Lookout Mountain Club's par 5 No.10 is littered with strategic bunkering the length of the hole
photo by Doug Stein
The cavernous greenside bunker on Black Creek's tenth hole can be a menace
photo by Doug Stein
The tenth hole at The Honors Course will provide a stern test during this summer's U.S. Senior Amateur championship
photo by contributed by USGA/Russell Kirk
Cleveland Country Club's difficult par 5 No. 10 requires accuracy to a green well-protected by bunkers
photo by contributed by Cleveland Country Club
Council Fire's uphill No. 10 is a challenge despite featuring no bunkers
The ninth hole at The Honors Course will forever be connected to Tiger Woods.
It was there that Woods, playing in his second and final season at Stanford in 1996, put one in the water on his approach that led to a triple bogey on the par 4 that would lead to a round of 80 in his last collegiate competition.
Woods had a nine-stroke lead entering the last day of the NCAA championship, and still managed to win by four shots with a total score of 3-under par. He seemed to recover nicely from that challenging day at The Honors Course, winning The Masters Tournament the next year on his way to golfing immortality.
This hole has continued to be one of the favorites among a layout of spectacular challenges, and its reputation continues today as it was chosen as The Elite 18’s best hole No. 9 by the readers.
It joins previous winners:
No. 1: WindStone Golf Club
No. 2: McLemore Highlands Course
No. 3: Bear Trace at Harrison Bay
No. 4: Chattanooga Golf and Country Club
No. 5: The Ooltewah Club
No. 6: Black Creek Club
No. 7: Brainerd Golf Course
No. 8: The Honors Course
We now turn to the inward nine in considering nominees for The Elite 18’s best hole No. 10. Our panel of local professionals and top amateurs came up with 15 different candidates among the 25 golf courses in consideration. With distances measured from the back tees, the top choices are:
Black Creek Club, par 4, 335 yards: Choose wisely on the tee shot as this seemingly benign hole requires plenty of strategy. Deemed “Double Cross”, the hole is designed to tempt golfers to drive the green given a favorable pin placement. The cavernous steep-faced bunker left of the green is unseen from the tee and is penal in nature. This is one hole where misplaced aggressiveness can lead to a big number.
Cleveland Country Club, par 5, 516 yards: The fairway slopes hard to the right and a solid drive that takes advantage of the contour can leave you with a chance at finding the green in two. Anything right will force a layup short of the creek 75 yards out. The narrow but deep green is guarded by a pair of bunkers and features subtle breaks.
Council Fire Club, par 4, 454 yards: The long uphill par four is unique in that there are no bunkers on the entire hole. But that doesn’t diminish the challenge. The tee shot carries a small valley to a landing area bordered left by mature trees and a grassy swale to the right. The second shot to an elevated sloping green needs to clear the false front, and often a low trajectory runner is the best approach to hold the putting surface.
Lookout Mountain Club, par 5, 575 yards: The decided dogleg left was transformed after the recent restoration to bring into play a series of imposing bunkers throughout the hole. A well-placed tee ball to the right of the fairway should reach an elevated area. Longer hitters trying to get home in two should play to the right side of the green, while playing down the right center is the best angle for those choosing to lay up.
The Honors Course, par 4, 492 yards: The challenging par 4 features a lengthy bunker guarding the left side of the landing area off the tee, begging for a draw to gain proper angle into the green. The uphill green has decided contours and favors a faded approach with large bunker protecting the front right.
You can make your preference known in the poll below. Voting will remain open until Saturday at 6 p.m., with the final results revealed on Monday when we introduce the candidates for the Elite 18 Hole No. 11.
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Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com