Every golfer has a favorite hole. Maybe it’s a dramatic par 3 with a spectacular mountain backdrop, a reachable par 5 that tempts you to go for the green in two, or a deceptively simple par 4 that somehow manages to cause trouble every time you play it.
But what actually makes a great golf hole? Is it the scenery? The difficulty? The satisfaction of hitting two perfect shots and walking away with a birdie?
Some of the world’s most respected golf course architects would argue that great design comes down to the decisions a hole asks golfers to make. And at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, the Saguaro and Cholla courses offer plenty of examples of how thoughtful architecture can turn a good round of golf into a memorable one.
Great Golf Holes Give Golfers Choices
One of the fundamental principles of strategic golf course architecture is giving golfers options. A well-designed hole offers different routes from tee to green, with each presenting its own combination of risks and rewards.
Consider a fairway bunker guarding the inside of a dogleg. A golfer might take a conservative line away from the hazard, leaving a longer approach or a less favorable angle into the green. A more aggressive tee shot could carry the bunker or challenge its edge, shortening the approach and opening up a better line to the flag.
The decision depends on the golfer’s ability, confidence and willingness to accept the consequences of a missed shot. And that’s precisely what makes strategic design so interesting.
We-Ko-Pa offers two excellent examples of this philosophy.
At Saguaro, the par-5 14th features a split fairway that forces golfers to make a strategic decision from the tee. Players hoping to reach the green in two should favor the right side, which provides the better opportunity to attack the green with their second shot. The left side offers a more forgiving route for golfers who prefer to play the hole as a three-shot par 5. The uphill approach adds another consideration, often requiring an extra half-club to reach the intended target.
Cholla’s short par-4 seventh presents a similar decision with an entirely different design. Its split fairway offers a more aggressive route to the right, where golfers can leave themselves a short approach or potentially run the ball onto the green for an eagle opportunity. The left fairway provides more room for the tee shot but leaves an uphill pitch or full wedge into a narrow landing area.
In both cases, the architects give golfers a choice that can significantly influence how they play the remainder of the hole. And that’s one of the hallmarks of great golf course design.
It’s All About the Angles
Golfers naturally focus on distance, but architects spend considerable time thinking about angles.
Imagine a green that angles from front-left to back-right, with a bunker protecting its front-right edge. An approach from the left side of the fairway might offer a clearer view of the putting surface and more room to land the ball. From the right side, that same bunker could force a higher, more precise approach, particularly when the hole location sits behind it.
Move the flag to the left side of the green, however, and the advantage might shift.
These subtle architectural features encourage golfers to think about their next shot before they hit their current one.
At Saguaro, Coore and Crenshaw use natural contours, bunkering and green orientations to reward strategic positioning. At Cholla, architect Scott Miller incorporates elevation changes, desert washes and carefully placed hazards to challenge golfers from tee to green.
Both courses demonstrate how thoughtful architecture can make course management just as important as ball-striking.
The Green Is Where Things Get Interesting
While dramatic tee shots often attract the most attention, architects create some of their most interesting challenges on and around the putting surfaces.
Green contours, surrounding slopes, bunkers and closely mown collection areas all influence how golfers approach a hole. A green might offer a generous landing area in one section but require a much more precise shot to reach another. A ridge or tier can also make putting from the wrong section of the green considerably more difficult.
And sometimes the toughest shot comes after a missed approach.
A golfer facing a recovery from a closely mown area might choose to putt, bump a low-running chip onto the green or play a higher shot to carry a slope. Each option demands a different level of touch and carries its own risks.
These design elements explain why a short par 4 or par 3 can present a formidable challenge without relying on length. Architects can create difficulty through green contours, approach angles and recovery options rather than simply adding more yards to the scorecard.
Letting the Landscape Do the Work
Many of the world’s most celebrated golf courses draw much of their character from the natural terrain.
Rather than dramatically reshaping the property, architects can incorporate existing ridges, valleys, slopes and other features into their designs. The land itself helps determine the strategy, appearance and personality of each hole.
When Coore and Crenshaw designed Saguaro, they spent considerable time walking the property and identifying natural features that could influence the routing. They followed the contours of the Sonoran Desert, creating fairways and greens that work with the terrain while offering golfers a variety of strategic choices.
Scott Miller took a different approach at Cholla, incorporating natural desert washes, elevation changes and rugged terrain into a layout that demands thoughtful club selection and accurate shot-making. Its dramatic setting adds another dimension to the challenge, particularly on holes where changes in elevation influence how far a shot plays.
The two courses offer distinctly different architectural experiences, even though they share the same spectacular desert landscape.
The Best Holes Keep You Coming Back
Perhaps the ultimate measure of a great golf hole is whether it remains interesting after you’ve played it dozens of times.
A change in wind direction might alter your club selection. A different hole location could influence where you want to position your approach. Firm conditions might encourage a running shot into a green that usually invites a higher trajectory.
And sometimes, after making the same mistake on a hole for years, you finally discover a smarter way to play it.
Great golf architecture rewards good decisions, challenges golfers to execute different shots and offers something new with every round.
The next time you play Saguaro or Cholla, look beyond the yardage on the scorecard. Study the options from the tee, consider the best angle into the green and pay attention to how the natural terrain influences your strategy.
You might discover that some of your favorite holes have been challenging you to think your way around the golf course all along.
