The Redan hole is arguably the most famous of all the template holes and is considered the finest type of hole in golf. The original Redan is the 15th hole at North Berwick Golf Club in Scotland. The hole gives players multiple options off the tee which is something very difficult to do with a par 3. Its emphasis on risk/reward has had a tremendous impact on the design of par 3s and is arguably one of the most influential holes in golf.
So what is the Redan hole? A Redan hole is a par 3 anywhere from about 175 yards to 240 yards and the green is laid out at a 45 degree angle. The concept of the hole is to use the slopes and feed it to the hole or play the risk/reward and take it at the flag.
Charles Blair Macdonald described the hole like this in his book Scotland's Gift "Take a narrow tableland, tilt it a little from right to left, dig a deep bunker on the front side, approach it diagonally and you have a Redan.”
Alister Mackenzie described the hole like this in his book The Spirit of St. Andrews "The Redan is 200 yards long, the master bunker covers the left half of the green, and there is a marked upward tilt of both the approach and the green from left to right, so that a player has the alternative of playing over the bunker or attempting a shot with a swing from right to left."
This example of the Redan (Hole 3) at Weeks Park in Wichita Falls, TX is one of the few pure Redans in Texas if not the only one. The hole follows the guidelines for a Redan fairly strictly making it a great example to work with. On the tee players can see very little of the green that runs away from them and sits at a 45 degree angle. Coming in from 220 yards or so, players can generally conclude that they will have to run something up to the hole rather than carrying it to the hole only to land it on a down slope. A narrow bunker runs along the front of the green picking up most shots working too far left or short. Players that find this bunker will have to hit a touchy shot with the green running away from them. As you can see in the picture, the front right part of the green is built up to kick balls left. Going over this green will give players a tricky shot as they have to navigate this slope by either running a ball down it or carrying it completely. For players that like to move the ball right to left, this hole is a blast, but for players moving the ball the other direction they have to step out of their comfort zone a little bit to give themselves a good opportunity. The third hole at Weeks Park is currently on the Texas 54.
