Five Greatest Holes in Golf

[Jim Hoak]

Reading the topic of the best hole at Pine Valley, got me to thinking about the Greatest Holes in all of Golf.  I would offer up the following for a combination of memorability, strategic challenge, beauty, architectural genius, etc.:
In my order of personal preference:


Pine Valley #13
The Old Course #17
Cypress Point #16
Augusta National #12
Pebble Beach #8

[Tom_Doak]

In the old days of the site you'd have been suspended for a month for not listing the 10th at Riviera at #1.      I guess the west coast mafia is not around here much anymore.

[Zac Blair]

In the old days of the site you'd have been suspended for a month for not listing the 10th at Riviera at #1.      I guess the west coast mafia is not around here much anymore.

What are your thoughts on 10 at riv?

[Thomas Dai]

To adjust the question slightly, which 5 holes have been the most imitated or replicated or used as templates?
Atb

[Tom_Doak]

What are your thoughts on 10 at riv?

I think it's a great hole although, much like 12 at Augusta, its qualities are so well known that you just look stupid if you do anything other than play the safe option.


My favorite feature of it is that huge bunker off the tee right and how it leads your eye to where you shouldn't go.  Meanwhile the best line is over the left arm of it to a spot that's almost blind.

[mike_malone]

Holes that I have played in no particular order.


 15 North Berwick
  3.  Royal County Down
  11. Ballybunion
   5 Merion
   7. Rye.


   

[William_G]

#1 Sheep Ranch would be in my top 5 if I had one

[Peter Pallotta]

TD -
that description-analysis brought to my mind a quality that great golf holes have, ie they answer in an interesting way the question: “And then what?”
You know how to play the 10th, and Zac knows how to play it, and now I know too. So we get there together and each of us hits our tee shot: you, a good player, Zac a tour pro, and me an average golfer — and, while we all ‘took the same line’ off the tee, the results we get will probably be quite different.
And then what?

[David_Elvins]

Reading the topic of the best hole at Pine Valley, got me to thinking about the Greatest Holes in all of Golf.  I would offer up the following for a combination of memorability, strategic challenge, beauty, architectural genius, etc.:
In my order of personal preference:


Pine Valley #13
The Old Course #17
Cypress Point #16
Augusta National #12
Pebble Beach #8

I think your weighting towards memorability is too great for me.  Only 2 of those holes would be in the top 1000 most strategic golf holes and as such I couldn’t have the other 3 close to being great holes.  They wouldn’t even be in the top 10,000 green complexes and I would have a great green complex as a prerequisite for any hole to be the best of the best.

[Mike_Clayton]

The best par 4 in Australia should be in the conversation. Royal Melbourne's 6th.
And it's hard to argue Kingston Heath's 15th isn't at least as good as Augusta's 12th.

[Kalen Braley]

Are we sure Jim didn't mean ANGC #13?  I mean 12 is iconic, but its such a penal, "hit it here or else" kinda hole...

[Steve Lapper]

The best par 4 in Australia should be in the conversation. Royal Melbourne's 6th.
And it's hard to argue Kingston Heath's 15th isn't at least as good as Augusta's 12th.

 

[Carl Rogers]

I suggest two categories:
1. with water hazards
2. without water hazards

[Pat Burke]

The best par 4 in Australia should be in the conversation. Royal Melbourne's 6th.
And it's hard to argue Kingston Heath's 15th isn't at least as good as Augusta's 12th.

15 at Kingston Heath is an amazing hole

[James Bennett]

Royal Melbourne West, #17


Merion East, #5


Pine Valley, #13


North Berwick West, #13


Royal Adelaide, #3  (I recognise I may be biased)


Honourable mentions,
Barnbougle Dunes, #12
Royal Dornoch, #17 (the three levels are amazing)

[Mike_Clayton]

Royal Melbourne West, #17


Merion East, #5


Pine Valley, #13


North Berwick West, #13


Royal Adelaide, #3  (I recognise I may be biased)


Honourable mentions,
Barnbougle Dunes, #12
Royal Dornoch, #17 (the three levels are amazing)

Royal Adelaide's 3rd isn't even the best hole at Royal Adelaide!
14 -  a very similar hole to RM 6- is. (IMO of course)

[archie_struthers]

 


I think I might know the best one at PVGC but even that's just an opinion. Will leave it to a higher authority to take a stab at this one> stay safe all

[Sean_A]

Even if we say list the iconic holes of golf, five isn't nearly enough to include. Fools gold.

Happy Hockey

[Thomas Dai]

No love for the 17th at Sawgrass then?
atb

[Tommy Williamsen]

I'll go out on a limb. Not the greatest necessarily but among my favorites
6 at Westward Ho! One of the great fairways in links golf. Par four
3 at Baltusrol Par four I never play it well. It keeps me off balance off the tee.
10 at Winged Foot West Par three
8&9 combo at Cypress Point par fours
10 at Ballyhack Par five

[Tom_Doak]

Pine Valley #13
The Old Course #17
Cypress Point #16
Augusta National #12
Pebble Beach #8

I think your weighting towards memorability is too great for me.  Only 2 of those holes would be in the top 1000 most strategic golf holes and as such I couldn’t have the other 3 close to being great holes.  They wouldn’t even be in the top 10,000 green complexes and I would have a great green complex as a prerequisite for any hole to be the best of the best.

The Road Hole isn't a great green complex ??

[Tom_Doak]

TD -
that description-analysis brought to my mind a quality that great golf holes have, ie they answer in an interesting way the question: “And then what?”
You know how to play the 10th, and Zac knows how to play it, and now I know too. So we get there together and each of us hits our tee shot: you, a good player, Zac a tour pro, and me an average golfer — and, while we all ‘took the same line’ off the tee, the results we get will probably be quite different.
And then what?

Peter:


Well, we would still all be faced with the same imperative on the second shot, which is the same as the tee shot:  don't miss right!


It is an unusual hole to be so highly acclaimed because the left side of the hole is almost completely out of the equation.  On most great holes, if you miss further left, that would make the shot back to the green harder, but at Riv the green being so skinny is really the only defense from that side.

[David_Elvins]

Pine Valley #13
The Old Course #17
Cypress Point #16
Augusta National #12
Pebble Beach #8

I think your weighting towards memorability is too great for me.  Only 2 of those holes would be in the top 1000 most strategic golf holes and as such I couldn’t have the other 3 close to being great holes.  They wouldn’t even be in the top 10,000 green complexes and I would have a great green complex as a prerequisite for any hole to be the best of the best.

The Road Hole isn't a great green complex ??

Sorry, if it wasn't clear, I meant 3 of the listed holes dont have a great green complex.  The greens at pebble Beach 8, Cypress Point 16 and Augusta 12 dont come close to St Andrews 17 in terms of either creating strategy or providing exciting short game shots.  Given the importance of strategy and short game, I dont see how those holes can be in the same category as the Road hole.

[mike_beene]

Par 5 14 TOC
Par 4 6 Murfield
Par 4 1 Oakmont
Par 3 9 Pinehurst 2
Par 4 18 Carnoustie


Just my personal list for no reason than they all make me happy for no known reason. There are another few that are less famous that would be in my top 10

[JESII]

#10 at Shinnecock
#5 at Merion
#17 at TOC...I hope. Haven't actually played it


#15 at Pine Valley


#7 at Pebble Beach