Pick three holes to play six times

[Sven Nilsen]

I've read the comment "I could play that hole all day long" many times over on this site.  For a bit of fun in the lead up to the Open, I thought I'd throw out the idea of picking three holes from the same course that you would play six times over for an 18 hole round.

No parameters to the game other than the three holes have to be from the same course.  There's no right answer, just interested in hearing what people come up with.

Here are five starters to get things rolling:

Yale - 8, 9, 10

Bandon Trails - 5, 6, 15

Kingsley - 1, 4, 13

Ballyneal - 2, 7, 8

Lahinch - 4, 5, 6

[John Foley]

Sand Hills - 7, 8 & 18

Misquamicut 1, 8 & 9

Leatherstocking 3, 8 13

Oak Hill West 4 8 13

[George Pazin]

Oakmont 2, 3, 4, which has the added bonus of being a mini-loop, as the 4th green is relatively close to the 2nd tee.

[JMEvensky]

15,16,17 at CPC.

8,9,10 at PB.

[Bill Seitz]

Kingsley: 2, 13, and just about any other hole, but let's go with 8.  

Riviera: 6, 10, 18.

Lost Dunes: 4, 11, 15

Cog #4: 13, 16, 18

[John Kavanaugh]

  

Riviera: 6, 10, 18.

I don't have the energy to play the 18th at Riviera 6 times in 18 holes.

[Jimmy Muratt]

I'll take it a bit further and just go with consecutive 3-hole stretches.  I could be very happy playing any of these:

Crystal Downs -  6, 7, 8
Sand Hills -  4, 5, 6
Sand Hills -  16, 17, 18
Palmetto -  2, 3, 4
NGLA -  2, 3, 4
NGLA -  14, 15, 16
Boston GC -  5, 6, 7
Ballyneal -  6, 7, 8
Ballyneal -  12, 13, 14
Friar's Head -  7, 8, 9
Friar's Head -  14, 15, 16

[Brent Hutto]

While JM's suggestion of 15-16-17 at CPC works for me (as would 17-17-17 for that matter) I'll go with some I've played more recently.

Kiawah Island's Ocean Course #13, #14, #15, forming a nice almost-loop. Plus there's a little building right there between 13 green and 14 tee for any necessary comfort break. As a nice plus, one could play the three-hole loop once from each of three different tee boxes for the "front nine" then repeat those nine again for the "back". The variety offered by different tees at the Ocean Course is a major strength of the design IMO.

[SteveOgulukian]

Can't really top CPC 16, 17, 18...

Pebble Beach 7, 8, 18
Hard to use NGLA as it means excluding 15 amazing holes but 2, 3, 4 would be pretty fun (as would 16, 17, 18).
Bethpage Black 4, 5, 6 (or throw 15 in there but playing it once is difficult enough)

[John Sabino]

Great question. There are many, although Cypress is the clear winner.

Cypress Point 15,16,17

Carnoustie 16,17,18

Merion 10,11,12

Whippoorwill 4,5,6

Fishers Island 4,5,6 !!!

Sunnindale Old 5,6,7

Morfontaine Valliere 3,4,5

Maidstone 8,9,10

Cruden Bay 6,7,8

Augusta 11,12,13 (Amen)

Prestwick 1,2,3

Barnbougle Dunes 4,5,6

Naruo 8,9,10

Los Angeles North 6,7,8

Pine Vallley 5,6,7

Shoreacres 11,12,13

St. Andrews (Old) 1,17,18

[Alex Miller]

Old Mac 5, 7, 15

[Sven Nilsen]

Oakmont 2, 3, 4, which has the added bonus of being a mini-loop, as the 4th green is relatively close to the 2nd tee.

George,

Love the mini-loop feasibility concept, perhaps as the thread wanders on we can adopt that as the model.  Until then, open game on any combinations.

Sven

[Mike Boehm]

Adding a couple parameters:  Must originate from and return close to the clubhouse (perhaps great 3 hole stretches with 30 minutes before the sun sets):

Oakland Hills South 10-11-9 is a great loop out from the clubhouse and back.

Crystal Downs 1-7-8 is another nice one that gets you back close to the house.

[PCCraig]

The Country Club of Brookline

#4 - A short par 4 that can be played many different ways, and can be semi blind, has a tiny green and is really fun to play.

#7 - The oldest hole on the course on a pretty old course, this mid-length par-3 has the oldest double plateau green in the U.S. The green and it's surroundings are downright fun as a pin on the front plateau is nearly impossible to get close to when the green is firm.

#11 - My favorite hole on the course and one of the best par-5's anywhere in my opinion. A drive can either be played conservatively left in between two huge rock outcroppings, or aggressively over the one on the right to make the green reachable in two. A narrow creek ~150 yards out makes the lay-up interesting. The 3rd shot is uphill to a green surrounded by narrow scrape bunkers.

*I could substitute a few different holes here from TCC, but I thought I would include one par 3, 4, and 5 to make it more fun.

Other ones:

*I could play #12 through #14 at Shoreacres over and over again, even if they're not everyone's favorite. It probably doesn't hurt as those three holes welcome a hard, slinging hook...my natural ball flight.  

*Along the same lines of picking one 3, 4, & 5 I could play #13-15 at Lawsonia in a loop over and over and have a pretty good time.

*The obvious choices (of which I'm sure there will be many mentions) will be ANGC #11-#13 and CPC #15-#17.

[Michael Baldwin]

Three favorites from my first trip to Lawsonia this weekend: 6, 10, 17

[Mac Plumart]

Old Course...14, 16, 17

Askernish...7, 11, 12

Dismal River...8, 9, 10

Rivermont...2, 11, 16

[jonathan_becker]

Here's a few 3 hole stretches that I like in Ohio.

13-15 The Golf Club

6-8 Canton Brookside

15-17 TCCPP

10-12 Kirtland

16-18 Canterbury

[Jason Thurman]

Pebble Beach: 6, 7, and 8.

Wild Horse: 5, 6, and 8.

Lawsonia: 6, 10, and 13.

[John Goldasich]

Shinnecock - 11, 14, 16

Old Course - 11, 13, 14

Pine Valley - 10, 11, 13

Prairie Dunes - 6, 8, 10

Cypress Point - 7, 9, 11 (going out of the norm, instead of picking 15-17)

Shoal Creek - 3, 8, 15

North Berwick - 9, 13, 15

Merion - 3, 4, 5,

 

[Patrick Glynn]

Royal County Down - 3, 4, 5.
Lahinch - 3, 4, 5.

Patrick

[Greg Tallman]

Pete Dye Golf Club: 5-6-7: To answer the WHY? #5 is a very cool risk reward par 5 where the second is somehwat reminiscent of the 6th at Pebble (replace the ocean with a river); #6 is great short par 4 though not driveable for me, still struggle with what I want to do from the tee; #7 is a cool drop shot par threes after going through a cool (no, cold) mine shaft following the sixth.  

Cabo del Sol Ocean:
3-4-5; wonderful driveable par 4 where 2 to 6 is in play; reachable par 5 where 3 - 7 is in play; long, bunkerless par 4 where 5 is easy but 4 is really tough.

5-6-7; Aforementioned par 4 5th, oceanside par 6th which can be from 6iron to hybrid based on wind and the ultracool little seventh that, at 125-130 yards has produced at least one double in my group each time I have played it while yielding a plethora of birdies

16-17-18; beauty, beauty and beauty - starts with a mid length par 4 with an approach as tough as it is pretty, toughest approach on the course, longer hitters find that hitting past the bunker was likley a mistake as the downhill lie makes the appraoch, even with a short club, difficult; 17 is a death or glory shot over the ocean and beach and 18 hugs the coastline for the length of the hole and presents those who play away from the ocean a very tough approach from a sidehille/downhill lie with the pot bunker very much in play.

7-14-4; #7 & #14 discussed previously; #14 is one of the best little par fours I have ever played. Only 366 from the tips it challenges you to challenge it or play safe and leave a middlle (5-8) iron from a tough sidehill lie with ball above your feet with typically a left to right wind and the creek lurking just right of the green. My description does not do it justice.  

Port Royal (Bermuda): 15-16-17 Coool dogleg left par 4 with a nice green complex folowed by the coeanside par 3(tough as nails) and finishing with an interesting par five with plenty of elvation change.

Muirfield Village 11-12-14: great par 5, coool parv 3 and a great short par 4

Long Cove 3-4-5: wonderful par 5 with a great(and tough) green complex, cool mid to short par 4 with a tight and tough green complex and of course 5 which I am not a huge fan but perhaps playing it 6 times in 18 holes would change my mind?

[Mark Pritchett]

Cuscowilla 1, 5, 11

[Jim Franklin]

RCCC - 4, 7, 11
RCCC - 10, 11, 17 (to get a par 3, 4 & 5 in)

[Jeff Taylor]

Pacific Dunes 4,5,&6.

[Josh Tarble]

Cape Kidnappers:  13, 14, 15
Jacks Point:  6, 7, 8
Porto Cima: 15, 16, 17

A couple here locally in Indianapolis

The Fort:  5, 6, 7
Brickyard:  7, 8, 10


Can't believe no one has mentioned TPC Sawgrass - 16, 17, 18