The rising and setting sun

[Sean_A]

Can anyone think of a personal experience playing an 18th hole into the setting sun where it caused them to misplay a shot, lose a ball or otherwise greatly diminish the hole?

Yes, Sherwood Forest finishing run in winter. Very annoying. There are others, but Sherwood Forest is by far the worst example I can think of.

Ciao

And yet, as I’ve said on here before, the 17th and 18th at Sherwood actually play to the south of south west.


Not disputing Sean’s point that this can be close to the direction of the setting sun in December and January (c.230 degrees, where 225 degrees is south west) but it’s not close to it for the majority of the year, and, having been a member for over 40 years, I’ve never thought of it as a particular problem. To avoid the issue completely at GB&I latitudes you’re actually looking at considering an arc of over 90 degrees, not just ‘westerly’. And spare a thought for the architect of Lofoten, where the sun sets (when it does at all) anywhere between almost due north and due south at different times of the year.

One of the lessons here is that you need to come and play Sherwood outside the middle of winter, Sean!

I am not saying the designer should have or could have avoided the problem, just that I found it annoying during two visits.

Ciao

[Kalen Braley]

Seems like there is a lesson in all of this.

For courses with beginning holes to the east or ending holes to west, perhaps just avoid crack of dawn and late tee times respectively??  Its not much different to avoiding noon tee times on the weekend to avoid very long rounds...

[Carl Johnson]

Carolina Golf Club in Charlotte is an interesting situation.  The original hole sequence of the Donald Ross (1929) routing had the first hole going northwest and the 18th going north, both ideal directions (sun-wise).  As you would expect, the clubhouse was at that location, near the first tee and 18th green.  Originally a daily fee course, it was privatized in 1958, with a new clubhouse being built on the opposite side of the course.  As a result, although the routing remained the same, the hole sequence was changed.  Now the first hole plays southeast into the rising sun, and the 18th plays southwest into the setting sun, accommodating the location of the new 1958 clubhouse.  From my personal perspective, this is far from ideal, particularly now as we approach the winter solstice with the sun lower in the sky.