What is the HARDEST opening hole??

[JustOne]

The opening hole on my course is a 350y par 4, slightly downhill, moderately generous fairway to a good sized green, no bunkers but a stream protects the front... mostly from duffed second shots. Basically it's anything from 5iron + 8iron to Driver + lob wedge, not exactly hard.

What's your opening hole like?

...anyone have a 475y par 4 uphill into a prevailing wind over water?

 

[USER1999]

Mine is easy. Wide fairway, dead straight, 5w 8i. How the heck do I keep making such a mess of it.

Hardest I have played is at Legacy golf course in Fl. 454 yards, dog leg right, with a pond all down the right from tee to green, and jungle down the left. The fairway just gets narrower and narrower the further down you go, and there's no rough to hold the ball up. A 4 here and you are off to a very good start. Then the second hole just gets harder.....

 

[Robobum]

1st @ Trevose, 449yds par 4. Anything not hit tight to the left hand side (on a left to right sloped f'way!) leaves you a blind shot from 180yds or so over a 40ft high mound to a fairly small green that runs off the sides and back. Generally played into the wind that comes in off the sea.

It's only saving grace is that it does play slightly downhill.

 

[AuburnWarrior]

The first at my place is OK - 304 yard par 4 - slight dog leg right. Water on the left (although it'd be some shot to put it in there), trees all the way down the left which hide a rather severe slope and trees down the right. Once past all the trees the green is open with two bunkers on the left. Not the easiest of holes but you're not in direct sight of the clubhouse so no additional pressure there. Unlike my old club where the 1st tee was about twenty yards outside the clubhouse so on any given day you could have half the club watching you tee off!!! It was a par three as well (190 yards) so a fairly nervy opening hole.

 

[slugger]

Not played many courses, but the hardest first hole i've played is possibly the 1st at West Lothian Golf Course. It's got a lot going against you for a first tee shot...

Blind tee shot, tee box not aligns straight with the fairway you can't see, trees right, gulley to wrong fairway left. After that it's pretty plain sailing.

I suppose the opening hole at craigielaw can be damaging as well. elevated tee with 2 massive bunkers protecting the fairway at driving distance then a raised green with bunkers all round with very penal rough either side of the green. So easy to rack up a high score on the first hole.

Finding it hard to think of a really difficult opening hole that i've played though... most of the difficulty seems to come further into any course i've played.

 

[Doh]

Our's is a 365yrd par 4 with the second shot over water usualy plays down wind so not to bad.

The powers that be recommend that opening holes should not be less than stroke index 8

 

[stevek1969]

1st hole at Machrahanish 425 yards drive over the Atlantic and was into a 30 mph wind when i played it , hit a cracking drive ,3 wood and a 6 iron and was still short.

 

[Smiffy]

One of the hardest first holes I have ever played is at Cooden Beach GC in Bexhill.
Long par 4 (455yds) off the whites, and it is nearly always played into the prevailing wind.

This description is taken straight from their website...

"A good drive is necessary here to have any chance of reaching the green in two. The second shot is usually long and fraught with danger, from the copse on the left, out of bounds on the right, and the five fairway bunkers in the middle. If you drive right, it's prudent to play a provisional, for landing in the ditch is one thing, but carrying the ditch into the bushes means, firstly, finding the ball and secondly, being able to drop within two club lengths legally".

I knocked a superb drive down here one day, into a slight headwind. I really collared it and was the longest drive of the four. Still came up short with a 3 wood second shot...

On most long par 4's I'll be happy to walk off with a 5. On this one? I'll even take a 6 and not feel hard done by. I just want to get the bloody thing out of the way...

 

[birdieman]

Newmachar Hawkshill is a smashing Dave Thomas designed US style course near Aberdeen. It's SSS 74 par 72 so a tough test. The opening hole requires a pretty good drive followed by a mid iron second which carries water. Took a 9 there once in an 18 hole open in the pouring rain - it was a comedy of errors - game over before it had even started!
Quite an intimidating hole to start with.
Brilliant course though , highly recommend it, bit similar to Blairgowrie Rosemount playing through the pines and birches.

ps have played the wondrous Macrihanish many moons ago but we had a wee tailwind, so although the tee shot still wasn't easy it was a damn sight easier than in a 30mph headwind.

 

[Fyldewhite]

Many consider ours the hardest in the area. 416 uphill with OB left and a sloping fairway that kicks a lot of drives into the rough.

Photo here

Would take a 5 most weeks with a par being a bonus and a birdie like gold dust.

 

[CliveW]

The first at Elie in Fife has a unique opening hole.
The opening drive is blind and there is a vintage submarine periscope located at the Starter's hut on the 1st tee to see over the hill to make sure the group in front is out of harms way.

 

[Robobum]

The first at Elie in Fife has a unique opening hole.
The opening drive is blind and there is a vintage submarine periscope located at the Starter's hut on the 1st tee to see over the hill to make sure the group in front is out of harms way.

That's a real quirky starting hole, not one for those with a low ball flight!!

 

[PhilTheFragger]

The first at Aylesbury Park is a nice one

a 385 par 4 off the yellows, SI 5

It has a brook running diagonally across from about 150 yards on the right side to 180 yards on the left.

A fairly narrow entrance to the main fairway over the brook

Therefore you really need a 200 yard carry to be safe, and be dead straight.

You have the option to bounce one off the bridge

Most players will play up, then over.

 

[viscount17]

481 yd Par 5, dogleg right round a lake.
A wooded area catches an over long straight drive, but anything left is fairly safe, extreme left is on the 10th fairway (not unusual).
you can cut the corner but don't go too far right as tall trees will catch you, new planting forward of the tee will squeeze the short cut even more once it's established.

 

[John_Findlay]

The first at Whitekirk Golf & CC in East Lothian is one of my least favourite openers. I've quite often tallied up a 9 or a 10. It's called "Awakener" for a reason.

492 par 5. Sounds easy.... but there's OB all down the left, bushes all along the right, a narrow undulating fairway with heavy rough and a huge gully just before the raised plateau green which makes judging your 3rd very tricky.

A very slopy green doesn't guarantee a par even if you're on in 3. Getting on in 2 is a thing of dreams with the prevailing wind against.

Anyone who walks off with a par or even a bogie has had a good start to their round. 7 or 8 is more common.

 

[DMC]

Our first is slightly uphill with a dogleg to the left,tree lined fairway,down to a smallish green,deep bunker to the right hand side. Pretty straightforward. Par 5

 

[CliveW]

Winterfield near Dunbar is another course with a difficult opener. A 238 yard par 3 over a huge gully to a blind green. You can ruin a card before you get to the second hole!

 

[rickg]

Meyrick Park in Bournemouth has a 244 yd Par 3 1st hole with a tiny green and a Valley of death to drive over!!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Al ot of the southerners on here know my clubs first. A pussycat off the yellows at only 163 but a bit of a brute off the whites at 229 yards usually into a prevailing wind. Off the yellows the pond left and about 40 yards short isn't in play and nor is the OB right. Both are there for the fade or hook. With a line of trees guarding the right hand side and about 20 yards short and thre ground running right to left towards two bunkers it is a tester for the opening shot especially with a card in hand. I always take a four and move off but sometimes the golfing gods smile and I make a par

According to scoresaver in the 107 times I've played it I've only managed four birdies and my worse score is a seven.

 

[DelB]

Probably not THE hardest opening hole, but certainly one which requires you to step up and play a golf shot right from the off. This is the first hole at Aberdour in Fife and it's only 155 yds off the yellows. However, the wind is invariably blowing a gale so that makes club selection a bit of a lottery. As you can see, too long and you're in the sea, too right and your in the sea and too left? Yup, you're in the sea!