Most Difficult Starting Hole

[dagolfer18]

What is the most difficult opening hole you’ve played? For me, the toughest opening hole is at The Crossings Golf Club, just outside Durham. The first hole is a long par-4, distances 440/410/282/280 but it plays all uphill. If you’re playing the black or blue tees, the tee shot is over a creek, which shouldn’t come into play unless you top/chunk your tee shot. The lucky ones who play the whites or reds, they get to tee up on the other side of the creek, making it a straight shot to the green. However, regardless of your choice of tee box, there are trees on the left, which will block out your second shot if you hit it far enough left. The approach is steeply uphill, and you probably need to add one or two clubs, depending on the pin position. The green slopes from back to front. I’ve only played that course twice, but I’ve managed fives on the first hole both times, which on that hole, I’m pleased with.

[bkuehn1952]

My flip answer would be "all of them".  My recollection of Torrey Pines (South) is the opening hole is a long beast of a par 4.  It is early in the morning with the heavy rough filled with dew.  A small mob of players is hanging around, waiting for their turn to tee off.  Uphill, fairway bunkers, the whole shebang.

My home course, Leslie Park, starts with a par 5. A lot of players are looking at birdie to start the round.  During the 3-day City Championship, they will typically use a provisional tee box adjacent to the practice green one of the days.  That adjustment stretch's the hole from 543 yards to 590 and places a tree to one's right, forcing a tee shot more to the left side where an OB fence looms.  This year I parred the hole (Driver, Fairway wood, Fairway wood, wedge, putt 😉).  Simple!

[DaveP043]

The first hole at Talamore in Southern Pines, NC is a tough par-5.  590 or so from the white tees, 609 from the blue.  Driver off the tee yields a downhill lie for the second shot.  Its not exceptionally tight, it just takes 3 good solid shots to reach the green. 

[cooke119]

West Sayville, NY where I live starts with a par 5. Not especially hard if you keep the ball straight, if you slice off the tee you're on a severe up hill lie, water on the right for your second shot, cattails and thick weeds on the left, somewhat narrow fairway. Traps are strategically placed for your second shot, green are elevated for your third, (or second shot depending). If you go over the green the tee box for the second hole is right there, don't go long. I have parred the hole a few times but being 68 with loss of distance we play it forward so... 

[shanksalot]

I agree about Torrey Pines South. Brutal hole. I have always thought that the first hole should be fairly easy. Why start out with a difficult hole. Let the golfers have it easy and that could help with slow play. If it take 20 minutes to play the first hole it may make it a long tiresome day. I for one will not play that course again. 

[dagolfer18]

3 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

The first hole at Talamore in Southern Pines, NC is a tough par-5.  590 or so from the white tees, 609 from the blue.  Driver off the tee yields a downhill lie for the second shot.  Its not exceptionally tight, it just takes 3 good solid shots to reach the green. 

590 from the whites?? Dang. That would be a difficult starting hole for me as well. On my standards, that’s a LONG par-5.

[DaveP043]

7 minutes ago, dagolfer18 said:

590 from the whites?? Dang. That would be a difficult starting hole for me as well. On my standards, that’s a LONG par-5.

My apologies, I typed wrong, it's just 564 from the whites.

[phan52]

For me, the first hole at Aronimink. It's around 420 from the regular tees but it is straight up hill. It probably isn't as difficult for someone with good length who can carry the hill, but I end up hitting it right into the hill and get zero roll. The second shot is a lengthy blind one from the middle of that hill. The picture doesn't do the uphill justice.

 

Edited February 2, 2020 by phan52

[Beastie]

4 hours ago, shanksalot said:

I agree about Torrey Pines South. Brutal hole. I have always thought that the first hole should be fairly easy. Why start out with a difficult hole. Let the golfers have it easy and that could help with slow play. If it take 20 minutes to play the first hole it may make it a long tiresome day. I for one will not play that course again. 

Absolutely correct with that. The first two at least should not have anything too dramatic. 

[David in FL]

Interestingly, after all these years, it remains the very first little muni where I learned the game.  Washington Park, in Racine, WI,

The course, is an old, very benign 9 hole, par 35 muni.  2618 yards total.  The first hole however is a 573 yard beast, with a huge oak tree, right in the middle of the fairway, 200 yards off the tee.  That one hole accounts for over 20% of the entire yardage of the course.  As a youngster, it likely accounted for close to 20% of my score as often as not too!

[DeadMan]

I've played a couple of holes mentioned already:

• #1 at Talamore. I don't think this is all that hard, mostly just a stupid hole. It's pretty long, so that makes it difficult, but there aren't many par 5s that I think of that are too hard.
• #1 at Torrey Pines South. Doesn't stand out to me, although I know it's pretty hard. If I remember correctly, you can hit it almost anywhere on that hole off the tee and be in okay shape.

Two others that stand out to me:

• #1 at Pasatiempo. It's a long, downhill par 4. I think it's about 450, and playing up a box doesn't give you much advantage. There's nothing super tricky about it, but you have be warmed up and ready to hit a good drive and then a good long or mid iron into the green.
• #1 at the Meadows course at Fox Hollow here in Denver. This is not a tough hole, except when it's your first hole. It's a short par 5, under 500 yards even from the tips. The drive is through a narrow looking chute of trees. It's not that narrow - probably 40 to 50 yards, and you can get over the trees without much problem. But you have a penalty area on the right and OB way left. It's a tough tee shot for your first drive of the day. You can make a bug number if you don't get your first drive in play.

 

[weberd27]

Washington Park Golf Course in Racine, WI has a 573 yard par 5 opening hole with OB on the right.  Its a 9 hole muni with no range.  Sliced quite a few OB on the opening hole growing up playing that course.

https://washingtonparkgc.com/?subpages/scorecard.shtml

2 hours ago, David in FL said:

Interestingly, after all these years, it remains the very first little muni where I learned the game.  Washington Park, in Racine, WI,

The course, is an old, very benign 9 hole, par 35 muni.  2618 yards total.  The first hole however is a 573 yard beast, with a huge oak tree, right in the middle of the fairway, 200 yards off the tee.  That one hole accounts for over 20% of the entire yardage of the course.  As a youngster, it likely accounted for close to 20% of my score as often as not too!

Didn't realize I called out the same hole without seeing your post!

[Big C]

Any shot that demands a draw off the first tee (for a right hander) is problematic for me. Generally speaking, my tempo on my first swing of the day isn't great, due to excitement, nerves or whatever. And a hole that requires a right to left shot exacerbates that. It is not uncommon for me to get a bit quick and produce a snap hook, and if I'm not committal, I'll slice it right.

Hole 1 at the Straits Course in Kohler is probably the toughest that fits that description. It's only 370 from the green tees, but it's uphill, so it plays more like 400+. Anything left either finds a huge bunker that borders the fairway or goes into the high fescue which brings the dreaded "first tee re-load" into play.

Bogey here is a good score.

[iacas]

Oakmont, hands down.

[boogielicious]

27 minutes ago, iacas said:

Oakmont, hands down.

I don't know. I've played that hole 25 times on WGT Golf, easy peasy. 

Actually, it is even tough on the video game! The downhill approach is very tricky.

[Double Mocha Man]

2 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

I don't know. I've played that hole 25 times on WGT Golf, easy peasy. 

Actually, it is even tough on the video game! The downhill approach is very tricky.

I birdie or eagle number 6 at Pebble Beach on WGT all the time. In real life, not so much.

[boogielicious]

1 hour ago, Double Mocha Man said:

I birdie or eagle number 6 at Pebble Beach on WGT all the time. In real life, not so much.

If only we could do that in real life!

[Double Mocha Man]

4 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

If only we could do that in real life!

I love the guys on WGT who have never stepped foot on a golf course in their life.  They learn how to game the system and shoot in the low 60s.