Do you have an arch nemesis hole?

The 5th at Apple Mountain, a pretty long double dogleg par-5 (Whites - 530 yds, Blues - 550 yds), and the only hole on the course that I've never made par. Tee shot is less than driver, out a chute, to a generous landing area (as long as you don't go through the fairway). Second shot cut as much of the corner on the right as you can, but a miss right puts you on a steep hillside above the fairway. Third shot is uphill to a small green. Even on my good days I'll either miss my approach with a money club in hand, or three putt for bogie. We won't talk about the bad days on this one.
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I lived 20 miles from that course for over 2 decades and have played it maybe 70 times. That 5th hole has to be one of the worst designed golf holes I’ve ever played. As a scratch golfer I made par there maybe 20% of the time, not normal for a par 5, lol.
 
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This. Par 5. Have to fade it off the tee. Can’t set up for a draw. If I draw it left it’s OB. One of 2 things generally happen. I either hit it straight/pull it OB or I try to fade it and send it 20 miles to the right.

This hole is in my head.
 
hole 9 on my local 9. 195-220 par three that has trees on both sides and narrows at the green. Had many great rounds ruined by this hole.
At least they cut down the big tree that was in front of the green previously...
 
There are 2 holes I consider my nemesis holes on my home course and they're both par 5's. You would think considering I'm a little on the longer side, the par 5's wouldn't be an issue. But these two holes either make or break a round for me.

San Juan Hills Golf Club

Hole #6 563yd par 5, downhill, hard dogleg left. The problem with this hole is it's OB on the hillside to the left, OB right and OB long. The fairway is about 270yds away hitting straight at the fairway marker, but downhill. Taking that route also leaves you roughly 275-285 in at a minimum. You can cut the corner, but you have to fly the trees and hope you don't pull it too far left, or it's OB. This is a hole I either birdie or double almost every round. Not much in between.
90


Hole #17 517yd straight away par 5, always straight in to a stiff wind with OB left and right the entire length of the hole. I can't tell you how many rounds I've been even par, just under par or close to par coming in to 17 and just get my ass handed to me on this hole. The way the trees line the left side of the fairway/OB line just makes me think play a fade off the hillside on the left (also OB.) I don't know how many balls I've donated to that damn hill. My club tourney last weekend, I was 1 over on the back 9 and proceeded to hit 2 balls OB on this hole. Day's over. lol


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Third hole at Hilaman in Tallahassee. Its straight, its not particularly long, but it eats my lunch. There's a magnolia tree to the left of the tees that will gobble up anything pulled left. Its kind of narrow-ish, but not ridiculous. The trees down the left on the second half of the hole make it look like it doesn't open up on the left side of the fairway next to the fairway bunker on the right side for your tee shot. If you stay to the right and go over the bunker, save for the very left edge, your ball will feed down to the fourth hole. Too far right of the bunker and you may roll across the 4th green which slopes to a pond. The second half of the hole is no wider or narrower, but there is a fairway bunker on the left that starts about 80 yards from the green, as well as a large left greenside bunker. The green is a little oblong and goes behind that greensdide bunker, slopes from back to front and has a ridge that goes from about 2 o'clock winding over to 9 o'clock. If the flag is in the back, you've got to contend with the front left greenside bunker, as well as a bunker behind the green. If you go long to the left of the rear bunker, its basically in the woods. There's mounding short right of the green, and another bunker about mid-way if you push your approach right.

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Multiple

Hole# 9 Whirlwind Devil's Claw - split fairway. If you go to the left it is shorter to green but bunkers and tight fairway. Go to the right and plenty of room but longer into green. Depending on tees you can drive through fairway into desert. There are enough cactus and trees to prevent you from seeing where your ball lands on the left fairway. Just a dumb design for pace of play as well.

Hole #18 Lone Tree - Par 5 with water on the right. I can pull every shot all day, I can hook every shot all day and when I get to this hole I hit the biggest effin slice every time to go into the water.

Hole #9 Blackstone (Peoria, AZ) - Par 5. lay up, lay up, hit into the arroyo in front of green, take an unplayable, hit over green, flub chip, multiple putts. out of tournament every time.

Hole #2 Kettle Brook (MA) - Par 5. I haven't played this course in 10 yrs and still this hole sticks out to me. No good left or right off of tee, if I hit a good drive it is always tempting to go for the green in 2 and I would always end up in some sort of trouble.
 
Well we played the arch nemesis hole today at our scramble and of course it was to be our 18th and final hole we had a good approach but the second shot wasn’t close enough to put in for birdie. It won again.........see you next year.
 
One of these years I'll finally get smart and hit 9-iron 3 times in a row then hope to make the putt.

Overhead view:
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Tried my plan today. 8-iron off the tee, another 8, then PW to just off the fringe. Chip on, then 3 putts for a triple bogey. Can't beat this darn hole.
 
Hole 6 at a little crappy 9 hole course close to my office. Plays around 320, slight dogleg right, fairway is about 25yds wide. There’s a narrow window off the tee that is only about 10yds wide. Past it is wide open. There’s not a level lie in the fairway. There’s water left of the green and the green slopes severely towards the water.

I used to own this hole but over the past 6 months I can’t even get off the tee. I think my best score there all year is a triple. I was so pissed I didn’t even finish the hole my last round
 
Probably #13 @ Lincoln Park East in OKC.

Stupid hole shouldn't be difficult.

Last time I resorted to hitting 4h, 4h. Ended up with a bogey and was fine with that. Might hit a choked down 5wd next time.
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The course is Rancocas in New Jersey, the 9th hole is a par 5 dogleg right off the tee, hot dog shaped pond fronted green with OB long. I've named it "Wil Wheaton" my arch enemy. It's a reference to The Big Bang Theory TV show. I've made birdie 3 times on this hole, in my life...
 
Yep, long 430 yard dogleg right par 4 on my home course. It has a tree perched right on the right side of the fairway on the corner which is about 240 out. The left side has water. Due to my left to right ballflight and my short tee game I am never in a good spot off the tee. I end up on the left in the treeline next to the water or in the fairway with the 240 tree blocking me out to the hole.
 
The #7 hole at my home course eats my lunch
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It plays into a strong south wind almost 90% of the time. On the right is a creek and on the left it is OB. The green has a hard slope from right to left toward the bunkers on the right. If you go left and stay in bounds it is all but a guaranteed 4. But if you go right right you either hit the bunkers or worse hit the slope of the hill and end up in the creek. I hate that hole with a passion.


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Plantation Golf Club in Frisco, TX. #7. 183 yard par 3. For some reason I just can't keep the ball dry on this one. My normal shot is a fade, so my natural tendency is to focus too much on that, and it doesn't help.

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Do you have an arch nemesis hole?

#6 at Kirkwood National. It’s an uphill par 3 playing 180ish from the blue and 205 or so from the black. The green at its deepest point isn’t but 7 or 8 steps front to back. I’ve played the course probably 20 times but only remember hitting the green once. Par on this hole is a beautiful thing.

You really don’t want to be short. The Bermuda is probably 4 inches deep on the hill. But long is worse.

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Where my tee shot landed Saturday:

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I was able to get it up and down. I felt like I stole one. At the most, that is only the third or fourth par I’ve made on the hole.


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I have holes at certain courses where I tend to repeat the same bad shots. It has to be a mental thing.
 
nemesis.jpg This hole bugs the living F out of me. It's 430 from the blues, so add another 27 to the target mark ~250.

So the tee is actually tucked back by the two little trees on the bottom left. You obviously have serious tree issues ahead of you, so you want to go from the left edge of the tee box. Except you can't!! Because that little tree hangs over that part of the box and your backswing will be in the branches. So you tee from the center, pick the only straight line spot you can, which is the armpit between the LARGE tree in your way and the ENORMOUS one just to its right. You have a hole about the size of a hula hoop you have to put it through. I'm a high ball hitter, but if you're not, you can't even try it. You can't get it up too quickly though, because you'll hit the branches of the medium tree hanging out over the white tees (by the red dot). So if you put it through the hula hoop on a straight line and are a 270-ish guy you have a spot to land it about the size of the center white mark on the target graphic. Maybe a touch smaller. There's a big ridge in the fairway, so anything short kicks right, anything slightly right goes way right (both put you in the swing or trajectory path of the tree ahead right), anything left of the spot heads left and nestles by or behind the tree over there. You lay up to avoid all this and you've got a looong approach to a little green and anything mishit short or low from back there has creek trouble. It's the longest cut fairway on the course, ESPECIALLY if your drive kicks right from the spot. I swear it's thicker than being in the long rough. A club plus.

I'm currently a 2 hcp and this is my home course. If I made par on it this year (probably have) I'm too jaded to remember it. I've birdied it once, and most of the rest are bogeys. I can stroke it through that imaginary hula hoop in the sky two thirds of the time and still be cursing when I get up to my ball.

I've tried playing a cut, but it seems impossible to hold that ridge with it. You either land into it and bounce left towards the tree or it rolls through it and you're in the sh*t on the right. If you're a draw player, you're S.O.L.

Some recent year it was rated the 3rd hardest hole in Nebraska (no easy feat) and it only gets worse with those trees growing bigger every year. I swear I'm going to trim the one by the tee box myself one of these days. I opened up my swing so I was driving past that spot recently, which solves half the problem, but you still have to hit the hula hoop. And it is the high plains, so the wind never stops blowing. Hate. This. Hole.
 

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The Ocean Course at Hokuala (Kauai) always gives me fits. I have lost close to 10 balls over 4 rounds on this hole. It can play between 425-450 (Par 4) into some wind. If I have a path, I ALWAYS go for it in two and I have had my fair share of Tin Cup moments where I have plunked multiple balls into the water. Sure I could go ahead and drop up by the water after the first one but hey what would Roy McAvoy do?


90

oh man, the approach on 18 ruins my day ALL THE TIME. Such a terrible way to go out.
 
I used to. Dang 490 yard par 5. OB left and right. A straight drive off the tee struck well will go OB right. Takes a tight 10 yard draw if you hit driver. I’ve made a lot of eagles on that hole and even more “others”. It’s hole 9 so it single handedly has ruined more under par nines than all other hole 9’s I’ve ever played.

Then after years I finally wised up. I now play it smart and hit 7i/7i/w of some sort. Rarely do anything other than par it, but it takes the risk of “other” almost off the books. Also takes away eagle unless I hole out, but makes it so much less stress standing on the tee.
 
Here’s my PITA hole. Even the stupid tee box points at 17’s green it’s so crooked. Dead straight tee shot goes OOB right with driver. What you can’t see from it is the elavation changes. Right at 200 from the tee box it goes down into a valley. Coming out of the valley it’s hard uphill the rest of the way. Anything right going into the green is likely lost OOB.

I now play 7i to the right side of the FW leaving me right on top of the ridge. Then another 7i to the left side of the FW and I’m roughly 100 out. Wedge it in to this two tiered green and hope I’m on the right level otherwise a very likely 3 putt will follow.

A guy with the forum name name of Smiter hits a damn 7i off the tee on a par 5? What’s this world coming to?
 

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Holes 7 and 9 on my home course.

7 is a par 5 that is not particularly long at 480. The problem for me with this hole lies in the drive. For a person that can hit driver very high with a cut and carry it at least 250 will have no issue on this hole. The landing area for my approximately 230 yard carry is about 25 yards between heavily wooded huge trees on the right and and hazard on the left. The hole takes a fairly sharp dogleg to the right at around 245 yards from the tee. Any drive that hits the middle of the fairway or left of the middle is likely going into the hazard area which is so grown up that a ball in there is unplayable at least 95% of the time. Basically you are left with an effective landing area that is about 10 yards wide to keep the ball in play. Have tried various clubs off the tee and 3 wood yields the same dangers for me that driver does and anything less leaves me with an almost impossible 2nd shot for me and my right to left ball flight. With a good drive (which happens maybe 15% of the time) I typically birdie the hole about 25% of the time.

9 is a par 4 that measures about 410 yards. There is about a 150 yard carry over water off the tee then it is uphill all the way to the green. A good drive leaves me between 170 and 180 to the pin. The tough part of the hole comes with trying to hit the very small (front to back and side to side) and heavily undulated green. There is a bunker in front of the green that is almost as big as the green itself. And the prevailing wind is usually against on this hole so the 2nd shot can easily play about 200 yards with the incline and head wind.
 
#18 at Ohio Prestwick CC, tough par 5, gonna just start kickin a wedge all the way to the green.....
 
mbenro;n8876596 said:
#18 at Ohio Prestwick CC, tough par 5, gonna just start kickin a wedge all the way to the green.....


Sounds like my example, lol. I finally capitulated and just hit 7i/7i/w. Mostly make par now. Hate like hell hitting a 7i off the tee on a par 5, but it’s the right play. Anything more I lose flat ground and I only have about a 50% chance of my driver being playable. Probably even less.
 
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