Would a golf hole by any other name be just as sweet?
Why do some golf courses name their holes? Well, as with most golf traditions and conventions, it likely started where golf originated, in Scotland.
Indeed, many of the golf courses in Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland name their holes.
St. Andrews, considered the home of golf, has hole names at the Old Course, The Castle Course and Jubilee Course - the other courses (New, Eden, and Strathtyrum) do not.
Because the Old Course at St. Andrews has many parallel holes - and before the greens and fairways were separated played on the same fairway in both directions - many holes heading out have the same name on the corresponding inward nine. For example, holes 3 and 15 are named Cartgate, holes 5 and 13 are called Hole O'Cross, and holes 6 and 12 are titled Heathery.
Perhaps the most famous hole name - and perhaps hole in general - at the Old Course is Road. Commonly called the Road Hole across the golfing world, it is more well known by its name rather than its number (17). Interestingly, the most famous feautre of the Road Hole is the drive over the old railway shed. The Road Hole Bunker in the front of the green is also a well known aspect of the hole. It may seem ironic that the road - you know, the thing the hole is named after! - is a tertiary element. That is, until a ball ends up on the road - which is in play and an integral part of the course (play it as it lies!) - and a golfer has to play off the road and sometimes try to bank off the wall behind the road!
Another famous hole name at a Scottish course is the Postage Stamp at Royal Troon. According to the club's website, the hole was originally named Ailsa because of the "perfect view of the rocky islet of that name from the tee." The hole name was changed when William Park called the green the size of a postage stamp in Golf Illustrated and the name stuck. Most in golfing circles know that this hole has an unusually small green, evoked by the name of the hole.
Good golf hole names, like these two examples from the Scottish links, play to a feature of a hole or to the history of the hole or course.
While many golf courses do not name their holes - or their hole names are gimmicky - there are three hole names of courses in New Jersey: two speaking to a feature of the hole and the other owing to the history of the course.
Gorilla: Hole 3 (East Course), Ridgewood Country Club
The third hole at the Ridgewood Country Club's East Course is a long par five, nearly 600 yards from the championship tee (546 and 508 yards from the back and middle tees, respectively). A key aspect of this hole is an example of the one of the architect's prominent design features, the Great Hazard.
A unique feature of this great hazard from A.W. Tillinghast is the lack of bunkers, but rather the "gorilla" mounds with deep rough and fescue.
The third hole on the East - which also plays as the third on the championship composite layout at the 27-hole club - is named for a prominent hole feature. The name "Gorilla"identifies the key hazard, making it a perfect name for this challenging hole.
Purgatory: Hole 18, Forsgate Country Club (Banks Course)
Purgatory is defined as a "place or state of suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners who are expiating their sins before going to heaven." While the 18th hole of a golf course - or any hole for that matter, depending on the quality of play - may be a place of suffering, the last of hole a golf course also offers one last chance for redemption.
The finishing hole on the Banks Course at Forsgate Country Club is a challenging one - a "devilish" one as their plaque says - a 421 yard par four with an elevated green and a classically deep Banks bunker protecting the front right of the green.
Golfers who avoid the "purgatory bunker" and play the hole well may atone for their previous misfortunes and misdeeds on the previous seventeen. Regardless of the outcome on the 18th, all who finish the hole are treated to a wonderful round of golf.
Trolley Back: Hole 18, Atlantic City Country Club
Once an exclusive country club, Atlantic City Country Club is now open to the public. With a ton of history and a highly ranked course, Atlantic City Country Club is a treat to those in New Jersey and the surrounding area.
According to the course's website, the site for the course was selected because of its "easy accessibility to and from the boardwalk hotels via a trolley line that ran from Atlantic City to Somers Point and Ocean City [which] made it the perfect location."
The course's logo is a bell, which still resides outside the clubhouse. The bell would ring when the last trolley back to the boardwalk was leaving the course.
While there is no trolley today, after finishing on the 18th hole at Atlantic City Country Club - and maybe a cocktail or two in the grill room or on the patio - the hole's name pays homage to the history of the club and how its members returned to their hotels or homes.
Are Golf Hole Names Important?
Good golf hole names stick. They have meaning, whether a feature of the hole or part of the history of the course.
Good hole names add to the experience of playing the course or watching a professional tournament.
A golf hole by any other name may still play as sweet, but a golf hole with a good name makes it a little sweeter.
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