Every Hole at Shinnecock Hills - No. 17, Eden

No. 17 - Eden

Par 3 | 176 yards

The most innocuous-looking of Shinnecock's par 3s, the 17th is nonetheless capable of spoiling a championship run, as both Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson know.

The green is set on a slight rise and angled from right to left. A chain of three bunkers begins in the approach and extends up to the left edge of the green, while a single tall-faced bunker, barely visible from the tee, lurks back right. Matching line and distance is the main challenge. A right-to-left shot opens up the long axis of the green, but the prevailing wind blows in the opposite direction, shrinking the target. Because of the combination of the wind and the front-left bunkers, a common miss is right, into the mostly hidden bunker. Also, since the back portion of the putting surface falls away, players frequently end up long.

One last wrinkle, relevant for the leaders on Sunday at the U.S. Open: the 17th plays directly into the afternoon sun.

{{every-hole-shinnecock-17-eden}}

Strategy Notes for the U.S. Open

• The 17th isn’t a particularly strategic hole. Players just have to step up and execute a demanding mid-iron.
• The most compelling hole locations are on the right side of the green, as the prevailing wind pushes shots toward the right green-side bunker, leaving an incredibly challenging up-and-down to short-sided hole locations. 
• Look for players to hit a right-to-left shot to hold the ball against the prevailing left-to-right wind. –Joseph LaMagna

‍Historical Tidbits

• Why is No. 17 named “Eden”? Your guess is as good as ours. It is not located near C.B. Macdonald’s Eden template from Shinnecock’s pre-1931 layout, and it bears little resemblance to the 11th hole at St. Andrews. If you squint, you might see a couple of similarities: the green is pushed up against its backdrop in a semi-infinity effect, and the trio of fronting bunkers could be seen as stand-ins for the Hill, Strath, and Cockleshell. Overall, though, Shinnecock’s “Eden” has more in common with a Redan template.
• Trying to close a one-shot gap with Corey Pavin, Greg Norman missed in the back-right bunker on 17 and wasn’t able to get his recovery within 15 feet.
• Nine years later, Phil Mickelson’s back-nine hot streak came to an end on the 17th green, where he significantly over-read the break on both his five-footer for par and the comebacker for bogey.

Our Take

The 17th might not make an immediate impression, but after a few plays, its subtle challenges — 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 — garner respect.

Course Routing

Click on a pin below to preview the hole or go to the full profile of the hole.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club

Southampton, NYWilliam Flynn1891

A Golden Age architect’s magnum opus thanks to a sublime setting and stellar design, Shinnecock Hills is deep-rooted in American golf history.

Hole 1 - Westward Ho

Par 4399 yds

Hole 2 - Plateau

Par 3220 yds

Hole 3 - Peconic

Par 4469 yds

Hole 4 - Pump House

Par 4409 yds

Hole 5 - Montauk

Par 5537 yds

Hole 6 - Pond

Par 4453 yds

Hole 7 - Redan

Par 3189 yds

Hole 8 - Lowlands

Par 4394 yds

Hole 9 - Ben Nevis

Par 4435 yds

Hole 10 - Eastward Ho

Par 4415 yds

Hole 11 - Hill Head

Par 3159 yds

Hole 12 - Tuckahoe

Par 4469 yds

Hole 13 - Road Slide

Par 4374 yds

Hole 14 - Thom's Elbow

Par 4463 yds

Hole 15 - Sebonac

Par 4409 yds

Hole 16 - Shinnecock

Par 5540 yds

Hole 17 - Eden

Par 3180 yds

Hole 18 - Home

Par 4426 yds

BACK 01 / 01

<< Hole 16         Hole 17            Hole 18 >>