Your toughest hole

As a follow up to yesterday's post by Eldestboy, I'm interested in hearing which hole you find the toughest and why. In my own case it's a 400 yard par 5. Yes only 400 yards and a par 5, and no I'm not a spaz. So I'll try and qualify this with a description of the hole.

The first at this particular course is a nightmare, and by the time you've climbed up the huge incline to reach the tee you're short of breath. The tee is tight into the tree line and the fairway is trees all the way to the green, which is a raised postage stamp tight into the tree line. So the green is a pin prick directly in front of you, but overhanging branches all the way. The fairway is all uphill, but worse is the massive slope which runs from the tree line all the way down a valley to the right. You need to be able to hit a long ball which almost skims the trees which should find a small plateu on the only level bit of fairway. Players who attempt this need to be a decent long hitter and very, very accurate, so not many manage it. Invariably a decent drive will hit the fairway and run backwards and to the right down the slope, so if your drive carried 200 yards it will pitch to the right and backwards down the hill, leaving you about 250 away and all up hill. My sunday best 3-wood will see me hit the bank of the raised green and either plug, or take a massive kick to the right into cabbage or sand. It's Bar Steward of a hole. I've birdied it once, but that was because i was able to pitch it close with my 3rd. This hole is also the 10th and a par 4 from the same distance but different tee position and SI1. Easier tee shot as you're not in the tree line, but still never reached it in 2. Your card can be wrecked on the first hole on this course and the course record which was done by the pro 2-years ago is 1 under. Its a very pictureque, but very challenging par 69. Some great holes, but many tee postions are on the tree line, so if you start your drive to the left as i do, you will struggle on many of the holes. Playing to my H/C on here feels better than on my home course.

Not sure really. Always used to be the 15th at my first club (Long Ashton) which, off the backs is ~430, uphill and into the prevailing breeze most of the time. Beast of a hole (SI 2 when I played it) in the past and always had a looonnnng second even if I hit a good drive. At least the green was relatively flat. Not sure it's as tough now with the modern drivers and balls but haven't played it in a long while.

17th at TOC was a bit challenging(!) as well when I played it and the 11th and 16th at Ballybunion Old Course still give me nightmares.

I wouldn't say TOC 17th is that difficult played it with a driver and 8 iron last week. More intimidating than difficult, you just have to be brave and play it further right than you think.

super_realist wrote:I wouldn't say TOC 17th is that difficult played it with a driver and 8 iron last week. More intimidating than difficult, you just have to be brave and play it further right than you think.

That was the main problem; I didn't! Left into rough, road bunker......

I think it would be a fitting closing hole though Navy as it's a truly rubbish finish to a major championship at present, Make the 18th the first hole and the 1st the second and so on.

I managed to knock one straight into the hotel at the 17th at TOC - caddie scared me to death with my line and pushed it a touch to clatter the tiles!?!

Although 18 is not a great finishing hole for a major it does have a certain amphitheatre feel to it and if a player is a couple ahead after 17 then there must be quite an enjoyable feeling knowing that you can stroll the last to win. Obviously not great for any late surprises but it does allow the leader to take it all in and I would have thought it makes for good live viewing.

Probably good for the player but a complete anti climax for everyone else I think. Getting to like the course more, but it's still a dog with fleas for most of it.

Our 2nd very early in the round for the difficulty.571 yds.OB down the left of the tee.needs career quality drive with draw to hit the fairway and fly over the ridge OB 10 yds left.then 3/5 wood to clear the ditch at the bottom of the hill and back up towards the green avoid the pond and large tree on the right and bunkers up the middle but ideally push the second shot right to allow a pitch up the 2 tier severely sloping narrow green ,long bunker front left and steep hollow to the right.If your not coming in from the right up the green the 3rd shot is very tough.If you are skilled enough to find the putting surface under the hole is a must above the hole is almost certain 3 putt down the slope(stairs).Gimme a six and Ill take it.had 7 putts there one day

Why do they do that with stepped greens and dodgy pin positions One of the 200 yard par 3's I mentioned yesterday is an impossible par if the pin is on the front of the green. You can hit a stunning shot to the green, and finish up with a scary put down the slopes and the only thing to stop your ball going off and down the slope onto the fairway or into sand, is the cup.

If anyone is the slightest bit interested our website forest hill golf club has a very good course guide.When you are on the course page the 2nd hole is the smaller pic under the large one.Doesnt really do it justice but if youve got to the point where the 2 fellas are standing youve played 2 very good shots and the difficult bit is about 2 start

Our first. Very tough opening hole, ob left, bunkers at driving distance right, trees (all our trees are densely packed, often not possible to chip out even sideways) both sides. Plays over a valley off the tee, then uphill and right to left all the way to a narrow, two tiered green that has bunkers either side. Plays into the prevailing wind so even if you've only got about 150 yards for your second, it's often a mid to long iron.

Or our second, short par 4 but ob left, thick trees right and the green has 4 bunkers in front and to the left. The green is wide but shallow, slopes right to left and has a ridge running down the middle, so if you pitch short the ball stops but pitch long and it won't stay on.

Or 3rd, OB right, shortish par 5 with trees either side, and a narrow gap through which to thread the tee shot, which leaves only the right side of the fairway and then trees/ob visible from the tee. Layup area has water left, bunker long, trees right. Impossible to get up and down from above(right) of the green, which is long, narrow and undulating.

Or 4, effectively island par 3

Or 5, SI 1 with water that often means leaving driver in the bag, ob right, trees left, second to uphill green played off a downslope with mid-long iron, shallow green guarded by bunkers left and right, big hedge long so no real margin for error.

Or 6, par 5 with pond at about 250 on the right, bunkers on the left about 230, ob further left. Layup off the tee makes for a long approach to the narrow, long, back to front sloping green, driver brings hazards into play. Trees right and left, elevated green with sharp slopes all round so v difficult to up & down it if missed.

Or 7, par 3 over water to shallow, 2 tier green with humps and hollows right and long, often plays into the wind.

Or 8, par 4 with ob left, trees right, dogleg r to l, ball above feet for approach to smallish green.

9, par 5, trees left and right, wide fairway but slopes mean anything with any shape on it can run off into trees. Ditch to carry for second (or to avoid if v long off tee with wind behind), with bunker left and trees right of layup area, then ridiculously sloping green.

10, trees left and right, uphill into wind as on 1, green wide and shallow and guarded by bunkers, fairway very difficult to hit.

11, uphill par 3 over huge bunker into prevailing wind, green shallow and wide, and slopes left to right so making it very hard to get it up and down if you miss the green.

12, dogleg l to r, bunker on corner, trees all down left (and right, for that matter) so fade required. Green elevated, angles away from you left to right so can be 3 clubs difference in approach shot depending on pin position, usually sloping lie in fairway, bunkers to carry but dead if you go long.

13, monster par 5, pond on right, trees left and right, huge conifer on corner of dogleg with bunker next to it, making 2nd shot hugely complex and leaving very little fairway to play with. Veritable orchard all the way down the right of the hole after the pond, undulating, elevated green.

14, par 3 downhill, water short, left and right, anything long is either in a hollow or in another water hazard, or in trees. Wind swirls, making club selection a nightmare.

15, shortish par 4 with pond/ob left, which the hole doglegs around. Blind second if you don't make it all the way to the corner, with bunkers and hollows surrounding the green and ob long.

16, Par 4 with dense undergrowth left, trees right, uphill approach to long, narrow green (again, good 3 clubs difference front to back)

17, Uphill par 3 surrounded by bunkers and with huge undulations on the green

18, downhill par 5 with trees left, ob right, fairway narrows at driving distance. If you don't hit it 300 yards off the tee, you pretty much have to lay up short of the water at about 150 from the front of the green, leaving anything between and 8 and a 4 iron to a green that slopes right to left with that same water hazard immediately off to the left.

It's amazing I ever get around in one piece, really

I'll wager no one reads through that, it's a bit like looking at other peoples holiday snaps.

super_realist wrote:I'll wager no one reads through that, it's a bit like looking at other peoples holiday snaps.

I know I wouldn't bother. Just trying to make the point that these holes all sound completely horrendous in isolation, but in fact you can pick out the difficulties of just about any hole.

Got to hole number 2 and got bored sorry! But the point is valid that there really is no such thing as one tough hole because each hole offers things different players will struggle with, it's how you manage yourself and your game that set how tough a hole really is for the individual brings me back to those 2 magic words course management

Toughest hole I play most frequently ....

#10 Aronimink - Wide fairway, go left and you're run risk of getting wet, right and you probably won't reach in regulation. Green site very complex, with water guarding left side and run offs all around. Veryy happy with a bogey, and ecstatic with a par.


Toughest I've ever played ...

Tie - #13 and #5 Pine Valley. #13 requires a stout drive and a long second shot in. #5 is an uphill 240 yard par 3 guarded by water, sand and pine trees!