The prevailing summer wind blows left to right, accentuating a right-hander’s fade. The fairway runs on a matching diagonal, so a well-judged left-to-right tee shot can ride the wind along the fairway’s axis, reducing the risk of the ball running through to the rough. Finding the right side, near a pair of fairway bunkers, opens up the green and makes the difficult back-left pin more accessible. The green is pushed up and flanked by bunkers, but the real danger lurks beyond \u2014 an enormous short-grass runoff capable of propelling balls 25 yards past the putting surface.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6a2c18268277186eae80c873_#1-Shinnecock-copy.jpg\")
Illustration by Cameron Hurdus and Matt Rouches<\/p>\n
{{every-hole-shinnecock-1-westward-ho}}<\/p>\n
Strategy Notes for the U.S. OpenOn short par 4s of this length, distance is not nearly as valuable as it is on holes that are either shorter \u2014 drivable or semi-drivable \u2014 or much longer. The fairway halves in width once players reach the bunkers just under 300 yards off the tee, so expect most of the field to hit shots 240-270 yards into the widest section of the fairway. The risk-reward profile of pushing the ball farther down the fairway does not work in players\u2019 favor.\u00a0Middle of the green. That will be a common refrain at Shinnecock, and it starts on the first hole. It is much easier said than done, but it is a crucial point of emphasis on this golf course. Long of the green represents a red X in players\u2019 and caddies\u2019 yardage books, so expect wedge shots to back hole locations to come up a little bit short. You cannot afford to go long on No. 1. \u2013Joseph LaMagna\u200dHistorical TidbitsThe remnants of C.B. Macdonald’s original green can still be detected in the right rough, well short of today’s green. (WM)In redesigning the hole, William Flynn not only pushed the green back but also moved the tee toward the clubhouse, giving the hole its diagonal orientation. These changes were typical of Flynn’s style. (WM)Tiger Woods discovered the horrors of going long<\/a> on No. 1 during the 2018 U.S. Open, making triple bogey on his first hole of the championship.Our Take<\/p>\n Like most great opening holes, No. 1 at Shinnecock Hills establishes the primary themes of the course: the importance of the wind; the use of diagonals, offsets, and doglegs; the demand to match line with distance on every shot; and the critical strategic role of runoffs around the green. “Westward Ho” embodies much of what makes Shinnecock unique \u2014 just in a friendlier manner than most other holes on the course.<\/p>\n Course Routing<\/p>\n Click on a pin below to preview the hole or go to the full profile of the hole.<\/p>\n 1<\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n 5<\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n 8<\/p>\n 9<\/p>\n 10<\/p>\n 11<\/p>\n 12<\/p>\n 13<\/p>\n 14<\/p>\n 15<\/p>\n 16<\/p>\n 17<\/p>\n 18<\/p>\n Shinnecock Hills Golf Club<\/p>\n Southampton, NYWilliam Flynn1891<\/p>\n A Golden Age architect\u2019s magnum opus thanks to a sublime setting and stellar design, Shinnecock Hills is deep-rooted in American golf history.<\/p>\n Hole 1 – Westward Ho<\/p>\n Par 4399 yds<\/p>\n Like most great opening holes, No. 1 at Shinnecock Hills establishes the primary themes of the course: the importance of the wind; the use of diagonals, offsets, and doglegs; the demand to match line with distance on every shot; and the critical strategic role of runoffs around the green. “Westward Ho” embodies much of what makes Shinnecock unique \u2014 just in a friendlier manner than most other holes on the course.<\/p>\n Hole 2 – Plateau<\/p>\n Par 3220 yds<\/p>\n This handsome, challenging par 3 deserves more recognition in the international canon of long one-shotters. The “S”-shape formed by the fairway, green, and bunkers is a brilliant match for the prevailing wind.<\/p>\n Hole 3 – Peconic<\/p>\n Par 4469 yds<\/p>\n “Peconic” is unlikely to make anyone’s list of the most memorable holes at Shinnecock, but the sneaky complexity of the tee shot makes it a good par 4.<\/p>\n Hole 4 – Pump House<\/p>\n Par 4409 yds<\/p>\n \u201cPump House\u201d is the least distinguished leg of Shinnecock\u2019s\u2019 first triangle, but that\u2019s just a testament to the strength of the fifth and sixth holes. No. 4 is a fine par 4, with a well-tuned strategic design and a striking green.<\/p>\n Hole 5 – Montauk<\/p>\n Par 5537 yds<\/p>\n \u201cMontauk\u201d is at its best when the right fairway is a legitimate option. Unfortunately, in a summer wind, that\u2019s rarely the case. Nonetheless, the slanting landing zones and sadistic exterior contours of the green make the hole exciting to play and watch year-round. While the U.S. Open telecast focuses on Nos. 10 and 11, the nerds will cluster around the fifth green.<\/p>\n Hole 6 – Pond<\/p>\n Par 4453 yds<\/p>\n Whether inspired by the Channel hole or not, the sixth at Shinnecock Hills is a beautiful rendition of a double-fairway par 4. The green design is particularly clever, with its back-to-front slope and exterior swales influencing strategic choices all the way back to the tee.<\/p>\n Hole 7 – Redan<\/p>\n Par 3189 yds<\/p>\n Shinnecock\u2019s Redan certainly has a knack for creating drama, in both everyday rounds and U.S. Opens. Yet it is a peculiarly one-dimensional hole. Because of the height and severity of the front of the green, run-up shots \u2014 which the best Redans accommodate \u2014 are rarely successful. In addition, the green is barely functional at modern speeds; only a couple of pin positions in the middle-left portion of the putting surface remain viable.<\/p>\n Hole 8 – Lowlands<\/p>\n Par 4394 yds<\/p>\n We wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see \u201cLowlands\u201d become the go-to hipster pick for favorite hole at the 2026 U.S. Open. This unassuming par 4 has an unusual strategic configuration and a cunningly designed green. And, when played into a lively summer wind, it becomes a stern test. One for the sickos.<\/p>\n Hole 9 – Ben Nevis<\/p>\n Par 4435 yds<\/p>\n Some dislike the ninth hole, finding the hanging lies in the fairway and the sudden ascent to the green awkward. But the three-bowl structure of the fairway, paired with the feeding slope that takes up the right half of the green, makes No. 9 as interesting as it is impressive.<\/p>\n Hole 10 – Eastward Ho<\/p>\n Par 4415 yds<\/p>\n The 10th at Shinnecock Hills represents Flynn at his best. It is challenging and strategically sophisticated, but not chiefly because of the architect\u2019s interventions. The hole simply reacts to a unique, stunning piece of land.<\/p>\n Hole 11 – Hill Head<\/p>\n Par 3159 yds<\/p>\n \u201cHill Head\u201d deserves to be spoken of in the same breath as the 12th at Augusta National, the 17th at TPC Sawgrass, and the Postage Stamp at Royal Troon: a diminutive par 3 that looms large in the player\u2019s consciousness from the beginning of the round.<\/p>\n Hole 12 – Tuckahoe<\/p>\n Par 4469 yds<\/p>\n The 12th is one of the handsomest holes at Shinnecock, draped artfully over fine topography. It is strategically compelling, too, when players feel challenged to carry the fairway bunkers and must consider laying up. In high-level men\u2019s competition, unfortunately, this would only be the case in a north\/northeast wind \u2014 a rarity in the warm months.<\/p>\n Hole 13 – Road Side<\/p>\n Par 4374 yds<\/p>\n On a calm day, the tee shot on the 13th can be a little dull, especially given that the preferred side of the fairway is undefended. But the treacherousness of the green \u2014 not to mention the beauty of its shaping \u2014 makes the hole memorable.<\/p>\n Hole 14 – Thom’s Elbow<\/p>\n Par 4463 yds<\/p>\n \u201cThom\u2019s Elbow\u201d is Shinnecock in a nutshell: ferociously challenging on every shot, but also intelligently designed to assess the player\u2019s mastery of wind, terrain, and angles. Is it fun to play? Not really. But it\u2019s an excellent test.<\/p>\n Hole 15 – Sebonac<\/p>\n Par 4409 yds<\/p>\n On the one hand, No. 15 gets overshadowed \u2014 justifiably, perhaps \u2014 by the two world-class holes that it connects. On the other, with its cleverly oriented fairway and quietly challenging green, \u201cSebonac\u201d is a strong hole in its own right.<\/p>\n Hole 16 – Shinnecock<\/p>\n Par 5540 yds<\/p>\n With its nuanced design and unforgettable setting, the 16th hole at Shinnecock Hills marks the peak of one of the greatest back nines in golf.<\/p>\n Hole 17 – Eden<\/p>\n Par 3180 yds<\/p>\n The 17th might not make an immediate impression, but after a few plays, its subtle challenges \u2014 the opposition of the wind and the green orientation, the up-and-over profile of the putting surface, the difficulty of the shots around the green \u2014 garner respect.<\/p>\n Hole 18 – Home<\/p>\n Par 4426 yds<\/p>\n \u201cHome\u201d sums up the greatest strengths of Shinnecock Hills: its soul comes from its use of the land, but its teeth are found in the green.<\/p>\n << Hole 18<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Hole 1 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Hole 2<\/a> >><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"No. 1 \u2013 Westward Ho Par 4 | 394 yards From the elevated first tee, the player is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":701678,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[427,99],"class_list":["post-701677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=701677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701677\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/701678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=701677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=701677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=701677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Shinnecock](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780950263163-ihrir7.jpg\")
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