ALL TIME 18
On the occasion of
playing my 1500th golf course, I have decided to post my all-time
favorite 18 holes. The process of putting together my favorite 18
was surprisingly easy. I started thinking of my favorite courses and
came up with the best hole on those courses. I only allowed myself
one hole from each course. Most courses fell right into place and I
only had to make a few tough choices between two holes on a given course.
Please note that these
are my favorite holes 1 to 18 and not my ideal golf course. This
course plays to a par of 73 because there are only three par
3’s. The front nine features three brutally hard par 4’s and every
par 4 on the back nine is under 370 yards with three of them being 300
yards. My ideal golf course would most likely have five par 3’s, a
nice variety of par 4’s and 5’s, and play to a par of 70 or 71.
Yardages given on the
holes are from the tees I played and not necessarily from the back
tees. Enjoy:
Hole #1 Sand Hills Golf Club, Par 5, 521 Yards
The first hole of a golf
course sets the tone for the experience you are about to have and no first hole
captures that tone more perfectly than Sand Hills. You are presented with a
wide fairway but hitting it on the correct side off the tee is crucial if you
want to get home in two or simply have an easy pitch for your third.
The Alps hole at
National Golf Links is one of the hardest holes I’ve ever played, and yet it’s
one of my favorites. I started on this hole the first time I played the
course and there is nothing quite like starting your round with a double bogey
because you couldn’t figure out where to hit your second shot. The long second shot is completely blind to a
green that is not as forgiving as you think it would be.
The common thread
among the par five’s on my list is the requirement to execute three good shots
in order to make a birdie. So many par
five’s these days allow you to bomb your tee shot and then hit your three wood
as close to the green as you can with almost no consequences.
Now played as a Par five
because of the f****** USGA, this hole will always be a par four to me. This
is my all-time favorite golf hole. I once lagged a three foot putt
on this hole because I was above the hole and terrified of what would happen if
I missed the putt. The awkward second shot where the ball is above your feet to
a green that is the exact opposite of receptive confounds me every time I play
it.
The first par three on
my favorite list comes from my all-time favorite golf course. Royal
Dornoch is where Donald Ross grew up and this hole is a perfect example of the
influence Dornoch would later have on his design philosophy.
Hole #7 Fishers Island Club, Par 4, 363 Yards
Named Latimer, this hole, besides having a stunning view, features a
wonderful undulating fairway and a simple yet moderately challenging green.
My favorite par five in
golf, this is the only hole on my list where the yardage is an approximation. Ballyneal has no formal tee markers and no
course rating or slope so the need for actual yardages is non-existent.
The famous quote most
used to describe Royal County Down is “Where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down
to the sea.” The ninth perfectly encapsulates what that means. County Down has by far the best front nine in
all of golf and is my second favorite golf course.
Hole #10 Riviera Country Club, Par 4, 301 Yards
This hole where driving the green doesn’t guarantee a birdie, let alone a
par, the tenth at Riviera confounds even the pros with its small angled green
and unforgiving surrounds.
The hole where Bobby Jones clinched the “Grand Slam” presents a blind tee
shot where hitting the fairway is essential to have a shot to make birdie on
this small green protected by water.
My biggest pet peeve in modern architecture is that nobody builds great
short par threes anymore. Every modern
designer with the possible exception of Coore/Crenshaw and Tom Doak build par
threes that always end up playing over 180 yards. Every golf course should have a great short
par three and this hole at The Country Club is my favorite.
Hole #13 Streamsong Resort Blue Course, Par 4, 293 Yards
Tom Doak designs the
best short par fours in golf and this is the first of two to appear on my
list. I have no idea why Tom is so good at designing amazing short
par fours but most of his courses feature at least one that is truly special.
My home course for several years, this hole features a fairway that
cants sharply from right to left and a narrow green that falls off severely to
the left. A tee shot that leaves a full
wedge approach is crucial to making birdie on this hole. Driving the green here requires an almost
perfect shot.
The second Tom Doak designed short par four on my list features a
stunning background and some artfully designed bunkers. The pin in this picture is hidden behind the
bunker on the right and sums up what I love about this hole and its many
options.
One of the most photographed holes in golf and possibly the most dramatic
tee shot in golf. I made a memorable
birdie on this hole hitting driver off the tee.
The memory of making that fifteen foot birdie putt with my dad watching
is one of my all time favorites.
I had the chance to play this hole again in 2018 after an eleven year
absence. The walk through the woods to
reveal this view is one of the best in golf.
Hitting driver off the tee actually makes this hole harder because of
having to hit your second shot from an upslope.
Yeah, I know, it’s
cliché to pick the hole that everybody picks for the best eighteenth hole in
golf but honestly who doesn’t want to finish their round on this
hole? A risk/reward par five that has a ton of strategy and
requires you to execute two or three great shots to make birdie. Plus it plays right to left, perfect for my
draw!
Love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these! Great photos and comments.
ReplyDeletegreat list Cory! hope all is well with you - stay safe!
ReplyDelete