[Mike Hendren]

Fresh off breakfast at Waffle House here’s my top 25 quirky greens.  Templates are not eligible but a shout-out to Forsgate for its stellar Short and Biarritz (with rare defection plates). In no particular order:


Yahnandasis 11
Legends Club South (TN) 5
Rolling Hills (TN) 7
Veterans Administration (TN/NLE) 6
North Berwick 16
Blue Mound 10
Knoll West 11
Fenway 15
Minchinhampton Old 11
Cleve Cloud 13
Spyglass 4
The Old Course 12
Beverly 8
Cale Arundel 17
French Lick 13
Glens Falls 5
Huntercombe 3
Lahinch 5
Lawsonia Links 6
Yale 8
Pacific Dunes 6
Pebble Beach 17
Cuscowillow 5
Creek Club (GA) 13
Tobacco Road 13


Hopefully hole numbers are correct. A few are obscure so I’ll follow with pics and descriptions.

[Michael Felton]

Pitching in on three greens at Deal, which are about as quirky as most I've seen. 3, 6, and 16 are all up there. 3 and 6 more so for the surroundings than the actual putting surface and 16 for both surroundings and internal contours.

[Thomas Dai]

I’d love to have the 13th green complex at Barnbougle Dunes in my back garden.
I believe it’s named Sitwell Park, which should give an insight into its inspiration and dramatic nature, and it’s simply wonderful.
Atb

[Ira Fishman]

Mike,


First, I am glad that you have reclaimed Bogey as your signature.


Second, the only better place for breakfast in the US than Waffle House is Walker Brothers in Wilmette, IL. Happened to eat there yet again this past weekend.


Third, of the courses you list that I have played, NB 16 may be the most quirky green on this planet.


Fourth (and however), of your courses:


Yale 1
Lahinch 9
Pac Dunes 16
TOC 2


would be on my personal list.


I will ponder courses that you did not name but Primland 1 and 18 come to mind as do a couple at Southern Pines. And I cannot remember the numbers, but the Eden Course has a bunch.


Ira

[Simon Barrington]

I am guessing you mean Huntercombe's 4th, the Quartered Green by Wille Park Jnr. (1901)


Within 10 miles you also have James Braid's version of a Quartered Green on the Par-5 9th at Henley GC (1907).

Henley GC was designed and built while Braid was writing "Advanced Golf" (published in February 1908) and he put on the ground almost all of his innovative thinking expressed in that under-appreciated book, which sadly seems to be omitted from most GCA reading lists.
It is a genuine bridge from the penal to the strategic and ahead of its time in so many ways, so it should be read by more IMHO.

This makes Henley GC a unique and unsung course worthy of protection and thoughtful restoration/enhancement.

The innovations included one of the first (if not the very first anywhere?) Triple Tiered Green on the Par-3 2nd (sadly one-tier removed in the mid-1990's, hopefully to return one day).

Braid also built a back-to-back Double "Biarritz" Green shared by the 1st & 17th Holes, built 6 years prior to CBM's first use of similar at Piping Rock.

There are also: an undulating green, an armchair green, a pit/punchbowl green (the model for Denty Den at Gleneagles), a further two-tiered green (6 years prior to Mackenzie's first recognised version), and a long lost "pronounced knob" on the 3rd Green (a la PV's and somewhat Travis-like). So much fun on one 18-Hole course and that is just the greens...

There is so much more there to protect in terms of bunkering, natural hazards and strategy too...watch this space...

[Mike Hendren]

Simon, while I’m fond if the 4th at Huntercombe it is indeed the fall away lay-of-the-land 3rd nestled in a corner that I adore. 

[Cal Seifert]

Here is an image of the 17th at Cape Arundel from Ran's course review. A really fun green that tumbles down to the right.

[Jim Hoak]

I'd love a definition of "quirky," as you see it and are using it here.
My first reaction was that you were using it in a derogatory sense--meaning greens that are unfair, not consistent with good architecture, or just plain bad.  My belief is that too many greens being done on recently-built courses fall into this category--they are not good traditional architecture, are border-line silly, and detract from the nature of the course and the non-green rest of the course.
But then when I see the greens you are referencing, I think many are excellent greens--unusual, maybe, but creative, innovative and advancing the art of green building.
For example, I just played Spyglass last weekend, and I love the 4th green.  It is perfect for that short par 4--is creative and adds to the hole and the course in a positive way.  I would include the 17th green at Pebble Beach in this positive way as well--unusual, but good for the situation.
So, please define for us what you mean by "quirky."

[Pete_Pittock]

Bogey,
I guess you never played Sagebrush (9) or Old Macdonald (5). Thought I was reasonably well travelled but only putted about 1/3 of your choices.

[Mike Hendren]

Jim, I love quirk and these are among my favorites.  To borrow from Justice Potter Stewart I know it when I see it.  If pressed I’d go with outrageous or unconventional.


All the best.


Perhaps this thread will morph into a GCA Top 100?

[David_Tepper]

#7 at Golspie,a short par-4, with a nice swale on the front left side of the shallow green..

[Dan_Callahan]

I’m a huge fan of quirky greens, but Cape Arundel might have an excess of quirk.


I’d add the 11th at St. Patrick’s with the raised knob on the right side.

[Michael Moore]

Let he who has hit a blind approach to the seventeenth at Cape Arundel and kept his ball on the green speak now. I am 0 for 30.

[Matt Schoolfield]

#16 at Pasatiempo. "Contours" is a cute word for talking about the cliffs on that green.

[Stewart Abramson]

If pressed I’d go with outrageous or unconventional.

Those are a good start, noting that outrageous or unconventional can be good or bad.

Here are a few other synonyms :

idiosyncratic
unusual
wacky
far-out
out of the ordinary
unorthodox


Bogey, when I saw your initial post a bunch of greens popped into my head that were memorable because they are unusual (although not necessarily one of a kind).

I'm curious about what quirky greens might have in common besides being unusual.  I suppose most of them (i) can be easy 3 putts (or more) if you land in the wrong place or with the wrong trajectory approach and (ii) have lots of possible pin placements that can make the hole play really differently. Also, In many cases I think the quirkiness of a green is affected by the approach options to that green.

In Alpha Order:

Ballyneal #7, par 4, Holyoke, Colorado - Lots of options for playing this green

Bayside #17, par 3, Ogalala, Nebraska - Has a bunker within the green ala Riviera #6

Fossil Trace #14, Par 3, Golden, Colorado has a narrow green that is very long front to back and slopes steeply uphill front to back with a steep ramp up to a back tier

Legends - Moorland #8, par 4  Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. You can roll off any side of this plateau green on your approach

Merion East #5 - Par 4  IIRC, This green is big, slopes from right to left and is very fast toward the back. Must be very creative to hit an approach close

Old Mac #5, Par 3 , Bandon Oregon -  Such a humongous green for such a short hole

North Berwick West Links  #16  - IIRC, pretty narrow with a steep slope off the right side

Pacific Dunes #6 par 4 - an approach to this green from the left can be blind and  deadly, as anything a bit long can roll far away down the steep slope on the right

Pa-ko-Ridge - #4, par 3 Albuquerque, New Mexico the green is narrow, but IIRC, almost 100 yards from front to back,

The Preserve, #16, par 4, Vancleave, Mississippi - This green has a steep drop between the front section and back section and the back section slopes steeply from right to left

Southern Dunes #16 par 5, Haines City, Florida - This green can make an otherwise simple par 5 into a card wrecker. I think it's the most difficult green on a course with a really good set of greens. The green is deep and has  a knob at the rear left which is a really fun pin position. The fairway rises as you get close to the green which can make some approaches blind or semi blind, depending on how close you are and where the flag is. You can get a better view of the green from the left side of the fairway, but the approach from that side is more difficult to most pin positions.  At the back of the rise is a kick plate/downslope that if hit by an approach that is too short it  can propel your ball off the back of this deep green. The green has a false left side that will send most approaches that have  too much draw  bounding down off the green. Approaches from the left have to be very precise... too short can roll back down the slope. Too long can end up in the right greenside bunker.

I tried posting photos of these greens, but when I previewed the post, each photo appeared three or four times so I deleted them. That's never happened to me before. Has anyone else experienced that? (I guess that's the quirkiness of this site.)

[Mike Hendren]

Let he who has hit a blind approach to the seventeenth at Cape Arundel and kept his ball on the green speak now. I am 0 for 30.

Michael, went with topped second, leaving a visible pitch and one putt for par.  The 17th might be better if 40 yards shorter.


Be well.

[Mike Hendren]

#16 at Pasatiempo. "Contours" is a cute word for talking about the cliffs on that green.

Matt, I debated the 16th, but we have a very similar green playing 170 to 220 yards at the 12th of Vanderbilt Legends Club’s north course. A strong cousin.

[Ben Sims]

I think Ballyneal 12 must be in the short list of best greens built in the last 20 years. It’s pretty awesome.


Old Barnwell 13 entered my mind as I was typing this. It’s quirky as it applies to this thread, but in a way I enjoy. Lots of ways to skin the cat. 

[Simon Barrington]

Simon, while I’m fond if the 4th at Huntercombe it is indeed the fall away lay-of-the-land 3rd nestled in a corner that I adore.

A quirky beauty too for sure (as are the 2nd & 8th), they have apparently altered the rear section of the 3rd recently, I just hope it doesn't disappoint you now (not seen it so can't comment)

Threads abound on here, but a very challenging hole from farther back down the hill, especially with older clubs!

[Michael Felton]

I'd love a definition of "quirky," as you see it and are using it here.
My first reaction was that you were using it in a derogatory sense--meaning greens that are unfair, not consistent with good architecture, or just plain bad.  My belief is that too many greens being done on recently-built courses fall into this category--they are not good traditional architecture, are border-line silly, and detract from the nature of the course and the non-green rest of the course.
But then when I see the greens you are referencing, I think many are excellent greens--unusual, maybe, but creative, innovative and advancing the art of green building.
For example, I just played Spyglass last weekend, and I love the 4th green.  It is perfect for that short par 4--is creative and adds to the hole and the course in a positive way.  I would include the 17th green at Pebble Beach in this positive way as well--unusual, but good for the situation.
So, please define for us what you mean by "quirky."

If we're including bad greens here, there's a little 9 hole course in Esher called Moore Place. It at least used to have a restaurant attached to it, which wound up on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. The course is broadly in line with that. One of the holes has a steeply uphill approach shot to a green that has either 2 or 3 tiers - I don't recall exactly. If you putt from the low tier to the high tier, you have to hit it so hard and the tier is so sharp and steep that the ball will actually leave the ground as it goes over the brow.

[Ira Fishman]

A few more personal favorites:


Golspie 7 (previously mentioned)
Ballyneal 12 (previously mentioned)
Southern Pines 2
Friar's Head 5
Somerset Hills 5
Pasatiempo 18
Primland 1


Ira

[Jim Hoak]

I don't mean to get hung up on the definition of the word "quirky."
But there is a big difference in my mind between "creative" and "outrageous."  If a green becomes "silly" or distracts from the traditional features of a course, I am not supportive of it.  I believe too many modern courses cross that line.  I have a hard time defining it exactly, but as you quoted Justice Stewart, I know it when I see it.
If a green--like the 4th at Spyglass--is built to achieve a purpose in an original way given the land upon which it is built, great!  But if it sticks out and detracts from the flow of the course, I question it.  A green should not by itself define a hole, in my opinion.
I especially hate something I see too regularly--a "restoration" of a classic course, where the architect puts a new "outrageous" green on a course while using the same routing as the original hole.  It's like painting over a classic painting!

[Eric Smith]

My mind points to the 2nd green at Machrihanish. Would love to see it again.

[Tim Gavrich]

I could name a bunch I've seen but want to throw out for Bogey's consideration and that of anyone else who likes to "collect" quirky/odd greens my college home course of Lexington (VA) G&CC, which has at least two or three greens that would be right at home on anyone's list. The 18th green might be the smallest 3-tiered green in the country.

[Jaeger Kovich]

Fresh off breakfast at Waffle House here’s my top 25 quirky greens.  Templates are not eligible but a shout-out to Forsgate for its stellar Short and Biarritz (with rare defection plates). In no particular order:


Yahnandasis 11

I love this Walter Travis swale green! Probably his best on the course.

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()