Hardest Opening Hole

stockdam

What's the hardest opening hole that you have played. Most of my golf has been in Northern Ireland so most of you won't have faced these two holes........

(sorry for the wide post but it does contain some nice photos)


In 2nd spot is the first at Gracehill (Co. Antrim).




The above picture is looking back from the green to the fairway. The hole is only 336 yards from the back sticks but the big pond prevents you taking a driver.
There's a large ravine between the pond and the green. Also notice the tall trees that only about the width of the green apart.

The teeshot is only a mid to long iron or rescue wood down towards the pond. There's acres of room but the teeshot must be perfect otherwise you haven't a clear line to the green.
It's a dogleg and that makes it a bit harder to get the right line and length from the tee.
If you don't find the ideal spot on the fairway then it's often best to chip over to where you have a view of the green.
Trying to fly those trees is very hard and if you hit them then the ball falls down into the ravine below and is usually lost. Anyone who slices the ball has no hope of hitting the green.
It's not that hard for a good golfer as it is only a short iron into the green but it's a difficult start to the round. Walk off with a par and you feel like you've just made a birdie.
It's a hole which can destroy even the best.


The toughest opening hole that I play is at Scrabo. I hope Kevin doesn't mind me using his excellent photo from the first tee.







Christy O'Connor Snr rated this hole as his favourite opening hole in Ireland.

It's a long 469 yards all uphill often into a stiff breeze.

The drive needs to be long and straight. The fairway is quite wide but narrows down right at the point of a very long drive. To be able to hit the green in two you need to hit a "perfect" drive.
If you miss the fairway then you'll probably never see your ball again as the gorse will gobble it up.

The fun doesn't end after the teeshot. Assuming you've hit the drive of your life and taken the applause from the onlookers then you are faced with another very tough uphill shot.
(The green is way up in the valley at the top of the picture).
The green is surrounded by trouble and OOBs. If you go for the green and miss it then you will either loose your ball, be OOBs or face a difficult shot from deep rough.
Into a breeze it can be a 5 or 3 wood even for the longest hitters. The wise option is to layup short and chip onto the green. A bogey here will often halve or even win the hole in matchplay.
If you are a low handicap player then this is one of the holes that you must play. On a summer's day it is a challenge and a hole that can bring out the very best.
On a cold, wet winter's day then it's a beast.

f22

The Islands opener with 440 yards off the back sticks can be savage, huge dunes left and right. Nearly always into the wind.

WH BONNEY

Baltinglass Golf Club
Par 4, 400 yards slightly up hill.

rednik

Knockanally 1st. Pretty straightforward drive, but a very difficult approach to a green well covered by trees.

Glencarraig

Bray, 401 yards, sloping left to right fairway, plays uphill so longer that you think, the greenkeeper can find some really evil pin placements,stroke index 1, a nice gentle opener !!

mike12

1st in Enniscrone not a drive off the tee but tough second from a long way back if you dont take on the ob on the corner. I'v scratched it 3 out of 3 times.
Mike

dolally

Carlow. 438 yards. Gotta hit it long and to right of fairway in order to see the green. Second in to a well protected green with water left. Take a 5 and get outta there:).

fullstop

Either Sandy Hills at Rosapenna, 495 yard par 4 off the back tee to an elevated green or City of Derry, 200+ yard par 3 up the hill and always into the wind.

Opics

Muskerry Golf Club in Cork. 421 yards up hill with trees left and right. Green slopes severely from back to front and from right to left. The amount of times I've 3 putted that is crazy.

pinseeker

Ya opics that is nasty enough hole to start a round with alright.Don't think id call it up hill much to be fair.
It is a tight drive but it's the green that causes all the problems and as far as im aware it is been done away with soon.A friend of mine who is member has told me how common it is to see 4 and even 5 putts which is bit severe really.

Tones69

dolally wrote: »

Carlow. 438 yards. Gotta hit it long and to right of fairway in order to see the green. Second in to a well protected green with water left. Take a 5 and get outta there:).

lol exactly what i was thinking, very tough hole to par. Baltinglass also is a stinker of a first, the walk is worse than the hole itself though, the front of the green is a total b*tch, u think ur golden and yes it just rolls back down to where you pitched it from

bailey99

Opics wrote: »

Muskerry Golf Club in Cork. 421 yards up hill with trees left and right. Green slopes severely from back to front and from right to left. The amount of times I've 3 putted that is crazy.

played there last week. Drive and a soft 9 iron to right side of the green.
Downhill putt about 20feet. I tipped the ball to run perhaps 4 or 5feet, the ball finished about 25feet from the hole, lucky to stay on the green.

Stupidest green in ireland would be my guess, as for hardest hole I doubt that very much.

Opics

bailey99 wrote: »

played there last week. Drive and a soft 9 iron to right side of the green.
Downhill putt about 20feet. I tipped the ball to run perhaps 4 or 5feet, the ball finished about 25feet from the hole, lucky to stay on the green.

Stupidest green in ireland would be my guess, as for hardest hole I doubt that very much.

It's hard because of the stupid green :P

blue note

fullstop wrote: »

Sandy Hills at Rosapenna, 495 yard par 4 off the back tee to an elevated green or City of Derry.

What's the point of holes like that? Why don't they just call it a birdieable par 5 because that's what it is for 90% of amateur golfers.

mr.mickels

Looks a very interesting challenge, I guess many a card has been ruined before reaching the second tee!!!

stockdam wrote: »

The toughest opening hole that I play is at Scrabo. I hope Kevin doesn't mind me using his excellent photo from the first tee.

scrubber72

your ma`s....
no seriously there is a small course called curra west in galway. Bit of a sh1thole really but was a member there when i started. The first is only a short par 4 about 280m but the tee shot is through a gap so tight with oob on left and lots of trees right that my first statement wouldnt be a bad discription.

Spazzy Magee

scrubber72 wrote: »

your ma`s....
no seriously there is a small course called curra west in galway. Bit of a sh1thole really but was a member there when i started. The first is only a short par 4 about 280m but the tee shot is through a gap so tight with oob on left and lots of trees right that my first statement wouldnt be a bad discription.

Ur a piece of work scrubber...a real piece of work :eek:

ankles

I hate the "new" (since they built the pro-shop) first at my own Mannan Castle, Monaghan. Hate starting with a par 3. Off the blues its 200 yards, with OOB all down the left literally from beside the tee box. Anything left of the green is a reload unless the tall trees save you. Too long and you could be unplayable, and there's a hungry bunker on the right. If you bale out right there's lots of pesky small trees and bushes which could block you out, and the green slopes away from you. Horrible.

Mostly I bang an iron down and hope for a chip and a putt.

Kevinmarkham

My list would include
Cairndhu (pic), which goes straight uphill and is even steeper than Baltinglass (view from the green).

Athlone (from the back tee)

Claremorris as you'll almost always be blind for your approach

Curra West, as pointed out by Scrubber it's the tightest driving hole you'll face

Mountrath, like Claremorris, is can easily leave you blind for the approach

Naas is a tough one for sure as even a good drive (faded) leaves the green surface out of sight.

Navan, beside the racecourse is a long downhill hole but the wind is typically into your face.

Then you have Gracehill, Scrabo, Rosapenna and Bray, as others have all mentioned.

Webbs

I'd put the first at Athenry as one of the tougher opening holes at 380m with tight drive to narrowish fairway with trees on edge of fairway on left (the side you are looking to go down), trees and deep rough on the right. Then an approach to a small green that if you miss is a v difficult up and down

(pic from Kevin Markham flickr site)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinmarkham/3762975785/in/set-72157621880602108

Figo69

1st in Macreddin GC ...slightly dog leg. Go too far forward then its gone. Too far of a draw then its in the bunker. Too far over the trees on the left, then its in the downslope rough.

A tip for those who playing in the boards outing... A 3 or 5 wood straight down the middle for a 150 yarder 2nd shot.:)

k.p.h

Great thread. Theirs nothing worse than coming to the second tee with a tear in your eye. If I was designing a course I would go Ind 18,1,2,3 on the first 4 holes. Gibe them a chance to have a few swings and then batter them into submission. Nothing better than watching a golfer with 4pts in the 5th tee

Seriously though a few hard holes early. I think it's a great defense for a course to have,it really tests the "metal" of a golfer.

charlieIRL

Kevinmarkham wrote: »

My list would include


Athlone (from the back tee)

Tough enough hole alright (like the rest of them!) I have left a fair few balls in the trees on the right.

Ideal drive is to the left and then hit uphill-right to the green but this is way harder than it seems. I will be there later, weather permitting, so will prob loose another one!!

Koscienly

ankles wrote: »

I hate the "new" (since they built the pro-shop) first at my own Mannan Castle, Monaghan. Hate starting with a par 3. Off the blues its 200 yards, with OOB all down the left literally from beside the tee box. Anything left of the green is a reload unless the tall trees save you. Too long and you could be unplayable, and there's a hungry bunker on the right. If you bale out right there's lots of pesky small trees and bushes which could block you out, and the green slopes away from you. Horrible.

Mostly I bang an iron down and hope for a chip and a putt.

It's a tough one but keep it right of the green and you've a chance. playing short is what some members do and chip on

Koscienly

I love the 5th par 3 hole in Athenry. Class

Benny Cake

First in Castlecomer is a seriously difficult open hole.... OB down the left all the way from tee to green.. Manys the time I came off it with 10+ strokes

stockdam

Kevinmarkham wrote: »

My list would include
Cairndhu (pic), which goes straight uphill

I wouldn't say it's technically difficult Kevin - more of a bloody slog trying to get up that hill especially if the wind and the rain is blowing right into your face. However when you get up there then you find one of the nicest views in Irish golf from the 2nd tee. The third is a great relief too as you can hit a 350 yard drive downhill, down-wind.

sssssiiiiimon

mike12 wrote: »

1st in Enniscrone not a drive off the tee but tough second from a long way back if you dont take on the ob on the corner. I'v scratched it 3 out of 3 times.
Mike

Must agree unreal second shot. Have found myself up the dunes on the right a few times.

Kevinmarkham

stockdam wrote: »

I wouldn't say it's technically difficult Kevin - more of a bloody slog trying to get up that hill especially if the wind and the rain is blowing right into your face. However when you get up there then you find one of the nicest views in Irish golf from the 2nd tee. The third is a great relief too as you can hit a 350 yard drive downhill, down-wind.

I guess it's the view from the tee which can put the fear of god into you - a bit like Scrabo. I agree with the 'technically' bit but the second shot, standing at such an angle with the putting surface well above you and out of sight, is why I think it's so tough.

And I agree about the views from the 2nd. Ailsa Craig looks stunning. Glens of Antrim, coastline... I'll pay a quick visit to the 'What's the most scenic course in Ireland?' thread

Myksyk

1st in Woodstock (index 3) is difficult and becoming more and more difficult. Trees on right from tee to green, trees on left from 230 metres in. Landing area at about 150m for tee shot is about 30-40m across max, unless you lay before fairway narrows, which leaves you c.180m approach. From 150m in anything in the trees left or right is lost. I say it's becoming more difficult because the trees put in from the tee (to protect houses on right) are coming into their own and are ten feet taller than they were 4-5 years ago. Have to go play it in an hour so better stop now or I'll talk myself into an opening double!

Myksyk

Myksyk wrote: »

1st in Woodstock (index 3) is difficult and becoming more and more difficult. Trees on right from tee to green, trees on left from 230 metres in. Landing area at about 150m for tee shot is about 30-40m across max, unless you lay before fairway narrows, which leaves you c.180m approach. From 150m in anything in the trees left or right is lost. I say it's becoming more difficult because the trees put in from the tee (to protect houses on right) are coming into their own and are ten feet taller than they were 4-5 years ago. Have to go play it in an hour so better stop now or I'll talk myself into an opening double!

Doubled the first.

(/rests case. Hits head off wall.)