KABOOM BABY! HOW WE CREATED OUR SIGNATURE HOLE AT SNGC

Some golf holes need only minor tweaks to be made better. Others need to be blown up. Literally. Like the downhill, par-4 17th on The Mine Shaft Course at Scottsdale National Golf Club. 

In 2018 the superintendent, noticed a rocky peninsula left of the original green that would offer a much more dramatic green site. He pointed it out to Jackson Kahn Designs, who just designed The Other Course and The Bad Little Nine. “Right away I saw a much different golf hole clear as day in my mind,” said David Kahn. “I took Bob Parsons out there, showed him some pictures of what I thought we could create, and guaranteed him it would be the signature hole on the course. He said ‘OK, do it.’”

Dropping Bombs in Our Golf Course Design

Three dramatic dynamite explosions (check out the video below) were employed to reshape terrain that would become the new fairway. The elevated tees (some 100 feet above that fairway) were moved closer to the 16th green, multiple bunkers were placed throughout the hole, and a narrow green sloping from back to front was built on that peninsula. The safer tee shot is to the left side of the fairway, but coming in from the right side provides a much better angle into the green. 

The Result? The Most Scenic Spot in All of SNGC

Living up to its name, Boomtown, this hole immediately became one of the most scenic spots at Scottsdale National Golf Club, especially at the end of the day when the sun is going down. Think you can swing it? Apply for The Xperience at Scottsdale National Today!