Sure, you know about the Bear Trap, the Snake Pit, and Amen Corner. These famous stretches of holes, equally famous for their nicknames, live up to those monikers thanks to their challenging designs and the intimidating shots that golfers always encounter there. But apt nomenclature isn’t limited to multi-hole stretches found on championship courses.
Every once in a while, golfers will come across an individual hole with a name that is equally fitting. Such an alias may foreshadow the challenges ahead. It sometimes reflects specific architectural elements. It could serve as a tip of the cap to historical events that transpired there. And it might even tap into the visceral responses golfers are certain to have while they play the hole. Regardless of the association, these names are nothing if not appropriate.
Here, we share nine noteworthy examples that are scattered about the U.S. and abroad.
The Gambler – Hole 6, Myrtle Beach National (King’s North)
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Average amateurs don’t often get the opportunity to hit a par-five green in two. And if such an opportunity does present itself, those golfers are likely pulling a hybrid or fairway metal from their bag to take on the challenge. Not so on the 6th hole of King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, where a second fairway is positioned on an island to the left of the primary landing area and presents a significant shortcut. Those who live dangerous and take aim at that island fairway might have only 150 or 160 yards into the green, but such a tee shot comes with plenty of risk—hence, this hole’s name: The Gambler.
Hidden Green – Hole 1, Troon North (Monument)
Scottsdale, Ariz.
A glance down the playing corridor of this hole from the elevated tee boxes reveals plenty, but it doesn’t inform golfers of the challenges that come from the fairway. However, the hole’s name, Hidden Green, does. Because the fairway is slightly recessed, players will only be able to see the front right section of the putting surface, and that sliver of the dance floor doesn’t even begin to tell the story of the green complex’s shape or its contours. Most notably, this first green is bisected by a significant slope that separates the high portion on the left from the low portion on the right. Uninformed golfers who attempt to play prudently, aiming for the center of the green, may discover that strategy works against them, especially if the hole is cut on the left.
Double Trouble – Hole 5, PGA West (Stadium)
Palm Springs, Calif.
There’s nothing mysterious about the 5th hole’s name on the Stadium course at PGA West. With a water hazard first spanning about 280 yards on the left side of this very subtle double-dogleg, and then a second lake protecting the remaining 155 yards on the right side of the fairway (not to mention the front-right portion of the green), golfers are certain to feel at least a tinge of anxiety at some point across these 535 yards.
Sand Box – Hole 11, Whistling Straits (Straits)
Kohler, Wis.
The first par five on the back nine of the Straits course—all 645 yards of it—is open to interpretation, at least as far as its name is concerned. Some will say the Sand Box earns its moniker for all of the bunkers (more than 100 of them) that pepper both sides of the massively long fairway. Others will argue the name is based on the cavernous trap that guards the last 100 yards or so of the fairway on the left. Both perspectives would be correct, though it’s hard not to think that the gigantic trap was the initial inspiration. After all, it’s conceivable that should your ball end up at the bottom of that pit, you may be playing in there for a while.
Burial Mounds – Hole 2, Blackwolf Run (River)
Kohler, Wis.
From the tee, it’s clear you don’t want to miss left on this medium-length par four. The dense woodlands that run the entire length of the fairway are absolute jail. Not surprisingly, the bailout for many golfers is right, but missing too far on that side brings into play a stretch of large moguls covered in thick rough. Awkward stances, gnarly lies, and obstructed views of the green await players whose drives venture into that rugged area, which reinforces the 2nd hole’s name. Miss to the right, and there’s a good chance you’ll be dead.
Stairway to Heaven – Hole 13, Apogee (Apex)
Indiantown, Fla.
Conceived by Tom Fazio II and Mike Davis, the Apex course at Apogee was created through the relocation of six million cubic yards of dirt (spoils from the many lakes dug across the property, some of which were 30 feet deep and almost half a mile long). That significant movement of earth produced hills, dunes, and bluffs that rise as high as 47 feet above sea level. At one of the highest points on the course, you’ll find the green complex for the 13th hole, a relatively short (possibly drivable) par four that plays notably uphill and features distinct ledges that stairstep their way up to the putting surface. Given the reasonably flat lie that those ledges produce, the short flip of a wedge that will define most approach shots—and the likelihood that many golfers will have their chance at a birdie putt—it’s easy to how this hole earns its name: Stairway to Heaven.
Hogan’s Alley – Hole 6, Carnoustie (Championship)
Carnoustie, Scotland
The first par five at Carnoustie was christened with its “Hogan’s Alley” moniker only in 2003, though the name was bestowed by Paul Lawrie, who won the Open Championship there in 1999, so it’s safe to say he knew what he was talking about. As the club acknowledges, this hole is “where Carnoustie starts to turn up the heat.” It typically plays into the wind, and the best positioning off the tee is left of the two bunkers dug in the center of the fairway. However, with out-of-bounds just left of the fairway, the A-position is a narrow landing zone. That didn’t deter Ben Hogan in 1953, who hit precise drives to that area all four days of the tournament, recording birdies each day. (Incidentally, Hogan won the championship by four strokes.) For that reason alone, Hogan’s Alley is a very apt name.
Calamity Corner – Hole 16, Royal Portrush (Dunluce)
Portrush, Northern Ireland
Some have argued that the 16th hole on Royal Portrush’s championship layout is the most dramatic and intimidating one-shot hole that isn’t set on a body of water. It’s hard to argue, given that the par three—already playing 236 yards from the back tee—curls around a ravine that drops precipitously more than 50 feet. Miss short and right, and there’s a good chance you’ll be lying at least three by the time your ball comes to rest on the putting surface. If you want to avoid a calamity on your scorecard, follow the yardage guide’s advice and “take plenty of club and hit for the back left of the green.”
Tom Morris – Hole 18, St. Andrews (Old Course)
St. Andrews, Scotland
Many will think of No. 17 as the most appropriately named hole during the Old Course’s closing stretch, and it’s hard to argue. Old Station Road, which runs just behind the green, gives the challenging par four its predictable name. But the 18th, branded Tom Morris, is no less appropriately coined. After all, the course’s longtime greenskeeper once worked out of a shop adjacent to the hole’s putting surface. (That commercial space is now the official retail shop for the Open Championship.) Additionally, Morris shaped the closing hole’s green, and, as legend has it, he considered it one of his finest works.
What other golf hole names are perfectly appropriate for the challenge they present? Give us your picks in the comment section.
