Just like the title says, what's the number one handicap hole at your home course?
For me:
Hillcrest
Lincoln, NE
Hole 4, Par 5
For me:
Hillcrest
Lincoln, NE
Hole 4, Par 5
Your Home Course #1 Handicap Hole
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2012
- Messages
- 54,298
- Reaction score
- 19,733
- Location
- South Georgia
- Handicap
- Cold Temps
Country Oaks GC in Thomasville, GA. Number 13 is par 4. Uphill dogleg left with OB on the right that stretches the entire hole. Normally plays about 420 from the men's tees. A few years back it was rated the #1 handicap hole in the state of GA. Never have tracked it but I would bet my stroke avg on that hole is 4.5 at best.
A picture from the tee.
A picture from the tee.
- Moderator
- #3
The 17th at my home course is the number one handicap. You need to carry the bunkers, ideally with a draw to set up a favorable approach.
The front side is guarded by water, and the green is two tiered split in the center. About 80% of the bunkers are downhill slopes and the green filters toward the water. It is a beast.
The front side is guarded by water, and the green is two tiered split in the center. About 80% of the bunkers are downhill slopes and the green filters toward the water. It is a beast.
- Moderator
- #5
It's a ton of fun buddy. I pull 3 wood and carry the bunkers 95% of the time, and then try to avoid the over draw into the water hahaha!
Wind typically plays right/left on approach, but with the depth change in the green it plays super tough unless you're in wedge distance
I love a tough hole in the last three especially if it's #18. When you par or even birdie them, it is like cutting the head off the dragon after you finally won the fight. Or you double it and shoot yourself in the foot! Haha
moosejaa
Mr. Inconsistent
#18 At Arrowhead Golf Club in Akron, NY. Usually plays with the wind in your face which can often make you have to play it like a par 5 depending how strong it's blowing. I'm usually pretty content to finish my round with a bogey.
Hole 3. It's a par 5. OB left and hazards right. From the purples, it's about 250 to carry the bunker on the right. A 275 yard drive puts you 240 out. Into the wind. Long is in fescue and dead.
This isn't the hardest hole on the course. It is the hole with the largest differential scores when comparing low index golfers and high index golfers.
This isn't the hardest hole on the course. It is the hole with the largest differential scores when comparing low index golfers and high index golfers.
- Moderator
- #9
I think you'd really enjoy the final three at my course. 195 yard par 3 over water, the 17th you've seen, and then 430 yard par 4 that runs alongside the water and you flat out cannot miss on approach. They call it the three hardest finishing holes in the area.
Makes or breaks a tourney like that. Those that finish strong are rewarded.
My home course #1 handicap is a par 5 more because it gets a lot of variance of scores than for being really hard to birdie. If you play smart you should get par or bogey at worst. It's a 90° dogleg right with a lot of trees to guard cutting the edge. An errant cut shot of the tee gets knocked down and makes for two long shots to the green, and too much cut gets you into desert hardpan with very few windows through the trees to get back into the fairway.
It really is a study in playing smart and to your numbers to get a decent score. But there's a fault amount of risk & reward that can set up a birdie opportunity or leave you scrambling.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S5
It really is a study in playing smart and to your numbers to get a decent score. But there's a fault amount of risk & reward that can set up a birdie opportunity or leave you scrambling.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S5
Otis32
Active member
400-420 yard par 4. Very uphill and into the prevailing wind so it often plays 20-30 yards longer depending on the day. Fairway bunkers are right and extend for the length of the landing area for all but the longest players. OB is right of the bunkers and the mounding on the right side of the bunkers will kick nearly every ball OB. Trees down the left side but not so thick or large to be an issue on every shot. 1/2 stroke penalty at most. Green slants back to front and left to right with a medium sized greenside bunker right. No super tough pin placements except maybe short right.
This hole can play very tough for mid to high handicappers who miss right, lack distance or have a high ball flight. Low handicappers don't really struggle at all and mid-cappers like myself with a left miss and a little distance fair pretty well too. I struggle way more with the #2 & #3 handicap holes on this course because my left miss gets penalized much more and because the greens are steeper with more places to tuck the pin.
This hole can play very tough for mid to high handicappers who miss right, lack distance or have a high ball flight. Low handicappers don't really struggle at all and mid-cappers like myself with a left miss and a little distance fair pretty well too. I struggle way more with the #2 & #3 handicap holes on this course because my left miss gets penalized much more and because the greens are steeper with more places to tuck the pin.
JRod
Well-known member
The 17th at my home course is the number one handicap. You need to carry the bunkers, ideally with a draw to set up a favorable approach.
The front side is guarded by water, and the green is two tiered split in the center. About 80% of the bunkers are downhill slopes and the green filters toward the water. It is a beast.
I know were going by scorecard but I actually found 18 more challenging.
In my opinion there are tougher holes on the course, but this one presents a challenge on both shots. Once you get on the green it has two very distinct tiers which makes putting a real challenge if you're on the opposite side of the flag.
They just re-did the scorecard at my home course and the #1 Handicap hole is now the long par 4 3rd.
It's a 430 yard par 4 that turns to the right just a hair. Narrow Fairway, and two sentinel trees on either side guarding the corner. If you take the trees out of play your approach is 250+, if you take them on you literally need a perfect tee shot on a perfect line. Left is forest, right is forest. The approach is always from a downhill lie to a small green where you'll be thrilled with a 2 putt.
I've played here so many times and I've only parred this hole when I chip in or get lucky and somehow drain a long putt.
It's a 430 yard par 4 that turns to the right just a hair. Narrow Fairway, and two sentinel trees on either side guarding the corner. If you take the trees out of play your approach is 250+, if you take them on you literally need a perfect tee shot on a perfect line. Left is forest, right is forest. The approach is always from a downhill lie to a small green where you'll be thrilled with a 2 putt.
I've played here so many times and I've only parred this hole when I chip in or get lucky and somehow drain a long putt.
Some tough holes in here guys. At my main club our number 1 handicap is the 16th hole. A par 4 that plays 489 from the "Texas" tee's and 441 from here this mortal tee's it up. Dogleg right off the tee with bunkers on the left at the dogleg. A straight ball finds the bunkers unless you try and bite off the corner with your tee shot. Ideal play is a power fade, if that is your ball flight you will be in the fairway with 190 to 200 slightly uphill to the green. The hole is about the tee ball, you must work the ball.
http://www.dallasnationalgolfclub.com/Default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=343498&ssid=245037&vnf=1
http://www.dallasnationalgolfclub.com/Default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=343498&ssid=245037&vnf=1
BBrattina
New member
552 Yard Par 5; Dog leg left - Out of bounds present on both sides, tee over water (noticed in the bottom right corner of the screenshot).
JuKu
New member
It is a common misunderstanding: the hcp index is not the difficulty index, it is to make match plays even.
And then, it uses theoretical textbook scratch and bogie golfers. At my course, the #1 hcp hole is a dogleg guarded by water. If you have a straight, 240+ drive, which our mythical scratch golfer has, it is a short iron to a largish green, easy par at worst. The bogie golfer lays up and if you don't have a 240 drive, you don't have a 200+ yard shot to the green either, so you have a longish pitch to the green and looking for bogey at least. In practice, the scratch in my group lays up too and is hitting a hybrid to the green against my fairway wood. Imo, that is not a full shot advantage.
In my opinion there are tougher holes on the course, but this one presents a challenge on both shots. Once you get on the green it has two very distinct tiers which makes putting a real challenge if you're on the opposite side of the flag.
The #1 handicap hole isn't supposed to be the most difficult hole persay. It's supposed to be the hole with the greatest score differential
The 7th hole at Seminole golf course is an uphill par 4 dogleg left and the fairway slopes from left to right. It has probably the stupidest green on the property. The angle of this satellite image doesn't do the shape of the hole justice. You've pretty much got to be in the middle of the fairway after a good drive. Too far to the left and the oaks block the green. Too far to the right and you have a long iron in your hand. The bunker to the right of the green is about six feet deep from the bottom to the surface of the green, and the back and right side of the green are guarded by mounding. Tell me I've got a 5 and I'll move right on to the 8th hole.
amsmith61
Active member
Also isn't the #1 Handicap hole suppose to be on the front 9 per the USGA handicap system?
cpljohnst
Go Jackets! Go Sun Devils
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2011
- Messages
- 15,330
- Reaction score
- 111
- Location
- Villa Rica, Georgia
- Handicap
- 16.0 GHIN
It can be on either. But whichever nine it is on all those become the "odd" handicapped holes. At my home club both of our courses have the #1 handicapped hole on the back nine.