LPGC Survey: Upon further review, the 18th hole doesn't fit!

One of my four uncles was a PGA Golf Professional. He competed in several "local, regional" tournaments; he may have had a round or two in the Great Greensboro Open in the 1950s. For the most part, he was a club professional, using his skills as an excellent teacher on the practice range and, better yet, while giving playing lessons.

He was always careful and thoughtful to end the session with a positive experience. Maybe just a good swing or a solid ball strike on the range. Possibly a well hit drive on the last hole or a good approach shot or a close-up chip to the green. He knew when to end the lesson. "That's what brings 'em back to the course," he said to me one day. "End the lesson on a positive experience. You want golfers to enjoy the game, to enjoy the lesson, and to have a good feeling once we're done. Don't let them leave with negative thoughts."

Which brings me to Lonnie Poole Golf Course at NC State University and the results of a recent survey: Raleigh skyline makes Lonnie Poole GC's 11th hole the favorite. The 12th and 18th holes tied as the top two least favorite holes, primarily for the drives. The 12th with a relatively narrow fairway requires accuracy off the tee or the second shot may be from the rough on the right or a sand bunker on the left. The 18th, the longest by far of all the par 4 holes from any of the six sets of tees, requires considerable distance if hitting green in two is going to be possible.

The 18th, designated as the No. 4 handicap hole, is without hesitation the toughest hole on the course. The 3rd, 11th and 9th holes, ahead of the 18th in handicap ranking, don't hold a candle to the finishing hole as the toughest hole. Birdies are possible, but so are triple bogeys. Aspiring to make par is a nice goal, but if you get a handicap stroke on the 18th, you should make bogey your goal, celebrate making a par, and figure out what to do next time to avoid double or triple bogey. 

The 18th No. 4 handicap designation is systematic because, as is the case with most courses, odd numbered handicap holes are on the front side and even numbered are on the back side. LPGC's 3rd hole is the No. 1 handicap hole but shouldn't be. For most players the par 5 is a three shot hole. The 9th hole is the No. 3 handicap hole primarily for the large green with difficult sloping that turns a good approach into a disappointment. For my money, the 5th hole is tougher than the 9th. The 11th hole, the fan favorite, is the No. 3 handicap hole because of it's length and shallow green, but it's also a three shot hole. Again, for my money, the 12th and 18th holes are tougher than the 11th.

The survey asked players to rate the holes on each nine from most difficult to easiest. Go to that story to see those results. It may be of interest that when the two nines are combined, when the two nines ratings of toughest to easiest are put together, the 18th hole comes out on top as the most difficult, by the long shot. Based on points, this is how all 18 holes would be listed as handicap holes from the No. 1 handicap hole through the No. 18 handicap hole if the two nines are combined:

18th hole — par 4, would be No. 1 handicap hole, currently No. 4

5th hole — par 4, would be No. 2 handicap hole, currently No. 5

3rd hole — par 5, would be No. 3 handicap hole, currently No. 1

12th hole — par 4, would be No. 4 handicap hole, currently No. 8

9th hole — par 4, would be No. 5 handicap hole, currently No. 3

11th hole — par 5, would be No. 6 handicap hole, currently No. 2

13th hole — par 4, would be No. 7 handicap hole, currently No. 10

2nd hole — par 3, would be No. 8 handicap hole, currently No. 9

16th hole — par 4, would be No. 9 handicap hole, currently No. 12

7th hole — par 5, would be No. 10 handicap hole, currently No. 7

15th hole — par 5, would be No. 11 handicap hole, currently No. 6

1st hole — par 5, would be No. 12 handicap hole, currently No. 11

4th hole — par 4, would be No. 13 handicap hole, currently No. 13

10th hole — par 4, would be No. 14 handicap hole, currently No. 16

14th hole — par 3, would be No. 15 handicap hole, currently No. 14

8th hole — par 3, would be No. 16 handicap hole, currently No. 15

6th hole — par 3, would be No. 17 handicap hole, currently No. 17

17th hole —  par 3, would be No. 18 handicap hole, currently No. 18

If you take a closer look at all tee boxes on the 18th hole, the most inequitable driving area is the Wolfpack tees at 425 yards. From that tee, the average length of LPGC's eight par fours is 356 yards. There's only one hole over 400 yards, the 18th, at 425. Only two others surpass the average: the 385 yard 5th hole and the 358 yard 9th. The 18th tee is an after thought to the course design. It was added and stuck in a bottom area, probably 10-15 yards in elevation below the next lowest tee boxes, the Gray (379 yards) and Red (441 yards) tees. Despite little hazard to a relatively wide fairway, this may be the toughest tee shot on the entire layout if you expect to make the green in two shots. From the Wolfpack tees, the 18th is nearly 70 yards longer than the average of all par four holes and the biggest differential between the average length of all the par fours and the different sets of tees on the 18th hole.

At Lonnie Poole Golf Course, to have a short game, length off the tees in necessary, and playing up a set of tees is not always the solution. Those who play the Wolfpack tees are rewarded with good drives throughout the course, but when you get to the 18th, a good tee shot might mean a 5-iron or more, usually more, to the green. For some who play the Wolfpack tees and enjoy 17 holes, the 18th is misery, just not approachable in two. To move up to the Gray tees is not a solution for those players. From the Gray tees on the 18th, the drive may require a layup from the second cut that crosses the fairway about 200+ yards off the tee. Laying up a tee shot on the last hole of a round takes the fun out of the game.

It's easy to point out an issue and even easier to make suggestions for change, especially those changes that require substantial investment with no source of funding, but here goes:

• On the 18th, ditch the current Wolfpack tees and extend backwards the Gray tee box about 20 yards, making the hole 399 yards. The 26 yard difference and the tee box elevation would make a huge difference in the hole. Also make the large area of boulders and thorny undergrowth right of the green into a "No Play" penalty area, requiring a one shot penalty and dropping the ball in a drop area about 50 yards from the green, no matter where the ball entered. A "no play" area is exactly what it says: You cannot play the ball from that area.

• Set up the rest of the course as shown on the scorecard with tee markers combined when yardage is the same. Currently, there are 11 sets of tee markers with same yardage that should be combined:

Competition & Black: 4th—373 yds; 15th—549 yds;

Black & Red: 7th—554 yds; 10th—369 yds; 14th— 159 yds; 17th—379 yds;
Red & Wolfpack: 1st—507 yds; 2nd—181 yds; 8th—138 yds; 17th—110 yds;

Wolfpack & Gray: 13th—337 yds.

Combining tee markers when the yardage is the same would bring all sets of tees into the correct Course Rating and Slope and  it would help with course maintenance.

• Switch the nines: current 1-9 would be 10-18 and current 10-18 would be 1-9. It would allow the 18th hole to become the No. 1 handicap hole. Switching the nines could help with pace of play, especially eliminating the three-group log jam on the current par 3, 2nd hole. And it would give the golf shop staff a better visual of the starting tee,

There's no doubt in my mind the 18th hole at Lonnie Poole Golf Course is the toughest from all sets of tees. Actually it's a really good hole that requires a long and accurate drive and second shots that require avoidance of out of bounds on the left, and the boulder/thorny area and two deep bunkers on the right. The 18th can be a disaster waiting to happen. 

Today, when a golf round starts on the 1st hole and ends on the 18th, if you play the last hole very well, at least up to your expectations, your round of golf could be just what my uncle wanted you to have. "End the lesson on a positive experience. You want golfers to enjoy the game, to enjoy the lesson, and to have a good feeling once we're done. Don't let them leave with negative thoughts." 

On the other hand, with disaster waiting to happen, walking away with the thought of what could have been a good round, what was upset by that 18th hole is not desirable.

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Raleigh skyline makes Lonnie Poole GC's 11th hole the favorite

View of Raleigh Skyline from the 11th tee
at Lonnie Poole Golf Course

It’s not unusual for golfers to choose a favorite hole on a given course for something other than its design. 

In a recent survey of repeat players at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course at N.C. State University, 35 percent of the respondents selected the lengthy par-5 11th hole. With its six sets of tees from the “way-back-there” box of 665 yards to the shortest length of 477 yards, nearly the entire hole, a third of a mile long parallel to highway Interstate-40, and its every nook and cranny can be seen from each tee. 

The right side from the fairway is closely guarded by a wooded area. The left side slopes severely away from the fairway, taking good shots into heavy rough. Two well-placed fairway sand bunkers on the left and right can come into play on second shots. Deep sand bunkers from about 100 yards out guard the front of the shallow but wide green. Two sand bunkers guard a bail-out area short and right side of the green. 

The 11th is the course's No. 2 handicap hole and can be played various ways. Long drive and second shot and then an uphill blind third or a challenging bunker shot from 70 yards out. Or a decent drive, a layup five iron leaving a 140-yard pitch. There are many other ways, some planned, some mistakenly taken. The 11th has a love hate relationship with most players, or maybe it’s the other way around. It’s challenging and, from tee through the green, the 11th is a great hole for its design.

However, it’s what looms behind and over the green, about three and a half miles away, that serves as the primary reason for it being the favorite of that 35 percent who took the survey: You can see downtown Raleigh from there, the tall, towering buildings that make up the Capital City's skyline. It’s that constant view, a complete distraction for the first 400 yards, that makes it the favorite hole. After that, you may ask yourself: What have I gotten myself in that's so tough?

No other hole comes close as the favorite. Second at 15 percent is the 16th hole, a relatively short (405 yards from the back, elevated tee). “The view, the challenge, and the green quality,” said one respondent about why the 16th is a favorite. Another said, “It’s a short hole that requires accuracy but rewards a good drive.” And another, “View from the tee and a challenging approach shot.”

The 16th is also considered a least favorite by 10 percent of the survey-takers. Said one, “Tight visual driving area with the water hazard to the left and the trees on the right, blocking the view of the right side of the fairway. Middle fairway bunker penalizes a good tee shot. Green side bunkering is a bit too much once you've conquered the tee shot. Only about 50 percent or less of the green can be used for pin placement. I feel fortunate when I walk away with par.”

As we get into favorite and least favorite holes and how the respondents rate the course from toughest holes to easiest holes, here is a link to the scorecard.

Favorite holes — Percent of respondents

   Hole 11 — 35.0 percent
   Hole 16 — 15.5 percent
   Hole 1 — 10.0 percent
   Holes 4, 5, 7, 15, 18 — 5.0 percent (each)
   Holes 2, 6, 9, 12, 14, 17 — 2.5 percent (each)

   Holes 3, 8, 10, 13 — 0.0 percent each)

Comments about the par 4, 18th, 425 yards from the Wolfpack (middle) tees as a favorite. The comments also apply to why it's a least favorite hole:

• Various reasons: It's length from the Wolfpack tees, the penalizing area right of the bunkers nearest the green, the out of bounds to the left, and the size of the green make it the most challenging hole on the golf course. I like the challenge. It might take driver, 3-wood one day to reach the green and driver, 7-iron the next day. Birdies are possible but so are triple bogeys.
• It’s simply a great hole!

Least favorite holes — Percent of respondents

   Hole 12, 18 — 17.5 percent (each)
   Holes 3, 13 — 12.5 percent (each)
   Hole 16 — 10.0 percent
   Hole 2 — 7.5 percent
   Holes 5, 15 — 5.0 percent (each)
   Holes 4, 6, 9, 11, 17 — 2.5 percent (each)

   Hole 1, 7, 8, 10, 14 — 0.0 percent (each)

Comments about least favorite 12th hole, down hill 391 yards (Wolfpack tees), par 4:

• Trouble three ways on the approach shot, particularly if your drive isn’t long.
• Very little place to hit a tee shot. The fairway is too crowned.
• It’s just an awkward hole from the tee.

Comments about least favorite 18th hole:

• Hole 18 is unreachable for one who MUST play from Wolfpack tees due to driver length
• Too difficult for mid to high handicappers.
• To long from white Wolfpack tees. The Wolfpack tees are down in a hole and the Red tees are elevated that makes them easier than the Wolfpack tees.
• Wolfpack tees are totally unfair.

Which brings us to ranking holes on each nine from toughest to easiest. This is not the official USGA method for determining the course handicap holes. That process is much more sophisticated and requires at least 200 rounds, comparing how a scratch golfer and an 18+ handicapper compete from the same tees, applying handicaps to make the match come out even.

In this survey, every hole was assigned points based on the toughest to easiest (1-9) multiplied by the number of times a hole was placed in the survey 1-9. For instance, if the 3rd hole was listed 75 times as the toughest, that's 75 points. If it was listed 42 times as the second toughest, that 84 points. The holes are then ranked toughest to easiest using fewest (toughest) to the most (easiest) points. Hey, low score wins in golf.

The front and back nines were not combined to rank them 1-18. Here are the hole ranking from toughest to easiest:

Front Side (Holes 1-9) Shown toughest to easiest:

5th Hole: would be 1st handicap hole; currently 5th
3rd Hole: would be 3rd handicap hole; currently 1st
9th Hole: would be 5th handicap hole; currently 3th
2nd Hole: would be 7th handicap hole; currently 9th
7th Hole: would be 9th handicap hole; currently 7th
1st Hole: would be 11th handicap hole; currently 11th
4th Hole: would be 13th handicap hole; currently 13th
8th Hole: would be 15th handicap hole; currently 15th

6th Hole: would be 17th handicap hole; currently 17th

Back Side (Holes 10-18) Shown toughest to easiest:

18th Hole : would be 2nd handicap hole; currently 4th

12th Hole: would be 4th handicap hole; currently 8th

11th Hole: would be 6th handicap hole; currently 2nd

13th Hole: would be 8th handicap hole; currently 10th

16th Hole: would be 10th handicap hole; currently 12th

15th Hole: would be 12th handicap hole; currently 6th

10th Hole: would be 14th handicap hole; currently 16th

14th Hole: would be 16th handicap hole; currently 14th

17th Hole: would be 18th handicap hole; currently 18th

The survey was conducted in early December 2020. More stats about the respondents:

Rounds played at LPGC during the last 12 months:

101+ rounds:  30.0 percent

1-25:  25.0 percent

26-50:  17.5 percent

51-75:  12.5 percent

76-100:  15.0 percent

 

Annual greens fee player or Daily greens fee payer:

Package Plan:  92.0 percent

Daily greens fee:  8.0 percent

 

Ride a cart or walk:

Primarily walk (75 percent of time):  52.5 percent

Primarily ride (75 percent of time):  32.5 percent

Equally walk and ride: 15.0 percent

Tees played most of the time:

Red tees:  35.0 percent

Gray tees:  33.0 percent

Wolfpack tees:  25.0 percent

Gray/Green Combo tees: 5.0 percent

Green tees:  2.0 percent

None of the respondents play the Black or competition tees (most of the time).

Gender and age of participants:

Male 65+:  55.0 percent

Male 55-64:  18.0 percent

Male 35-54:  13.0 percent

Male 18-34 : 10.0 percent

Female 55-64, Female 65+:  2.0 percent each

 

Do you have a GHIN handicap index?

Yes, and I would like to play in handicap tournaments at LPGC: 75.0 percent

Yes, and I would NOT like to play in handicap tournaments at LPGC: 18.0 percent

No, I don’t have a GHIN index: 7.0 percent

Footnote: The handicap indexes of those who took part in this survey range from a 0.5 to 24.0 with half at 10.0 or less and half above 10.0. The average handicap index was 10.6.

Thanks to all who took the survey. If you would like to comment on the results, please use the comment section below.