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Home , Muirfield Village, Myopia Hunt Club, Olympic Club, The Greenbrier

Architecture The 100 Greatest Holes in America Our nationwide panel has named the best designs in the land by TOM DOAK CONTRIBUT ING ED ITO R

A desert three, the 15th at Troon.

he Best Hol e Discussion of 1900" wasn 't too well T received by Char les Blair Macdonald. It appeared in Brit­ ain's blue-blood Co untry Life magazine and had Macdonald see ­ ing red. For althoug h golf was just a pup in the U.S. , not a single American golf hole made th e list. So enraged was Macdonald that he decided, "I' ll show 'e m ," and cominu ed

28 GOLF September 1986 The second hole at T e Greenbrier. ------~ o:i

GOLF September 1986 29 THEVOTING PROCESS

The voting tor the 100 Greatest Holes spanned three months and involved more than 70 panelists, representative of the entire . The panel was chosen from touring and club professionals, architects , superin­ tendents , well-known amateur golfers, golf association officials and the golf media . Each pan­ elist was asked to submit 20 holes from his area and holes from other parts of the country he felt worthy of submission, in a fair mix of par threes, fours and fives. Almost 1,000 holes were sub­ mitted and went on the final ba llot. Each panel ist was asked to rate on a scale of 1-10 the holes he had played or seen. If the panelist was unclear ab out a hole's look and layout, he was The fourth, one of two holes from the . asked not to rate it. The only restriction on the list was that it could include only two holes from any single course. he went out and built th e National Go lf Link s of We have ranked the top-10 holes in order Am erica, which remains as one of the top cour ses and cou ld have done so with the whole list. in the co untr y. But toward the middle, scores became very Eig hty-six yea rs and literally th ousands of golf close. So the top 10 is the "elite" of the list; the rest form a praiseworthy pack . co urses later, Am erica abound s in fine- no , fantas­ tic-hol es , more th an enough for a list of its own. Thi s we've compil ed by asking a national panel of experts to select the 100 best. With nea rly 250 ,000 holes to choose from , it has to be th e most pres ti­ gious hon or roll of golf-co urse desig n ever publi shed . Water threatens on the TPC at Sawgrass' finishing hole. All kind s of golf hol es make th e list , from th e fam ed 16th at Cypr ess Point (the best in A mer­ ica; see "Th e Top 10," p .37) and th e trick y 14th at Muirfi eld Vil­ lage, to such lesse r-kn own gems as th e second at T he Gr ee nbrier in Whit e Sulphur Sprin gs, Virg inia, or th e ninth , and final, hole at Whitin sville , Massac hu setts. All co rners covered, all holes considered . We didn 't offe r any exp licit instructi ons of what makes a grea t golf hole, leav ing it to the expe rts (includin g a few who make their living designin g) to write their own definit ion by choos ing the holes they most loo k forwa rd to playing aga in , and which they would change th e leas t if given th e colllinued 30 GOLF Septembe r 1986 The pa.r-three ninth at Jupiter Hills. opportunity. But we can draw a few conclu ­ sions from the results . Difficulty, while not the only measure of a great hole, is a necessary ingredi­ ent: A beautiful hole that doesn't challenge the best players just isn't good enough. It's no coincidence that the 16th at Cypress is also ranked annually among the most difficult on the PGA Tour. But by the same token, a truly great hole offers weaker players safer , if less rewarding, routes to the green. The famous island 17th at the TPC almost missed the list because of such purist concern ( even though the lack of an alter­ nate route to the green is also the hole 's stre ngth). The 16th at Cypress might have receiv ed considerably less support if the player had no choice but to conquer the 220-yard carry. Fortu­ The 50 Best Holes Open to the Public nat ely, designer Alister Mackenzie also left a less ambitious route , partially via land, around to the HOLE COURSE CITY 13 Arcadian Shores Myrtle Beach, S.C. left ; otherwise , most players would spend an eter- 18 Bear Creek, Golf World (Masters) , Tex. co111i11ued 5,17 Bethpage State Park (Black) Farmingdale, N.Y 11 The Captains GC Brewster, Mass. Bunkers abound on the par -five 17th of Baltusrol Lower. 12 Cascades (Upper) Hot Springs, Va. 13 Cochiti Lake GC Pena Blanca, N.M. 18 Doral (Blue) Miami.Fla. 13 The Dunes Golf & Beach Club Myrtle Beach, S.C. 7 Eastmoreland GC Portland, Ore. 17.18 Edgewood Tahoe GC Stateline, Nev. 12 Golden Horseshoe Williamsburg, Va. 13 Grapevine Municipal Grapevine, Tex. 2,6 Course White Sulphur Springs, W Va. 13 The Greenbrier (Old White) White Sulphur Springs, W Va. 18 Half Moon Bay GL Half Moon. Bay, Cal. 15,17 Harbour Town GL Hilton Head, S.C. 14 Inn of the Mountain Gods Mescalero, N.M. 13 Jones Creek GC Augusta, Ga. 17 Kemper Lakes GC Hawthorn Woods, Ill. 6 Lawsonia Links Green Lake. Wis. 18 Leatherstocking GC Cooperstown, N.Y 17 Marsh Harbour GC Myrtle Beach, S.C. 3 Mauna Kea Golf & Beach Club Kamuela, Haw. 6 Mauna Lani GC Kawaihae, Hawaii 10 Otter Creek Columbus, Ind. 14,16 Pasatiempo GC Santa Cruz, Cal. 8,18 Pebble Beach GL Pebble Beach, Cal. 2,5 Pinehurst (No. 2) Pinehurst, N.C. 16 Pinehurst (No. 7) Pinehurst, N.C. 8 Pipestem State Park GC Pipestem. W Va. 8 The Pit GC Pinehurst, N.C. 13 Port Ludlow GC Port Ludlow, Wash. 9 Riverdale (Dunes) Henderson, Colo. 4 Sea Island (Seaside) St. Simons Island, Ga. 4 Sentryworld Stevens Point, Wis. 7 Shanty Creek (Legend) Bellaire, Mich. 4 Spyglass Hill GC Pebble Beach, Cal. 5 Tanglewood Park (West) Clemmons, N.C. 6 Tok-a-Tee GC Blue River, Ore. 17 WailauGC Lihue, Kauai, Haw. 3 Waterwood National Huntsville, Tex. 13,18 Wild Dunes Isle of Palms, S.C.

GOLF September 1986 31 A beauty uncovered : the ninth, and fina l, hole at Whitinsville.

nity on No. 16 and never even reach the 17th, inspiring to play. So, as one might expect, the major ­ Cypress Point's other contribution to the list. ity of holes selected (63 out of 100) are the show­ Lest we forget, the 16th has other assets. For one , pieces of courses we ranked among our " 100 the shot values are right-t he gree n is a large Greatest Courses in the World " (Sept. , 1985, p. 33). enough target to hand le a full drive, and has just Our two highest-ra nked courses , Pine Valley and enough contour to lull the triumphant golfer into Pebb le Beach , wou ld have placed 12 ho les betwee n nega ting his brilliant tee them in the top 100, but shot with thr ee putt s for to reduce the bias in favor bogey. Th e optiona l route The Panel of such famous tracks , we also covers on days when John Abernethy , Pa. Dr. Roy Lebe l, Ma ine limited the list to no more the hole plays into a stiff Judy Bell, Col o. John Lombardy , Vt. than two holes from a sin­ Deane Bernon , Fla . Melvin B. Lucas Jr., Ma ss. hea dwind and reac hing P.J.Boatwright Jr., N.J. Roy McDonald , Ind . gle course. Twenty-one Andre Buckles, Oh io Dole McNamara , Okla. the green in one is out of William C. Campbell , wva. John MocNee ly, Miss. courses placed two holes the question. It is also a Som Cantor , Co nn. Don Maples , N.C. and only one-the Myo­ Jim Chew , Okla . Eddie Merrins, Ca l. completely natu ral hole; Geoffrey Cornish , Ma ss. Woody Millen , S.C. pia Hunt Club , in Sout h Mackenzie added a qu ar­ Ben Crenshaw , Tex. , Uta h Hamilton , Massachusetts, Tom Doak , Conn. Steve Mono , Ga . tet of bunk ers to fra me Harold D. Durham , N.M. Joy Mottola , N.Y scene of four early U.S . the green , but the hole Pete Dye, Fla. Fred Muller, Mich. Ope ns-was not ranked Howard Everitt, Fla. Dick Murphy, Ga . still fits John Law's test in Tom Fazio, Fla . Jim Murray, Ca l. in our 100 greates t Jim Ferree, S.C. Will F. Nicholson, Co lo. that "the gro und deter­ Jomes W.. Finegan , Pa. , Pa. courses . mines the play." Finally, Joe Finger , Tex. Dick Passey, Utah Great holes are not the , Fla. Dr. Kenyon Payne , Mic h. having the Pacific Ocea n Leo Fraser, N.J. Ronnie Qu inn, R.I. · exclusive property of ha l­ as backdrop adds a touch Vinny Giles, Vo. Al Rodko , N.J. lowed courses. Many lay­ Wilma Gilliland , Neb . Warren Rebholz, Minn. of chara cter. Tim Greenwell , Ariz. Ron Riemer, Ill. outs have one or two In short , a grea t golf Jon Gustin , Ala . Bill Shean , Ill. ho les tucked away that Edward Hoos, Wis. Brion Silva, Mass. hole is a grea t course Bob Hanno , Ca l. Bob Sommers , N.J. deserve compar ison with John Harbottle , wa sh. Johnny Stevens, Kan . in microcosm- challenging, Dick Haskell , Mass. Fronk D. Tatum Jr., Cal. the acknow ledged greats. flexible, well-balanced , Peter Jacobsen , Ore . Bob Thomas, Ca l. These are the lesser­ Rees Jones , N.J. Peter Tufts, N.C. bea utiful and , above all, Robert Trent Jones , N.J. Hole Von Hoy, N.C. knowns we'd hoped to Bill Kittleman , Pa. , Fla. Jomes J. LoRoso, WVa. Scott Verplonk , Tex. John Loupheimer , Tex. Orrin Vincent, Nev. Open for complete list ~ Duff Lawrence , Ariz. Brent Wadswo rth , Ill.

32 GOLFS epte mber 1986 find, and did . They include such holes as the seventh at Palmetto, a medium iron to a narrow green shelved high on the side of a hill; the eighth at Fish­ ers Island, a short par five on an exclusive summer resort on Sound , where the tee shot must carry a corner of the beach and a guardian sand dune if the golfer is to skirt the left-front green ­ side bunker with his long second shot; and the ninth at Whitinsville , a brilliant conclusion to a gem of a nine holer. On closer examination, however , most of these places ought to be better-known already. Palmetto , for example, was created by Dr. Mackenzie in his spare time while designing Augusta National a few The winding fourth at Nicklaus' Bear Creek layout. miles down the road. Similarit y, the Fishers Island hole is the work of Seth Raynor , the longtime pro­ tege of master architect Macdonald , and Whitins­ ville is a Donald Ross creation. Thirty-three architects are represented on the list, but the virt uoso designers claim the vast majority . Brook Hollow and Rockaway Hunting Club are both A.W. Tillinghast layouts. Crag Burn and Mauna Kea ? Talk to Robert Trent Jones. The Coun­ try Club , outside Cleveland (not to be confused with the Brookline , Massachusetts, variety)? Maybe we continued on page 61

One of Village 's finest: the 14th.

The best in the land : Cypress Point's 16th.

THETOP 10 HOLES,IN ORDER The well-guarded seventh at the GC.

Cypress Point, No . 16 Pebble Beach, No. 18 Pebble Beach, No. 8 Winged Foot (West), No. 10 Augusta National , No . 13 Merion (East), No . 16 Pine Valley, No. 15 Augusta National, No. 12 Prairie Dunes , No. 8 The National Golf Links, No. 17

The third at Mauna Kea in Hawaii is all carry.

GOLF September 1986 37 100 GREATESTfrom page 37 should know more about William Flynn , who was also the force BEACH behind the 1930 redesign of Shin­ necock Hills . The "big three " of modern design, Dye , Nicklaus and GOLF Tom Fazio, are also well repre­ sented , with a total of 19 holes on the list. If there is a lesson to be learned HOllDAY from the list, it must be contained in the diversity of the holes repre­ sented . There is a long , uphill, bunkerless par four (the seventh at Inverness) and a short, downhill par four with a dozen bunkers to negotiate (the 17th at the National Golf Links). There are five par fives of over 600 yards each, and four par threes that can't be stretched to 150. There are even three par fours that measure out longer than the two shortest par fives. Th ere are sharp doglegs to the left (such as the 13th at Augusta National) , sweeping curves to the right (the fifth at Colonial) and ramrod-straight two-shatters (the 15th at Oak­ mont). There is the ninth at Yale, whose green measures 60 yards from front to back and contains a five-foot deep swale that could hide an army, and the 15th hole at Harbour Town , whose green couldn 't hide an ant. We have the old and the new, from the fourth at Myopia , whose canted green gave Willie Ander­ son fits in the 1901 U.S. Open , to the ninth at PGA West, which opened in the past year. And there are holes from the far cor­ ners of the country: Interlachen in Minnesota, Doral in Miami, Kit­ tansett at the base of Cape Cod and Mauna Kea in Hawaii. But there must still be hundreds of great golf-holes-in-the-raw out there, from the giant sandhills of Nebraska to the rocky coast of Maine, just begging for a golfer with the inspiration to dig the bun­ kers , mow the grass and cut a pin . As time passes , we hope that some will be discovered and trans­ formed to their best golfing pur­ pose , so that one day they may take their rightful place among the 100 greatest in America . C.B. would have wanted it that way. ■

GOLF September 1986 61 GOLE 100 GreatestHe

HOLE COURSE PAR/YARDAGE/ ARCHITECTS HOLE COURSE PAR/YARDAGE/ARCHITECTS No. 12 Augusta Nat iona l GC Par 3, 155 yds. No. 18 Edgewood Tahoe GC Par 5, 591 yd s. Augusta , Ga . MacKenzie Sta teline , Nev. G. Fazio No . 13 Augusta National GC Par 5, 465 yds. No. 17 Firestone CC (North) Par 3, 218 yd s. Augusta , Ga . MacKenzie /Nicklaus Akro n, Oh io Jo nes No . 4 Baltusrol GC (Lower) Par 3, 192 yds. No. 16 Firestone CC (South) Par 5, 625 yds. Spring field , N.J. Tillinghast /Jones Akron , Oh io Jone s No. 17 Baltusrol GC (Lower) Par 5, 630 yds. No. 8 Fishers Island Club Par 5, 460 yds. Springfield , N.J. Tillinghast /Jones Fishers Island , NY Raynor No . 18 Bay Hill Club Par 4, 456 yds. No. 2 The Greenbrier Par 4, 403 yds. Orlando , Fla. D. Wilson/Palmer Course Nick lau s No . 4 Bear Creek GC Par 4, 435 yds. While Sulphur Temecul a , Cal. Nicklaus Spring s, W Va. No . 18 Bear Creek Golf Par 4, 442 yds No. 18 Half Moon Bay GL Par 4, 428 yds. World (Masters) Riviere Half Moon Bay, Ca l. Palme r/Duane Houston , Tex. No. 15 Harbour Town Par 5, 562 yds. No . 10 Bel Air CC Par 3, 198 yds Links Dye/Nickl a us Los Angel es, Cal. Thomas Hilton Head , S.C. No . 5 Bethpage State Par 4, 438 yds. No. 17 Harbour Town 7 ar 3, 179 yds. Park (Black) Tillinghast Links Dye/Nic klau s Farmingdale , N.Y Hilton Head , S.C. No . 16 Brook Hollow GC Par 3, 228 yds. No. 12 Indian Creek CC Par 3, 190 yds. Da llas, Tex. Tillinghast Bal Harbour , Fla. Flynn/D. Wilson No. 18 Butler Nationa l GC Par 4, 466 yds. No. 12 Interlachen CC Par 5, 541 yds. Oa k Brook, Ill. G. & 1 Fazio Edina , Minn . 'Natson/Ross No. 18 Canterbury CC Par 4, 438 yds. No. 7 Par 4, 452 yds. Clev eland , Ohio Strong Toledo , Ohio Ross No. 2 Chicago GC Par 4, 440 yds. No. 9 Jupiter Hills Club Par 3, 190 yd s. Wheat on , Ill. Ma c donald /Raynor (Hills) G. & 1 Fazio No. 12 Chicago GC Par 4, 405 yds. Tequesta , Fla. Wheat on , Ill. Macdonald /Rayno r No. 17 Kemper Lakes GC Par 3, 203 yd s. No . 5 Colonial cc Par 4, 466 yds Hawthorn 'Naods , Ill. Killian /Nuge nt Fort Worth, Tex. Maxwell No. 3 Kittansett Club Par 3, 170 yd s. No. 18 Colonial• CC Par 4, 434 yds. Marion , Mass. Hood Fo rt Wo rth, Tex. Bredemus No. 3 Linville GC Par 4, 455 yds. No. 18 Congressional CC Par 4, 465 yds. Linville, N.C. Ross Bethe sda , Md. Jones No. 7 Long Cove Club Par 4, 439 yd s. No 2 Crag Burn GC Par 5. 607 yd s Hilto n Head , S.C. Dye Ea st Auro ra . N.Y Jo nes No. 9 Maidstone Club Par 4, 410 yds. No 6 Crooked Stick GC Par 3. 189 yd s. East Hampton , N.Y Park Carmel . Ind . Dye No. 14 Maidstone Club Par 3, 140 yd s. No 8 Crystal Downs CC Par 5. 550 yds ., East Hampton , NY Park Frankfort . Mich . Ma cKenzi e No. 3 Mauna Kea GC Par 3, 215 yd s. No. 16 Cypress Point Club Par 3. 233 yds. Kamuela , Hawai i Jone s Pebble Beach . Ca l. Ma cKe nzie No. 17 Medinah CC Par 3, 220 yds. No 17 Cypress Point Club Par 4. 375 yd s. (No. 3) Bendelow /Killian Pebble Beach . Cal. MacKenzie Medinah , Ill. No. 10 Country Club of Par 5, 581 yd s. No. 11 Merion GC (East) Par 4, 369 yd s. Detroit Col t Ard mo re , Pa. H. Wilson/Flynn Grosse Poi nte No. 16 Merion GC (East) Par 4, 428 yd s. ~ Farms. Mic h. Ardmo re, Pa . H. Wilso n :2 Par 3, 152 yd s. No. 18 Doral CC Par 4. 437 yds. No . 12 GC -" (Blue) D. Wilson Dubl in. Ohio Nickl au s/Muirhe ad -'; Miami . Fla. No . 14 Muirfield Village GC Par 4, 363 yds. ""'- No . 13 The Dunes Golf Par 5. 575 yds. Dublin . Ohio Nicklaus /Muirhead ga & Beach Club Jon es No . 4 Myopia Hunt C lub Par 4, 392 yds. ~ My rtle Beach , S.C. South Hamil ton , Mass. ::':

33 GOLF Sep tember 1986 /

MAGAZINE'S ,lesInAmerica

HOLE COURSE PAR/YARDAGE/ ARCHITECTS HOLE COURSE PAR/YARDAGE/ARCHITECTS No. 9 Myopia Hunt Club Par 3, 136 yds. No. 9 Rockaway Par 4, 465 yd s. South Ham ilton, Mass. Leed s Hunting Club Tillinghast No. 4 Nat iona l GL of Par 3, 196 yds. Cedarhu rst, N.Y America Macdon al d No. 7 San Francisco GC Par 3, 180 yds. Southampton , NY San Francisco , Cal. Tillinghast No. 17 National GL of Par 4, 368 yds. No. 10 Saucon Valley CC Par 5, 534 yds. America Ma cdonald (Grace) Gordon Southamp ton , NY Bethlehem , Pa. No. 3 Oak Tree GC Par 5, 584 yds. No. 4 Sea Island GC Par 4, 382 yds. Edmond , Okla . Dye (Seaside) Colt/Alison No. 16 Oakland Hills CC Par 4, 405 yds. St. Simons Island , Ga . (South) Ross/Jones No. 6 Seminole GC Par 4, 390 yds. Birmingham , Mich . North Palm Beach , Fla. Ross No. 15 Oakmont CC Par 4, 453 yds. No. 17 Seminole GC,.. Par 3, 175 yds. Oakmont , Pa. Fownes North Palm Beach , Fla. Ross No. 3 The Golf Club of Par 4, 415 yds. No. 11 Shinnecock Hills GC Par 3, 158 yds. Oklahoma I Fazio Southampton , N.Y Flynn/D. Wilson Broken Arrow, Okla . No. 14 Shinnecock Hills GC Par 4, 444 yds. No. 16 (Lake) Par 5, 604 yds. Southampton , N.Y Flynn/D. Wilson San Francisco , Cal. Reid/Whiting No. 11 Shoreacres Par 4, 349 yds. No. 18 Olympic Club (Lake) Par 4, 338 yds. Lake Bluff, Ill. Raynor San Francisco , Ca l. Reid/Whiting No. 15 Somerset Hills CC Par 4, 385 yds. No. 7 Palmetto GC Par 3, 161 yds. Bernardsville , N.J. Tillinghast Aiken , S.C. MacKenzie No. 12 Southern Hills CC Par 4, 444 yds. No. 8 Pebble Beach GL Par 4, 425 yds. Tulsa, Okla . Maxwell Pebble Beach , Cal. Neville /Grant No. 18 Southern Hills CC Par 4, 449 yds. No. 18 Pebble Beach GL Par 5, 548 yds Tulsa, OklO. Maxwell Pebble Beach , Ca l. Neville /Grant No. 3 Par 4, 446 yds. No. 9 PGA West (Stadium) Par 4, 450 yds. Brookline, Mass. Campbell La Quinta, Cal. Dye No. 9 The Country Club Par 3, 188 yds. No. 18 Philadelphia Par 4, 472 yds. Pepper Pike, Ohio Flynn Cricket Club Tillinghast No. 13 The Golf Club Par 4, 369 yds. Flourtown , Pa. New Albany; Ohio Dye No. 9 Philmont CC (North) Par 5, 574 yds. No. 17 TPC at Sawgrass Par 3, 132 yds. Philadelphia , Pa. Flynn Ponte Vedro , Flo. Dye No. 13 Pine Valley GC Par 4, 446 yds. No. 18 TPC at Sawgrass Par 4, 440 yds. Pine Volley; N.J. Crump /H. Wilson Ponte Vedro , Flo. Dye No. 15 Pine Valley GC Par 5, 603 yds. No. 15 Troon G&CC Par 3, 139 yds. Pine Volley; N.J. Crump /H. Wilson Scottsda le, Ariz. Weiskopf/Morrish No. 2 Pinehurst CC (No. 2) Par 4, 441 yd s. No. 16 The Vintage Club Par 4, 379 yds. Pinehurst, N.C. Ross (Mountain) I Fazio No. 5 Pinehurst CC (No. 2) Par 4, 445 yds. \."' ;, . Ind ian Wells, Col. Pinehurst , N.C. Ross ,i-:-: No. 9 Whitinsville GC Par 4, 440 yds. No. 9 Point O'Woods Par 3, 203 yds )c • ~ Whitinsville, Moss. Ross G&CC Jones No. 18 Wild Dunes Par 5, 540 yds. Benton Harbor, Mich . Isle of Palms, S.C. I Fazio No. 8 Prairie Dunes CC Par 4, 420 yds. No. 10 Winged Foot GC Par 3. 190 yds. Hutc hinson . Kon. Maxwell (West) Tillinghast No. 10 Prairie Dunes CC Par 3, 169 yds. Mamaroneck , N.Y Hutchinson , Kon. Maxwell No. 18 Winged Foot GC Par 4, 448 yds. No. 7 Preston Trail GC Par 4, 422 yds. (West) Tillinghast Dallas , Tex. Plummer Mamaroneck , N.Y No. 6 Quaker Ridge GC Par 4, 446 yds. No. 4 Yale University GC Par 4, 443 yds. Scarsdale , N.Y Tillinghast New Hoven , Conn . Macdonald No. 18 Riviera CC Par 4, 443 yds. No. 9 Yale University GC Par 3, 228 yds. Pacific Palisades , Col . Thomas New Hoven , Conn . Macdonald

GOLF Sep temb er 1986 34