On Old Tom Morris Day, modern architects should revisit the "blind shot" of traditional links golf

It was one of finest shots I’ve ever hit.

I’m walking Prestwick Golf Club on a cold, rainy October morning with a stroke saver as my only company. There are easier courses to get around solo than Prestwick, that’s for sure.

As I stood on the tee of the par-3 5th hole, not only could I not see the flag, I had really no clue which way the hole went. It took me five minutes to figure it out that I would hit east, uphill and blindly between two dunes.

The yardage said about 190, but given the wind and no idea where the pin was, this type of information was meaningless.

I reached for a 4-iron and swung, blindly and tentatively. With a little hook, the ball seemed to fall just over the top of the dunes.

“Could be close, could be lost…” I pondered as I trudged up the hill, goose bumps forming on my skin from a mix of cold rain and anticipation.

As I came over the crest, there I saw my ball, about two feet directly behind the hole. A tap-in birdie. Easy game.

Ever since that shot at Prestwick, I’ve believed that a blind shot should be an intricate part of golf course design. The reason, which I’ve said before, is that when you are walking up a hill, the anticipation you experience, because you didn’t get to see the ball land, is an emotion each course should offer.

It will also win the members of your club some cold hard cash.

Old Tom Morris seemed to understand this. And on the 100th anniversary of his death and Old Tom Morris Day, we should revisit his blue prints for designing a usually quirky but always interesting golf course. Fitting perhaps, that the forefather of the blind shot met his maker stumbling upon his own unseen obstacle.

I’m not sure if it’s because of the tastes of the modern golfer or the premiums of insuring a resort course riddled with blind shots, but it’s an aspect of course design that has become lost. Probably my only complaint of Bandon Dunes’ three course designs is that while they strive to offer that “old world” links experience, there aren’t any horribly quirky holes or blind shots. The visibility is too good. If I’m not mistaken, Kingsbarns also lacks any real blind shots. I was happy to see on my recent trip Wales & England, there were plenty of barber shop poles at the top of dunes where you had to aim at and hope your line was proper. Some holes were a bit maddening, others brilliant.

Lahinch’s back-to-back blind boys “Klondyke” and “Dell", the 9th at Royal County Down, 5th at Prestwick - even No. 2 at the University of Michigan course (an Alister Mackenzie design)…these are just a few of my favorite holes in golf, and they’ve all got wicked blind shots.

Royal County Down’s stunning 9th and the mountains of Mourn in the background.