GOLF DIGEST's list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Holes

[Kalen Braley]

As Tom alludes to, this list is somewhere between hopelessly arbitrary and woefully inadequate, not unlike other stuff GD puts out!

I can think of half dozen holes just between Ballyneal and RCCC alone that would easily deserve a spot here.  But by all means, let the fur fly, that's what we do at GCA! 

[John Kirk]

There are 33 par 3 holes on the list.  I counted 13 par 5 holes on the list, which leaves 54 par 4 holes.

Our discussion group has generally concluded that par 4 and par 5 holes are intrinsically more complex and interesting.  The inclusion of so many par 3 holes raises questions about how well the four selected rating criteria work.  Perhaps a great par 3 hole scores higher in aesthetics than a longer hole, because the entire hole is easily visible.

In Oregon, one of the most dramatic par 3s is the 8th hole at Pronghorn (Fazio).  The tee shot must carry an exposed lava tube.  I'd consider that par 3 on the same level as many selected.


My favorite par 4s tend to be ones where the bunkering is cleverly laid out to challenge the golfers.  I've mentioned the 13th at the Stanford University golf course before as an example.  The 9th at Riviera is similar.  In fact, I prefer the 9th at Riviera over the famous 10th at Riviera, which now seems too punitive and difficult to me.  The 10th did not originally have a bunker behind the green.  Another relatively plain par 4 in Oregon that I find thrilling is the 10th hole at Bandon Trails.  Featuring a wide fairway, a drive down the left side close to a fairway bunker has the best approach angle.  You can miss way right, but the further you go right, the longer the approach over a huge greenside bunker.  Simple, beautiful, challenging and fun.

[Carl Johnson]

Pikewood looks uncomfortably over tree'd


And no fun

IMHO, the answer to both of these questions is no.


Yes, the course is carved out a beautiful WV forest. But there is plenty of width.

PERSONAL TRIVIA.  Why the name Pikewood?  The club is located on Rt. 81 (state or county?), which is named, when you're driving out of Morgantown, the Kingwood Pike.  It runs from Morgantown to Kingwood, about 21 miles southeast of Morgantown.  If you're in Kingwood, they call it the Morgantown Pike.  It's what I call a paved country road.  I grew up living on the Kingwood Pike's Morgantown end and sometimes would ride my bike out the road just for fun, but not as far as where Pikewood is today.


So Pikewood must come from Kingwood Pike.  The club is also in the woods, so to speak.  That could be part of it, too.  John Raese, a wealthy Morgantown businessman, built the course.  I do not know the details of the club's ownership and business model, but I often wonder what will happen to the course when Raese (age 74 now) passes.


If you're in the area and can't get on Pikewood, try the Preston Country Club in Kingwood, a nice community course open to the public.  Or try it in addition to Pikewood. http://www.prestoncountryclub.com/  I last played it 15 to 20 years ago.

[PCCraig]

A completely ridiculous list. The 8th hole at PIKEWOOD is the 5th best hole in the country?!?! Give me a break. 


Either Golf Digest is reverting to clickbait or their panelists are so woefully misguided it's like watching a slow motion train crash. 

[Garland Bayley]

A completely ridiculous list. The 8th hole at PIKEWOOD is the 5th best hole in the country?!?! Give me a break. 


Either Golf Digest is reverting to clickbait or their panelists are so woefully misguided it's like watching a slow motion train crash.

Any list that has two holes from Sheep Ranch and none from Old MacDonald is "A completely ridiculous list." 

[Carl Johnson]

A completely ridiculous list. The 8th hole at PIKEWOOD is the 5th best hole in the country?!?! Give me a break. 


Either Golf Digest is reverting to clickbait or their panelists are so woefully misguided it's like watching a slow motion train crash.

Clickbait is the answer, in my opinion.  And we're clickin'.

[Tom_Doak]

If someone has an easy way to reproduce the selection of holes in list form, that would be great, as I am paywalled away from it now.


One of their four criteria was supposed to be whether the hole was different than anything else out there.  I'd like to understand how they treated the Macdonald / Raynor templates under that guidance.


Unless I missed it, they didn't include the 16th at Dornick Hills, which is exactly the sort of hole that ought to make a list like this.

[Steven Wade]

None for:

• Chicago Golf
• Shoreacres (there was an Old Elm)
• Crystal Downs
• Wade Hampton
• Pinehurst #2
• LACC
• SFGC
• Shadow Creek (GD likes flash)
• Ohoopee
• Olympic

I’ve played Rolling Green a few times and Chicago Golf only once. I don’t believe that a world exists in which any hole at Rolling Green is a better golf hole than 12 at Chicago Golf. Or 5 and 6 LACC North. Rolling Green is a fine club, but is this the equivalent of putting a Wilco album in the greatest records of all time list just to get hipster points?

[Erik J. Barzeski]

If someone has an easy way to reproduce the selection of holes in list form, that would be great, as I am paywalled away from it now.

https://share.zight.com/6quorDqO


I didn't lazy load all of the images, so it's mostly just the text after the first page or two or three.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Good grief, it is only a list a bunch of guys put together. Make your own list. You guys can be mean sometimes on things that don't really matter.

[Tom_Doak]

Erik:


Thanks for the list.  The 100 holes are from 51 courses.  Courses with multiple selections:


6 holes:  Pebble Beach, Pine Valley
5 holes:  Pacific Dunes
4 holes:  Cypress Point, Merion, NGLA, Pikewood National
3 holes:  Fishers Island, Friar’s Head, Oakmont, Sand Hills, Sand Hollow, Shinnecock
2 holes:  Augusta National, Bandon Dunes, Bethpage, Brookline, The CC (Ohio), Eastward Ho, Kiawah Ocean, Pete Dye GC, Riviera, Sheep Ranch, Southern Hills

[Paul Rudovsky]

Sorry Tommy...but I am joining the mean team 


Some points:
1.  i did not notice this but a friend pointed out that there are NO holes from NC on the list.  I guess I "understand" why none from #2 (all it is is 18 pure and wonderful golf holes in a superb routing on outstanding land...and almost by definition this list is structured to find "spectacular holes" many of which have average or only good architecture design).  IMO back when the 5th hole was a par 4 that would have made this list.  But I do not understand why none of the holes at Quail Hollow made this list (even though I would not put QH in a USA Top 100).  And none from Tobacco Road??


2.  this type of list by definition gives zero weight to routing since it is based on single holes.  My best example of the problem with this approach is Ellerston in the Australian Outback...built within the 100 sq mile (no typo there) Packer Family Estate and designed by Greg Norman and Bob Harrison.  IMO it may have the best collection of 18 holes of any course in the world...and is certainly among the top 5-10  in the world.  BUT in part this was done by picking hole locations/topography without consideration of routing...so you end up with distances from green to tee averaging maybe 200-300 yards per hole.


3.  Regarding Pikewood...I played it in 2013 and walked away wondering what the purpose of this course is...it has two sets off tees...totaling 7590 and 6860...and long carries off a bunch of tees.  My guess is that 75% of golfers could not finish a round if they started with a dozen balls.


4.  Some guy named Hogan once wrote that Seminole's #6 was the best par 4 in the USA...but what did he know, so it is not on the list.
 

[Jim Franklin]

Very disappointed in final outcome. I think there may have only been 1 or 2 Rock Creek holes nominated and my favorites, 7, 10, 11, 15 were not the ones.


I enjoyed Pikewood, but three in the top 100? no.

[MCirba]

Pikewood is terrific.  I'd give it an 8 on the Doak Scale, and if you factor in location to that rating (which technically by definition we should) it may be a 9.   


The only hole there I didn't like/love was 17 which may be because I'm not good enough.

[Matt MacIver]

One of their four criteria was supposed to be whether the hole was different than anything else out there.

Tom - based on above, would you be willing to list the holes you’ve built in the US?  PD #16 is different... 

[Tom_Doak]

Very disappointed in final outcome. I think there may have only been 1 or 2 Rock Creek holes nominated and my favorites, 7, 10, 11, 15 were not the ones.

I enjoyed Pikewood, but three in the top 100? no.

Jim:  No, Pikewood had four holes in the list.


Do you remember the holes that were nominated for Rock Creek?  My choices would be the same as yours, plus the 4th and 5th.  But I wonder if they went with 17 because of the setting.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Sorry Tommy...but I am joining the mean team 


Some points:
1.  i did not notice this but a friend pointed out that there are NO holes from NC on the list.  I guess I "understand" why none from #2 (all it is is 18 pure and wonderful golf holes in a superb routing on outstanding land...and almost by definition this list is structured to find "spectacular holes" many of which have average or only good architecture design).  IMO back when the 5th hole was a par 4 that would have made this list.  But I do not understand why none of the holes at Quail Hollow made this list (even though I would not put QH in a USA Top 100).  And none from Tobacco Road??


2.  this type of list by definition gives zero weight to routing since it is based on single holes.  My best example of the problem with this approach is Ellerston in the Australian Outback...built within the 100 sq mile (no typo there) Packer Family Estate and designed by Greg Norman and Bob Harrison.  IMO it may have the best collection of 18 holes of any course in the world...and is certainly among the top 5-10  in the world.  BUT in part this was done by picking hole locations/topography without consideration of routing...so you end up with distances from green to tee averaging maybe 200-300 yards per hole.


3.  Regarding Pikewood...I played it in 2013 and walked away wondering what the purpose of this course is...it has two sets off tees...totaling 7590 and 6860...and long carries off a bunch of tees.  My guess is that 75% of golfers could not finish a round if they started with a dozen balls.


4.  Some guy named Hogan once wrote that Seminole's #6 was the best par 4 in the USA...but what did he know, so it is not on the list.
 

Not mean at all. You didn't bash the guys who voted. I wondered about Seminole Six as well. I guess it lacks the wow factor, although when I was there last year, it knocked my socks off. I played Pikewood about six years ago when I could still move the ball a bit. It still was too long for me. If you are an 18, it would be a long day. I can think of at least two holes at P#2 that belong, beginning with number 5.

[Cal Carlisle]

What would be far more interesting is get 50 architects to do that and see what happens. I bet it reduces the emphasis on setting over ground features.

I think there's a book that does something like this. I don't think it's a ranked kind of thing, but rather each architect talking about their favorite hole (or something to that effect).

[Tom_Doak]

What would be far more interesting is get 50 architects to do that and see what happens. I bet it reduces the emphasis on setting over ground features.

I think there's a book that does something like this. I don't think it's a ranked kind of thing, but rather each architect talking about their favorite hole (or something to that effect).

Indeed, the book is FAVORITE HOLES BY DESIGN:  The Architects' Choice, by Paul Daley.


It was sort of an arbitrary choice for me, I wanted to pick a hole that was more subtle in its charms.  Here's the essay I wrote for it:


https://www.doakgolf.com/wp-content/uploads/Favourite-Holes-by-Design-Tom-Doak-Excerpt.pdf

[Ira Fishman]

There probably are 250 thousand holes in the US. Not even the most ardent have come close to playing all of them.

[Shane Wright]

A list of the greatest golf holes without #14 at Sand Hills really isn't a list of the greatest golf holes.

[John Kirk]

#18 at Sand Hills is amazing, too.  Also, one vote for #6 at Pebble Beach, which is more interesting than #7 and #9.


I like the Golf Digest architecture editor and I feel they're doing a nice job with their various lists.  With that said, this list (and accompanying text in the magazine) feels like a swing and a miss to me.  Since nobody asked me, here's what I might do to create a more compelling architecture discussion for us fans to read:

I would split the discussion of great golf holes into two separate features.

The first article would be a discussion of 100 famous golf holes, like the 16th at Cypress, the 18th at Pebble and the 6th at Seminole.  Renowned golf holes where a little history can be weaved into the narrative along with some architecture.  All of the template holes to be mentioned probably fall into this category as well.  The Bottle hole at NGLA, anyone?


Then come back with a second list of 100 golf holes that embody the spirit of good golf course design.  Use this as a springboard to identify the many and varied features of great golf holes.  Choose mostly holes from outstanding, well known golf courses but also consider lesser known designs to further the discussion.  Less emphasis on the wow factor and more on the subtleties which make some of our favorites play so well.


I'm not convinced you can assemble a worthy list by polling the magazine's raters.  In each case, the list has to be carefully assembled to capture the reader's interest and teach about course design.  This is a more time intensive project, but I'm convinced it would yield a more satisfactory article for the magazine.

[Tom_Doak]

John:


Your idea is so unlikely to happen.  98% of the architecture coverage in the magazines is a explainer or justification of whatever list the raters come up with.

[John Kirk]

John:


Your idea is so unlikely to happen.  98% of the architecture coverage in the magazines is a explainer or justification of whatever list the raters come up with.

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the response.  I think my suggestion is sound, but probably too time consuming to implement.  I don't have any expectations that it would actually happen.

[Garland Bayley]

... I played Pikewood about six years ago when I could still move the ball a bit. It still was too long for me. If you are an 18, it would be a long day. ...

Being pretty nasty with your stereotyped 18 handicap aren't you?  Pikewood has 7590 and 6860 yard tees. John Kirk played a US Open course at a length longer than that at sea level with an 18 handicaper, and got beat net!