Ideal Back Nine

This list is compiled from courses I have had the privilege of playing. All yardages are from the men’s tee and are “standard” yardages for the tees I played the day(s) I played these courses.

#10 at Moortown – Leeds, UK – Par 3

The tenth at Moortown was the first hole built on property. Designed by Alister MacKenzie, this par 3 was designed to attract investors to the club. Clearly the Doctor made a strong case for securing funds for the other seventeen holes. Named “Gibraltar”, the green “conjures images of a mighty rock” with hazards all around. Playing 165 yards, the hole appears relatively flat but plays slightly uphill. The player does not want to miss left as a deep, cavernous bunker sits well below this back to front sloping green. A severe runoff short can make for an imposing pitch if the player fails to hold the green. With another bunker short and right, it is imperative for the player to find the center of the green. From the tee box, this is an incredibly stunning golf hole. Widely considered MacKenzie’s first “famous hole”, it is an early Redan design, though he claims he had never visited North Berwick.

 #11 at Pacific Dunes – Bandon, OR – Par 3

This short par 3 has been at the top of my list for hole 11 since I began compiling it. This phenomenal hole along the Pacific plays slightly uphill to a semi-blind green. Only the flag can be seen. Designed by Tom Doak, this par 3 follows yet another par 3 at Pacific Dunes, hence why I felt comfortable enough to think outside the box for this list. The green is obscured by the tall face of a deep bunker short. With another bunker short and right, covering these hazards is key. Nestled below a dune in a tiny bowl, shots to the right side of the green will funnel towards center. While there are more opportunities on the back nine at Pacific Dunes to stare at the Pacific, I found this to be one of my favorite views of the day.

 #12 at Royal Liverpool – Wirral, UK – Par 4

The 12th at Royal Liverpool is a true test from tee to green. Playing at 410 yards, this par 4 almost feels like a double dogleg, even though both turns go left. The fairway appears slightly below the tee and is pinched by numerous bunkers, all before the first dogleg. Two bunkers guard the inside corner from being cut, while two bunkers, further apart from their counterparts, are before and after the dogleg on the right side of the fairway. This second bunker on the right is brilliant as it requires the player to choose a line slightly closer to the left bunkers than they might prefer. However, the player with course knowledge knows they must play towards these bunkers, as if they are too far back, they will have no sight of the green. This is because 40 yards before the green the hole cuts even more to the left. At this turn, two more pot bunkers guard the line to play. Along with that, there is a mound just to the left of these hazards that can obscure the flag if the hole is cut on the left side. The severe runoff area right of the green must be avoided. For The Open in the summer of 2023, this hole will play as #14.

 #13 at Tobacco Road – Sanford, NC – Par 5

An all-time favorite course of mine, this Mike Strantz design is located less than 25 miles north of Pinehurst. To me, this place is the definition of fun and extreme golf, in the best way possible. On this list, I had to pick and choose where to highlight certain courses. This list has certain omissions and doesn’t necessarily choose my favorite par 3s or favorite par 4s in the world. Yes, #11 at Pacific Dunes is one of my favorite par 3s, but so is the Redan at North Berwick and #13 at Merion. And my favorite par 4 in the world might just be the fourth at Merchantville Country Club, the course I grew up on, because it introduced me to strategy. But I couldn’t pass up the fourth at Hollywood. I also wanted par to make sense and the flow of the round to work. With all of that said, #13 at Tobacco Road is, without a doubt, one of my favorite par 5s in the world. Might even be on the shortlist for favorite hole, period. A true three-shot par 5, it might be necessary to hit less than driver given the runout. From here, the green is not accessible, but it is important to be in a good position for your third, given the nature of the green. Only a narrow valley welcomes run-up shots to a thin, left to right green, tucked at the bottom of a mini valley. If you don’t find this hole fun, you have a problem.  

 #14 at Delamere Forest – Cheshire, UK – Par 4

The 14th hole at Delamere Forest was my first favorite hole at this Herbert Fowler design. I started on 10 that day, as I was a single, and felt like I had the nine to myself. The tee box on 14 is the high point on this hole, but the entirety of this hole is not visible. Doglegging left over a mound running the width of the fairway, it is key to be over this mound for a full view of the green on one’s second. From here, the fairway runs downhill and is bottled between two large mounds on either side of the fairway. Because of this mounded bottling, it is possible to be in the fairway but obscured from the green, even if over the initial one. The green is the low point of this hole and is guarded by a jagged bunker short and left. Having since played LACC North, the look and play of these bunkers is similar, which makes sense given Fowler’s work in LA. Strategically, the right side of the fairway is the cleaner angle to the diagonal green as it does not require covering the bunker. I found most all the par 4s at Delamere Forest to be exceptional, with 14 atop the list.

 #15 at Mid Pines – Southern Pines, NC – Par 5

Fifteen at Mid Pines is a short par 5 that is scorable for most all players. This course, designed by Donald Ross and restored by Kyle Franz, is in the golf mecca of Pinehurst, NC. Playing only 482 yards, the 15th fairway doglegs slightly left, with the cant of the fairway helping to release well hit drives into an attack position for the approach. Off the tee, it is important to avoid either of the two bunkers if one wants any chance at the green on their second. The line off the tee is off the right edge of the left fairway bunker. From here, the approach plays slightly uphill to a green guarded by two bunkers in front of the green. Just keep hugging the left and it’s possible to get down in 3!

#16 at North Berwick – North Berwick, Scotland – Par 4

I toyed around with 13, 14, 15 and 16 for this list, but settled on this hole because of the green. North Berwick is perhaps my favorite golf course in the world. A place like no other, full of history and architectural originality to challenge any other course in the world. Playing only 359-yards, the 16th at North Berwick is a straight-away par 4 that requires carrying the burn off the tee. Named “Gate” for the gate in the wall that is the ideal line of play off the tee, the second shot is where this hole gets interesting given the green. This is the famed Biarritz green. Running slightly diagonal, right to left, to the line of play, this incredibly long green is bisected by a 4-foot trough, effectively splitting the green into two. If on the wrong tier, especially if putting through the trough, a 3-putt is good. Left of the green are two bunkers out to catch any run-up shots if the pin is back. There is a certain amount of luck to this hole given the narrowness and extremities of this green, but that’s part of the fun.

#17 at Sheep Ranch – Bandon, OR – Par 4

I had to choose a relatively straightforward par 4 for the penultimate hole given my choice for 18. The final visit to the Pacific Ocean on this list, #17 at Sheep Ranch is only a 314-yard par 4 with minimal hazards, save for the massive cliff immediately left of the fairway. This Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw design has no traditional sand bunkers. Instead, features include scalloped-out thumbprints with tufts of grass on their highest point, bunker lips devoid of sand below, and 60,000 square-foot sized “traps” of knotted rough. A long iron to the right side of the fairway is the safe play, but the ideal line to the green is from the left, closer to the cliff. A series of hummocks in front of the green complicate a bump and run shot if close enough, while also semi-blinding certain areas of the putting surface. The green is framed by ghost trees adding to the visual interest of the hole, and helping players choose a best line to the flag.

 #18 at Pine Valley – Clementon, NJ – Par 4

I had the honor of a lifetime playing Pine Valley as a senior in high school. Having grown up only 20 minutes away from arguably the #1 course in the world, I had heard a lot about it. And my father has had the privilege of playing it, so I heard about it many times from him. I will admit, I do not remember as much of the course as I would like. There are memories though, such as the immaculate driving range, the Devil’s Asshole, the tee shot on 5, and parts of almost every hole. But not in the way I remember courses now. I was naïve and 17, probably thinking this would be my first of many invites to the esteemed club. While this was my only loop of the big course, I had the privilege of playing the par 3 course multiple times. I played that spring break morning with three friends, as one of their dads is the Director of Golf. We went off without caddies, but our host, and friend, had grown up on the course, so he would suffice. After 17 incredible holes, one arrives on the tee of 18, an absolute brute of a finish. Finding the fairway is imperative, like every hole here. Playing 425 yards, the shorter hitter is likely laying up over the cross bunker but before the creek, while the longer hitter is going for glory over the cross bunker, the creek, and a growing face of bunkers, before hopefully finding the elevated green. Once off this green, you’ve officially played the greatest golf course in the world.

10 – Moortown – Leeds, UK – Par 3 – 165 yards

11 – Pacific Dunes – Bandon, OR – Par 3 – 131 yards

12 – Royal Liverpool – Wirral, UK – Par 4 – 410 yards

13 – Tobacco Road – Sanford, NC – Par 5 – 536 yards

14 – Delamere Forest Golf Club – Cheshire, UK – Par 4 – 368 yards

15 – Mid Pines – Southern Pines, NC – Par 5 – 481 yards

16 – North Berwick – North Berwick, Scotland – Par 4 – 359 yards

17 – Sheep Ranch – Bandon, OR – Par 4 – 314 yards

18 – Pine Valley – Pine Valley, NJ – Par 4 – 425 yards

Par 36

3189 yards

6006 total yards