If you want to irritate golf-course architects, ask them to name a “signature hole” on any of their courses. The term, once widely used as marketing tool, has fallen out of favor in industry circles, dismissed as a disservice to golf design. To focus on one hole, the argument goes, is to lose sight of the course in its entirety.
Fair enough.
Yet even the greatest courses are only as good as their component parts. And those component parts are holes. Discussing them in isolation should be fair game, too. That’s the goal of our new InsideGOLF video series, “The Hole Truth,” which is available only to InsideGOLF members.
As its name suggests, “The Hole Truth” aims to shed light on notable golf holes around the world through vivid imagery and detailed narration. The point is not to ignore course design but to celebrate it by boring down on its essentials. With each installment, our writers, videographers and other experts will delve into the details of a single, standout hole, describing the nuances of its design and the shots required to play it. The intent is to enlighten, entertain and perhaps even inspire you to see these holes in person.
For our debut episode, we’ve peeled back the layers on the par-5 4th hole at Bethpage Black, which golf fans will see plenty of next week when the Ryder Cup visits the fabled New York muni. InsideGOLF members may watch the video in the player above.
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