The Worst First Hole

[Ira Fishman]

The thread about Par 3 Openers prompted this thread. Our course may have the worst first hole anywhere.  It is only 360 yards. But there is OB right where the land cants hard left to right with the cart path perhaps five feet from the fairway. On the left, there is a line of trees with low hanging branches. Plus there is a pond left of the tee but 30 to 40 feet below the fairway with a 45 degree bank. It gets better: about 30 yards short of the green is a tree that blocks half the green and conveniently or not protects a deep bunker.  The green is one of the most difficult on the course because of the extreme left to right slope.


The hole is awful. Pretty hard to beat as a horrible first hole.


Ira

[Jeff Schley]

I don't know about worst, but one at a well known course IMO is Walton Heath Old.  It is a very long par 3, about 230 from the back to a green with a very busy road on the right which is OB, and someone's backyard left about 20 yards left. Very tough opening hole and listening to the cars whizzing by just makes one think, "don't go right".

It is the only hole on that side of the road and talks to move the clubhouse and the opening hole entirely to the other side have been discussed for a while. I think it is too demanding as a starter and a hole needed to be shoehorned to make 18.  If/when the club can get the necessary permissions I think it will be an improvement.

[Matthew Rose]

My mind really goes back and forth on the concept of an opening par three. The thread about it was quite interesting.

My initial thought is that I wouldn't want to play a brutal 240 yarder off the bat, but at the same time, pulling a driver or 3-wood would feel more natural than, say, a 6-iron. So now I'm not really sure how I feel.

[Sean_A]

I am hard pressed to think of a worse opener than Painswick's. It's so bad the last few times I played the course I parked by the 4th and started there. There are few if any holes I hate more. It takes lay of the land architecture way too far.

Ciao

[Tim Martin]

Ardsley CC

[Eric Smith]

Ardsley CC

Although I didn’t play it, I have stood on that tee and I remember wondering how many matches start “down 1” before they head down the hill?

[mike_malone]

 I tried to think of the worst first hole near me in Delaware County Pa. Honestly they are all very good. Llanerch is redone and improved by tree removal. Ours is awesome. Merion/Aronimink are well known. Springfield flipped the nines and the best hole is 1 now. Paxon Hollow is short but it’s a neat dogleg to a fine green. Glen Mills is a more modern first so it has that gentle handshake feel but a well positioned green side bunker and a great green provide the fun. Concord has a wonderful diagonal carry over water to a challenging green. Springhaven’s first is no pushover. It’s long and has OB well placed at an angle for the tee shot. McCall is an uphill charmer.
Even Clayton Park’s uphill opener is nice for the most modest course around.


Thanks for the exercise. Sorry that we have so many good first holes.

[MCirba]

Ardsley is awful.


Mount Airy Lodge is worse.

[Lou_Duran]

Narin and Portnoo
Tain
Kilspindie

[Ronald Montesano]

Ardsley CC

There is more lagoon than land on that hole! Who the heck would build such a thing?
https://www.ardsleycc.org/web/pages/course-tour

[Marty Bonnar]

Whisper it.....the old course?
Heresy, heresy. Burn the Witch!!!!
 
F.

[Michael Felton]

I don't know about worst, but one at a well known course IMO is Walton Heath Old.  It is a very long par 3, about 230 from the back to a green with a very busy road on the right which is OB, and someone's backyard left about 20 yards left. Very tough opening hole and listening to the cars whizzing by just makes one think, "don't go right".

It is the only hole on that side of the road and talks to move the clubhouse and the opening hole entirely to the other side have been discussed for a while. I think it is too demanding as a starter and a hole needed to be shoehorned to make 18.  If/when the club can get the necessary permissions I think it will be an improvement.

Originally this was a par four, played from the other side of the road there where the back of that chipping area is. It was a nice friendly opening hole. Then because of the danger to traffic, they had to move it to the other side of the road and now you have the 230 yard par three with a green designed to take a wedge. It's a tough start that's for sure. I don't hate the hole, but it's not a good one. I am quite concerned about what they will do if they get rid of it though. What hole goes in instead?

[Lou_Duran]

Whisper it.....the old course?
Heresy, heresy. Burn the Witch!!!!
 
F.

First time I played the hole I hit a mediocre drive to <100 to a front hole location and proceeded to hit a solid a wedge into the burn.  It didn't occur to me that the 100 was in meters.  The second (and last) time I pulled the drive left of the Swilcan Bridge and with good yardage this time, knocked it in the burn again.  A nothingburger starter in hindsight.  We can burn together!

[Pete_Pittock]

It has been remodeled, so it happily RIP. The opener at Black Butte Ranch's Big Meadow was a serious contender. Mid iron tee shot on a par 5. Pretty sure JVDB will agree.


The first at Painswick is an easier golf hole than it is a walking test - had to tack back and forth at least three times.

[Kalen Braley]

Worst first hole on an otherwise great course...Pebble Beach.

[Tom_Doak]

Worst first hole on an otherwise great course...Pebble Beach.

That should be the clear winner in that category.  Anyone who thinks the opening hole at The Old Course is bad, must not have played Pebble.


The opening hole on my home course growing up was not "the worst", but it was a bad opener.  Plays straight east, with o.b. left, and a slope down from the right of the fairway to the fairway of the 9th.  Slicers like me were constantly hitting their second shot of the day vaguely in the direction of players walking off the 9th tee.

[Dan_Callahan]

The 1st at Pebble is definitely the worst opener on a great course. I’m also not a huge fan of #1 at the Country Club.

[John Kavanaugh]

The 1st at Pebble is the best opener I have ever played. What's next with you clowns, the first at Riviera?

[JohnVDB]

It has been remodeled, so it happily RIP. The opener at Black Butte Ranch's Big Meadow was a serious contender. Mid iron tee shot on a par 5. Pretty sure JVDB will agree.


The first at Painswick is an easier golf hole than it is a walking test - had to tack back and forth at least three times.

Totally agree. After the iron, hit another iron to get around the second corner and then a third one to the green. 

[Rob Marshall]

Worst first hole on an otherwise great course...Pebble Beach.

That should be the clear winner in that category.  Anyone who thinks the opening hole at The Old Course is bad, must not have played Pebble.


The opening hole on my home course growing up was not "the worst", but it was a bad opener.  Plays straight east, with o.b. left, and a slope down from the right of the fairway to the fairway of the 9th.  Slicers like me were constantly hitting their second shot of the day vaguely in the direction of players walking off the 9th tee.

Someone please explain to me why the 1st hole at Pebble is bad. I’ve only played it once. It’s harder than a “friendly handshake” but hardly a horrible hole imo. Fairway wood and 8 iron. Bunker on the corner but hardly a narrow corridor. Fairly severe green sloped from front to back. Certainly not a great hole....

[Tim_Weiman]

By far the worst 1st Hole I have played is at Secession. Didn’t really like the rest of the course either.

[Mark Pearce]

Kilspindie

I will enjoy watching how this plays out, given the number of people pushing Kilspindie's first as a great example of a par 3 opener on the other thread.  For me, it's neither, just a rather "meh" hole on a better course.

[Sean_A]

Kilspindie

I will enjoy watching how this plays out, given the number of people pushing Kilspindie's first as a great example of a par 3 opener on the other thread.  For me, it's neither, just a rather "meh" hole on a better course.

Doesn't do much for me. But it does have the advantage of playing from the house steps, lovely backdrop and onlookers can see the outcome.

Ciao

[Matthew Rose]

The merits of #1 at Pebble as an actual hole are fair game.... but there are few things in my life that ever gave me a bigger thrill than when I walked onto that tee and knocked a perfect little power fade right down the center stripe.

[MCirba]

I'd be remiss not to mention the 1st hole of the Fazio Course at PGA National.