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Architecture
The 100 Greatest Holes in America Our nationwide pan el has named the
best designs in the land
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by TOM DOAK CONTRIBUT ING ED ITO R
A desert par three, the 15th at Troon.
The Best Hol e Discussion of 1900" wasn 't too well received by Char les Blair
Macdonald. It appeared in Britain's blue-blood Co untry Life magazine and had Macdonald see ing red. For althoug h golf was just a pup in the U.S. , not a single American golf ho le made th e list. So enraged was Macdonald that he decided, "I' ll show 'e m ," and
cominu ed
GOLF September 1986
The second hole at T e Greenbrier.
-- -- ---------- ------ ---- ----------------- -----~ o:i
GOLF September 1986 29
The fourth, one of two holes from the Myopia Hunt Club .
he went out and built th e National Go lf Link s of Am erica, which remains as one of the top cour ses in the co untr y.
Eig hty-six yea rs and lite ra lly th ousands of golf co urses later, Am erica abound s in fine- no , fant astic-hol es , more th an enough for a list of its own . Thi s we've compil ed by asking a national panel of expert s to se lect the 100 best. With nea rly 250 ,000 holes to choose from , it has to be th e most pres tigious hon or roll of go lf-co urse desig n ever publi shed .
All kind s of golf hol es make th e list , from th e fam ed 16th at Cypr ess Point (the best in A merica; see "Th e Top 10," p .37) and th e trick y 14th at Muirfi e ld Village, to such lesse r-kn own gems as th e second at T he Gr ee nbrier in Whit e Sulphur Sprin gs, Virg inia, or th e ninth , and final, hole at Whitin sville , Massac hu sett s. All co rners covered, a ll holes considered .
We didn 't offe r any exp licit instructi ons of what makes a grea t golf hole, leav ing it to the expe rt s (includin g a few who make their living designin g) to write their own definit ion by choos ing the holes they most loo k forwa rd to playing aga in , and which they would change th e leas t if given th e
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THE VOTING PROCESS
The voting tor the 100 Greatest Holes spanned three months and involved more than 70 panelists, representative of the entire United States.
The panel was chosen from touring and club professionals, architects , golf course superintendents , well-known amateur gol fers, golf association officials and the golf media . Each panelist was asked to submit 20 holes from his area and holes from other parts of the country he felt worthy of submission, in a fair mix of par threes, fours and fives.
Almost 1,000 holes were submitted and went on the final ba llot. Each panel ist was asked to rate on a scale of 1-10 the holes he had played or seen. If the panelist was unclear ab out a hole's look and layout, he was asked not to rate it. The on ly
restriction on the list was that it could include on ly two holes from any single course.
We have ranked the top-10 holes in order and cou ld have done so with the whole list . But toward the midd le, scores became very close . So the top 10 is the "elite" of the list; the rest form a p raiseworthy pack .
Water threatens on the TPC a t Sawgrass' finishing hole.
colllinued
GOLF Septembe r 1986
The pa.r-three ninth at Jupiter Hills.
opportunity. But we can draw a few conclu
sions from the results . Difficulty, while not the only measure of a great hole, is a necessary ingredient: A beautiful hole that doesn't challenge the best players just isn' t good enough. It 's no coincidence that the 16th at Cypress is also ranked annually among the most difficult on the PGA Tour.
But by the same token, a truly great hole offers weaker players safer , if less rewarding, routes to the green. The famous island 17th at the TPC almost missed the list because of such purist concern ( even though the lack of an alternate route to the green is also the hole 's stre ngth). The 16th at Cypress might have receiv ed considerably less support if the player had no choice but to conquer the 220-yard carry. Fortunat e ly, designer Alister Mackenzie also left a less ambitious route , partially via land, around to the left ; otherwise , most players would spend an e te r-
co111i11ued
Bunkers abound on the par -five 17th of Baltusrol Lower.
GOLF September 1986
The 50 Best Holes Open to the Public
HOLE COURSE
13 18 5,17 11 12 13 18 13 7 17.18 12 13 2,6
13
18 15,17 14 13 17 6 18 17 3 6 10 14,16 8,18 2,5 16 8 8 13 9 4 4 7 4 5 6 17 3 13,18
Arcadian Shores Bear Creek, Golf World (Masters) Bethpage State Park (Black) The Captains GC Cascades (Upper) Cochiti Lake GC Doral (Blue) The Dunes Golf & Beach Club Eastmoreland GC Edgewood Tahoe GC Golden Horseshoe Grapevine Municipal The Greenbrier Course
The Greenbrier (Old White)
Half Moon Bay GL Harbour Town GL Inn of the Mountain Gods Jones Creek GC Kemper Lakes GC Lawsonia Links Leatherstocking GC Marsh Harbour GC Mauna Kea Golf & Beach Club Mauna Lani GC Otter Creek Pasatiempo GC Pebble Beach GL Pinehurst (No. 2) Pinehurst (No. 7) Pipestem State Park GC The Pit GC Port Ludlow GC Riverdale (Dunes) Sea Island (Seaside) Sentryworld Shanty Creek (Legend) Spyglass Hill GC Tanglewood Park (West) Tok-a-Tee GC WailauGC Waterwood National Wild Dunes
CITY Myrtle Beach, S.C. Houston, Tex. Farmingdale, N.Y Brewster, Mass. Hot Springs, Va. Pena Blanca, N.M. Miami.Fla. Myrtle Beach, S.C. Portland, Ore. Stateline, Nev. Williamsburg, Va. Grapevine, Tex. White Sulphur Springs, W Va. White Sulphur Springs, W Va. Half Moon. Bay, Cal. Hilton Head, S.C. Mescalero, N.M. Augusta, Ga. Hawthorn Woods, Ill. Green Lake. Wis. Cooperstown, N.Y Myrtle Beach, S.C. Kamuela, Haw. Kawaihae, Hawaii Columbus, Ind. Santa Cruz, Cal. Pebble Beach, Cal. Pinehurst, N.C. Pinehurst, N.C. Pipestem. W Va. Pinehurst, N.C. Port Ludlow, Wash. Henderson, Colo. St. Simons Island, Ga. Stevens Point, Wis. Bellaire, Mich. Pebble Beach, Cal. Clemmons, N.C. Blue River, Ore. Lihue, Kauai, Haw. Huntsville, Tex. Isle of Palms, S.C.
31
A beauty uncovered : the ninth, and fina l, hole a t Whitinsville.
nity on No. 16 and never even reach the 17th, Cypress Point's other contribution to the list.
Lest we forget , the 16th has other assets. For one , the shot values are right-t he gree n is a large enough target to hand le a fu ll drive, and has just enough contour to lull the triumphant golfer into nega ting his brilliant tee
inspiring to play. So, as one might expect, the major ity of holes selected (63 out of 100) are the showpieces of courses we ranked among our " 100 Greatest Courses in the World " (Sept. , 1985, p. 33). Our two highest-ra nked courses , Pine Valley and Pebb le Beach , wou ld have placed 12 ho les betwee n
them in the top 100, but shot with thr ee putt s for bogey. Th e optiona l route also covers on days when the hole plays into a stiff hea dwind and reac hing the green in one is out of the qu estion . It is also a completely natu ra l hole; Mackenzie added a qu ar tet of bunk ers to fra me the green , but the hole still fits John Law's test in th at " the gro und determines the play." Finally, having the Pacific Ocea n as backdrop add s a touch of chara cter.
The Panel to reduce the bias in favor of such famous tracks , we limited the list to no more than two holes from a single course. Twenty-one courses placed two holes and only one-the Myopia Hunt Club , in Sout h Hamilton , Massachusetts, scene of four early U.S . Ope ns-was not ranked in our 100 greates t courses .
In short , a grea t golf hole is a grea t course in microcosm- challenging, flex ible, we ll-balanced , bea utiful and , above all,
32
John Abernethy , Pa. Judy Bell, Col o. Deane Bernon , Fla . P.J. Boatwright Jr., N.J. Andre Buckles , Oh io William C. Campbell , wva. Som Cantor , Co nn. Jim Chew, Okla . Geoffrey Cornish , Ma ss. Ben Crenshaw , Tex. Tom Doak , Conn. Harold D. Durham , N.M. Pete Dye, Fla. Howard Everitt, Fla. Tom Fazio, Fla . Jim Ferree, S.C. Jomes W .. Finegan , Pa. Joe Finger , Tex. Raymond Floyd, Fla. Leo Fraser, N.J. Vinny Giles, Vo. Wilma Gilliland , Neb . Tim Greenwell , Ariz. Jon Gustin , Ala . Edward Hoos, Wis. Bob Hanno , Ca l. John Harbottle , wa sh. Dick Haskell , Mass. Peter Jacobsen , Ore . Rees Jones , N.J. Robert Trent Jones , N.J. Bill Kittleman , Pa. Jomes J. LoRoso, WVa. John Loupheimer , Tex. Duff Lawrence , Ariz.
Dr. Roy Lebe l, Ma ine John Lombardy , Vt. Melvin B. Lucas Jr., Ma ss. Roy McDonald , Ind . Dole McNamara , Okla . John MocNee ly, Miss. Don Maples , N.C. Eddie Merrins, Ca l. Woody Millen , S.C. Johnny Miller, Uta h Steve Mono , Ga . Joy Mottola , N.Y Fred Muller , Mich. Dick Murphy, Ga . Jim Murray, Ca l. Will F. Nicholson, Co lo . Arnold Palmer , Pa. Dick Passey, Utah Dr. Kenyon Payne , Mic h. Ronnie Qu inn, R.I. · Al Rodko , N.J. Warren Rebholz, Minn. Ron Riemer, Ill. Bill Shean , Ill. Brion Silva, Mass. Bob Sommers , N.J. Johnny Stevens, Kan . Fronk D. Tatum Jr., Cal. Bob Thomas, Ca l. Peter Tufts, N.C. Hole Von Hoy, N.C. Ken Venturi , Fla. Scott Verplonk , Tex. Orrin Vincent, Nev. Brent Wadswo rth , Ill.
Great holes are not the exclusive property of ha llowed courses. Many layouts have one or two ho les tucked away that deserve compar ison with the acknow ledged greats. These are the lesse rknowns we'd hoped to
Open for complete list ~
GOLF Septe mber 1986
find, and did . They include such holes as the seventh at Palmetto, a medium iron to a narrow green shelved high on the side of a hill; the eighth at Fishers Island, a short par five on an exclusive summer resort on Long Island Sound , where the tee shot must carry a corner of the beach and a guardian sand dune if the golfer is to skirt the left-front green side bunker with his long second shot; and the ninth at Whitinsville , a brilliant conclusion to a gem of a nine holer.
On closer examination, however , most of these places ought to be better-known already. Palmetto , for example, was created by Dr. Mackenzie in his spare time while designing Augusta National a few miles down the road. Similarit y, the Fishers Island hole is the work of Seth Raynor , the longtime protege of master architect Macdonald , and Whitinsville is a Donald Ross creation.
Thirty-three architects are represented on the list, but the virt uoso designers claim the vast majority . Brook Hollow and Rockaway Hunting Club are both A.W. Tillinghast layouts. Crag Burn and Mauna Kea ? Talk to Robert Trent Jones. The Country Club , outside Cleveland (not to be confused with the Brookline , Massachusetts, variety)? Maybe we
continued on page 61
The best in the land : Cypress Point's 16th.
THE TOP 10 HOLES, IN ORDER
Cypress Point, No . 16 Pebble Beach, No. 18 Pebble Beach, No. 8
Winged Foot (West), No. 10 Augusta National , No . 13
Merion (East), No . 16 Pine Valley, No. 15
Augusta National, No. 12 Prairie Dunes , No. 8
The National Golf Links, No. 17
GOLF September 1986
The winding fourth at Nicklaus' Bear Creek layout.
One of Muirfield Village 's finest: the 14th.
The well-guarded seventh at the San Francisco GC.
The third at Mauna Kea in Hawaii is all carry .
37
100 GREATEST from page 37
should know more about William Flynn , who was also the force behind the 1930 redesign of Shinnecock Hills . The "big three " of modern design, Dye , Nicklaus and Tom Fazio, are also well represented , with a total of 19 holes on the list.
If there is a lesson to be learned from the list , it must be contained in the diversity of the holes represented . There is a long , uphill, bunkerless par four (the seventh at Inverness) and a short, downhill par four with a dozen bunkers to negotiate (the 17th at the National Golf Links). There are five par fives of over 600 yards each, and four par threes that can't be stretched to 150. There are even three par fours that measure out longer than the two shortest par fives. Th ere are sharp doglegs to the left (such as the 13th at Augusta National) , sweeping curves to the right (the fifth at Colonial) and ramrod-straight two-shatters (the 15th at Oakmont). There is the ninth at Yale, whose green measures 60 yards from front to back and contains a five-foot deep swale that could hide an army, and the 15th hole at Harbour Town , whose green couldn 't hide an ant.
We have the old and the new, from the fourth at Myopia , whose canted green gave Willie Anderson fits in the 1901 U.S. Open , to the ninth at PGA West, which opened in the past year. And there are holes from the far corners of the country: Interlachen in Minnesota, Doral in Miami, Kittansett at the base of Cape Cod and Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
But there must still be hundreds of great golf-holes-in-the-raw out there, from the giant sandhills of Nebraska to the rocky coast of Maine, just begging for a golfer with the inspiration to dig the bunkers , mow the grass and cut a pin . As time passes , we hope that some will be discovered and transformed to their best golfing purpose , so that one day they may take their rightful place among the 100 greatest in America .
C.B. would have wanted it that way. ■
GOLF September 1986 61
BEACH GOLF HOllDAY
GOLE 100 Greatest He
HOLE COURSE PAR/YARDAGE/ ARCHITECTS HOLE COURSE PAR/YARDAGE/ARCHITECTS
No. 12 Augusta Nat iona l GC Par 3, 155 yds. No. 18 Edgewood Tahoe GC Par 5, 591 yds. Augusta , Ga . MacKenzie Sta te line , Nev. G. Fazio
No . 13 Augusta National GC Par 5, 465 yds . No. 17 Firestone CC (North) Par 3, 218 yds. Augusta , Ga . MacKenzie /Nicklaus Akron, Oh io Jones
No . 4 Baltusrol GC (Lower) Par 3, 192 yds. No. 16 Firestone CC (South) Par 5, 625 yds. Spring field , N.J. Tillinghast /Jones Akron , Oh io Jone s
No. 17 Baltusrol GC (Lower) Par 5, 630 yds. No. 8 Fishers Island Club Par 5, 460 yds. Springfield , N.J. Tillinghast /Jones Fishers Island , NY Raynor
No . 18 Bay Hill Club Par 4, 456 yds. No. 2 The Greenbrier Par 4, 403 yds. Orlando , Fla. D. Wilson/Palmer Course Nick lau s
No . 4 Bear Creek GC Par 4, 435 yds. While Sulphur Temecul a , Cal. Nicklaus Spring s, W Va.
No . 18 Bear Creek Golf Par 4, 442 yds No. 18 Half Moon Bay GL Par 4, 428 yds. World (Masters) Riviere Half Moon Bay, Ca l. Palme r/Duane Houston , Tex. No. 15 Harbour Town Par 5, 562 yds.
No . 10 Bel Air CC Par 3, 198 yds Links Dye/Nickl aus Los Angel es, Cal. Thomas Hilton Head , S.C.
No . 5 Bethpage State Par 4, 438 yds. No. 17 Harbour Town 7 ar 3, 179 yds. Park (Black) Tillinghast Links Dye/Nic klau s Farmingdale , N.Y Hilton Head , S.C.
No . 16 Brook Hollow GC Par 3, 228 yds. No. 12 Indian Creek CC Par 3, 190 yds. Da llas, Tex. Tillinghast Bal Harbour , Fla. Flynn/D. Wilson
No. 18 Butler Nationa l GC Par 4, 466 yds. No. 12 Interlachen CC Par 5, 541 yds. Oa k Brook, Ill. G. & 1 Fazio Edina , Minn . 'Natson/Ross
No. 18 Canterbury CC Par 4, 438 yds. No. 7 Inverness Club Par 4, 452 yds. Clev eland , Ohio Strong Toledo , Ohio Ross
No. 2 Chicago GC Par 4, 440 yds . No. 9 Jupiter Hills Club Par 3, 190 yds. Wheat on , Ill. Mac donald /Raynor (Hills) G. & 1 Fazio
No. 12 Chicago GC Par 4, 405 yds. Tequesta , Fla. Wheat on , Ill. Macdonald /Rayno r No. 17 Kemper Lakes GC Par 3, 203 yds.
No . 5 Colonial cc Par 4, 466 yds Hawthorn 'Naods , Ill. Killian /Nuge nt Fort Worth, Tex. Maxwell No. 3 Kittansett Club Par 3, 170 yd s.
No. 18 Colonial• CC Par 4, 434 yds . Marion , Mass. Hood Fo rt Wo rth , Tex. Bredemus No. 3 Linville GC Par 4, 455 yds.
No. 18 Congressional CC Par 4, 465 yds. Linville, N.C. Ross Bethe sda , Md. Jones No. 7 Long Cove Club Par 4, 439 yds.
No 2 Crag Burn GC Par 5. 607 yd s Hilton Head , S.C. Dye East Auro ra . N.Y Jo nes No. 9 Maidstone Club Par 4, 410 yds.
No 6 Crooked Stick GC Par 3. 189 yds. East Hampton , N.Y Park Carmel . Ind . Dye No. 14 Maidstone Club Par 3, 140 yd s.
No 8 Crystal Downs CC Par 5. 550 yds East Hampton , NY Park Frankfort . Mich . MacKenzi e
., No. 3 Mauna Kea GC Par 3, 215 yd s. No. 16 Cypress Point Club Par 3. 233 yds. Kamuela , Hawai i Jone s
Pebble Beach . Ca l. MacKenzie No. 17 Medinah CC Par 3, 220 yds. No 17 Cypress Point Club Par 4. 375 yds. (No. 3) Bendelow /Killian
Pebble Beach . Cal. MacKenzie Medinah , Ill. No. 10 Country Club of Par 5, 581 yd s. No. 11 Merion GC (East) Par 4, 369 yd s.
Detroit Col t Ard mo re , Pa. H. Wilson/Flynn Grosse Poi nte No. 16 Merion GC (East) Par 4, 428 yd s.
~ Farms. Mic h. Ardmo re, Pa . H. Wilson :2
No. 18 Doral CC Par 4. 437 yds. No . 12 Muirfield Village GC Par 3, 152 yds. -"
(Blue) D. Wilson Dubl in. Ohio Nickl au s/Muirhe ad -'; -Miami . Fla. No . 14 Muirfield Village GC Par 4, 363 yds. ""' No. 13 The Dunes Golf Par 5. 575 yds. Dublin . Ohio Nicklaus /Muirhead a
g & Beach Club Jon es No . 4 Myopia Hunt C lub Par 4, 392 yds. ~ Myrtle Beach , S.C. South Hamil ton , Mass. Leeds ::':
33 GOLF Sep tember 1986
/
MAGAZINE'S
,les InAmerica HOLE COURSE PAR/YARDAGE/ ARCHITECTS HOLE COURSE PAR/YARDAGE/ARCHITECTS
No. 9 Myopia Hunt Club Par 3, 136 yds. No. 9 Rockaway Par 4, 465 yd s. South Ham ilton, Mass. Leed s Hunting Club Tillinghast
No . 4 Nat iona l GL of Par 3, 196 yds. Cedarhu rst, N.Y America Macdon al d No. 7 San Francisco GC Par 3, 180 yds. Southampton , NY San Francisco , Cal. Tillinghast
No. 17 National GL of Par 4, 368 yds. No. 10 Saucon Valley CC Par 5, 534 yds. America Ma cdonald (Grace) Gordon Southamp ton , NY Bethlehem , Pa.
No. 3 Oak Tree GC Par 5, 584 yds. No. 4 Sea Island GC Par 4, 382 yds. Edmond , Okla . Dye (Seaside) Colt /Alison
No. 16 Oakland Hills CC Par 4, 405 yds. St. Simons Island , Ga . (South) Ross/Jones No. 6 Seminole GC Par 4, 390 yds. Birmingham , Mich . North Palm Beach , Fla. Ross
No. 15 Oakmont CC Par 4, 453 yds. No. 17 Seminole GC,.. Par 3, 175 yds. Oakmont , Pa. Fownes North Palm Beach , Fla. Ross
No. 3 The Golf Club of Par 4, 415 yds. No. 11 Shinnecock Hills GC Par 3, 158 yds. Oklahoma I Fazio Southampton , N.Y Flynn/D. Wilson Broken Arrow, Okla . No. 14 Shinnecock Hills GC Par 4, 444 yds.
No. 16 Olympic Club (Lake) Par 5, 604 yds. Southampton , N.Y Flynn/D. Wilson San Francisco , Cal. Reid/Whiting No. 11 Shoreacres Par 4, 349 yds.
No. 18 Olympic Club (Lake) Par 4, 338 yds. Lake Bluff, Ill. Raynor San Francisco , Ca l. Reid/Whiting No. 15 Somerset Hills CC Par 4, 385 yds.
No. 7 Palmetto GC Par 3, 161 yds. Bernardsville , N.J. Tillinghast Aiken , S.C. MacKenzie No. 12 Southern Hills CC Par 4, 444 yds.
No. 8 Pebble Beach GL Par 4, 425 yds. Tulsa, Okla . Maxwell Pebble Beach , Cal. Neville /Grant No. 18 Southern Hills CC Par 4, 449 yds.
No. 18 Pebble Beach GL Par 5, 548 yds Tulsa, OklO. Maxwell Pebble Beach , Ca l. Neville /Grant No. 3 The Country Club Par 4, 446 yds.
No. 9 PGA West (Stadium) Par 4, 450 yds. Brookline, Mass. Campbell La Quinta , Cal. Dye No. 9 The Country Club Par 3, 188 yds.
No. 18 Philadelphia Par 4, 472 yds. Pepper Pike, Ohio Flynn Cricket Club Tillinghast No. 13 The Golf Club Par 4, 369 yds. Flourtown , Pa. New Albany; Ohio Dye
No. 9 Philmont CC (North) Par 5, 574 yds. No. 17 TPC at Sawgrass Par 3, 132 yds. Philadelphia , Pa. Flynn Ponte Vedro , Flo. Dye
No. 13 Pine Valley GC Par 4, 446 yds. No. 18 TPC at Sawgrass Par 4, 440 yds. Pine Volley; N.J. Crump /H. Wilson Ponte Vedro , Flo. Dye
No. 15 Pine Valley GC Par 5, 603 yds. No. 15 Troon G&CC Par 3, 139 yds. Pine Volley; N.J. Crump /H. Wilson Scottsda le, Ariz. Weiskopf/Morrish
No. 2 Pinehurst CC (No. 2) Par 4, 441 yd s. No. 16 The Vintage Club Par 4, 379 yds. Pinehurst, N.C. Ross (Mountain) I Fazio
No. 5 Pinehurst CC (No. 2) Par 4, 445 yds. \."' ;, . Ind ian Wells, Col. Pinehurst , N.C. Ross ,i-:-: No. 9 Whitinsville GC Par 4, 440 yds.
No. 9 Point O'Woods Par 3, 203 yds )c • ~ Whitinsville, Moss. Ross G&CC Jones No. 18 Wild Dunes Par 5, 540 yds. Benton Harbor, Mich . Isle of Palms, S.C. I Fazio
No. 8 Prairie Dunes CC Par 4, 420 yds. No. 10 Winged Foot GC Par 3. 190 yds. Hutc hinson . Kon. Maxwell (West) Tillinghast
No. 10 Prairie Dunes CC Par 3, 169 yds. Mamaroneck , N.Y Hutchinson , Kon. Maxwell No. 18 Winged Foot GC Par 4, 448 yds.
No . 7 Preston Trail GC Par 4, 422 yds. (West) Tillinghast Dallas , Tex. Plummer Mamaroneck , N.Y
No. 6 Quaker Ridge GC Par 4, 446 yds. No . 4 Yale University GC Par 4, 443 yds. Scarsdale , N.Y Tillinghast New Hoven , Conn . Macdonald
No. 18 Riviera CC Par 4, 443 yds. No. 9 Yale University GC Par 3, 228 yds. Pacific Palisades , Col . Thomas New Hoven , Conn . Macdonald
GOLF Sep temb er 1986 34
