Good holes that are straight

[J_ Crisham]

Seems like several straight holes that are great at Beverly - likely a function of the rectangular workspace.  But I will nominate the 7th hole as I find it difficult to make a straight par 5 interesting and this hole is certainly interesting.


From the tee box (575 from the tips) you cannot technically see the middle of the green, because all you can see is heartbreak hill.  After cresting the hill, you have a decision to make on your second shot.  Large bunkers hog the middle of the fairway, starting about 80 years from the front of the green.  Avoiding the dreaded mid-length bunker shot causes many of us to lay up to just short of the bunkers, leaving a 100 yard shot to the middle of the green that has a nice hump in the middle, directing balls in all directions, with the rough shaved down on the right taking balls all the way to the 8th tee.


The 7th has a lot of what we profess to enjoy in a golf hole/course.  Dramatic movement in the land, a fun/challenging green at the end, and thoughtful bunkering along the way.

Tim,
 I agree regarding 7 at Bev. The other ones at Bev that I prefer are #5 , 14, and 16. At Blue Mound #2  and 8 are world class in my opinion. They have some of Raynor's best template greens- Double Plateau and PunchBowl. Very special holes indeed.

[J_ Crisham]

What I am learning from this exercise is that most holes that are straight and really good, you cannot see the green from the tee.  At least the holes that I have played that were mentioned above.

Paul,   If you get a chance look up 5,14,and 16 at Beverly. Also 8 at Blue Mound -it's all right in front of you.

[Tim Fitz]

What I am learning from this exercise is that most holes that are straight and really good, you cannot see the green from the tee.  At least the holes that I have played that were mentioned above.

Paul,   If you get a chance look up 5,14,and 16 at Beverly. Also 8 at Blue Mound -it's all right in front of you.

I agree Jack - terrific golf holes.  Again, at least with 5 & 16, there is some dramatic movement in the land.  14 is a temptress given its length, but the treacherous bunkers and a green that seems to defy gravity at times, makes for a great short 4.


Beverly’s routing was limited by the two rectangles.  Perhaps we are blessed with more wonder straight holes than most because in some cases the only routing available was straight.

[Niall C]

I played a cracker today. The par 5 13th at Silloth. Not only is it straight and you can see the green from the tee but it also doesn't have any bunkers.


Niall

[Michael Felton]

15 at RSG is dead straight. The flag is typically a good line from the tee. 18 is also pretty much dead straight. Down the road from there is RCP - 1 is straight, 3 is straight, 12 is straight - all really good holes.


At Shinnecock, 10, 12 and 16 all look pretty much dead straight. 16 is an interesting one because the fairway snakes all over the place, but if you play it in the natural three shots, then each one you would be aiming at the green.


5, 8 and 9 are also all dead straight at NGLA. I feel like there's lots of really good straight holes. Though I must admit some that I thought were straight aren't quite. 15 at PV is the one that I thought was a good example of a super long hole that's straight, but it turns slightly right at the end.

[Ira Fishman]

I find it an enlightening topic because I thought too that most of my favorite holes are doglegs or curve noticeably. In thinking about it, there are several holes that I would never have guessed are actually straight:


Ballyneal 2 and 8
Friar’s Head 15 and 16
Yale 1
Pac Dunes 3, 6, and 15
Ballybunion 7
Brora 10 and 17
NB 16
PH2 14
Pasatiempo 14
Sleepy Hollow 8
Golspie 8 and 15
RD 5
Somerset Hills 5 and 7
Lahinch 9


Ira

[Niall C]

Ira


I think there's a difference between the playing corridor being a straight rectangle and the hole actually playing straight. I don't know what category the holes you listed come into.


Niall

[Anthony Butler]

7th at NSWGC.. Mackenzie more known for his doglegs but this a good one..


It's all uphill so you can see the green from the tee...

https://golfcoursegurus.com/photos/australia/newsouthwales/large/New%20South%20Wales%207th.jpg

[ward peyronnin]

I would like to nominate Hole 10 at St. Enodoch.

[Ira Fishman]

Ira


I think there's a difference between the playing corridor being a straight rectangle and the hole actually playing straight. I don't know what category the holes you listed come into.


Niall

Niall,


That is what made me scratch my head. On several I listed, the best line is not necessarily straight even though the hole actually is straight. That is what strikes me as making them good holes. And I forgot to include Woking 4 which may define the point.


Ira

[Niall C]

Ira


Absolutely. The playing corridors are straight but often what makes a good hole is that the best line isn't necessarily straight up the middle of the playing corridor.


Tom D pointed out years ago that when you look at aerials of old classic courses the playing corridors are usually pretty straight and regular in shape yet on the ground the hole doesn't play that way. In contrast an aerial of some modern courses show all different shapes with some sharp dog-legs. Whether the dog-leg involves playing anything than up the middle of the playing corridor is often debatable.


Niall

[Ally Mcintosh]

Ira


Absolutely. The playing corridors are straight but often what makes a good hole is that the best line isn't necessarily straight up the middle of the playing corridor.


Tom D pointed out years ago that when you look at aerials of old classic courses the playing corridors are usually pretty straight and regular in shape yet on the ground the hole doesn't play that way. In contrast an aerial of some modern courses show all different shapes with some sharp dog-legs. Whether the dog-leg involves playing anything than up the middle of the playing corridor is often debatable.


Niall

This is what I was getting at with my reply no.5.


Your final point is also well noted. Many modern designs have more deliberate doglegs. It’s often easy to think that this is down to architects designing in defined turning points at 250m on the topo and then creating their hole around that.

[Sean_A]

I think there are loads of good examples of completely straight - and great - holes where bunkers, hazards and green orientation are used to define playing lines.


There are less examples of great, straight holes where this isn’t the case. Because almost by definition, these holes are either less interesting or penal by design.

Ally,


I started thinking about all my favorite holes, then I realized non were straight.  Then I started to think of a great hole that was straight and started to struggle. 


Please let me know which ones you think are great.  I have played quite a few courses, but I have not play Beverly so I cannot comment on Tim Fitz post.

Hi Paul,


I guess it depends on your definition of straight, hence my original point. Most of the holes on The Old Course (or many out and back routings) are ostensibly straight for instance.

Ally is right. Straight can be function of how far the ball is hit. You get a hole like 5 at Sandwich. It's a bit of a legger left. For big boys in the right conditions it's a straight hole. There is no dogleg.

Ciao

[cary lichtenstein]

As Yogi Berra once said, 90% of them par 3's are straight

[Mike Nuzzo]

Howdy Paul


The straight hole most bendy at Wolf Point would be the 5th.
Standing on the tee you can see a straight path to the green, although the fairway bends around infierno.
The others that are straight: 1, 2, 3, 4, 13, 14 & 16. someone has said every one of those was great.


How many of the Old Course's holes are straight?


Cheers

[JLahrman]

Howdy Paul


The straight hole most bendy at Wolf Point would be the 5th.
Standing on the tee you can see a straight path to the green, although the fairway bends around infierno.
The others that are straight: 1, 2, 3, 4, 13, 14 & 16. someone has said every one of those was great.


How many of the Old Course's holes are straight?


Cheers

I really love 4 at Wolf Point. Yes it's straight, but each time I've played it the wind has been strong from left to right. To avoid the junk on the right and the fairway bunkers, you can aim as far left as you want; you can practically turn it into a 90 degree dogleg if you like. But then you have zero hope of getting your approach anywhere near the hole thanks to the mound off the left side of the green and everything running to the right.

[Paul Jones]

Howdy Paul


The straight hole most bendy at Wolf Point would be the 5th.
Standing on the tee you can see a straight path to the green, although the fairway bends around infierno.
The others that are straight: 1, 2, 3, 4, 13, 14 & 16. someone has said every one of those was great.


How many of the Old Course's holes are straight?


Cheers

Mike,


Hole 1 is a great example as you have water on the left and 100s yards to the right, but the further from the water, the more difficult angle into the green. 


You all have listed a lot of great straight holes, especially links golf.


I guess I do not consider a hole straight if the fairway bends.  Pete Dye often would let you see the green from the tee, but made you play around something to get to the green.

[Bryan Icenhower]

I find it an enlightening topic because I thought too that most of my favorite holes are doglegs or curve noticeably. In thinking about it, there are several holes that I would never have guessed are actually straight:


Ballyneal 2 and 8

When you started this thread, I immediately thought of Bally 2 as the only candidate on the property.  Looked at it on google maps -if your playing the back tee boxes it is.  And surprisingly 8 is, mentally I passed it over as not straight. 

[Mark Pearce]

13 at Elie
10, 14, 18 at Muirfield

[Rick Sides]

9th at Pine valley especially if you are playing the left green

[Tal Oz]

From a few recent plays:

#9 and #17 at Riviera are both dead straight. Both have staggered bunkers in the fairway and an elevated green with multiple sections directing play. #12 ~feels~ dead straight, though the aerial makes it seem like a slight dogleg right. W

#1 'Valley' and #12 'Punchbowl' at Chicago are among my favorites on the course. CGC has quite a few more straight holes, but these two are standouts.

[V. Kmetz]

On a property with expertly nuanced dogleg angles and sublime fairway margin turns, the WF course boast five fine straight away holes, two of them standout half pars...


6 9, and 11 West; 2 & 10 East

[Tim Fitz]

Adding one more that I recently played that may only partially count.  The Chanel Hole (#4) at Lido is a straight shot from tee to green…if you have the length. For mere mortals like me there is a longer, but safer route to get there.  Not sure if it falls into the “straight hole” category or not, but I assume some golfers will take the most direct approach and hope they have the length to get to the first fairway and then to clear the bunkers and climb the hill to the green on the approach.

[MLevesque]

10th hole, “Carries” at Yale.  An overlook, sometimes maligned hole but one of my favorite holes on the course.

[Matt Kardash]

The 14th hole at TPC Sawgrass