[Eric_Terhorst]

In "Bury Me a in a Pot Bunker,"  Pete Dye says about the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course:

"The island green at the seventeenth made me realize that I had created a hole that was planted in the player's mind from the very first tee.  Knowing they ultimately have to confront the do-or-die seventeenth, competitors subconsciously realize that no lead is secure until their ball is safely on that green."

Would you view this as a good deliberate design strategy--that is, having one hole that dominates the psyche of the player from the moment he tees off?  

Some other holes come to mind as potentially fitting into this description--

Road Hole, TOC;
16th at Cypress Point;
12th at Augusta National;
18th at Carnoustie.

Agreed--or is this a hype-influenced view of these holes? Are there others--especially those that may not be so well-known--that come to your mind?

Is this psychology mostly of concern only to stroke-play competitors?  My initial thought is no, because if you're still in the match when you reach the 17th at TOC, and you have a great hole while your opponent knocks it in the bunker and loses the hole, that will weigh on him the rest of the match, whether it's just one more hole or if it includes extra holes.

Do architects set out to design such a hole (not just the island green, but similarly attention-getting and challenging) these days, or receive instructions from clients to do so?  

[Tom_Doak]

I have never had a client ask especially for a card-wrecking hole near the end of the round.  I think the only ones I've built which might qualify would be the 16th at Pacific Dunes and the 15th at Cape Kidnappers.  Mr. Robertson did ask us to include the latter hole, but because he wanted to get out to that green, not to mess with people's scores.

A definite entrant in this category would be the 17th at Crystal Downs.

[Tim Rooney]

Tom--#17 ,3metal/wedge?#1,into the prevailing wind, is the toughest/card wrecking starting hole ,easily providing double/triple?

[Tom_Doak]

Tim:

When the wind is out of the south, it's hard to finish #17 some days.  It's in your mind if you have a decent score at the turn.  If you screw up #1, at least it's over quickly.

[TEPaul]

"Would you view this as a good deliberate design strategy--that is, having one hole that dominates the psyche of the player from the moment he tees off?"

Eric:

This doesn't just pertain to one hole but I can tell you of all the golf courses I've played in tournaments I've never seen one come close to Merion East for a design makeup that gets into particularly a stroke play golfer's head like that one does. I've never seen a course come remotely close. You feel like you're going to play three "sets" and the fact the one that seems easiest comes in the middle is just fascinating in how the course effects the psyche of a player, and also his results if he tries too hard to "make something up" there for strokes dropped on the first "set" or to get a head start for the ones he thinks he may lose on the last "set".  

[Philippe Binette]

until the ball is on the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach..

[Peter Nomm]

I have two thoughts on this:

One is that it seems to me the majority of these memorable holes are closer to the end - but I would guess this is more a result of an overall design plan instead of the thought of a scorecard killer being positioned on the course.

The other is that while these are notable holes you mention, I think for many golfers there are certain holes that may be their nemesis holes that may not be for others.  The 16th at our course is a par three that scares the daylights out of some players, yet isn't a big deal for others.  

I guess I think the kind of trouble (water, OB, sand) may play more on one player's mind than another - the impending potential for doom on the Road Hole would be less for me personally than the 12th at ANGC.  I hate the thought of playing ping-pong with the water, the sand, etc.  

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