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

[Rob Marshall]

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

And the view is spectacular!


Where has Tim been?

[Tom_Doak]

My favorite opening hole at one of my own courses is probably the one at Old Macdonald.  Wide open tee shot, but the double plateau green offers some choice hole locations on the wings [which Mr. Keiser insists the maintenance staff never use!].


I used to favor a short par-5 opener, based on George Thomas' ideal that they made the best 19th hole, but nobody ever goes to the 19th anymore.

[Philip Gordillo]

For a beginning hole, I’m a fan of a short par 4 where you don’t have to hit driver.  NGLA was already mentioned so I’ll offer #1 at Garden City.   So many options off the tee then a wonderful approach with plenty of trouble if you haven’t warmed up your wedges.

[mike_beene]

Southern Hills. I like how you almost drop in to the course. And the view of downtown gives a sense of place.

[Chris Hughes]

For a beginning hole, I’m a fan of a short par 4 where you don’t have to hit driver.  NGLA was already mentioned so I’ll offer #1 at Garden City.   So many options off the tee then a wonderful approach with plenty of trouble if you haven’t warmed up your wedges.

Concur on Garden City, terrific hole. 


#1 on Bethpage Red is an absolute beast of an opening hole...

[Ira Fishman]

I stand by my list and logic in post 13 and would add ones played since then:


Sleepy Hollow
Yale
Royal Aberdeen

[Ronald Montesano]

I love so many of the ones mentioned: Bethpage Black, Red, or Green for me. Very similar tee balls, and that's all that we are talking about here. Not how good the hole is, not how difficult the hole is.

I love the first at Yale. I love the first at Pastiempo. I love the first at Crystal Downs and the first at Pacific Dunes.

I love movement. I love a tee ball that drops you into an abyss, or climbs you toward a peak.

I don't think that Merion's first tee shot is that great. It's a wonderful atmospher, and you're fortunate beyond words to be playing there. I was at Walker Cup in 2009 (hadn't yet played East or West) and Curtis Cup in 2022. In between, I played East two times on consecutive days, and fell in love. Same for NGLA. I was at Walker Cup 2013, and got to play it a few years later. Walking and photographing a place gives you incredible insight. Same happened at Crystal Downs, where I walked and photographed while friends played. Absolute joy.

We don't have any great opening holes in the Buffalo-Niagara area. Much like the blue-collar heritage of the region, they are solid and reliable, good tests and predictors of what you'll find along the way.

The less likely you are to have one favorite opening hole, the more likely I am to want to play golf with you.

[Matt Schoolfield]

I think good opening holes can be course specific. Whether or not the course has a range, I think, will effect what I think is a good opening hole. I'm less inclined to see hole that asks for a bombed driver is being great on a course without the expectation of a warm up.

I've mentioned before that my favorite opener is the first at Lions Muny in Austin, because of the presence of an audience. I think the first at The Old Course is a great parallel to this, and is probably superior in that it allows driver, but does not demand it. I really think giving folks a chance to play an iron is a decent thing to offer people who are not warmed up.

I would add, given my pace of play research, that I despise out-of-bounds that must be in play on opening holes. This is why, as much as I think the first hole at Pasatiempo is an absolutely brilliant hole, it is difficult for me to place it at the top simple because the range left will always be an issue, and unlike the first at TOC, there is no real option just just aim a mile away from the OB.

The other thing from that research that has always sat with me, is why there are so few par three openers. I really like the par three opener at Pacific Grove (and I know that the course originally opens with a par five), but I don't really know why people always see them as a bit gauche, even when we know they are fantastic for improved pace through the day.

[Phil Burr]

I’ve played it once but galleried it countless times when today’s AT&T was just the Crosby.  I love #1 at Cypress.  The tee box is in an intimate setting but yet offers a great view of much of the course.  And you’ve got goosebumps knowing you’re about to embark on one of the best days of your golfing life.

[Bill Seitz]

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

I can't recall if #1 at Kingsley is the lowest handicap hole on the side, but 1, 2, and 3 are collectively the three lowest on the side, so if you're giving three per side, they all come right off the bat.  For stroke play, it took me a while to get comfortable with the idea that I could very well be 2 to 4 over through three holes and have that not ruin my round (from a scoring perspective).  But I've had a lot of rounds there where I've gone out +3 and made the turn +1.  Of course, you can also very easily get to 7 +1 and walk to 10 sitting +5.

[archie_struthers]

 




Don't particularly like the opening hole we built at Twisted Dune ...was thinking gentle handshake but twenty five years later it's not sexy enough for me. Think  a little wow factor is pretty nice as long as the hole isn't too, too difficult. I'm pretty adamant that a par five isn't a good way to start either, even a good one. Given the distances people hit it nowadays , it's too easy to set up a slow playing opener as people wait for the green to clear.


In our area Galloway has a great opener , makes makes you pay attention from the git go.  Also the views of the water behind the green are awesome. 

[Ben Sims]

I still think the best opening holes accept a loose tee shot but demand *something* in order to make a good score. Machrihanish and Ballyneal fit this bill. I know Tom says he wasn’t really considering Mach #1 when building BN #1. After playing Mach four times this summer I think he missed an opportunity to take some credit there. 


I also really like Brora and NGLA’s opening holes for similar reasons. Not so hard to get off the tee but there’s a demand placed on the player.

[Charlie Goerges]

I've asked this before, but how often is the opening hole the best hole on the course? Are there any great courses where you'd say the best hole is the first?

[archie_struthers]

 


Hard to think of one where the first is the best but Galloway numero uno is pretty special.

[Matt Schoolfield]

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

Well this is where operating a large database of courses is very useful.

Courses with index 1 on the first hole:

Tilden Park Golf Course,
Lake Chabot Golf Course,
Cedar Knoll Country Club: South,
Maynard Golf Course,
Pukalani Country Club,
River Ridge Golf & Country Club,
Shark River Golf Course,
Colonial Golf Course,
Adams Springs Golf Course,
Stephen Riverside Golf Course,
Dunes Club,
Marquette Golf Club: Greywalls Course,
Golfclub Mülheim an der Ruhr e.V.,
Palo Verde Golf Course,
Singing Hills: Pine Glen,

Obviously that level of depth (scorecard indexes) of my database is extremely limited. I'm actually surprised to see so many.

The one that I'm most familiar with is Tilden Park in Berkeley. The #1 hole is comically difficult and the #2 hole is also exceptionally challenging. That course's openers feel like getting punch in the face... not exactly a firm handshake.

[Jim_Coleman]

   Philly Cricket’s first hole is the #3 stroke hole. It could just as easily be #1.

[Dan_Callahan]

For those who have played in western Mass, I think the 1st hole at the Ranch is not only a great opening hole, it's also the best hole on the course.


The 1st hole at Newport is unique in that the tips are in front of the members tees, because it's a par 4 from the tips and a par 5 for members. Tee shot is low pressure now that they've cleared out most of the gorse, but the shot into the elevated green is tough.

[Sven Nilsen]

My favorite opening hole at one of my own courses is probably the one at Old Macdonald.  Wide open tee shot, but the double plateau green offers some choice hole locations on the wings [which Mr. Keiser insists the maintenance staff never use!].

That last comment isn't accurate.  The pin is on the front left wing once every three days.  In the winter, on wet days, they occasionally use the back right wing.