What are those things that make a Great Golf Hole?

I was golfing lately when I came to a recognizable hole that has given me quite a lot of grief during the previous rounds. It's not a really hard par five but a score can balloon to a seven or eight with one mistake. I consider this an excellent hole, but it got me thinking about just what it really is which makes a great golf hole at times when we play golf. Needless to say that's an individual thing, and sometimes even professional players point out outstanding golf holes that for them are particularly complex.

For those professionals it presents a big challenge because they possess the tools to deal with. Nevertheless for a 10 to 20 handicapper a golf hole like that is can be too great an obstacle. And so for me those will not signify great golf holes simply because a skilled golfer believes it is. In my opinion the top golf holes embody choices; ways that players at all levels can negotiate the hole by hitting shots that they are well capable of hitting.

As an illustration, should a player who usually plays bogey golf is given a sequence of shots they may be able to complete on a regular basis, by making the proper alternatives they ought to be in a position to attain a bogey. The scratch golfer by hitting shots he is capable of hitting should be able to attain at minimum par, however there will be greater risk-reward trade-offs. In either situation, with not executing the appropriate shots and making the right choices ought to lead to a higher score.

Using this standard it really wouldn't be possible for every single hole on a golf course to be terrific. Certain things may be accomplished with bunkers and other hindrances, but course designers have to use the topography more or less the way it is. I think that every hole if it's possible ought to have those reward-options, and a golf course architect need to find a minimum of 2 or 3 such holes that fit the bill.

When we look at some of the outstanding Scottish courses and listen to commentators report that it is unfair if they hit a pot bunker that is located in the fairway with a massive drive. Hitting one of those might require that the player have to actually hit the ball backwards in order to carry on to the hole. But a golf hole like that leads to the strategies that should always be an element of the game. The golfer could certainly take that pot bunker from play by choice hitting a shorter shot, but that gives him a longer ball to the green. The fantastic golf holes should not be about merely hitting the shot farther, but making sound decisions and carrying out good golf shots.