What's your favourite type of hole?

[saevel25]

1 minute ago, iacas said:

Their group had chosen six irons…

I didn't want to correct him.  

[mcanadiens]

Being exceedingly short, a drive-able par 4 for me may be a bit shorter than some, but there are a couple of such holes in the area. 

In the last six months or so, my tee shots (particular with the 1W) are flying straighter if not necessarily longer. A pitch or a chip and a stab at birdie is as good as it gets for me.

[kennysunstonelinks]

I picked mid par 3s. But for me it is really the classic links par 3s such as the 4th at Turnberry, 13th at Muirfield, 2nd at Royal Dornoch or 15th (Reddan) at North Berwick. This could be a long list!

[Uncle Peter]

Mid par 3 for me. I'm always interested in how each course I play at designed their par 3's. It's cool to see all the different things they think of to make the hole difficult since they can't rely on distance to do that.

[disaster]

Driveable Par 4 for me. Thinking about a specific hole, the first one that came to my mind is the 10th at Riviera CC, even though I have never played it myself. But it's amazing how the shape of the green makes such a short (300yd) hole such a hard hole. No matter if you try to attack or lay up, the second shot is almost never easy.

[9wood]

I like a challenging hole that has hazards in key places, specifically water hazards. By key places I mean that obstacles are located where I could possibly clear them if I took a risky shot, but there's also a good chance that I won't clear the hazard. Yet the rewards of perfectly executing a risky shot are enormous. 

[dove694]

I love an interesting risk-reward par 4. I think every good golf course should have one! One that you could drive if you have the gusto, but requires a precise shot or else you are making bogey or worse. #8 at Northview (Ridge) in Vancouver BC, #12 at the Golf Club of Houston in Texas, #13 at the Coeur d'Alene Resort in Idaho and #10 at the Wilderness Club in Eureka, MT come to mind in my recent experiences. I also love watching the pro's play these kind of holes. #10 at Riviera, for example, creates some great theatre out there. And, no doubt there will be some drama on #17 at Oakmont in the US Open this year. There always is!

This is an awesome thread, btw. great topic @b101. i will follow this one with interest!

[RandallT]

I enjoy the way that most courses have a few holes that stand out. Either they break the pattern of the previous holes, or they're just incredibly challenging. Whatever the case may be.  I just love that feeling of 'oh, wow, this is a different challenge' which can wake you up during a round. Golf can get repetitive if too many holes are similar, so it's somehow pleasing to be jolted awake by anything that breaks the mold.

At the same time, I wouldn't want every hole to be a shocker, as that gets exhausting, and there's pleasure in getting a hole where you can relax and regroup. But nothing like the thrill of getting to a 440yd uphill narrow par 4 or something for a bogey golfer who usually gets 380yd straight/wide par 4's. 

I suppose I didn't answer your question, but it's more like what I like about golf course design, but honestly, I don't think I have a favorite type of hole. It's all on the context of where that hole fits into the course, and the lay of the land to make it interesting.

[roamin]

I like doglegs on short par 5's and long par 4's. I like the strategy of planning the correct angles and distances to not get stuck w/o a shot. I especially like holes where a good angle on the turn is out of reach after a bad tee shot or where hitting it the wrong direction can add an extra 50-100 yards to the hole. My accuracy off the tee is fairly consistent most days, but the guys I play with, well, not so much. 

[jkelley9]

Voted short par 3. I always relish the opportunity to hit a hole in one and and eagle at the same time. I've done neither up to this point. I also probably have the most strokes gained with tee shots on par 3's. I make an unusual amount of GIR with these shots with someone of my handicap. 

I also enjoy short par 5's. 

There is only 1 short dogleg par 4 that is "drive-able" only in the winter but I do enjoy that hole. You basically have to go over the trees but even when I was lofted @ 11 deg it was tough to make it over, the trees there are not designed to do that (unlike some) but that's why I enjoy doing it :) Also, there's not a huge amount of risk in that shot. If you hit the trees the ball will usually fall out to a safe area below (rough, low-cut grass) for an easy pitch so long as you aren't BEHIND one of those trees. I always take the shot :) 

[Patch]

I voted "other". Length, or par do not matter that much to me. What I like are holes with water hazards protecting the green. I like a golf hole that makes me think more about what I need to do. Water hazards do that for me since more often than not, they require more precise shots. 

My other favorites are ( new to me) golf courses with golf holes I have never seen before. 

In the end, I guess the tougher the golf , the better I like it. 

Edited June 17, 2016 by Patch

[b101]

On 17/06/2016 at 2:07 PM, Patch said:

I voted "other". Length, or par do not matter that much to me. What I like are holes with water hazards protecting the green. I like a golf hole that makes me think more about what I need to do. Water hazards do that for me since more often than not, they require more precise shots. 

My other favorites are ( new to me) golf courses with golf holes I have never seen before. 

In the end, I guess the tougher the golf , the better I like it. 

Interesting - I love the tough golf hole, but water doesn't usually do it for me. I reckon that's probably due to the fact that my first membership was at a course that put water everywhere for little reason! Still, when it's used properly, I think it's a great asset to a golf hole; just a shame that so many designers put it everywhere.

[EMC2144]

I love a reachable par 5 (but still decent length (500-520ish maybe), maybe downhill with water in front of the green. Love taking a wood to go the green. There's a course near me where 18 is 530, with a slight dogleg and two fairway bunkers to clear. Then the green is across a decent sized pond with the green and water well below you. Most people are laying up but I gave it a go last time with a great drive and a 3 wood, which was on the green. The interesting part is actually laying up. The fairway drops off on a hard slope from about 150 out up to the water at 70-80. So no matter what you can't leave yourself an easy (well, short) shot, unless you hit into the water and drop.

[Asmanning95]

On 5/7/2016 at 3:40 AM, EMC2144 said:

I love a reachable par 5 (but still decent length (500-520ish maybe), maybe downhill with water in front of the green. Love taking a wood to go the green. There's a course near me where 18 is 530, with a slight dogleg and two fairway bunkers to clear. Then the green is across a decent sized pond with the green and water well below you. Most people are laying up but I gave it a go last time with a great drive and a 3 wood, which was on the green. The interesting part is actually laying up. The fairway drops off on a hard slope from about 150 out up to the water at 70-80. So no matter what you can't leave yourself an easy (well, short) shot, unless you hit into the water and drop.

I'd be pretty similar, I went long par 5 just because i hit it reasonably far and i love the idea of having to rip driver and 3 wood to reach the green, preferably over water to force a lay up if your drive isn't long enough, and with tall trees lining the fairway. i also enjoy a medium length par 3, around the 180-190 range. Any hole that looks superb though, they tend to be my favourite.

[Divot Master]

Short par three:

Ball on tee, PW in hand, one little shot to a well defended green, and a shot zone that doesn't comprise the entire green.

[Jeremie Boop]

I didn't see an option for what I like, even though I'm not necessarily great at them. I like par 3's over water, I just think they look cool. Not to mention it feels awesome to hit the green on them. Mid range-ish 140-180 yards.

[Hardspoon]

15 minutes ago, Jeremie Boop said:

I didn't see an option for what I like, even though I'm not necessarily great at them. I like par 3's over water, I just think they look cool. Not to mention it feels awesome to hit the green on them. Mid range-ish 140-180 yards.

Yes - love these.  When I first started golfing, I thought they were so cool because it made me feel like I was playing TW PGA tour on Xbox.  That feeling never went away.

One of my favorite holes at my "regular" course:

[Jeremie Boop]

1 minute ago, Hardspoon said:

Yes - love these.  When I first started golfing, I thought they were so cool because it made me feel like I was playing TW PGA tour on Xbox.  That feeling never went away.

One of my favorite holes at my "regular" course:

Definitely my type of hole! Nice.