Holes with alternate greens

[Matthew Rose]

I lived on a course in Green Bay for a few years called Thornberry Creek..... the original nine hole course had two flags on every hole; roughly half the holes were one large green with two pins and the other holes were two greens, one pin. I believe this course was done by a Nicklaus associate who had done the Renegade course at Desert Mountain, which is a similar concept.

 

[Matt Bielawa]

Is there still an alternate green in use on the 5th at Chambers Bay? If so, does anyone know if it will be used for the US Open?

Nope, that green is gone thanks to Mike Davis.

[A.G._Crockett]

#6 at Mike Strantz' True Blue has two greens. Not sure why. I think probably Doak's reason #5.

Mike,
You beat me to it!  And I agree with you about the reason; certainly neither green is smallish or anything like that.

Do you have a preference of the two?  I've played both approx. an equal number of times and my impression is that the right side green makes for easier hole; somewhat shorter approach shot and somewhat less penal if you miss.

[Bill Gayne]

I think Ballybunion seventh hole is a double green. The green is separated by a rise in the dune. I've never played to the dune on the left but it's a great hole to the right green.

[Tom_Doak]

I think Ballybunion seventh hole is a double green. The green is separated by a rise in the dune. I've never played to the dune on the left but it's a great hole to the right green.

On that one, they added the left-hand green in the 1970's after part of the right-hand green eroded off the bank and down the cliff.  After about ten years, they decided to rebuild a green on the right, a bit further back from the edge.

[Thomas Dai]

Rosapenna OTM 7th-hole, par-3 has two very distinct and separate greens.

On the same course, 2nd hole, they seem to be building a second green to the front-right of the existing one.

On the Sandy Hills course the 13th has two greens sites.

atb

[Patrick_Mucci]

Is there still an alternate green in use on the 5th at Chambers Bay? If so, does anyone know if it will be used for the US Open?

Nope, that green is gone thanks to Mike Davis.

Matt,

I wasn't aware that Mike Davis owned Chambers Bay.

Or that he had the authority and Executive Control over the golf course.

When did that change ?

[Bill Brightly]

Pine Valley #8



Pine Valley #9

[Joe McCormac]

The 4th hole on the Cassique Course (Watson) on Kiawah Island has alternate greens which also determine the tee played on the par 3 5th.  On the website is reads that Mr. Watson wanted it to be "whimsy."

I didn't see that in Tom Doak's reasons for building.

[Matthew Petersen]

What hole at Shadow Creek? I don't remeber seeing one when I played, nor do I see one on their aerial.

#6 at Belfair West has 2 greens. #7 at Fazios Kiawah Island used to have 2 prior to renovation.

Anthony:

The 10th at Shadow Creek [I'm pretty sure it was the 10th] had two greens when it opened.  I forgot that I'd heard at some point they gave up the alternate green, which was really a pretty boring green.  The hole was very similar to the one at World Woods [like they Xeroxed the same plan ].

I will look at my Shadow Creek history book tomorrow at the office to see what it says (or doesn't say) about the alternate green.

Mr. Fazio must have built a dozen similar holes in the late 80's and early 90's.  As I mentioned, it was his solution to the problem of the small green at the 8th at Pine Valley, and that gave him the idea to build more holes in a similar vein ... though none of them approached the 8th at Pine Valley in severity or interest.

This reminds me that I forgot another whole category of two-green holes ... all the courses in Japan that have two greens on every hole!

It was #11 at Shadow Creek. Google Earth has an aerial of the course going back to April 1990 where it can be seen (hole is in the northeast corner of property).

I have a book on the course from 1995 and by that time the hole had only one green, and of course there's no mention that it wasn't ever thus. So it must have been changed pretty early on.