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A few years back, British golf influencer, Peter Finch, was nearing the end of a round on his “nemesis” layout, the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, host of the DP World Tour Championship. As Finch—a scratch golfer—approached the 18th, his cameraman announced that a birdie on the hole would give the YouTube star a final score in the 60s. “Fortunately,” the vlogger said sarcastically, “it’s come on a 606-yard par five, into wind, with a creek winding through the middle.”
For the first half of the hole, that creek meanders its way down the right side; and while golfers can more easily avoid the water with their tee shots, they’re forced to deal with it on their next shot—whether they choose to lay up or go for the green—as the waterway effectively splits the fairway in two.
In honor of that demanding finishing hole, we’ve highlighted eight holes at courses in this country with centerline hazards—holes proving that every once in a while you don’t want to be right down the middle.
Tributary, 16th hole—Driggs, Idaho
By the time players reach the 16th hole at the David McLay Kidd-designed course at Tributary (formerly known as Huntsman Springs), they’ve been conditioned to dealing with winding creeks, forced carries, and boldly contoured putting surfaces, the latter of which makes the angles from which players take their approach shots an imperative aspect to course management. On the 16th, the winding creek that bisects the fairway on the 396-yard par four is in play, no matter which side of the corridor golfers choose to play down. That said, when the hole is cut on the right and back quadrants of the green, challenging the creek off the tee with a drive positioned down the left side will pay dividends for those brave enough to take it on.
