''/ think there is room for On the third day of the 1980 U.S. power the hole. Open, Jack Nicklaus came to the 17th Billy Casper put this knowledge to these extra long holes but with a two-shot lead over playing good use in the 1966 U.S. Open at there is also a place for partner Isao Aoki. Nicklaus had San Francisco's Olympic Club. Com­ bogeyed the previous two holes and ing to the 16th in the final round, Cas­ the par five that can be was anxious to pick up a stroke on the per had cut Arnold Palmer's once­ hit in two by a gambling shorter hitter. The Golden Bear commanding lead fromseven shots to crushed his tee shot down the left three, but he was running out of player.'' side, 50 yards past Aoki, but still holes. The 16th at Olympic is another -Arnold Palmer some 300 yards fromthe green. Aoki classic untouchable: a constant curve played a conservative second shot, to the left for 604 yards around the and Nicklaus elected to hit a fairway thick pine and eucalyptus jungle, wood. He caught the ball thin and which frames every hole on the barely cleared the fairway bunkers in course. Bobby Jones in his heyday hit front of him, the ball coming to rest this green in two, playing over the deep in the left rough. Nicklaus tops of the young trees, but now that scrambled to save par while Aoki one left side will yield to nothingless than putted for birdie and caught Nicklaus a perfect drive. with another bird at 18. Although Casper needed to make Ironically, the next day Nicklaus up strokes, it was Palmer who made came back and sealed his fourth U.S. the desperate play, driving down the Open title with a birdie on this same left side into the deep rough. He took 17th hole. But Aoki had proven on two shots to get out and he put his that third day what most amateurs fail fourth into a greenside bunker. Palm­ to realize-the "untouchable" can er later called it ''the finest six I ever be the equalizer for the shorter hitter. made,'' as Casper picked up two It is the one par five on which the long more shots with a flawless birdie. hitter cannot gain a stroke by pound­ ing out two good shots. On the con­ A 617-yard double dogleg to the right, the trary, his killer instinct may actually seventh hole at Butler National (below) is work against him if he tries to over- one of two untouchables on that course. 54 GOLF MAGAZINE 5/82 This was the pivotal hole, as Casper The 13th at Rochester's Oak Hill is 596 went on to defeat Palmer in a playoff. yards, uphill, with the fairway narrowing Still, Palmer does not reject the near the green. The firstman to reach the idea of an untouchable, nor does 17th at Baltusrol (right) must carry two Nicklaus. sets of bunkers with his second shot. Amie claims he likes the idea of a pure three-shot hole from time to time. "It tends to give the medium concerned. "He will go along with an hitter a more equal shot at making unreachable par five if that is the type birdie," he says, adding that he of hole which fits the land," says attempts to balance the par fives on Cupp, alluding to a hole of this type the courses he designs. Jack recently designed for the High­ "I think there is room in golf for lands Course in Scottsdale, Arizona. these ultra long holes, but there also is ''The 17th hole will be 630-650 yards a place for the par five, that can be hit from the back tees. But we don't in two by a gambling player. So when make that type of hole for the sake of we are forced to build a shortish par having an 'untouchable.' In fact the five we raise the element of risk way it is planned at present, the accordingly.'' ladies' tees will be 130 yards in front. ''With today's 280-yard Tom Weiskopf goes so far as to You must take the average golfer and driving averages, a 500- claim that every golf course with four women into account when building par fives should have at least one hole any course.'' yard par five has been that is unreachable in two shots by Perhaps no man is more of a threat made a mockery of by the anybody. to the untouchables than Evan "Big Nicklaus is not quite as adamant. Cat" Williams, twice a national long pros. The holes have As Bob Cupp, senior designer in the drive champion and a fine player. to measure better Nicklaus architectural firm, claims, Williams claims he has never seen a the existing land and terrain is the par five that under decent conditions than 600 yards.' ' determining factor as far as Jack is was absolutely unreachable in two. -Robert Trent Jones continued 5/82 GOLF MAGAZINE 55 Strong words, but Williams can back the seventh at Butler National, home qualities of fair yet untouchable par them up. Williams claims he has been of the Western Open. A 617-yard, fives. over the green in two on Baltusrol' s double-dogleg to the right, with a First of all, as Nicklaus states, the 17th, but readily admits the hole was creek all along the right, from tee to "untouchable" should be built only playing at "only" 580 yards that day. green, and dense woods to discourage on land suited to it. Furthermore, "The Cat" was in the front bunker in shortcuts, this hole has even the long­ there should be some type of severe two, on Olympie's 16th, the only time est hitters on the PGA Tour playing natural hazard in front of the green. to he played the hole. And holes such as defensively. One novel approach re­ force those players attempting to the 13th at Rochester's Oak Hill cently advanced was to hit two one­ reach the green in two to do so on pure course-596 yards, uphill-some­ irons, and then a 6-iron into the green, carry; there also should be a hazard how present less of a challenge if you indicating that there are as many behind the green, penalizing the long, can flyyour drive over the stream that methods of attack as there are players. errant shots equally. The green should crosses the fairway 290 yards from Many of these same Tour pros, how­ be fairly small and well contoured to the tee. ever, consider this type of hole as reward the player who gets closer to Williams thinks the "most un­ some sort of insult to their masculin­ the green on his second shot with a touchable" hole he has played is the ity, the standard criticism being that . bit easier pitch. And there should fourth on the Monster course at the "any idiot could build such a be no one lay-up area for the third Concord resort in Kiamesha Lake, hole." shot, because it would cheapen the New York-615 yards, with an uphill In fact, two fine,strong young PGA value of the first two shots. tee shot. A pond on the left and dense Tour pros, such as Curtis Strange and According to GOLF M');:GAZINE's woods on the right discourage the playing editor Ken Venturi, too many long hitter from letting it fly off the divot holes concentrated in a small tee. Yet without crunching the driver, "I don't care how area constitute a sure sign of weak­ there's very little chance of carrying ness. Since the approach shot will be the water hazard and greenside bun­ you build a hole, relatively short, it allows the architect ker, which come into play on the sec­ under certain some freedom in designing the green ond shot. for a running shot or a tricky short Pete Dye, who designed Harbour conditions it pitch. Town and the Tournament Players becomes The hole mentioned as the ultimate Club, agrees with Williams' brash most often by the architects was the statement. "It's impossible to build a reachable.'' 14th at Pebble Beach, a 565-yard dog­ completely unreachable par five. I -Pete Dye leg right, which should play an impor­ don't care how long you build a hole, tant role in next month's U.S. Open. under certain conditions it becomes The key to· this hole lies in the two­ reachable," he contends. Wayne Levi, recognize these un­ tiered green, with the higher left-hand "For my part, I don't think I've touchables as a false mask of good side guarded by a deep bunker in ever built a 600-,yard hole; even the design. front, encouraging the player to favor 15th at Harbour Town was meant to "I think on many of the courses the the right side with his second shot, be reachable. But the trees along the Tour plays, we are moving away from where he must flirt with out-of­ left side have grown to the extent that the par-five hole which affords the bounds and a sentinel of Monterey now it's virtually impossible to hit in gambling player an opportunity to go pines. There were two trees at one two." for the green, something like the 13th point but during one .Crosby Clam­ Basically, though, Dye's theory is at Augusta," says Strange, who bake, Arnold Palmer, going for the similar to Palmer's.