pond, stream, and roadway lurking. The green looks no bigger than your living room, and a hundred-yard flip suddenly becomes the most intimidating shot of the day.  This is the closest thing to backyard golf I've seen on a regulation course (or even an executive course).

11 at Morgan Hill Man, there are some funky holes at Morgan Hill, and there are definitely better ones than the 11th.  However, the 11th is so stupidly fun that it has to be on here.  A roped drive here could find it's way onto the green, or it could wind up in a Weber grill.  The iron out to the left is also a legitimate play, but it could spell trouble if not properly executed.  Of course, all the fun is the last 100 yards, which is all fairway and straight down the mountain to a benched greensite.  Whether running or flying, the golfer better have his best feel for the approach, or his ball could wind up in any number of places.  Transition hole? Maybe.  A blast to play? You bet your ass.

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

John,

Do you have a job yet?

I would like to submit a few Myopia Hunt Club holes for your quirky poll.

The quirkiest to my eye are the 1st, 13th, and 16th.

For the readers who have not had the privilege...

Hole no. 1.
Uphill and very short par 4. Almost a blind whack up the hill with a 210 yard club leaves a chip to a very small green with enough right to left slope to make a three put quite possible.

Hole no. 13
Straight par 4 but the second shot is severely uphill over a crap weed field. Perhaps a 3 club upgrade for the hill. Green area is so severely sloped as to send balls back into the hillside weed field or, if you are lucky, on bunker to the short left,

Hole no. 16
Downhill par 3 about 150 yard carry to a green that slopes away from front to back. Green will not hold an approach except in a few areas to the back sides. Shots to the center will often proceed into the backside bunker.

Sorry, no pictures.

Malcolm

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Actually, here is another quirky hole from Myopia.

Number 9, a short par three with a very long narrow green which plays to around 150 yards from the blues.

Green is about 9 yards wide, 30 yards long and is surrounded by bunkers at least 6 to 7 feet deep.

I do have a picture from the tee..


IMG_0043.JPG by gacmalc, on Flickr

[Sean_A]

I am having a hard time coming up with really good quirky holes.  Usually, the slightly off colour holes are either just good, bad or indifferent architecture - not really quirky.  I keep coming back to holes with walls or holes which use "outside" agents such as tracks very well.  There are a few holes which are unusual enough to be considered funky and that I like a load:  #11 Temple & #9 Seascale come to mind.  #16 N Berwick hits over a wall, but the real funk is the crazy green.

In addition to the above three, so far I have

#4 St Enodoc
#13 N Berwick

#16 Aberdovey



#17 TOC

Edit: add Lahinch's Dell to the list

Ciao

 

[Scott Warren]

What's quirky about 4 at St Enodoc, Sean?

[Bill Gayne]

The Klondyke, Dell, and 13 at Dooks belong on any quirky list.

[Sean_A]

What's quirky about 4 at St Enodoc, Sean?

For those that don't know St Enodoc, the green in the foreground is #3.  The players behind the 3rd green are on the 4th tee, a sub 300 yard par 4 with the green right of the bunkers top left. 


From the tee everything is visible, but the landscape is still confusing.


Just having the boundary wall 15 feet from the flag is pretty funky to me.  Now chuck in the circumstances of the rest of the hole and this definitely qualifies as funky.  Better yet, this hole is one of the supreme examples of great architecture being created by a seemingly hopeless piece of land.  Not many archies would have the balls to create this hole. 


Ciao

[Ben Stephens]

What's quirky about 4 at St Enodoc, Sean?

For those that don't know St Enodoc, the green in the foreground is #3.  The players behind the 3rd green are on the 4th tee, a sub 300 yard par 4 with the green right of the bunkers top left. 


From the tee everything is visible, but the landscape is still confusing.


Just having the boundary wall 15 feet from the flag is pretty funky to me.  Now chuck in the circumstances of the rest of the hole and this definitely qualifies as funky.  Better yet, this hole is one of the supreme examples of great architecture being created by a seemingly hopeless piece of land.  Not many archies would have the balls to create this hole. 


Ciao

Sean

4th at St Enodoc is a very good hole it asks a lot of questions should I risk it or not. I wouldnt say that it is quirky - the 10th is the most quirkiest hole on the Church course.

Cheers
Ben

Quirky holes that I can think of at present

5th at Painswick
12th at Burnham + Berrow
7th at Pennard

[Sean_A]

Ben

Its most interesting how different folks view quirk!  Yes, #10 at St Enodoc is quirky, but I don't think it would make my list of favourites.  I admire the hole for its controversial/difficult nature. 

I wouldn't consider Burnham's 12th as in the least quirky.  Talk to me.  Same for #7 (this is just great architecture pure and simple).  Yes, Painswick's 5th (among a ton of holes) is a bit funky, but it wouldn't make a list of my favourites.  #10 is probably more funky with the tiny green, but its not a favourite.   

Ciao

[Ronald Montesano]

Are quirky holes found on courses created by name architects, or are they more commonly known as "accidents at birth," as found on rural, homespun, mom/pop layouts where someone simply asked "why can't we put it here and the other it there?"

I'll leave the Coudersport holes to Mr. Lynch.

Does Quirk subside after a number of playings? Is Quirk like Blind, only thus once or twice?

[Jud_T]

First four that come to mind from recent play:

Pac Dunes #6:

Might be my favorite short 4 ever.  Hard to match the pucker factor of the approach or the up and down if you miss.  Simply a wonderful green.  As with many good quirk holes you can make birdie or X.

Old Mac #7:

The Ocean hole.  Essentially you are forced to play some type of creative second (or 3rd!) shot here.  The size of the hill, the blind runoff on the other side and the ever present wind make this a new classic template.  Kind of a litmus test for quirk in my mind as many will dismiss it as a gimmick hole to get up to the ocean view and the halfway house, but I think it's great and very subtly conceived.

Tamarack #11:

Punchbowl.  Longish par 4 with a subtle dogleg, strategic bunkering and a blind second that drops down 20 (?) feet to a fantastic green.  One has to take the hill into account to get the proper bounce onto the green and not run all the way to the back.

Kingsley #9:

Another quirk litmus test hole.  Anything from a 1 to an X is possible.  Nothing better than using the slopes to either stick it tight or make a seemingly impossible up and down.  I've seen a single digit hdcp blow up to a 13 by being stubborn and my 12 year old want nothing more than to keep hitting balls at dusk to try and hole one.  I prefer #13 (another solid candidate), but this is the quirkiest with the most local knowledge needed.

[Ronald Montesano]

Isn't #6 Pacific Dunes the negative image of #14 Bandon Trails?

[Jud_T]

Ron,

Not really.  They both play downhill off the tee to an elevated green, although the scale is dramatically different.  Besides, BT 14 is a pushover since they took the teeth out of the green.   

[Michael Goldstein]

I think I have a fairly high definition of quirk so find this a very difficult question to answer without resorting to the stereotypical options like 13 NB or 17 TOC.

Below I have three photographs of a hole at The Machrie (6 or 7?).  Normally I would not consider blindness in itself to be quirky, but here I can't resist. 

On this par four of approximately 380 yards, the tee shot plays over these huge sand dunes. 


Then the landing area greets you as follows: (good luck or a high soft shot will see your ball kick softly and not straight right into the hay)


Finally, the green is entirely blind in a steep bowl.



I've included a couple of other holes that came to mind in response to JC's question.  They are definitely not my favourite twelve holes but do satisfy my 'quirk threshold'.

13 Morfontaine


Hole ? at Bondi - note the lighthouse directly in play when the wind is even softly coming off the right.  It bounced two balls in my group back at least 50 yards.

[PCCraig]

JNC,

The 5th at TCC Brookline is an underrated hole, but do you really think it's that quirky? I can think of a few others (#2, #3 (!), #4, #7, #11 (!)) that might be even quirkier.

[Niall C]

What's quirky about 4 at St Enodoc, Sean?

Scott

I don't know that hole but I've been asking myself the same question on some of the Scottish holes already listed, for instance NB has a couple of quirky holes (IMO) but the first isn't one of them. Likewise, while Brora provides some nice golf, I can't think of any really quirky holes including the 18th.

Perhaps I just have a higher tolerance of quirk than JNC.

Niall

[Tim Nugent]

quirk, perhaps the toughest definition in golf.  Everyone probably has a slightly different take on it.  To me, it's something that jumps off the page.  Not expecting to see what is there.  Prestwick was my Intro to Quirk 101, Although it is probably the poster child and therefore fails in the original posts criteria (I can think of almost a half dozen off the top of my head), I submit that run of 15-17 as the best stretch of quirk I have encountered.
Some other holes that haven't been mentioned:
#4 Spyglass.  Never encountered a green like it before
#7 & #8 Crystal Downs (7's green and 8's fairway)
#13 Shore Acres - hitting up and out of a ravine only to have to cross it again on the approach
#4 Royal St Georges, those sleepered fairway bunkers.
#14 Cog Hill #3
For the most part, it strikes me that most of holes with quirk end up being rather short par 4's.  So, I think it is used deliberately as a primary defense to counter the lack of yardage.

[Ronald Montesano]

Niall...JNC isn't very opinionated...

Michael, don't you get a re-do when you hit the lighthouse?

Are "quirk" and "stupid" mutually exclusive? Perhaps one man's "q" is another man's "s."

[Sven Nilsen]

14 at Blackstone
7 and 12 at Ballyneal
3 at Yale
16 at Ravisloe
4 at Barnbougle Dunes
3 at Lost Farm
8 at RMW
17 at Kingsley
5 and 7 at Greywalls
17 at Bayside

[Ronald Montesano]

Sven...great call on #3 at Yale...I thought it went left, so I aimed at the left side of the fairway...yup.