by Gary Williams | May 21, 2024 | Great Golf Holes
Par 4 – 367 yards The 8th at Sand Hills is the second of back-to-back short par 4’s. It plays in the opposite direction of the 7th hole, so the wind direction is counter to its predecessor and its appearance from the tee is totally different. The study of the holes at Sand Hills could be a life’s work but this is THE hole for me. From my first impression to my latest it is on the shortest of lists of my favorite holes in the world. You encounter it deep enough in your round that you are acclimated to… Read more
by Gary Williams | May 6, 2024 | Great Golf Holes
Par 4 – 353 yards Alistair Mackenzie was not prolific like Donald Ross, but he was memorable and Crystal Downs, particularly because of location, has a mythical quality to it. The land between Lake Michigan and Crystal Lake is dramatic and stunning. No hole better summarizes the CD experience more than the 5th. Standing on the tee the features of the hole are staggeringly beautiful. A split fairway bisected by three sisters bunkers that help form almost an optical illusion of what is your desired line of play. The two trees bracket the hole and provide and visual boundary for… Read more
by Gary Williams | Apr 29, 2024 | Great Golf Holes
Par 4 – 397 yards Picking your favorite hole at Pine Valley is a ridiculous embarrassment of riches to choose from but since my first walk there 40 years ago as a 17-year-old the 11th hole has owned my affections. It was a “found” hole and truly one of the most naturally conceived and constructed holes ever. The land allows for the flow down slightly from tee to fairway and gathering from right to left as well as the return “up” to the putting surface. The look from the tee gives you a completely accurate vision of how the hole… Read more
by Gary Williams | Apr 24, 2024 | Great Golf Holes
Par 4 – 426 yards The famous church pews are introduced to you on this fabulous par 4 on the left-hand side off the tee and adjacent to your second shot. The boundary of the club property is down the right side, and the scale of Oakmont is truly felt for the first time as holes 4 to 8 flank your view to the left of the 3rd hole. Trusting your line is necessary for the blind second shot to the green that has dramatic run off in the front and rear of the hole. The green does not have… Read more
by Gary Williams | Apr 3, 2024 | Great Golf Holes
Par 4 – 350 yards Flowering Peach Of all the holes at Augusta National Golf Club, hole #3 is arguably the hole that remains the least changed or altered from its origins. Alistair Mackenzie believed this hole to be as fine a designed hole as any on the golf course. The length of the hole is unchanged from 1934 to present day. The treacherous green complex sits on a plateau with tilt from high right to low left. Players have been more inclined to hit their tee shots well past the cluster of bunkers that flank the left side of… Read more
by Gary Williams | Mar 27, 2024 | Great Golf Holes
Par 5 – 545 yards In major championship golf history, there are few holes more famous than the 13th at Augusta National. Alistair Mackenzie and Bob Jones used the lowest point on the golf course for their most brilliantly designed hole. They utilize the tributary to Rae’s Creek that meanders all the way down the left-hand side of the hole before it cuts across in front of the green on a diagonal. The fairway sweeps consistently from right to left through the turning point and the slope of the fairway effects the execution of many shots because of the uneven… Read more
by Gary Williams | Mar 13, 2024 | Great Golf Holes
Par 3 – 205 yards “Redan” comes from the French derived term, “fortress defense”. The Redan design concept has been employed around the world on some of the finest courses beginning with the 15th at North Berwick in Scotland. A.W. Tillinghast’s version at Somerset Hills is unquestionably one of the most sublime creations of this template. The rolling land at Somerset Hills and the regal yet understated facilities at Somerset make it a special experience. Like the Redan at Fishers Island, you encounter it on the 2nd hole of the golf course. Somerset Hills’ Redan is a pronounced application of… Read more
by Gary Williams | Mar 6, 2024 | Great Golf Holes
Par 4 – 415 yards The punchbowl is one of the most famous design concepts made famous in the United States by C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor. I would argue there is no more famous or special punchbowl than the 16th at National Golf Links of America. It’s really hard to say what the crescendo is when you play National. I could walk off the fourth green and be totally content, not really, but the point is the golf course keeps hitting you with memorable moments. The climb up the 16th is majestic and mind-numbing. The signature windmill sits above… Read more
by Gary Williams | Feb 29, 2024 | Great Golf Holes
Par 3 – 160 yards When Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner designed CapRock Ranch the use of the Snake River Canyon was going to be the most prominent and spectacular feature of the experience. It is very challenging to identify definitively the best hole “in the canyon” but the 6th is the first of the blow your hair back visuals, not that you don’t “touch” the canyon on holes 4 and 5. You also close with 15 to 18 giving you the ultimate crescendo. The 6th is the second par 3 on the outward 9, and the 3rd hole is… Read more
by Gary Williams | Feb 20, 2024 | Great Golf Holes
Par 5 – 595 yards Congaree was constructed on sandy soil in the low country of South Carolina. Located northwest of Ridgeland, Tom Fazio envisioned a blending of the sand belt of Australia and the sand hills of North Carolina. The 2nd hole is a glorious representation of the land and the visual from the tee is stunning. The edgy bunkering on the left and native areas on the right provide a summation of the terrain. There is plenty of width off the tee with right center being ideal to open up the hole on your second shot. A beautiful… Read more
