Definition of a Penal Shot

By: Jeffrey D. Brauer

I may as well drill down to a working definition of a penal shot. There really is a continuum between "penal golf courses" and "strategic golf courses." Most penal courses have some strategy, and most strategic courses have a few penal holes - or more specifically - penal shots, even within the context of a single strategic hole.

In the end, classifying courses, or maybe even holes, is difficult, so perhaps we can say we know a penal shot when we see one? The first two categories below may fall into the "unfair" category.

• Impossible, like:
- Forced carries off the tee longer than your longest drive;
- Hole too long to reach in regulation even with good shot(s);
- Double-hazards (i.e. must play high enough to clear bunker lip, low to avoid a tree branch, leaving no room for straight ahead - or nearly so - play.

• Improbable due to physics, including:
- Downhill lie to uphill green with long-iron (uphill greater than loft of club causes ground balls);
- Bunker deeper than maximum height of your full sand wedge shot;
- Downwind shot to reverse-slope green (reduces spin and bite significantly).

It is probably incumbent on the architect, green committee and superintendent to provide shots that are at least possible, preferably a large portion of the time. A quick definition of penal shots would be shots involving:

• Targets that really won't accept some kind of shot, such as: - Significantly smaller targets than shot length typically requires (i.e., Width 10 percent of shot length; Depth 12.5 to 15 percent of shot length); - Reverse-slope greens with no roll-up options to allow holding the green; - Cross-slope fairways where it is impossible to land and hold a shot on the fairway (even with a high cut into a left-sloping fairway, for instance).

• Severe Penalties, i.e., where failure to execute costs more than one stroke or a golf ball. These include:
- Most large bodies of water;
- Deep bunkers;
- Native areas, etc.

• Severe Penalties, i.e., for the difficulty of the shot. In general, longer shots are harder, and the penalty for missing normal-sized targets should be less severe - such as shallower bunkers on long par-4 holes, and deeper bunkers on short par-4s - because golfers are more likely to be accurate with short-irons than long, and it takes a bit harder hazard, even in strategic design, to create the balance of temptation, fear and difficulty we seek.

• Shots where you really have only one place to play, with penalty all around. Typical examples include island greens (surrounded by water or sand) or any holes without a real safe area to bail out, if necessary. Or where a set of bunkers creates a forced carry as the only option, and the penalty seems too harsh!

Any shot or hole can cross over to a penal label by a combination of the above factors. An entire course, like Oakmont, would be a consensus "penal course" by virtue of its succession of holes with hard greens, numerous hazards, and heavy rough.

Even on a strategic course, some holes can be hard. I would argue the 17th at St. Andrews is strategic, even with the hardest hazards possible - O.B. on the tee shot and a deep pot bunker and more O.B. by the green. And some should be, but only if used in moderation and mostly for variety.

If you look around almost any course, you will probably find examples of some of these shots, especially in the post-2000 turf-reduction era. Irrigation conservation measures have reintroduced more penal shots.

Jeffrey D. Brauer began his career as an apprentice in the Chicago area in 1977. His first project was Kemper Lakes, which shortly after hosted the 1989 PGA Championship. He formed GolfScapes in Arlington, Texas, in 1984. In the last 29 years he has designed and consulted on a wide spectrum of projects, ranging from partial renovations to international resorts. His recent work includes teaming with the design team of Pascuzzo and Pate on a remodel of the world-famous La Costa Resort & Spa in California, and renovations at Superior National Golf Course in Lutsen, Minn., and Mesquite Municipal Golf Course in Mesquite, Texas.

He has been a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects since 1981, serving as President during its 50th Anniversary year in 1995-96. Jeff still studies the classic works - both old and new, and has played more than 75 of the best courses in the world.

Jeff gives many presentations and is a regular architecture columnist for many publications and websites, including Golf Course Industry and Cybergolf.com. He has also been a strong advocate for the "Tee it Forward" campaign and strives to make his courses fit the description of "fun to play every day."

Jeff's work has been spotlighted in most of the world's major golf magazines. Golf World ranked him as one of the top-20 golf course architects and Golf Inc. ranked him as the world's fourth-best value in golf architecture in 2010. Jeff's portfolio and reputation keep him at the forefront of desired designers for new courses, reconstruction and renovation projects. For more about Jeff, visit http://www.jeffreydbrauer.com/sites/courses/layout.asp?id=859&page=48451.

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