Scary Cliffs

[Ira Fishman]

The discussion about drone photography of Cape Kidnappers prompts this one. I have not played there, but it looks more terrifying than Old Head which did scare the heck out of me (admittedly acrophobic). Thoughts? Other courses of the same ilk?


Ira

[Ally Mcintosh]

2nd tee at Stonehaven.

[Wayne_Kozun]

Cabot Cliffs, especially 16-18 (which are the holes in this photo):

[Tom_Doak]

Ira:  I've also got a touch of acrophobia, so I thought a lot about that at Cape Kidnappers.  There are only two places on the course where you would feel uneasy -- the left side of the 15th fairway and the back of the 16th tee -- and in both cases, a wire fence keeps you from getting to where you'd feel queasy.

[Ira Fishman]

Tom,


We do hope to make it there one day. I will not be going back to Old Head for different reasons, but some fences would be reassuring for others, acrophobic or not.


Wayne,


Cabot Cliffs certainly looks as it would cause me to abbreviate my already truncated swing.


Ira

[Kevin Pallier]

Ira:  I've also got a touch of acrophobia, so I thought a lot about that at Cape Kidnappers.  There are only two places on the course where you would feel uneasy -- the left side of the 15th fairway and the back of the 16th tee -- and in both cases, a wire fence keeps you from getting to where you'd feel queasy.

Tom


It doesn't help when they fence off part of the fairway due to erosion   


Ira


The wind was really blowing the day I was at CK and it only makes it more scary. 12 and 13 also have their moments.


Narooma [South Coast - Australia] #3 plays across cliffs with the tee box on the edge of the precipice




 

[Stewart Abramson]

I didn't think the cliffs at Cabot were too scary as the teeing areas aren't too close to the edge.


The scariest that I can recall were at the Falls course at Lake Las Vegas, an NLE Tom Weiskopf design. It had a couple of teeing areas that were carved into the edges of the cliffs. When the wind blew it was hard not to get dizzy and feel like you'd be blown into the canyon below.

[Phil Burr]

I've got to go with pretty obvious choice: Challenge at Manele, 12th hole.  See below.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I've got to go with pretty obvious choice: Challenge at Manele, 12th hole.  See below.

,Amelie was one I had in mind as well, especially from the back tee.

[Mark Kiely]

I'm sure this 2007 story has been mentioned on this site before, but hits close to home having played there many times:


https://www.golfchannel.com/article/associated-press/golfer-dies-after-cart-plunges-cliff

[Kalen Braley]

I've always wondered about the cliff edge on #8 at Pebble.  Especially with all the yahoo's that want to check it off their bucket list.  Wouldn't surprise me if they had someone out there to babysit that spot.

[Steve Wilson]

Scary cliffs aside I wonder what the over/under on  cart related deaths is each year.  I have seen people doing some spectacularly stupid things in golf carts particularly on slopes when they are wet.  I suspect there are at least one or two each year.  I'm sure someone out there has the information.

[Paul Jones]

Wolf Creek has some pretty high up tee boxes.

[Wayne_Kozun]

I didn't think the cliffs at Cabot were too scary as the teeing areas aren't too close to the edge.

That can depend where the tees are set up.  And the bunkers on 16 just short of the green are quite scary - fall backwards and you are done.

[JohnVDB]

Painting the yellow line around the edge of the 8th fairway at Pebble will keep you focused.

[Thomas Dai]

I suggest it’s best not just to consider scary cliffs in relation to players, cart traffic etc.
Think also of such locations in relation to the guys and gals and machinery constructing them and then maintaining them and likely at times in wet, dewy, windy etc conditions too.
Atb

[Stewart Abramson]

I didn't think the cliffs at Cabot were too scary as the teeing areas aren't too close to the edge.

That can depend where the tees are set up.  And the bunkers on 16 just short of the green are quite scary - fall backwards and you are done.

These



Cabot Cliffs #16 par 3 walking to my ball in bunker... made sandy 

[Edward Glidewell]

I played at the McLemore Club a couple of weeks ago and it has a couple of holes on the edge of a cliff -- 18 being the most prominent. I also have acrophobia and I had some trouble hitting my approach shot into the green there.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Not terrifying but still a long drop. On Kauai.

[Garland Bayley]

The discussion about drone photography of Cape Kidnappers prompts this one. I have not played there, but it looks more terrifying than Old Head which did scare the heck out of me (admittedly acrophobic). Thoughts? Other courses of the same ilk?


Ira

Guess you'll just have to forego playing some holes at the Bandon Dunes resort, and at Cypress Point.

[Jon Sweet]

I got queasy walking across the bridge at Rolling Green. No thanks.

[Ben Malach]

16 green at Cliffs is a very sketchy green site. It was built on top of a sinkhole and almost every year the sinkhole appears again in some part of that green. But for me, 18 tee is the most on the line part of the golf course. As the tee deck has slowly been eroding year after year, now there is a tee deck head legit floating out there with exposed HDPE and drain lines that used to be under the deck. It is a pretty real experience mowing that tee deck I am told.

[Ira Fishman]

The discussion about drone photography of Cape Kidnappers prompts this one. I have not played there, but it looks more terrifying than Old Head which did scare the heck out of me (admittedly acrophobic). Thoughts? Other courses of the same ilk?


Ira

Guess you'll just have to forego playing some holes at the Bandon Dunes resort, and at Cypress Point.
 

I did not have any problems at either place.


But I could hit only my tee shot at Streamsong Song Blue #7. There was no way that I was crossing that bridge twice. My wife made a great Texas wedge two putt for "my" par.


Ira