[Thomas Dai]

Would the 1st hole at TOC be the best and most memorable 1st hole on a course you've played?

If not, what would be other contenders?

atb

[Chris DeToro]

I agree that nothing quite compares to the opening tee shot at TOC with the R&A clubhouse in the background, the ocean, etc. 

But to be contrarian--how about the first hole at Royal Lytham?  Not too many places start out with a tough par 3

[Mark Pearce]

But to be contrarian--how about the first hole at Royal Lytham?  Not too many places start out with a tough par 3

Which is one reason the 1st on the Blue Course at The Berkshire is so memorable.

[Keith Grande]

Is there something about the architecture at #1 TOC, or just the anticipation of playing a round there?  

For me, #1 at Bethpage Red is most memorable.  Far from the "gentle handshake", a 470 yard hole with an blind uphill approach shot.  

[Bill_McBride]

The 1st at TOC wins for being the most iconic but in terms of greatness, I would say the 1st at NGLA is the best I have played.

But it looks so easy on the card!

What about the first at the Kingsley Club with that first tee shot -- which way do I go?! -- and the false front?   Great par 5 opener.  

[Joey Chase]

Thomas,

I don't know that the 1st at TOC is the best, but maybe the most memorable.  With people swirling all around it is tough to beat from an intimidation factor.  I am not sure there is a more right in front of everything type of first tee.  It may however be the easiest hole on the course though with a massive fairway leaving a wedge for the approach.

Obviously, many will think of the 1st at Machrihanish, but after the tee shot, is the hole great?  I'm not too sure, although I am a sucker for Machrihanish so I like it and the somewhat punchbowl nature of the green.  

Merion has a very intimidating first tee shot as well with the first hole right next to the dining area, and depending on the time of day can be in front of quite a crowd.  Although, I love that aspect of the hole.  NGLA has a spectacular opening hole if for no other reason than the severity of the green and the small targets within the green you are faced with.  

For interesting first holes, how about Garden City with the interesting bunker position asking you to make a decision right away with the first shot.

[Chris DeToro]

The architecture of the first at TOC--a tee shot so wide that it gets into your head that it can't possibly be missed.  A precise layup to leave a yardage to attack a firm green fronted by a burn that makes front pin positions difficult to get to and makes it more difficult to hit a lower flighted shot if the wind is up.  That's pretty tough even without the anticipation and the history  

[Ryan Taylor]

Crystal Downs - One of the great views in golf
Sunningdale Old - Iconic clubhouse / patio directly behind you

[Sean_A]

Best and most memorable?

I would have to say one of Hoylake, Machrihanish, Portsalon, Kington, Yeamans Hall or TOC.

Ciao

[Steve Wilson]

Machrihanish?

[Phil Lipper]

I love the the first at Yale, the opening drive over Griest Pond lets you know this is not an older course that is hurt by modern equiptment. The first hole at Canoe Brook South (certainly not a course on par with the others mentioned) is a great opening hole as you can see much of the golf course from the elevated tee.

[Brent Hutto]

I won't necessarily claim it's the "best" opening hole I've ever played but the 1st at Delamere Forest goes against type in a way I found compelling.

So many courses offer a stereotyped downhill opening tee shot. I guess that's partly because clubhouses tend to be situated at the highest point on the property quite often. The opener at Delamere is distinctly uphill and even after cresting the hill with ones tee shot, this 420 yard (from the *visitor* tees, mind) Par 4 is very effectively bunkers greenside. The green itself isn't spectacularly contoured but like all the greens at Delamere any putt beyond tap-in range will have some break to it.

Now that I think on it, maybe it is at least among the best opening holes I've played. Certainly the best opener I've played this year. Not spectacular but it produces a bit of a jump in the pulse rate when I step on the tee (and a much higher heart rate, still, once I've walked from the tee to the high point of the fairway).

[Ryan Coles]

1st Tee at Brora is pretty special.

1st holes at either course at the Berkshire run it close.

[Adam Lawrence]

1st Tee at Brora is pretty special.

1st holes at either course at the Berkshire run it close.

I love the Berkshire but the first on the Red isn't particularly memorable imo. Pretty much always the wettest spot on the property too.

[Chris DeToro]

The 1st tee at the Currahee Club in Georgia is quite memorable.  It's a 600+ yard par 5 that features a steep drop before levelling off to the green.  You're so high up that it's impossible to gauge the yardage that you can or should hit the ball to either carry the bunkers or lay up to  avoid the end of the dogleg.  Crazy shot for the first of the day

[Ryan Coles]

1st Tee at Brora is pretty special.

1st holes at either course at the Berkshire run it close.

I love the Berkshire but the first on the Red isn't particularly memorable imo. Pretty much always the wettest spot on the property too.

I hear you Adam, but it was the first heath I played and it just looks so inviting. When I think back to 1st holes, it sticks in the memory.

[Dan Kelly]

The 1st at Sand Hills deserves consideration in this category. What an eye-opener it was for me, 18 years ago.

[Carl Johnson]

Obviously very personal, but most memorable for me was the first at Prestwick -- "quieter" than TOC.  No idea about the best.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I have three memorable first holes.  I was playing with my wife at TOC.  There must have been fifty folks milling around.  I was told to hit and promptly sliced my tee shot out of bounds.  I had never been so nervous, not because of the folks but the place.  I did get it around in 78 after that horrendous start.  Calmed my wife down, however.

The second has to do with a good friend, Don.  We both were playing Merion with our sons.  The boys wanted to play from the back tees. I wasn't so sure but we did.  I hit a tee shot down the middle and so did the boys.  When It was Don's turn hit hit six inches behind the ball and barely got it to the rough in front of the tee. Of course, there is a big sign "no mulligans."  It took him two more shots to get it to the fairway. 

In 1987 I played in a pro-am with Arnold Palmer and my same friend Don at Harbour Town.  We started on ten and I promptly hooked my tee shot into the water.  Hit my third shot onto the green and made the putt for a routine four.

[Chris Roselle]

The most memorable for me was the first hole at Southern Hills in 1998 during the first round of the NAIA National Championships.  The combination of the view from the top of the hill overlooking Tulsa and the player introductions that followed combined to make it truly special.

[Rob Curtiss]

The 1st at Sand Hills deserves consideration in this category. What an eye-opener it was for me, 18 years ago.

Sand Hills is quite amazing -

[Ed Brzezowski]

How about the first at Merion East Chris R.??  The history plus the lunch crowd judging your swing. Nice draw with a club sandwich chaser?  Love this tee shot, calls for a slight draw or maybe a little fade. But it is the silence that happens when the tee goes into the ground that's special.

[Eric Smith]

Would the 1st hole at TOC be the best and most memorable 1st hole on a course you've played?

A resounding YES, Sir Thomas of Dai..

Contenders:

Machrihanish
Cypress Point
Prestwick

[Frank Kim]

The first at Spyglass is special.  Others I like:  Kingsley, Eastward Ho!, Sage Valley, Cliffs at Glassy.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Lots of memorable first holes.  Besides the history of TOC< where my knees shake, there are the less historic courses, where I consider a great first hole one that tells you right off the bat from the tee its a very special course.

First at Crystal Downs is that, for sure.

Slightly less so, but also important was Mike Young's first at Long Shadow.  Driving in the entry, you see the first hole and I could barely wait to get out of the car to see the course.

Funny, and while I haven't played them all, not many top 100 courses have truly memorable opening holes.  The aforementioned CD and SH, and maybe Shinny, SF (although I like 10 better) and maybe Spyglass, with NGLA maybe in the running, too.  Maybe its the old design mantra of a gentle handshake to start the course?

I say that because when designing the Quarry up in MN, I had a routing with a Cape Hole over the same lake as 18, water on the slice side, from an elevated tee.  Owner had concerns about such a tough opener, it faced east and had sun problems, and the coup de grace was some environmental issues, as an old RR loco servicing facility was in the fw area (although I do note the area has been developed now, so many those superfund rules that would have cost millions have changed a bit)  But, it would have been memorable.

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