Let's discuss opening holes - what are the best and are they important?

[Tim Leahy]

Spyglass Hill #1 is my favorite. R T Jones classic downhill par 5 through the woods to an island green in the dunes.

[Jerry Kluger]

I hate to tell the story again but I need to make the point again that I think #1 at Tobacco Road is not a good opening hole.  A few years ago I was at TR and there was a frost delay so I watched at least 6 groups tee off - at least half of the players hit their tee shots in the junk and did not find their ball.  This does not make for an enjoyable start for those players or those playing behind them.  BTW: When we finally arrived at number 16 we were 4 hours into the round and the fourth group on the tee.

[Dan_Callahan]

I hate to tell the story again but I need to make the point again that I think #1 at Tobacco Road is not a good opening hole.  A few years ago I was at TR and there was a frost delay so I watched at least 6 groups tee off - at least half of the players hit their tee shots in the junk and did not find their ball.  This does not make for an enjoyable start for those players or those playing behind them.  BTW: When we finally arrived at number 16 we were 4 hours into the round and the fourth group on the tee.

At least half of the players need to practice more ...

[cary lichtenstein]

Don't Beat me up on the first 3 holes, give me a 4-3-5 in any order so that I can score, best example is the first 7 holes at Pebble Beach, set me up for what I am about to expect

[Joe Hellrung]

I like first holes that give you a good view of what is to come.  All the hope and expectation of a great day before you.  This doesn't mean you see the whole course, but the first tee is probably the best place to put a "postcard" hole IMO. 


Holes that come to mind include: Milwaukee, Holston Hills, and Manufacturers (PA).

[PCCraig]

The 1st at White Bear Yacht Club sets the tone, immediately, for what is to come.


The teeing area sits on a high point directly next to the Golf House, flagpole, and is attached to the putting green. Other players and groups are usually milling about, waiting for their turn to go off, adds to the anticipation.


The view from the tee shows the fairway, about 40-50ft below the teeing area, and includes a massive 30ft tall hump 150 yards from the green. Much like the rest of the holes at WBYC, a player must decide how to best play the fairway contours with the mindset on how to attack that day's pin.


The green, elevated and largely blind, is protected by an extremely deep bunker left, and a shaved mound middle short that repels weakly hit balls left, right, and back down the fairway slope.


The green itself is wild, with a huge flange on the back left and right and a subtle bowl feature short right.


It's a wonderful golf hole, and it gets the WBYC party started in a hurry![size=78%] [/size]

[Phil Burr]

Two that I really like that set the stage for what is to follow are at Inwood (a day at an underrated course set along a marsh in very close proximity to planes coming and going from all corners of the globe - I love watching planes) and Glens Falls (a day in the idyllic great north woods).  The first tee at Glens Falls has to be one of the very best in the game.

[Lou_Duran]

Jerry K,


This has been discussed before and I am in agreement with you.  I think that Sand Hills has the best opening hole that comes to mind.  It is a bit more challenging than a "gentle handshake" while providing interesting angles off the tee, the second shot to lay-up, or the opportunity to get home on two with some risk.  It also presents a good picture of what's to come- what the golf course is all about.  Fortunately, the course is lightly played enough so that having a sometimes reachable par 5 to start doesn't affect the tee sheet very much.


I am not a big fan of the short par 4s or 5s to start.  Colonial CC, Crooked Stick, Harbour Town, Royal Dornoch, all very fine courses, start poorly, IMO.  Inviting the driver or 3-wood off the first tee is preferable to rewarding a 4-5 iron.

[JHoulihan]

Many but not all of my personal favorite courses start with a great opener. Some have already been mentioned, Ballyneal and PH#2. I would also like to add a few more, Mammoth Dunes and Kingsley Club.


Mammoth Dunes has both a wide fairway and greensite welcoming to both great players and resort guests. A good approach can lead to early birdie while a poor shot to bogey.


Kingsley Club is both great architecturally and visually. Great rolling terrain with center cluster of bunkers making you pick your line of attack right away. Although more difficult than Mammoth Dunes, it offers a similar start. Good approach can lead to an early eagle/birdie while the uphill second shot if judged incorrectly can lead to a bogey/other.


Justin

[Jeff Schley]

Is there any opening hole that is the #1/2 handicap hole on the course? Some discussed here are very difficult.

[Lov Goel]

Is there any opening hole that is the #1/2 handicap hole on the course? Some discussed here are very difficult.

If the first hole at Crystal downs isn't the 1 or 2 handicap, it probably should be.


On the main question - I know i'm biased here, but I think Cal Club has an amazing starting hole that is pretty indicative of what's to come.  It also has one of my favorite green complexes on the course and is the proverbial "gentle handshake" par 5.

[Jim_Coleman]

   When Dan Jenkins wrote his 1960’s SI article “The Best 18 Holes in America,” he required that each hole had to be the same numbered hole on the course. His best first hole was was at Merion, which he believed fit the “gentle handshake” criterion.
  I think #1 at Pacific Dunes nicely  fits that criterion of the modern courses I have played. It’s aesthetically pleasing and challenging, but not overly difficult. When you stand on the tee, you’ll be disappointed if you don’t make a par, but you’ll need to hit 2 good (albeit not long) shots. Not unlike Merion.

[Jerry Kluger]

We have 3 courses at my home club and the first hole on one of them is the #1 handicap hole - it also has the highest stroke average when the Champions Tour comes every year to play the SAS Championship.  Personally, I have told many people that I believe it is the worst opening hole I have ever seen - the rest of the course is quite good but that opener is does not make me happy. Incidentally, the club has a local rule that should you be playing a match and are tied after 18 the higher handicap player will not be given a stroke on that hole.

[Phil Burr]

Jerry,


Assuming the #1 hole you're referring to is on your club's Highlands course, I can see (at least from looking at the course tour) why you would not be a fan.  It looks way too severe for a first hole.

[V. Kmetz]

I agree with the posters who mentioned Inwood and Merion...markedly different, but good, fair holes and singular ambience.


And though I hear the cautions about short/reach the green holes, I was surprised that no one mentioned  Fenway's 1st which can play like 255 in some tee/pin arrangements, shorter than its so-called par 3 6th, depending on its particulars.


I also thought someone would mention Yale's 1st, which I have played fairly over the years, but terrifies me since the first time in the early 1990s; if you're not ready, THAT can start a long medal day.


If "fitting character" is a paradigm, I also offer the 1st at Hudson National...shrewish trophy wife-beast of a course, hyper conditioned, demanding...just like this first, gorgeous half par hole, but its half par is like 6-7 ... Both Winged Foot E and W openers are very fair, yet give you a scarring primer on those Tillie greens.

[PCCraig]

Is there any opening hole that is the #1/2 handicap hole on the course? Some discussed here are very difficult.

#1 at WBYC is the 3rd handicap hole.

[Peter Flory]

I love the wide and downhill first tee shots b/c I think it allows you to play without warming up.  Mid Pines and Streamsong Blue are my ideals for openers.  I like that the ideal play is less than a driver on them as well. 

[archie_struthers]

 


Here I go again but Pine Valley #1 is incredible and in keeping with Crump wanting to build the worlds toughest golf course in Clementon, NJ

It's a great challenge on the tee shot , the second shot and the green !

As to the first at Oakmont it's not a gentle handshake given the difficulty putting that green. An excellent prep for what's to come later.


p.s.    in our neck of the woods the first at Galloway National is awesome

[Jerry Kluger]

Peter: Have you seen the opener at Southern Pines - also downhill and the green has a dramatic false front.


Streamsong Blue #1 to me is too contrived especially with how naturally the rest of the course flows.

[Michael Felton]

If "fitting character" is a paradigm, I also offer the 1st at Hudson National...shrewish trophy wife-beast of a course, hyper conditioned, demanding...just like this first, gorgeous half par hole, but its half par is like 6-7 ... Both Winged Foot E and W openers are very fair, yet give you a scarring primer on those Tillie greens.

When someone mentioned first holes that match the character of the course, Hudson National is what popped into my head. 485 yard par 4 which requires two top quality shots to reach in two and then your problems have barely started...

[Greg Smith]

Sometimes the hackneyed obvious answer is the best one -- the 1st at Merion. 


One unusual thing about that hole is just where it sits in the (compact) routing.  The little piece of land it sits on is kind of like the keystone to making that routing possible.  Yet it's not like some kind of shrunken, stop gap thing.  Originally it bent the other way, but was changed by Flynn during his re-work of that area.  To me the change must have been a good improvement as that right-hand bend makes the the hole "snuggle" into position even more, maximizing the use of that land section and bringing the OB more into play.


And it's hard to beat the close-by setting of the patio and 1st tee.  Merion is an intimate course and it's the absolute perfect beginning, totally in theme.

[Phil Young]

Staring down the hill and out toward the rising sun at 5:00 in the morning after a rough night's sleep in the car knowing the challenges to come that you aren't up to but enjoy the thrill of the try on Bethpage Black...

[Ian Cox]

Gleneagles, Kings. It’s the largest first tee that I can remember playing from (it was the practice tee for the 2014 Ryder Cup and comfortably accommodated both teams), the very wide fairway is extremely inviting, though can be missed, the hole appears uphill from the tee, though when you’re stood on the fairway it feels positively mountainous, fronted by a bunker that is over 30ft below the green, the green has great interest, and you enjoy all this with glorious Glendevon as a backdrop. Fore, Ian

[Carl Johnson]

My home club has what I've come to regard as good opener, though when it was built nearly 20 years ago I was not so sure.  Some say it's the easiest hole on the course, although I don't know if competition data would support that.  Par 5, straight out flat-ish, then dogleg left downhill toward the green for your next shot or shots.  The fact that it is easy, it serves as a good warm-up.  The fact that it's a dogleg means that as soon as the group that started before yours hits their second shots they'll clear the corner and your group can tee off, no question.  The downside is that for the expert player birdies are relatively easy to come by, which means that in serious competitions you are challenged to go for the green in two and try for a eagle, so the pressure is on right off the bat (if you're starting at one rather than 10).  Or, from a competitive standpoint, you could look at that challenge as a plus.  Another downside may be that it is not perfectly in character with the rest of the course.  Oh, well.

[mike_malone]

How about a tee shot to a fairway like one of those bridges swaying in the wind with a fairway bunker acting like a magnet then an approach to a significantly slanted green and a massive green side bunker on the left and a big bowl of fairway running into that bunker? I’ll take #1 at Rolling Green as a worthy entrant.


It’s important because it introduces you to the course. It’s challenging but not punishing. It ends with one of the most demanding putting greens.