Jeffrey P. Kallister has spent the last 6 years as the owner and chief operator of S&K Buick GMC in Springfield, Illinois. His automotive career started there in 2006. He has excelled in this position, earning accolades such as the 2020 Buick Mark of Excellence and being a finalist for the Small Business Owner of the Year Award. However, Jeffrey P. Kallister values a healthy work-life balance, and has maintained several personal interests alongside his professional success, including his love of golfing.
As golfers gain experience and play on a variety of courses, they may begin to notice that different courses can present them with specific types of challenges. These challenges often compel golfers to adopt a strategic approach, though others may stick to their preferred game and try to force their way to success. While there is nothing necessarily wrong with maintaining a set game plan regardless of the course, novice golfers should familiarize themselves with the three foundational styles of golf course design and consider how they might adapt their tactics to improve their odds of success.
The three styles of golf course design are penalty, strategic, and heroic. As the name suggests, architects design penalty golf courses to harshly penalize players who make mistakes. Technically, all courses punish players who fail to execute their chosen strategies, but penalty courses are unique in that designers attempt to force that choice on players. Specifically, each hole on a penalty golf course has one correct approach. Golfers must identify what that approach is and perform to the best of their abilities.
Perhaps the best example of penalty course design is the island green, such as the infamous 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. An island green is exactly what it sounds like—a green surrounded by water. Players have no choice but to line up their shot and land on the green, otherwise their ball ends up in the water, resulting in a hazard penalty. While there are merits to this school of design, detractors describe penalty courses as being boring and hampering players from expressing their creativity.
Strategic course design captured the golf world’s attention during the golden age of course architecture. Unlike penalty courses, strategic courses present golfers with multiple routes from the tee, along the fairway, onto the green, and into the hole. In some cases, athletes might recognize three or more distinct paths to the hole, each with its own risks and advantages. Strategic courses leave the decision up to the player, who must chart their own route and execute at several critical junctures.
A common tactic involves placing a hazard near an ideal landing spot along the fairway. Players must consider the risk of potentially hitting the hazard. However, if they decide to avoid the hazard and choose another target, they will likely come into contact with another obstacle, forcing them to make a choice between the two.
Finally, heroic golf courses represent something of a union between penalty and strategic course design philosophies. These courses have multiple routes to the hole, but one option stands out from the rest. Unlike penalty course design, however, this option is not necessarily the “best.” In fact, it may be the riskiest, tempting players to pull off incredibly difficult shots to reap rewards. However, more conservative players can avoid these heroic challenges and take safer routes to the hole.
Of course, golf course architects are not locked into a single school of design for 18 holes. Many of the nation’s most popular courses blend designs together, presenting golfers with a group of holes that vary between penalty, strategic, and heroic.
