Why don't more modern courses have more walkbacks?

[Tim Nugent]

Kalen, it's one thing when you have an old course that had to add back tees to keep the design current with the modern game (let's face it, most of the members probably still use the original tees) and a MODERN course that is designed that way from the get-go. 

I suspect the original querry comes from an observation like you just posted.  "Gee, if ANCC has 5, then they must be A) acceptable, B) good design, C) something to emmulate, or D) All of the above.  When, in reality, they are E) None of the Above.

[Kalen Braley]

Tim,

I suspect you are right...

In the meantime I wait with baited breathe for the course in the original post to be revealed.

P.S.  I think Merion has a few walk back holes now that they're going to playing another major on it.

[hhuffines]

Carolina CC in Raleigh has 2 walk backs, one after a par 3 and the other after a short par 4.  They both occur before our toughest driving holes, where long and blind tee shots need to be accurate as well.  We also have a lengthy "side walk" between our 5th green and 6th tee.  Tillinghast visited our club in 1936 and eliminated several others that were nearly 150 yards.

[Kalen Braley]

Johnny Millers Thanksgiving Point probably has the worst walk-back I've ever seen.

You play the 200 yard 7th hole over the Jordan River to a perched green.  Then you return all the way back to the tee box and go an additional 100 yards past it to the 8th tee.

[Bruce Wellmon]

Bull's Bay has one.
Hole #3 is a nice 170 yard or so par 3 out to the marsh. Then you travel back along the marshside length of the hole to get to 4 tee, which is a few yards offset, along the marsh.

[Mark Saltzman]

Hands-down the worst walk back anywhere is at Tesoro Club in FL. After the 8th you travel the entire length of the 1st hole (but not just the length of it, you also travel its width) and then most of the 9th hole you are about to play to get to the 9th tee. I measured it on google earth and it was a little over 1500 yards from 8 green to 9 tee -- that's almost a mile!

[David Kelly]

Cross Creek GC in Temecula, CA has an annoying one.  Holes 17 & 18 share a tee pad. The 17th is a Par 3 playing south and 18 is a par 4 playing north.

[Jason Connor]

Wow, the website calls it Turkey's most relaxing golf course!

I guess some people find dodgeball relaxing

http://www.kusadasihomes.com/golf_in_turkey/golf_property_in_kusadasi.asp

Design: Jose Canales Galvez Mas Golf Uno Golf Design

[Garland Bayley]

So the course is a real Turkey!

I'm sorry, someone had to say it.

[PThomas]

Because they suck.

agree with the above for the most part

one of the other courses at Cog Hill (#2) has some of these...the course isnt great to begin with and these take even more away from it....along with a fence-enclosed walkway near one green (for safety i guess) ...and this for the 2nd most expensive course at Cog....I stick to courses 1 and 3....

[Ronald Montesano]

Garland, check my page one post, then give me my due

Sean, did you look at the map before you wrote your post? I took the topic to be on intentional walk-backs after viewing the routing.

[Joe_Tucholski]

Here are three I've played recently






Two of these are modern, one from 1959.

I don't like the walk back at all. 

Would you call the following scenerio a walk back where you walk off the green, leave your bag, turn 90 degrees right or left, walk to the tee, hit your shot and then walk back down the fairway to get your bag?  Like the following:


There are many more of these and they are less than ideal in my mind but more appealing than the true walk back down the hole you just played.

[Howard Riefs]

Among modern courses, at Arcadia Bluffs there's a sizable walkback from #10 green to #11 tees.

http://www.arcadiabluffs.com/the_course.php

(I can't embed at the moment...)

[Pete_Pittock]

So the course is a real Turkey!

I'm sorry, someone had to say it.

Garland,
Welcome to the party. I said that in reply #3 because I knew the course was in Turkey by clicking on photo properties, before Mr Montesanto.

[Scott Stearns]

was gonna guess this was the olympic course...

Would be cool if that Turkey course were fairly wide open around the greens/tees.  Bet the assistants would find their own, better routing by playing from place to place in the evenings......

[Doug Wright]

What's the difference between a walkback and a walk(drive) forward hundreds of yards to the next tee, which is so prevalent in many modern routings? Is it the sense of going the wrong way (backwards) to the next tee?

[David_Tepper]

The Metropolitan GL (an 8-10 year-old course near the Oakland, CA airport) has a walkback on the 7th hole, a par 3 of 130-160 yards. After leaving the 6th green, golfers have to walk past the 7th green to go all the way to the 7th tee. The walkback is likely the result of dealing with an environmentally sensitive wetlands area, but I think it could have been avoided. 

[Kalen Braley]

The Metropolitan GL (an 8-10 year-old course near the Oakland, CA airport) has a walkback on the 7th hole, a par 3 of 130-160 yards. After leaving the 6th green, golfers have to walk past the 7th green to go all the way to the 7th tee. The walkback is likely the result of dealing with an environmentally sensitive wetlands area, but I think it could have been avoided. 

David,

I agree,  It seems like they could have put the tee behind the 6th green somewhere....it is a pretty annoying configuration as it.

[Garland Bayley]

Garland, check my page one post, then give me my due

Sean, did you look at the map before you wrote your post? I took the topic to be on intentional walk-backs after viewing the routing.

So when did you give Pete his "due"?

[Garland Bayley]

So the course is a real Turkey!

I'm sorry, someone had to say it.

Garland,
Welcome to the party. I said that in reply #3 because I knew the course was in Turkey by clicking on photo properties, before Mr Montesanto.

Pete,

You Da Man!