We've all played a golf hole that after holing the putt and walking to the next tee thought, "wow, that was an awesome hole."
But what exactly in a golf hole conjures that special feeling? Does it have to do with the landscaping? Or the view from the tee? Does an awesome golf hole have to be designed by a well-known architect or on a famous course? Or maybe it just simply has to do with our score on the hole.
Golf course architecture is a form of art. And just like paintings or film, for example, opinions on what we like in golf course architecture vary greatly. What's different about golf course architecture as a form of art, though, is our experiences vary greatly. We are part of the art.
We walk the golf course; we hit golf shots on it. We have a goal of getting a little white ball in to a hole 100 to 600 yards away in as few strokes as possible. When that doesn't go according to plan, our emotional response is different than when we execute perfectly. And, even though it shouldn't - our appreciation of that hole may be influenced by our performance.
So taking a step back and thinking about what makes an awesome golf hole - an awesome piece of art in this game - led me to create this list.
The Hole Has A Name
Lots of golf courses name their golf holes. Many have simple names. "Home" is a popular 18th hole name. "Short" is, of course, usually a short par 3. Others use land features such as river, creek, hill, or knob to name the hole. Famously, Augusta National names all of its golf holes after trees.
But when a hole is named organically, through decades of play, trials and tribulations from that play, and the sharing of stories in the grill room after the round, that makes the name of a hole unique. And when that name differs from its "official" name, it makes it even better - even more awesome.
The Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey provides a great example of the latter. Officially called "Scoonie," the sixth hole on the Center Nine is more commonly known as the "Five and Dime" hole.
The smart way to play this short 275-yard par four is probably using a five iron off the tee and a pitching wedge (then known as a 10-iron - hence the "dime") to an elevated, super narrow green with a deep fall off on the right. The more fun way is to hit driver and hope that you have an easy up and down. Regardless if you play "Scoonie" by sending a driver or by the organically named five and dime way, it's hard not to smile after walking off that hole.
The Hole is Quirky
How many boring, nondescript golf holes have we all played? Ones that you'll never remember. Run of the mill, point A to point B, non memorable. When a golf hole dares to be unique, dares to be different, dares to be one of a kind, it's likely to be a pretty awesome hole. When something stands out, you're sure to remember it.
The par five 13th hole at Tobacco Road in the Pinehurst area stands out, even amongst a course full quirky, larger than life holes. A 573-yard par five from the back tees, the hole features a wide fairway that turns to the right, with an option to carry a waste area to shorten the hole. A smart play for the second shot is to lay up, as the green is what makes this hole quirky, daring, and exciting.
The shallow green - no more than 10 paces deep - is mysterious. Unless the hole is cut on the right side of the green, you can't see the flag. The green is sunken into dunes, guarded on all sides by bunkers, dunes, and native grass. It requires precision. It requires trust.
When you walk up to the green after your approach, comes the big reveal. Are you close to the pin? Is your ball even on the green?
Is it quirky? Yes. It is awesome? Yes.
When you play that hole, look around. Is there really any other spot in the vicinity that that green should be? I can't find a better place.
The Hole Is Grand
From the moment you walk off the green of the previous hole, your mind starts to think about the next hole. And sometimes, that next hole is grand. It is big. It makes you feel small. The hole feels important, perhaps momentous.
On a course full huge golf holes, the fourth hole at Bethpage State Park's Black Course just feels a little bigger, a little grander.
Walking off the third green, you turn left to a view of the grand fourth hole, a short par five - only 461 yards from the white tee (517 from the blue). It's all out in front of you. But what stares you in the face from the tee is a classic Tillinghast "Great Hazard." This bunker is massive and is dug into the hill that steps up to the elevated second fairway. Standing on the tee, you feel as small as a grain of sand in that bunker.
Does An Awesome Hole Need To Be A Good Hole?
The three examples I provide in this post are all very different holes. The fourth hole at Bethpage Black is regarded by many as one of A.W. Tillinghast's best par fives.
The 13th at Tobacco Road has its supporters but also its detractors with regard to it's architectural merit. But that doesn't mean it still isn't an awesome hole.
And that's the great thing about golf and how we experience the art on which we play the game. An awesome hole may also be a nondescript, simple hole that was the site of your first birdie, but birdies are awesome.
Awesome holes are everywhere. You just have to look out for them.
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