Are there any contemporary template holes - should there be?

[Jerry Kluger]

It seems that the template holes from CBM and others have survived for many years and are still being used in one form or another on new courses and renovations so what are today's templates and if there are none why not?

[Cal Seifert]

Island green par 3’s immediately come to mind.

[Matthew Mollica]

The 4th green at Woodlands, and the questions asked by the tee shot have been replicated by Mike Clayton, most noticeably at The Lakes' 13th hole. Could be a modern day Australian template. Can also be built on relatively featureless ground and doen't need large acreage either.

[Matt Schoolfield]

C&C 7th at Trinity Forest. Here’s the Fried Egg write up.

[Ian Mackenzie]

- Ive seen MANY Pete Dye Courses that have the 9th and 18th holes running down opposite banks of the same man-made pond.


Seems to be driven by creating the pond where the dirt removed is used elsewhere on-course to create interest.

[Brian Finn]

There are a handful of old threads on this topic - here is the most recent / best one I came across.

What ARE the modern/unrecognized "templates"? (golfclubatlas.com)

[Carl Nichols]

The first one I thought of was mentioned in the thread Brian posted--the "lion's mouth" green (used quite a bit by Coore & Crenshaw).

[Adam Lawrence]

The first one I thought of was mentioned in the thread Brian posted--the "lion's mouth" green (used quite a bit by Coore & Crenshaw).

That occurred to me too, but the Lion’s Mouth bunker is on the thirteenth hole of the Old Course at St Andrews

[Carl Nichols]

The first one I thought of was mentioned in the thread Brian posted--the "lion's mouth" green (used quite a bit by Coore & Crenshaw).

That occurred to me too, but the Lion’s Mouth bunker is on the thirteenth hole of the Old Course at St Andrews

Right, I'm just not sure it approached "template"-like status until modern times.

[Brian Finn]

The first one I thought of was mentioned in the thread Brian posted--the "lion's mouth" green (used quite a bit by Coore & Crenshaw).

That occurred to me too, but the Lion’s Mouth bunker is on the thirteenth hole of the Old Course at St Andrews

Right, I'm just not sure it approached "template"-like status until modern times.

Fair number of Raynor courses have a lion's mouth, don't they?  I do like the C&C versions, fwiw.

[Jerry Kluger]

I think perhaps the breath of knowledge of today's architects gives them a broader base to work from and the equipment to build what they envision.  When I say knowledge I mean the history available to them as well as what they have learned in so far as soil and grasses and how a golf ball will react to a feature on a golf course.  Their minds are also far more receptive as to how a golf hole should look and it will play. In other words, their world is much broader today and there is no need for a template to use as a base for the design of a hole. 

[Matthew Lloyd]

It seems like the “drivable” par 4 is a modern template in most ways. Or at least a modern concept - as the holes vary in design and hazards etc.


No doubt older courses feature the hole TODAY - but seems unlikely that was the intention at the time many of these courses were built.

[Jim_Coleman]

   Pete Dye courses often have a short (350ish) yard hole with a mound before a slightly doglegged green that can render the second shot blind - 12 at TPC, 5 (I think) at Long Cove, 14 at La Romana CC. I’m sure there are others.

[Anthony_Nysse]

   Pete Dye courses often have a short (350ish) yard hole with a mound before a slightly doglegged green that can render the second shot blind - 12 at TPC, 5 (I think) at Long Cove, 14 at La Romana CC. I’m sure there are others.

The original #12 @ TPC, #5 at Long Cove, #5 @ Old Marsh, original #5 @ Ford Plantation, #12 @ Colleton River