Appreciation for the misfortunate features

[Tim Gallant]

Reading the Feature Interview with Connor Lewis, I was struck by how unfortunate it is that a particular course is bulldozing its Victorian Steeplechase hazards. I’ve also written a number of posts here about how homogenised some of the UK’s great courses are becoming. I ALSO ran across a quote on Twitter attributed to Tom Simpson that said every truly great course has one amusing, but bad hole.

So this is an appreciation thread. For those features that get ridiculed and lambasted for not being fair. For those features that aren’t strategic. Those features where playability is not considered. But for those features that are unique, and charming, if a little senile. I’ll start:

17th hole @ Royal Dornoch - Love the bunker 30 yards short that has rough all around it. Conventional wisdom says that the surrounds should be mowed, but it is maybe the only feature along with the mound on 15 that makes you think that this is a rugged and un-manicured golf course!

15 @ Royal Melbourne West - I LOVE the steeplechase-esq mounds. Hit a ‘perfect’ shot and have ended up with a crummy lie? Genius. Never change 15…never change

9 @ Woodhall Spa - Think you should be able to always hit driver on a par-5? Sure, most of the time you’d be right, but why not have the odd 5 that throws the rule book out. Do I hear of a similar feature at St Patricks? Bring.it.on

13 @ Morfontaine - tree smack dab in the middle of a par-3 directly in line with the hole. The green makes the hole, but this is a memorable feature for sure.

So let’s have them! The misfortunate features that we love, but generally get annihilated during the post-round drinks.

[Ira Fishman]

A wonderful question. Some walls: Number 3 at NB and the closing holes at Kilspindie. A tree: Number 4 at Mid Pines (actually quite strategic) but Number 13 at Blackwolf Run River.


Ira

[Tommy Williamsen]

Two come to mind quickly: the mound in the middle of the fairway at Quaker Ridge 8 and the rock outcropping on one fairway
at Bull Bay in Wales. The other would be the rushes at Royal North Devon.

[Sean_A]

Bude's entire 7th springs to mind as something outrageous, but should never be altered.

Fairway


Green




A tad too long!


Castlerock's Bann 9 has a very cool short 9th hole....severe for sure, but so cool.




Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

15th at Cruden Bay.
Just about any course that’s grazed by animals.

Atb

[Marty Bonnar]

Tim,
I'm not sure I'm getting this. Are you looking for features which are deserving of pity?
F.

[Mike_Clayton]

Reading the Feature Interview with Connor Lewis, I was struck by how unfortunate it is that a particular course is bulldozing its Victorian Steeplechase hazards. I’ve also written a number of posts here about how homogenised some of the UK’s great courses are becoming. I ALSO ran across a quote on Twitter attributed to Tom Simpson that said every truly great course has one amusing, but bad hole.

So this is an appreciation thread. For those features that get ridiculed and lambasted for not being fair. For those features that aren’t strategic. Those features where playability is not considered. But for those features that are unique, and charming, if a little senile. I’ll start:

17th hole @ Royal Dornoch - Love the bunker 30 yards short that has rough all around it. Conventional wisdom says that the surrounds should be mowed, but it is maybe the only feature along with the mound on 15 that makes you think that this is a rugged and un-manicured golf course!

15 @ Royal Melbourne West - I LOVE the steeplechase-esq mounds. Hit a ‘perfect’ shot and have ended up with a crummy lie? Genius. Never change 15…never change

9 @ Woodhall Spa - Think you should be able to always hit driver on a par-5? Sure, most of the time you’d be right, but why not have the odd 5 that throws the rule book out. Do I hear of a similar feature at St Patricks? Bring.it.on

13 @ Morfontaine - tree smack dab in the middle of a par-3 directly in line with the hole. The green makes the hole, but this is a memorable feature for sure.

So let’s have them! The misfortunate features that we love, but generally get annihilated during the post-round drinks.

The apocryphal MacKenzie quote about the mounds on 15 West.
 "I'm going to leave these here as an example of how bad golf course design used to be"


They absolutely make it a better hole - if not only because they make it more visually interesting.

[Tim Gallant]

Tim,
I'm not sure I'm getting this. Are you looking for features which are deserving of pity?
F.

Martin!


Possibly - I was thinking of features that are generally considered bad, odd, or unique by today's standards, which the average golfer might loathe, but that you might have a personal affection for. Citing the tree in the middle of a par-3, I don't see many modern architects building those types of holes, as it generally runs counter-intuitive to many accepted design principles, but as a one-off, I think it's a gem

[Tim Gallant]

Bude's entire 7th springs to mind as something outrageous, but should never be altered.

Fairway


Green




A tad too long!


Castlerock's Bann 9 has a very cool short 9th hole....severe for sure, but so cool.




Ciao

That is outrageous...and fantastic!!! One thing that I loved about Dornoch was that the fairway grass length was just long enough so that balls could stick on slopes to ensure ball position was often above/below one's stance. It makes for interesting golf. I can only assume the same is true on the above fairway?

[jeffwarne]

Bude's entire 7th springs to mind as something outrageous, but should never be altered.

Fairway


Green




A tad too long!


Castlerock's Bann 9 has a very cool short 9th hole....severe for sure, but so cool.




Ciao

That is outrageous...and fantastic!!! One thing that I loved about Dornoch was that the fairway grass length was just long enough so that balls could stick on slopes to ensure ball position was often above/below one's stance. It makes for interesting golf. I can only assume the same is true on the above fairway?

This.

[Paul Jones]

Lahinch - Dell Hole
Riveria - Bunker in the middle of the green (6th hole?)
Yale - Huge uncut mound in the middle of the fairway on 18th
Tobacco Road - not sure which one to pick

[ward peyronnin]

The entirety of Painswick? or Perranporth

[Dan_Callahan]

Lahinch - Dell Hole
Riveria - Bunker in the middle of the green (6th hole?)
Yale - Huge uncut mound in the middle of the fairway on 18th
Tobacco Road - not sure which one to pick

The 18th at Yale was the first hole that popped into my head. I hated it when I first played it. In fact, I thought it was maybe the worst hole I had ever seen, coming after 17 of the best holes I'd ever seen. But then, the more I played it the more I liked just how unique and odd and challenging it is. Now? I wouldn't change a thing.

[ward peyronnin]

The windmills at Dismal River Nicklaus course are charming

[Jeff_Brauer]

Tim,


To my eye none of the historic features noted here are really unfortunate.  The oldest one I can think of would be a volcano style bunker, which used to be at P2, and a few other places.  It's just hard to see how that could have been justified as a feature.


In more modern times, it is either the dogbone shape sand bunker or maybe the standard, nearly symmetrical 2 lobe sand bunker.  And since I find almost any bunker shape okay, provided the scale is correct, certain sand bunkers that are just too big for their simple shape, or too shapely for their small size.

[Tim Gallant]

Tim,


To my eye none of the historic features noted here are really unfortunate.  The oldest one I can think of would be a volcano style bunker, which used to be at P2, and a few other places.  It's just hard to see how that could have been justified as a feature.


In more modern times, it is either the dogbone shape sand bunker or maybe the standard, nearly symmetrical 2 lobe sand bunker.  And since I find almost any bunker shape okay, provided the scale is correct, certain sand bunkers that are just too big for their simple shape, or too shapely for their small size.

Jeff,


I would love to see a volcano bunker on a course. It might not be practical, natural, fair, or maintenance-friendly, and it might be cursed by every golfer who walks past it, but at least it zags when most features zig at the moment.