A really interesting piece on whether the famous road hole needs redesigning (spoiler alert: it does not, but it makes for a great thought exercise).
In our view, the 17th on the old course is brilliant because of its simplicity, much like many of the best strategic holes. Here, strategy comes from the interplay between hitting over the right OB (and the real estate within it) and desperately wanting to avoid the road hole bunker. The angle of the green, road and wall behind it all contribute, but the toss up between a scary tee shot bringing OB in play VS a scary second navigating the road hole bunker forms the crux of the strategy.
Many of the data patterns we see suggest that most golfers overlook nuanced strategy, but their choices can be strongly influenced by significant danger. Most golfers only spend a few seconds deciding which club and line to take, so a very simple but compelling strategic problem is required to grab their attention and force them to think carefully. The strategy here is easy to understand (risk going OB or risk going in the road hole bunker) but it is much more difficult to settle on a solution.
Here, we would expect to see a lot of golfers bail out to the left (particularly higher handicappers). But, as is the beauty of the hole, that leaves them with an approach which is all but impossible to get close. On their next visit, this experience might encourage them to be bolder off the tee, bringing OB squarely into play.
One nice aspect of the hole is that there is a good chunk of space to bail out short and right of the green- so you can play it as a three shot hole without too much trouble.
Just our thoughts on a very interesting article in By Design magazine.
How would you redesign the Road hole at St Andrews Links? 👀
Robert MacIntyre called for the famous seventeenth to be ‘blown up’ after losing three shots to it on the weekend of the 2024 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. If it was, what could go there instead? By Design magazine from the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) asked golf course architects to provide their suggestions.
See what they came up with here: https://lnkd.in/e7huQwVt
#StAndrews #RoadHole #ASGCA
