Is internal OB the worst course feature of all time?

sui generis · July 5

Just now, LeoLeo99 said:

Is it a one way OB? I've played a course where it was internal OB playing the 3rd hole. But not OB of you were playing the 7th hole.

Yes, it's a one-way. The back nine holes were designed in 1929 by Ross. I can't say, of course, how long the white stakes have been there, but my guess for decades. 😉

Mr. Bean · July 5

5 hours ago, LeoLeo99 said:

Is it a one way OB? I've played a course where it was internal OB playing the 3rd hole. But not OB of you were playing the 7th hole.

We have some of those as well. OB for one hole and stakes are IO's for the adjacent hole (painted black on that side).

But now I started to think what is the reason? If you can hit your ball onto the adjacent fairway from both sides why the OB should not be for both holes? Why one wayward shot is "rewarded" and the other is penalized?

Nels55 · July 5

4 hours ago, Mr. Bean said:

We have some of those as well. OB for one hole and stakes are IO's for the adjacent hole (painted black on that side).

But now I started to think what is the reason? If you can hit your ball onto the adjacent fairway from both sides why the OB should not be for both holes? Why one wayward shot is "rewarded" and the other is penalized?

At my course due to the terrain hitting from the OB fairway is a blind shot, you can’t see who you might be hitting into and they can't see you. Going the other way you are visible both ways. Also there is incentive to hit it OB as you have an easier second shot while going the other way makes the hole longer and puts you behind trees.

sui generis · July 5

Have we put to bed the OP's assertion that "Internal OB is the Worst Course Feature of All Time"? 😉

I've been a referee for a couple of decades and have seen a handful of internal out-of-bounds features on mostly older courses. They've all been useful and not "stupid".

st1800e · July 5

What’s the difference between a hole with internal ob stakes on one side and another hole on the perimeter of the course with ob stakes on one side?
OB is OB.

Mr. Bean · July 5

4 hours ago, st1800e said:

What’s the difference between a hole with internal ob stakes on one side and another hole on the perimeter of the course with ob stakes on one side?
OB is OB.

I guess the difference is that an internal OB is inside a course and does not define the boundary of the course.

I hope this helps.

cardia10 · July 6

On 7/4/2025 at 10:32 AM, Mr. Bean said:

You seem to have completely missed the reason for an internal OB.

An internal OB hinders players to deliberately take routes that the management feels are not wanted. Absolutely nothing to do with errant shots.

I have played 3 courses with internal OB and none of those have to do with routine g or shortcuts. They are on down and back holes and penalize you from being in the opposite directions hole. There is zero strategy about accidentally slicing a ball and being out of bounds 1 foot across a cart path and being less than 20 yards from the center of the fairway. That is poor design.

st1800e · July 6

20 hours ago, Mr. Bean said:

I guess the difference is that an internal OB is inside a course and does not define the boundary of the course.

I hope this helps.

Hmmm, I guess I should’ve said what’s the difference in how one plays the hole for a boundary OB vs internal OB?

On 7/5/2025 at 6:29 AM, st1800e said:

OB is OB.

As in don’t hit it OB whether it a course boundary or internal OB.

mrfitz · July 6

My home course has internal OB on the 9th hole (a slight dogleg right) which is to the left of the 18th hole. If you hit into the 18th fairway the line into the 9th green goes over the 18th green and the practice green. If you hook your shot into the 9th fairway from the 18th you have a play into the 18th green. There is a local rule to play the third shot from where the ball crosses the OB.

Edited July 6 by mrfitz
left right dyslexia

Mr. Bean · July 7

6 hours ago, mrfitz said:

My home course has internal OB on the 9th hole (a slight dogleg right) which is to the left of the 18th hole. If you hit into the 18th fairway the line into the 9th green goes over the 18th green and the practice green. If you hook your shot into the 9th fairway from the 18th you have a play into the 18th green. There is a local rule to play the third shot from where the ball crosses the OB.

Some Local Rule... I wonder who invented it as it is not allowed.

ChipNRun · July 14

On 5/5/2025 at 8:18 AM, jvincent said:

Internal OB has its place.

At my course 10-11-12 form a U with the driving range in the middle. It used to be in play but after we renovated our practice area they made it OB. I always thought it should be that way, primarily for safety reasons.

Most of the internal OBs I have seen were on public courses with compact acreage. The internal OBs were primarily to protect golfers in adjacent fairways from someone cutting the corner and hitting unsuspecting others.

No. 6 is a short par 4, and without the internal OB big hitters would try to cut the corner for a 270 yd. route to the green, and endanger players on No. 7 tee.

Internal OB is making the best of a bad situation when you're trying to squeeze 18 holes into, say, 120 acres. If, as the OP said, a course has a dozen such holes, the architect was very unimaginative and gets a failing grade on the project.

Edited July 14 by ChipNRun
Fix bad copy break.