What's Your Scariest Hole?

[iacas]

Golf Channel's doing something like this, so I got the idea…

What's the scariest hole you have played (ideally one you play regularly)?

[boogielicious]

My last league had a Par 3 that was between 190 and 210 depending on tee placement from the back tees.  There is marsh short, a dirt path and woods rights, heavy rough left, long grass behind the green and a trap long and right.  There was also a tree just to the right of the green in front.  Basically you had to hit the green or instant bogey.

Here is the view from the middle tees at about 160.  The back tees are further left and behind.  This is early spring so the grass behind the hole hasn't grown in.  There is a steep drop off in front of the green with about 4 paces to the marsh.  If you are short of the green, you will likely go into the marsh.  You can't see the ridge in the middle of the green, but basically a bunker shot is going to want to run off the front of the green if you hit into the middle.  Most of the green is around 3% except the top tier (back right) and bottom right flatter area at 2%.  The ridge is 4-5%.

If it is windy, the wind is usually in your face in spring.  From the middle tees, it is a much easier hole.  7 or 6 Iron or 5 if windy.  From the backs tees, it is a 3H to 3W depending on wind for me.

[Patch]

Any hole that requires a precise carry number, to get over a water hazard, in good shape, will always give me more mental fatigue than any other type of shot. The toughest one for me would be something like a 200 yard carry over water, while having to land on the green for a chance at a needed birdie.  It matters little which course this type of hole shows up on.

[14ledo81]

Mine is actually a fairly straight forward par four.  There are trees right, and a fairly decent drop off and then OB left.  The landing area (off the tee) is really not that tight, but after scoring poorly on this hole a few times, it has got into my head.  Again, the landing area is big enough, but I always seem to push it into the trees right, or hook it left into the drop off or OB.

After the tee shot, the hole is actually fairly easy.  I can't really hit a shorter club off of the tee either.  The hole plays 400 yards, so I need all I can get with the driver.

[David in FL]

#2 at Timacuan, a local course here, outside of Orlando.

Only about 400 yards from the tees we play, 6,600 yards or so, but needs to very precise shots or you're toast.  The red line reflects a 240ish yard drive and 160ish yard approach.

Anything much right of the landing spot indicated feeds hard to the water.  A pull off the tee brings the water through the fairway into play and of course, the further left from the landing spot indicated, the longer the approach, also over water.....and almost always into a prevailing wind.

For the approach, OB is right.  There's a bit of a bail-out short of the green, but it's very narrow.  Fairly steep drop-offs to collection areas surround the green so anything missing the green is going to leave a nasty little pitch off of a very tight lie, with either the water, or OB ready to catch anything a little thin.

4 is something to brag about, and 5 isn't a bad score at all.  Playing in a tournament, I watched a pretty solid 6 hcp take a 10......and he had to make a bit of a putt to do it.

I know a couple of pretty good golfers who hesitate to play the course, just because of this hole.  Nothing unfair about it.....just a good golf hole, albeit scary as hell early in the round!

[MS256]

My "scary" hole right now is hole number 5, par 5 at Trenton Ga. Shouldn't be that hard but it is for me.

Funny thing is that it looks very benign from above. The steep slope up the side of the ridge for the entire hole combined with almost guaranteed lost ball woods off of the fairway and severely sloping green give me little chance of not messing something up. If I par that one I'm probably having a really good day.

I used to always mess up the tee shot but now I usually wait to mess up the third shot from 100 yards with the green on top of the ridge above me.

Hard for me to believe that a par 5 is my hardest hole since I'm disappointed with pars on all of the other par 5s I play.

[Golfingdad]

#2 at Timacuan, a local course here, outside of Orlando.

Only about 400 yards from the tees we play, 6,600 yards or so, but needs to very precise shots or you're toast.  The red line reflects a 240ish yard drive and 160ish yard approach.

Anything much right of the landing spot indicated feeds hard to the water.  A pull off the tee brings the water through the fairway into play and of course, the further left from the landing spot indicated, the longer the approach, also over water.....and almost always into a prevailing wind.

For the approach, OB is right.  There's a bit of a bail-out short of the green, but it's very narrow.  Fairly steep drop-offs to collection areas surround the green so anything missing the green is going to leave a nasty little pitch off of a very tight lie, with either the water, or OB ready to catch anything a little thin.

4 is something to brag about, and 5 isn't a bad score at all.  Playing in a tournament, I watched a pretty solid 6 hcp take a 10......and he had to make a bit of a putt to do it.

I know a couple of pretty good golfers who hesitate to play the course, just because of this hole.  Nothing unfair about it.....just a good golf hole, albeit scary as hell early in the round!

Cripes!!!

You can bet if I was playing there with you, and we were in a match, when I got to the tee and I saw the hole, I would look you straight in the eye without the hint of humor and say "good-good???"

[David in FL]

Cripes!!!

You can bet if I was playing there with you, and we were in a match, when I got to the tee and I saw the hole, I would look you straight in the eye without the hint of humor and say "good-good???"

And I'd probably agree!

[inthehole]

Links at hiawatha #18 - it's a cavernous gorge forced carry.    On a really good drive, I can carry no more than 250-255 yds.   I play from the white tees and have NEVER made it over with very solid drives (always seem to just miss making it - granted my draw hurts me on this layout).    Next time I play there I will have no choice but to lay up way off the the side, and work like hell to even make bogie.   I can't think of a more unfair hole for guys that typically play 6000 yds.

[inthehole]

#2 at Timacuan, a local course here, outside of Orlando.

Only about 400 yards from the tees we play, 6,600 yards or so, but needs to very precise shots or you're toast.  The red line reflects a 240ish yard drive and 160ish yard approach.

Anything much right of the landing spot indicated feeds hard to the water.  A pull off the tee brings the water through the fairway into play and of course, the further left from the landing spot indicated, the longer the approach, also over water.....and almost always into a prevailing wind.

For the approach, OB is right.  There's a bit of a bail-out short of the green, but it's very narrow.  Fairly steep drop-offs to collection areas surround the green so anything missing the green is going to leave a nasty little pitch off of a very tight lie, with either the water, or OB ready to catch anything a little thin.

4 is something to brag about, and 5 isn't a bad score at all.  Playing in a tournament, I watched a pretty solid 6 hcp take a 10......and he had to make a bit of a putt to do it.

I know a couple of pretty good golfers who hesitate to play the course, just because of this hole.  Nothing unfair about it.....just a good golf hole, albeit scary as hell early in the round!

Yikes, that gives me chest pain just looking at the aerial view ...

[jamo]

@Stretch will know the hole I'm talking about. Hopkinton Country Club in Hopkinton, MA. 5th hole is a par 3, from the back tees it's about 235 or so. Shoft-left is a pond, long is a steep drop-off, there's a bunker short-right, long-right has some overhanging trees. The only safe spots are just short and in the middle, and on the green (which isn't that big). Throughout high school I probably played it 30 times. I can count on one hand the amount of times I've hit the green, and that wasn't even from the tips.

[mvmac]

Scariest hole on a course I used to play on a regular basis was the 16th hole at the Farms Golf Club. 220 yard par 3 over water to a visually intimidating green. Course was designed by Pete Dye. A ball that lands 5 yards left of the blue line and short of the green will probably go in the water. There only bail out is short of the right bunker, even if you miss the green pin high right you're pitching onto a downslope.

I actually played it short of the bunker in a match once, I was one up, my opponent teed off first and pulled it into the water. I won the hole

Scariest hole I've ever played was the 18th at Doral. It was my first college tournament and the weather was bad, lots of wind and rain. Made a bogey and a par during the first day, both second shots from about 200 yards out.

[saevel25]

I play some easy courses regularly, so I don't have a hole that really scares me.

The two scariest holes I ever played were TPC Sawgrass #18, and Firestone North #17

TPC #18, long sweeping to the left par 4. Just a scary tee shot. With how the hole bends around the lake, you really can't help but aim more right than you need to. My tee shot ended up in those trees through the fairway . Then you have the 2nd shot, which isn't no joke either.

If you want to get really freaked out, stand on the tee box they use for the PGA Tour players. TPC has that area blocked off with some netting to keep people from hitting back there. You stand back there and I just can't imagine a comfortable shot. You either fade the ball off the water, or you have to draw it towards the water.

Firestone North #17

180 yards, down hill to a peninsula green. Not to mention that it about 10-15 yards downhill, and it is only 35 yards deep, and the green is slightly elevated so there are banks that kick the ball towards the water.

Just a very scary shot.

[David in FL]

I play some easy courses regularly, so I don't have a hole that really scares me.

The two scariest holes I ever played were TPC Sawgrass #18, and Firestone North #17

TPC #18, long sweeping to the left par 4. Just a scary tee shot. With how the hole bends around the lake, you really can't help but aim more right than you need to. My tee shot ended up in those trees through the fairway . Then you have the 2nd shot, which isn't no joke either.

If you want to get really freaked out, stand on the tee box they use for the PGA Tour players. TPC has that area blocked off with some netting to keep people from hitting back there. You stand back there and I just can't imagine a comfortable shot. You either fade the ball off the water, or you have to draw it towards the water.

Firestone North #17

180 yards, down hill to a peninsula green. Not to mention that it about 10-15 yards downhill, and it is only 35 yards deep, and the green is slightly elevated so there are banks that kick the ball towards the water.

Just a very scary shot.

Yeah, Sawgrass #18 is a really tough/scary hole unless you're just going to bail out and play it as a par-5.  Much tougher than #17 IMHO......though you can probably make a monster score on 17 easier than 18 if it gets in your head!

[saevel25]

Yeah, Sawgrass #18 is a really tough/scary hole unless you're just going to bail out and play it as a par-5.  Much tougher than #17 IMHO......though you can probably make a monster score on 17 easier than 18 if it gets in your head!

When you are on number 16, and view 17 from the side it looks intimidating. When you are on the tee and you have a short iron in your hand, the green is tiered, it really just looks inviting. Though I hit a horrible shot and bounced it off the side of the bunker into the water. I never really felt worried about the shot.

[LeftRightLeft]

home course, Ancil Hoffman GC.  Number 16.  Dogleg right (White 402, Blue 422, Gold 497).  This is the view from the tee.  Yes, that is a very BIG tree in the middle of the fairway (175 yards from the white tee, 200 from the blues).  To get around the dogleg you need to be about 45 yards beyond the tree, which precludes going left of the tree unless playing for bogey. Notice the gap between the tree and trees on the right.  This photo does not show that the trees are thick on both sides of the fairway.  I've birdied it once in 20 years.  A few pars.  I would guess my personal stroke average is close to 6.  Weird thing is, I kind of like it!

[mvmac]

Scariest hole I regularly play.

My home course, Ancil Hoffman GC.  Number 16.  Dogleg right (White 402, Blue 422, Gold 497).  This is the view from the tee.  Yes, that is a very BIG tree in the middle of the fairway (175 yards from the white tee, 200 from the blues).  To get around the dogleg you need to be about 45 yards beyond the tree, which precludes going left of the tree unless playing for bogey. Notice the gap between the tree and trees on the right.  This photo does not show that the trees are thick on both sides of the fairway.  I've birdied it once in 20 years.  A few pars.  I would guess my personal stroke average is close to 6.  Weird thing is, I kind of like it!

I've played that hole, great course.

[boogielicious]

Scariest hole I regularly play.

My home course, Ancil Hoffman GC.  Number 16.  Dogleg right (White 402, Blue 422, Gold 497).  This is the view from the tee.  Yes, that is a very BIG tree in the middle of the fairway (175 yards from the white tee, 200 from the blues).  To get around the dogleg you need to be about 45 yards beyond the tree, which precludes going left of the tree unless playing for bogey. Notice the gap between the tree and trees on the right.  This photo does not show that the trees are thick on both sides of the fairway.  I've birdied it once in 20 years.  A few pars.  I would guess my personal stroke average is close to 6.  Weird thing is, I kind of like it!

I would just aim for the tree.  I can't hit anything I aim for with the driver!