"The Jacknife" - Golf's Worst Template Hole?

[Greg Gilson]

Interesting that the name Arthur Hills has come up a couple of times on this and/or Mike Cirba's spinoff thread?!?

Its also been interesting reading some of the posts to recall that I have actually played quite a few of the holes mentioned (including Barnbougle, Cape Kidnappers, RNK). However, in those cases I never really noticed or allowed the "clever routing trick" to aggravate me. Maybe I just enjoyed Barney & Kidnappers so much I glossed over it. And anyone who knows me knows that anything Mike Strantz did is just fine by me!

The truth is that , as long as the land demands it and/or the resulting hole is SOOOOOO good, its just fine. This is almost the case at Hamilton Island. I also guess that ,in the cases where the Jackknife hole was built to accommodate 20 housing blocks (and those sales enabled the course to be built in the first place) its a justifiable concession. At Sanctuary Cove Palms, it just feels like they finished construction to realize they'd only built 17 holes.

Thanks for the discussion, guys.

[Jamey Bryan]

Bob

Funny that you brought up Capital City, that was the first course I thought of when I saw this thread.  I agree that "it worked," but I can't agree "beautifully."  I always found the shots a little disconcerting, interrupting the rhythm of the round.  I played in several of their Member/Guests back in the late '70s and early '80s, their instructions to the players included the sequence you indicated, and said it was required by local rule.  It's burned in my mind, as one year I stiffed my shot on the par 3 then hit my drive on the par 4 50 yards right.  I was so shook I missed my <2 footer!

I really liked that old course, but not that feature.


Jamey

[Bill_McBride]

Funny enough, I realized that I have designed a true Jacknife hole.


It's the 7th at Barnbougle.


I have yet to hear anyone complain about that one.

But not the 7th at Streamsong?


What is it about 7th holes?

[Bill_McBride]

Is that still a rules violation? The 12th and 13th at Capital City in Atlanta (Barker/Adair) were played similarly for almost a century, until the recent redo of the course.


You teed off on 12 (a downhill par 3), then walked a few yards ahead and teed off on 13 (a par 5). You played 12, exited the green to the left, and walked down the 13th fw to play your second shot on that hole. It worked beautifully.


Bob



 

Bob, I'm sure you never got down to Newnan to play the old nine hole, unirrigated, course.  My grandfather was a founding member.   The fourth hole was a nice uphill skyline par 3, about 170 yards over a pond.  On the way to the green you passed the fifth tee, a shortish par.  So naturally we stopped and hit the tee shot and carried on.   

[David_Elvins]

Funny enough, I realized that I have designed a true Jacknife hole.


It's the 7th at Barnbougle.


I have yet to hear anyone complain about that one.

Nothing like it at all. 

[Howard Riefs]

3rd hole at Bull's Bay

[Jim Nugent]

If I understand the hole, St. Louis CC has one.  16 is the reverse Redan.  After holing out on the 16th green, you walk back virtually the entire length of the hole, to get to the 17 tee almost right alongside the 16th tee. 

Well, the players do, anyway.  The caddies usually walk over to the fairway with the bags, 190 or yards from the tee.  One of the few times players had to cover more distance than caddies.   Nearly 400 yards more.   

[JJShanley]

I just played one at Grand Valley State.  I think it may have played as 15, because it does seem to to work in that routing, but it currently plays as the 17th.  Good hole, but it could easily confuse a stupid person, or a visitor from out of town.