Strange/Unique Parallel Hole Pairings

[Kyle Harris]

I’m talking where two holes run parallel but in a non-obvious routing.


Examples of obvious:
Any consecutive holes
1/9/10/18 and any combination therein.
Similar positioned holes within a nine like 3/12, 4/13, etc.


One that comes to mind is the Dueling Par-3 3rd and 10th Philly Cricket’s Wissahickon course.


Also, to prevent this simply being a listing thread explains why the unique or odd parallel holes exist and if it “works” in your opinion.

[Ally Mcintosh]

7 & 14 at Alwoodley is an obvious choice. Two identical par-3’s that sit right beside each other used as crossovers to get from one side to another on a narrow site.


Unusual. Works.

[Kyle Harris]

7 & 14 at Alwoodley is an obvious choice. Two identical par-3’s that sit right beside each other used as crossovers to get from one side to another on a narrow site.


Unusual. Works.

I think this will be a common thread/use. It is the case for the Philly Cricket example.


The “imbalance” in numbering also probably often correlates to the imbalance in area in either side of the golf isthmus.

[Joe Bausch]

One that comes to mind is similar to your nomination at Philly Cricket, this being the dueling par 3s holes 2 and 8 at the Dorset Field Club. They beautifully use a nice land form and handle a skinny area connecting parts of the course.

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/DorsetFieldClub/pages/page_4.html

[mike_malone]

Kyle,


 After an hour of meditation and a psychoanalytic session with my wife I came up with 7 and 13 at Rolling Green. That’s a wonderful downhill par five (7) which can play easily or frustratingly hard and (13) a simple 395 yard par four that plays as the hardest hole on the course because of the difficulty of the green.


Damn I hope that qualifies.

[Kyle Harris]

One that comes to mind is similar to your nomination at Philly Cricket, this being the dueling par 3s holes 2 and 8 at the Dorset Field Club. They beautifully use a nice land form and handle a skinny area connecting parts of the course.

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/DorsetFieldClub/pages/page_4.html

2 and 8 are not so unusual though being one off from 1 and 9, respectively.

[Kyle Harris]

Kyle,


 After an hour of meditation and a psychoanalytic session with my wife I came up with 7 and 13 at Rolling Green. That’s a wonderful downhill par five (7) which can play easily or frustratingly hard and (13) a simple 395 yard par four that plays as the hardest hole on the course because of the difficulty of the green.


Damn I hope that qualifies.

This came up in an offline conversation. Works well as the path from 7 to 13 actually crosses twice at 12/9 tee.

[Ally Mcintosh]

I think what makes the Alwoodley pair more unusual is that they play in the same direction at exactly the same length. They are holding hands.

[Joe Bausch]

One that comes to mind is similar to your nomination at Philly Cricket, this being the dueling par 3s holes 2 and 8 at the Dorset Field Club. They beautifully use a nice land form and handle a skinny area connecting parts of the course.

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/DorsetFieldClub/pages/page_4.html

2 and 8 are not so unusual though being one off from 1 and 9, respectively.

Oh.  Who knew?!  Well, I guess you did as you set the rules for the thread.  :-)

[Kyle Harris]

One that comes to mind is similar to your nomination at Philly Cricket, this being the dueling par 3s holes 2 and 8 at the Dorset Field Club. They beautifully use a nice land form and handle a skinny area connecting parts of the course.

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/DorsetFieldClub/pages/page_4.html

2 and 8 are not so unusual though being one off from 1 and 9, respectively.

Oh.  Who knew?!  Well, I guess you did as you set the rules for the thread.  :-)

It was the Cricket Club that got me thinking about this.


I’ve got one…


It’s a 7/16 that actually may have started as a 7/17. It also doesn’t exist anymore or yet.

[Ira Fishman]

I am pretty sure I do not understand the criterion, but what about:


6 and 10 at CPC (mentioned in other thread)
6 and 11 at Old Mac


Both enable full use of a fat tongue on the property. 6 at CPC takes you to the brilliant 7-9 loop which takes you back to the tongue.


Do 6 and 9 at Pac Dunes count as parallel? 5 and 9 at Ballybunion Old?


Ira

[Kyle Harris]

I am pretty sure I do not understand the criterion, but what about:


6 and 10 at CPC (mentioned in other thread)
6 and 11 at Old Mac


Both enable full use of a fat tongue on the property. 6 at CPC takes you to the brilliant 7-9 loop which takes you back to the tongue.


Do 6 and 9 at Pac Dunes count as parallel? 5 and 9 at Ballybunion Old?


Ira

Seems like you do understand it!


Basically trying to identify the reason behind routing quirks. St. Andrews would be an example of “obvious” as 1 runs parallel to 18, 2 runs parallel to 17, 3 to 16, et. al.


How often do you see a sixth hole running parallel to a tenth hole? I’d venture not very and I’d also venture the reason is part of what makes what ever golf course special/cool/good, etc.


Or bad. Ha.

[Kalen Braley]

I've played CPC and not sure what the tongue is that Ira is referring to.

However, what actually makes it special, is all of the holes that utilize the big dune located right there.

- 3 green and 4 tee sit at the south base of it
- 6 green sits at the NE base if it
- 7 tee hits off the NE side of it
- 9th green basically occupies the west side of it
- 10 tee hits off it to the East
- 11 green sits at the east base of it
- And 12 tee plays west off the south side of it.

Absolute brilliant use of one feature.

P.S.  10 and 11 on Rock Creek run parallel, something you don't see very much.

[Joe Bausch]

Maybe the dueling par 3s 6th and 9th at Berkshire CC (Reading, PA) fits the bill.  They use some land right up against the clubhouse.

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/Berkshire_2021/pages/page_5.html

[James Reader]

5th and 8th on the Eden.  Strange (and possibly unique?) because they aren’t parallel and it would have been much more obvious to have made them so.  Presumably Colt felt that both holes worked better from the slightly different angles into each green produced by having them cross.


Are they unique?  Are there any other examples of par 3s crossing in this way?

[Kyle Harris]

Maybe the dueling par 3s 6th and 9th at Berkshire CC (Reading, PA) fits the bill.  They use some land right up against the clubhouse.

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/Berkshire_2021/pages/page_5.html

Sure does.


So do 10 and 15! What goes around the clubhouse there?