Holes that would be more interesting/challenging from a further forward tee

[Thomas Dai]

Seems like sometimes the usual tee on a hole is too far back and the hole would be more interesting/challenging if the tee were further forward and the hole played to a shorter yardage.


I reckon the 1st on the standard (ie non-Open) routing at RLGC/Hoylake would be example. Tempt some players to aim over the corner but still giving an option for other players.


What would be some other examples?


Atb

[Tom_Doak]

One of my favorite quotes from MacKenzie is that instead of lengthening a bad hole, sometimes the best approach is to "shorten it and get it over with".

[Mike Hendren]

The 17th at Cape Arundel.  More golfers should be able to watch their approach trundle down the fairway and green.  That green deserves more than a blind approach for the shorter driver.

[Michael Felton]

I would very much enjoy watching the pros play the 12th at Augusta from about 100 yards with the standard Sunday pin. Some of them would surely rip balls back off the front and into the agua. I'm not sure it would be a better hole, but it would certainly meet my desire to watch the best in the world struggle.

[Blake Conant]

The summer we were building Dismal River Red, Don Mahaffey had his son Ryan helping on the crew. He was either getting ready for college golf or in his first year and they played the white course from the very forward tees. Ryan could move back to the next set of tees when he played an entire round without making a bogey. The white course being notoriously hard, some of those holes seemed quite fun from all the way up, particularly that par 3 early in the round, #5 or #6 maybe? Not sure he was ever allowed to move back a set of tees, though!

[Thomas Dai]

…….. they played the white course from the very forward tees. Ryan could move back to the next set of tees when he played an entire round without making a bogey.

Like this approach. Nice one Don and Ryan. And Blake for posting about it. Easy to forget that amateurs essentially have handicaps coz courses are too hard for them. Moving up tee wise to a course that’s more appropriate for an individuals level of play is a good move.
Atb


PS - It’d be interesting/amusing to see where the tees would have to be for some folks to play a full round without making a bogey. Might be near the fringe for some!

[Ben Sims]

The summer we were building Dismal River Red, Don Mahaffey had his son Ryan helping on the crew. He was either getting ready for college golf or in his first year and they played the white course from the very forward tees. Ryan could move back to the next set of tees when he played an entire round without making a bogey. The white course being notoriously hard, some of those holes seemed quite fun from all the way up, particularly that par 3 early in the round, #5 or #6 maybe? Not sure he was ever allowed to move back a set of tees, though!

Not related but I had to share. Ryan came with us to Long Island the next summer after DR Red. Our first course was Sebonack. Ryan steps up on the first tee and promptly goes yardo onto the cupola on the clubhouse and it couldn’t have rattled around up there more if you’d used a hammer. Fast forward 13 years and I catch a group at Old Barnwell. It’s the DoG at Sebonack. I told him that story and he laughed and said it’s a regular occurrence.

[Ryan Book]

Such is the beauty of low-play clubs that promote a "choose your tee" philosophy, a la Dunes Club. It would seem that each of the par fours here could play as a drivable par four option...or vice versa...based on the choice of the player who won the last hole. No. 7 is a popular option, I believe, but on a firm day I believe the more subtle No. 4 would be a fine temptation for the longer hitter.


I'd be curious to see if there are any more traditional private clubs that, on a slow day, could provide keen GCA enthusiasts a chance to make a short four of a standard entry.

[Matthew Rose]

I think they made #7 at Augusta too long.

[Tags:]

Tags: