We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Are there hole designs that mess with your head.

Excessive carry off the tee, now for the most part any kind of carry required is going to screw with my head, but especially longer carries or ones with obstacles directly in front of the tee that you have to elevate and clear quickly.
 
Dogleg lefts.

Also, any dogleg that you have to get to a certain spot to have a clear shot to the green (because of tall trees, usually). Sucks to hit a poor tee shot that makes you have to lay up for your third shot.
 
At my home course we have one hole that has a pond directly on the left side of the fairway that runs the length of it and OB on the right. There is a generous amount of space in between but it never fails that I pull/hook it in to the water or occasionally slice the heck out of it OB. I don't know if I have ever posted lower than a 6 on it. It screws with my head every time.
 
Narrow holes and hard doglegs in either direction. Both of which are found at the course I play regularly :angry:
 
forced carries off tee boxes, moreso waste/jungle stuff than over water. Even a small forced carry will sometimes creep in my mind because any topped shot and I"m in my pocket.
 
Par 3's built into the side of a hill like Glen Mills #7. It's 208 to the middle (215 if the pin is back) from the blues and 221/228 from the tips. If it's back, can't really see the green where the pin is. Hill slopes left to right. Above it's banked with rough, below are bunkers that are way below. The pic below doesn't really give a sense of how steep it is left-to-right. Green is long and relatively narrow. One can draw it in but you have to aim at bunkers/creek. Fading is also a small window. The window to hit a good shot is really small and that really puts the pressure on - particularly if the wind is blowing. Honestly, hitting to just in front of the green and then hitting a chip or pitch isn't the worst idea.

l34.jpg
 
Dogleg right with trouble on the left. I'll aim to hit a fade and either hit it straight or left.
 
Holes where the fairway is almost perpendicular to the direction of the tee shot, so you have to pick a line and hit it a particular distance. Double this when the tee shot is blind (I'm looking at you, number 14 at TPC Las Vegas)
 
When the tee box is lined up opposite of the hole, I have trouble with. And anything with water all down the right side, I just feel a slice coming on
 
Par 4's and 5's where you drive into the face of an uphill fairway. If I can carry over the hill or it is too far to reach it's OK but when the drive goes right into the slope so there is no roll it gets in my head.
 
Long par 3s that are 180-185+. Dog leg rights. Seems like every time I try to hit a fade on the course these days, I pull the crap out of it.
 
Par 4s that require a longer 2nd shot than the tee shot. (I'm looking at you Pecan Valley #15 River Course).
 
I think the only designs that get into my head is the misaligned tee boxes that don't allow me to feel comfortable over the tee shot. Sometimes tee boxes just don't look right and that messes with me. What grinds my gears is when playing a new course and not knowing where trouble is, playing what you view as a safe shot and then getting punished with what you thought was the right play.
 
A lot of complaints are around how the tee box is aligned. I think there are two things that one can do to counteract that. First, it's a trick of the groundskeeper course architect so be suspicious and ignore them from the standpoint of picking a line. Second, when practicing at the range, go out of your way to hit shots away from how the range is laid out (ie not along the range "tee box"). I find that make me very comfortable with hitting to a point and not around reference points that are where I am standing.
 
For me it's bunkers on the right side of the green. When I miss with an iron it's usually a right push. So if I miss far enough right that it requires a short pitch over that bunker it really gets in my head and 50% of the time I flub it right into the sand.

This doesn't mess with my head, but I hate when tee boxes aren't level.
 
Holes with poorly aligned tee boxes or giant trees in the middle of the fairway.
 
Holes with a significant forced carry off the tee (be it natural hazards, or water). Also tee boxes which are designed to mess with your alignment. Hate that sort of design.
 
This hole gets in my head. Took more than 100 rounds to finally feel comfortable on the tee box.
From the tips - 440 yd par 4 (420 or 400 yds from the more forward tee boxes), dogleg left at about 215 yds from the green, uphill. Tree on the right beyond the dogleg blocks any shot that ends up in the right rough. Tree and desert on the inside of the dogleg. Green slopes right to left, bunker right at the 3-5 o'clock position. Steep drop off to the left of the green.

This hole has my number. Never birdied it, only have been putting for birdie maybe 4-5 times. I usually bogey this hole.
 
Holes that slope from left to right a good deal where the left side is blocked out. When the ball is below my feet, I like to aim further left and when that's not available, I think of silly ways to hit the ball. There was a hole at my old club like this and it drove me nuts. It sloped so much that even if you hit your drive just to the right of the treeline on the left, it would roll across the entire fairway to the right side.

Island greens.
 
Par 3s, or any other hole that requires me to hit an iron off the tee box. Iron play is my strength (relatively speaking), but I can't hit them from the box.
 
This will sound a bit odd being I'm a lefty, but dogleg left and having to hit driver. Hit it straight and thru the fairway every single time (even though my tendency is to play a fade). Also, anytime I'm forced to aim right. Just messes up my comfort level as I'm set up to the ball.
 
Are there hole designs that mess with your head.

Holes with death on the right side in the form of water, OB, or other hazards in which you don't even bother looking for the your ball.

The simple solution is to put driver away and make a higher percentage shot from the tee, but pride can be a difficult thing to overcome.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
Dog leg right holes with trouble left where the tee box is hugging the right side of the fairway.
 
Dog leg left with need to carry the corner or death left if you don't. I hit a fade, I have to start the ball over the hazard and let it come back. Lately, I have been hitting a dead nuts straight drive in this situation. I can't hit driver straight to save my life! There are two holes I can think of with water left off the tee and not a ton of room right....this has killed me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Courses where the tee box is on the very left, and the fairway is to the right. I hit a push nearly every single time, then I'll overcompensate and hit a snap hook! What has been working for me here is something my old instructor said that I had forgotten about. He told me to pick a line, find a spot in front of the ball on that line, then NOT look back at the target on shots like that. He said your eyes will fool you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top