[Patrick_Mucci]

start with a par 5 and the absence or diminished quality of their original range facility ?

It seems that some of AWT's courses started with par 5's  and that most of them that I've played didn't have substantive ranges.
Now that I think of it, of the AWT courses I've played, most began on a benign note.

Did architects design courses with "warm-up" holes where they didn't build a substantive range ?

None of these AWT courses had a decent or substantive range when built.

Somerset Hills
Baltusrol Upper
Baltusrol Lower.
Shackamaxon ?
Quaker Ridge

Others with benign opening holes were


Ridgewood
Suburban
Alpine
Forest Hill
Fenway
Old Oaks
Shwanee
GCGC
Seminole
NGLA


Why wouldn't an architect craft a benign opening hole where there was no adequate or substantive range ?

[JESII]

Why wouldn't an architect craft a benign opening hole where there was no adequate or substantive range ?

Because it's not their job to hold the players hand...

I would much prefer to par a difficult opening hole than birdie an easy one and the size of the driving range has virtually nothing to do with the chances of either....

[Bill_McBride]

This has been discussed several times with regard to courses designed by Mackenzie out west.  A number of those start with a par 5 (Valley Club, Pasatiempo, Meadow Club), with both starting holes par 5's at Valley and Pasa.  The first two at Pasa are now long par 4's and the back tee for #1 at Valley is now a par 4 on the scorecard.

Ditto for some George Thomas courses - original La Cumbre, current Riviera and Bel Air.

I think the general consensus is that the opening par 5's made up for the lack of a driving range.

[Mike Policano]

Patrick, how's it going?

So here are a few comments to consider. Courses in Scotland and Ireland in the early 1900's  did not have a range. Apparently, it was an American thing to practice in the 1920's. Pat Ruddy once told me at the European Club, we are Irish. We don't practice, we play!

AWT was perhaps a disciple of Old Tom Morris, there is no range at the Old Course. There was no range or no real range at Baltusrol, Quaker Ridge, Winged Foot, Somerset Hills, Fenway, Philly Cricket, Shackamaxon, Alpine, Surburban and I am sure others.

The trilogy of Tillinghast books indicates that Tillie's thought was to have the first hole to ease the golfer into the round. In fact, lessons were usually given by the club pro on the 18th hole since there were no ranges. Tillie designed a range and short game for Ridgewood when he designed the course. It was the first time he designed a range for a course he built.

Cheers

[Sam Morrow]

At Corsicana Country Club AWT opened with a 440 yard par. Obviously long for the time, the second shot though plays downhill and encourages the ground game. Of course that said anything above the hole on 1 and you are screwed.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Pat Ruddy once told me at the European Club, we are Irish. We don't practice, we play!

Is there any man in golf architecture with as many quotable lines as Pat Ruddy?

Patrick,

As far as I'm concerned, the answer is no...

[David_Tepper]

Claremont CC (in Oakland, CA) is a Mackenzie-designed course that both opens & closes with par-5's and has no practice range.

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