Author: Sean Zak August 28, 2024
An approach shot from the top of the fairway on the 15th hole at Prestwick (commonly known as “The Narrows”).
Sean Zack
I felt unwell at last month's Open at Royal Troon but felt a surge of energy as I pulled into the car park at Prestwick Golf Club on the Wednesday before the championship – just 500 yards and a caravan park separate this year's Open site from Prestwick, the site of the inaugural Open.
When you visit one course, don't miss the other. That's the point. Despite being sleep-deprived, dehydrated and everything else, we set off to play a game around Prestwick and were pleased with every bit of it. But there was one hole that stood out more than the rest. Seven weeks after our first transatlantic voyage, I still can't stop thinking about that golfing experience.
My colleague James Colgan and I were cruising through a windy 14th hole, making par and forgetting about the double, when a member and his son came up behind us. Normally at this point in the round, I would shy away from my buddies; we were only four holes from the clubhouse; they would only delay our journey to dinner. But it's only at home that I can afford to disrespect my new playing buddies. When you're at someone else's house, you say “yes” to your vegetables and ask for refills. Playing with a member on a classic course like Prestwick helps, since it's like having a free caddie. Our caddie doubled as a quasi-historian.
They join us at the 15th tee, right next to the clubhouse. We can definitely hear the ocean, and see the 1st and 18th holes and the commuter trains speeding by. We can picture the 1868 British Open running across this stretch of grass, with Uncle Tom Morris cheering on Uncle Tom. But other than that, there's not much to take away from the 15th tee. All we know is that the hole is 353 yards long and aptly named “The Narrows.”
At first glance, the 15th hole at Prestwick looks a lot like Scottish golf. It's slightly uphill, flanked by fescue-covered dunes on either side. There's a bunker on the left that acts as a mental bumper. Don't go there, though, as the yardage book says it's a little off the intended line. Our playing buddy says that if you can get 180 yards up the hill, you won't see or feel the bunker. But the point is, there are few visual boundaries other than the trap, which makes it unsettling. Prestwick is full of blind tee shots. There are blind tee shots all over Scotland. You're constantly missing the fairway to enjoy all the undulations of links grass or seaside dunes. (Brooks Koepka probably wouldn't like Prestwick; he's not a big fan of blind shots.)
You're instructed to play against the wind and hit a 215-yard shot straight up – with room for a draw or a cut, but no room for a hook or a slice. Standing on the 15th tee, you feel like you're sitting at the top of a tight, black-diamond ski run. You must move forward safely, but the obvious path feels too difficult to achieve. But what you don't realize until you reach the top of the hill is that a series of astonishing moguls await.
A spectacular view from the 15th tee. Photo provided. An undulating landing zone about 200 yards from the tee box. Photo provided.
Beyond the fairway bunker on the left is a hollow where a lot of balls that hit the fairway collect. The dunes block the wind, making it a pleasant spot, but there's very little visibility on the approach. On your right is a short grass plateau about 30 yards long and 20 yards wide. This is where you want to be. It's like a green in front of a green. Now I ask you, how many greens can you hit from 210 yards? Not many, even for a scratch golfer.
But that's what makes this hole so great: it's essentially a series of par 3s. It's a long hole (210 yards) followed by a short one (125 yards), with a bunker long on the first “green” that makes par impossible, and a bunker short of the actual green that makes it difficult to play out of the right rough. For players who can't hit a driver, this hole is great! You won't need a driver. You won't need a 3-wood. You won't need a 5-wood. A 4-iron or some kind of hybrid will play well, which always reassures us. Die-hard players who choose the longer holes will encounter a valley in the fairway that snakes down to the green, but it's only 15 yards wide, so it's hardly noticeable.
From the green in front of you you can see the actual green, which slopes heavily from left to right. Most of the left side is completely useless for hole location, but is essential for getting the ball closer to the hole. It's a bit like a redo where you aim away from the hole to get closer to it. If you go right towards the hole, the ball will just bounce right through it. This 7 handicapper realized that too late.
The narrow parts of the fairway leading up to the green are not worth the access. Photo provided The up and downs around the bunkers and greens are tricky. Photo provided
I chipped back for a two-putt bogey but had no one to blame. A member of the team told me to trust my line. When I ignored him, his son took my place and hit a different shot. It was a reminder that I was only a beginner at Prestwick and that the 15th hole was the ultimate hindsight hole. Wherever the ball landed, the view was enlightening. At The Narrows, like much of links golf, you think about how far you hit it, how short you hit it, how far left, how far right, with trajectory and wind being the final factors. The combination only becomes clear as you play.
I spent the next two months wandering around Europe, then returned recently to the Midwest, eager to play The Narrows again, tomorrow. If this hole was in northern Missouri, the green would be too soft, rough from summer thunderstorms; if it was in Scottsdale, it would feel even more closed in, surrounded by cacti and dry vegetation; if it was in Florida, it would be a surprise, but the ball doesn't bounce over the grass like it does on the west coast of Scotland.
That might be my favorite place in The Narrows, it feels like it could exist anywhere, but it really isn't.
Only this is a surprisingly long way from home.
Have you played the 15th hole at Prestwick? Please feel free to share your thoughts about it and your favourite hole with the author at [email protected].
