What follows are the holes that have always struck a positive chord with me, which is why they are my favourites.
Royal Troon GC
8th hole, 123-yard par-3, (Postage Stamp)
The 8th hole at Royal Troon (pictured here), where this year the Open Championship will return, the Postage Stamp comes at a stage of the round where, down the prevailing west wind, a good player is typically two or three under par. But this iconic hole is the first hint of what is to come on the way home into the breeze.
The hole is so short, but the green is so small. So, the penalty for missing is so severe. On the right, balls tend to kick away from the putting surface. And on the left, there is nothing good, just ‘junk’ and a bunker. Given that severity, the hole is just the right length. Any longer would ruin the experience. Depending on the strength of the wind, it can typically play anything from a lob wedge to a knock-down 6-iron.
In my experience it is hard to put a proper swing on the tee shot, such is the fear of missing the tiny target.
Like every great hole, the Postage Stamp plays with your head, putting doubt in your mind. Just the coolest challenge, one that every course should have at least once in 18 holes.
Royal Melbourne GC West Course 17th hole. PHOTO: Brendan James.
Pine Valley GC
5th hole, 238-yard par-3
Sitting as it does at the other end of the par-3 scale, this is one of the most difficult ‘short’ holes I’ve ever played.
Former U.S Open champion Gene ‘The Machine’ Littler had problems here in a Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf match with Byron Nelson in 1962, eventually making a quintuple-bogey eight.
Playing uphill, which normally wouldn’t be my favourite thing to do, this is just a wonderful hole. It just looks ‘right,’ the distant green actually appears to be quite large, which is a bit reassuring given you are standing on the tee with nothing shorter than a 3-iron in your hands knowing that – like the Postage Stamp – the penalty for a bad miss is huge.
But there is no getting away from how pretty the setting is, which only increases the feeling of satisfaction if you do make a good swing.
Yes, this is a difficult hole, but that fact is mitigated hugely by the inviting nature of the tee shot. On what is perennially voted the best course in America, the 5th hole is just a feel-good place to be.
Royal Melbourne GC – West Course
17th hole, 439-yard, par-4
Given the advances in technology, this hole doesn’t play as long as it used to. But it is sort of ‘distance-proofed’ by the run-out through the sloping fairway. And, especially for architecture snobs, it is almost the perfect par-4.
The bunkers sit on the inside of the dogleg. You can see them from the tee, and you so want to drive close to them. That leaves the easiest approach to the green. But that’s the thing. Find the bunkers and you are making at least a bogey.
Then there is the fact that, ideally, you have to hit a draw off the tee, then a fade into the green. So, for good players this is a really hard hole. As your drive gets longer, the tougher it gets to find the ideal spot. And if you want to make a birdie the second shot has to be very brave. Then again, a less accomplished player can easily make a bogey all day long. Drive safely to the right, lay up short of the green, then putt from there. Relatively – and perversely – this is an ‘easier’ hole for an 18-handicapper who can make a five more readily than a scratch player can go one better, which only speaks to the genius of the architecture.
Victoria GC 15th hole. PHOTO: Brendan James.
Victoria GC
15th hole, 316-yard, par-4
The genius of this hole – and I use that adjective advisedly – is that the fairway is widest at its most conservative spot and gets progressively narrower the closer you get to the putting surface. So, you have so many options off the tee, anything from a 6-iron to a driver. And every single option has merit. But the longer the club, the more demanding the tee shot. And, perhaps most relevantly, the punishment for a miss increases.
It’s the reward that tempts so much though. A good player will stand on the tee thinking he can drive the green. So, at that level this hole is actually a trickier challenge than it is for an ‘average’ handicapper. For him or her it is most straightforward. Hit to the fairway, hit it on the green, two-putt for par and go on your way. But the better player is more inclined to ‘take on’ the hole which can lead to low and high scores.
I have no proof of this, but I’d bet there wouldn’t be too much difference between the average scores of a scratch player and a 10-handicap over the course of a month. The former would have everything from, say, a two to a seven, having taken on more risk from the tee. The latter would have a few birdies, a lot of pars and a few bogeys. All of which sounds like a great hole, one where everyone can have some fun.
Augusta National par-5 13th hole. PHOTO: Getty Images.
Augusta National CC
13th hole, 545-yard, par-5
If there is such a thing as a ‘perfect’ par-5, this is it. It ticks the beautiful box. It ticks the architecture box. And it ticks the challenge box all the way from tee to green.
The first challenge is to negotiate the relationship between the quality of your tee shot and the ease of your second shot. There is an exponential reward there. But the better your tee shot aims to be, the more risk you’re taking on. Especially these days. Even for top (right-handed) players, turning a drive over from right-to-left is maybe the last hurrah. It is maybe the Rolls Royce of golf shots.
Still, it is perhaps worth taking on the drive, such is the extent of the reward. You are so much closer to the green, the lie near Rae’s Creek on the left side is relatively flat and the angle into the green is so much more inviting. A ten-out-of-ten drive for a tour player should almost guarantee a birdie and even a putt for an eagle. But every little step away from that ideal makes it harder and harder to hit the green in two. Even an average drive leaves a high-risk second shot.
Perhaps the best part of this hole in the Masters is the fact that no one wins the tournament making four fives here. So, players with ambition have to go for birdies, which only enhances the genius of the design.
St Andrews Old Course 14th hole. PHOTO: Getty Images.
St. Andrews – The Old Course
14th hole, 618-yard, par-5
For those enamoured of options and strategy in golf, this has to be the ultimate hole. There are so many ways to play this hole and make par. But birdies require some thought as well as execution.
Off the tee, you have to favour the right side, close to the out-of-bounds. But because the penalty for missing is so severe, most players end up heading more to the left, which is fine downwind. But into the wind the fearsome bunkers known as ‘the Beardies’ come into play. Danger is everywhere.
The second shot with a chance to reach the green is one of the more thrilling on the course. But what to do? Do you go straight for the putting surface and take on Hell Bunker? Or aim left? Do you emphasise closeness to the green, or play for a better angle into the flag? There is merit almost anywhere and almost any scenario, depending on the pin position, which is part of the greatness of this hole. Every day it asks questions of your imagination and technique. The ideal combination really.
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