What are the best holes you’ve ever played?
7th: Formby, Par 4, 377 yards
One of the best par 4s I’ve had the pleasure to tackle. The tee shot looks unbelievably tight but it’s mostly an illusion – there’s more room out there than you think and even if you run up the bank on either side, the ball more often than not finds its way back towards the fairway.
The approach is probably harder than the drive. It’s a hike from the bottom of the fairway to the green and the putting surface slopes severely from back to front.
If you find yourself on the wrong level then nothing you can produce with the flat-stick is going to help you.
8th: Royal Troon, Par 3, 123 yards
The Postage Stamp utterly befuddled me. How can something so short cause that much trouble? Well, if you thin one off the back and then plant it into the Coffin bunker from the thick cabbage, you’re not going to be putting a low number on your scorecard.
A few weeks later I watched Bubba Watson take double with a familiar route of calamity at the Open and felt better about my struggles. It’s just such a heroic shot. Find the green or find disaster. Isn’t that why we play the game?
9th: Royal Birkdale, Par 4, 410 yards
A blind tee shot, a slightly elevated putting surface, and two evil bunkers lurking to gather up anything that’s short or misplaced. Add in the image of the image art deco clubhouse and it’s an impressive way to finish our front 9.
- Related: What’s your favourite Open venue?
Out: Par 34, 3,010 yards
That’s the front 9 complete. How will our club golfer kick off the turn? Turn the page…
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
