What Is a Road Hole in Golf?

The 17th at St. Andrews, known simply as the Road Hole, is very likely the most famous and notoriously difficult par 4 in golf. It’s a hole where legends are made and Open Championships are lost, all in the shadow of a grand hotel and a simple stone wall. This article will break down exactly what makes this hole so legendary, from its terrifying tee shot to its treacherous green complex. Most importantly, I’ll give you a practical, shot-by-shot playbook for how an everyday golfer should approach a Road Hole style challenge without it wrecking your scorecard.

What Exactly Makes "The Road Hole" So Famous?

To understand the Road Hole is to understand golf at its most strategic and terrifying. It’s not just one feature that makes it hard, it's a perfect storm of architectural challenges that test every single part of your game, both physically and mentally. Located at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, it plays as a long par 4, demanding two of your very best shots just to find the green.

The Blind Tee Shot Over the "Sheds"

The challenge begins the moment you step onto the tee. To find the optimal position in the fairway, you are forced to hit a semi-blind tee shot over what looks like the corner of the Old Course Hotel. Historically, you aimed over a set of black railway sheds, and while those original structures are long gone, replica sheds and signage on the hotel siding remain to guide (and intimidate) the modern golfer.

This creates immediate discomfort. Every instinct tells you not to aim at a building, but that is precisely the line required for the best angle into the green. You can bail out to the left, which feels much safer, as there's plenty of space over there. However, this safety comes at a high price. From the left side of the fairway, the approach shot becomes significantly longer and is played into the narrowest part of the already tiny green. The design tempts you with safety, only to punish you on the next shot.

The Brutal Approach to a Slippery Green

Even if you hit a perfect drive, your work has just begun. You're now left with a long iron or even a fairway wood into one of the most diabolical green complexes in the world. The challenges here are threefold:

• A Narrow, Angled Target: The green is incredibly shallow, perhaps only 15 paces from front to back, but very wide. It's also angled diagonally away from you, from front-right to back-left. It’s like trying to land a ball on a thin, elevated ribbon. Missing short, long, or left means you're in a world of trouble.
• The Road Hole Bunker: Guarding the front-left portion of the green is arguably the most recognized bunker in golf. The Road Hole Bunker is a deep, sod-walled pot bunker that acts like a magnet for any shot even slightly pulled or under-hit. It's famously known as the "Sands of Nakajima" after Japanese professional Tsuneyuki Nakajima took five shots to escape it during the 1978 Open Championship, costing him the tournament. Getting into this bunker almost guarantees at least a double bogey. Your first thought when in it isn't "get it close," but just "get it out."
• The Actual Road and Wall: Yes, a literal paved road and an old stone wall are directly behind the green. The road is in play. If your approach shot goes a few yards too far, you could bounce off the wall and back onto the green, or your ball could settle on the hard pavement. From there, you have to decide whether to putt across the asphalt or try a delicate chip, all while worrying about thinning the shot back into the stone wall. Landing on the road is often better than being in the pot bunker, but it’s no bargain.

How to Play a "Road Hole"-Style Challenge: The Coach's Game Plan

Most of us won't get the chance to battle the true Road Hole, but every golfer has a hole on their home course that feels just as impossible. It's that one long par 4 with trouble everywhere that consistently ruins a good round. You know the one. The key to playing these holes is to toss out your ego, accept that a bogey is a good score, and play with your head, not your ambition.

Step 1: The Tee Shot – Commit to Your "Realistic" Line

First, stand on the tee and accept what the hole is giving you. It's designed to be hard. A par is an incredible achievement. A bogey is absolutely fine. Don’t try to be a hero.

Actionable Advice:

• Forget the Hero Shot: Just like on the real 17th, there’s a "pro line" and a "safe line." Be honest with yourself. Can you truly carry that corner of the dogleg or those fairway bunkers 7 out of 10 times? If not, don't try it. Golf course architects love putting a tempting, high-risk line out there. Your job is to ignore it.
• Play for Position, Not Perfection: Pick a wider, safer target, even if it leaves you with a longer approach shot. Yes, hitting from the left rough on the Road Hole leaves a horrible angle, but it's better than being re-teeing after OB on the right. A 200-yard approach from the fairway is infinitely better than a 150-yard approach from the trees. Choose the tee shot that keeps you in the hole.

Step 2: The Approach Shot – Forget the Flag Is Even There

On a monster hole, the pin position is almost always a suggestion for tour pros, not for the rest of us. They put flags behind deep bunkers and on tiny shelves for a reason: to tempt you into making a big mistake.

Actionable Advice:

• Aim for the Fattest Part of the Green: Look at the entire green complex and identify the biggest, safest area. That is your target. Period. It's often the center of the green. On the Road Hole, this means aiming for the middle-to-back portion, well away from the pot bunker in the front and the road in the back.
• Take More Club: The biggest mistake amateurs make on approach shots is coming up short, which on a "Road Hole" style design often means you're in the deepest bunker or facing an uphill chip over mounds of rough. It’s always better to be a little long than to be short. Take the club that you know will get to the back portion of your safe target. You'd much rather have a 40-foot putt from the back of the green than a bunker shot from the front.
• Play Away from The "One" Spot: Every nightmare hole has one place you absolutely cannot go. On St. Andrews 17, it's the Road Hole Bunker. On your local beast, it might be a pond, a thick patch of woods, or an out-of-bounds stake. Whatever it is, your entire approach shot strategy should be built around avoiding that one spot. Hit it 50 feet away to the other side of the green if you have to, but do not flirt with disaster.

Step 3: Damage Control and the Art of the Smart Scramble

Let's be realistic: you're going to miss the green on holes like this sometimes. When you do, the goal is simple: limit the damage. Don't compound one mistake by trying a low-percentage miracle shot.

Actionable Advice:

• From a Deep Bunker: If you find yourself in the equivalent of the Road Hole Bunker, your only job is getting out on the first try. Don't even look at the flag. Pick a safe spot on the bank of the bunker, take a steeper swing than normal, and blast it out. It's okay to hit it sideways or even slightly backwards if that guarantees you escape.
• From a Tricky Lie (Like a Road): Finding yourself on a hardpan lie, up against a curb, or on a cart path? Don’t try the heroic flop shot. The safest play is often to just use your putter. The ball will bounce and roll unpredictably, but it’s very unlikely to result in a bladed shot that flies over the green out of bounds. The goal is to get the ball back to a patch of grass where you can play the next one.
• On the Green: If you've navigated the first two shots successfully and are on the green but facing a 60-foot putt, your job is to two-putt. Focus completely on speed, not line. Try to lag the ball into a three-foot "hula hoop" around the hole. A stress-free tap-in for a bogey on a true beast of a hole will feel like a birdie.

Defining "Road Holes" Beyond St. Andrews

While some modern courses have designed "replica" holes, the true spirit of the Road Hole lives on in its concept rather than direct copies. A "Road Hole" is any golf hole that uses strategic angles, penal hazards, and psychological pressure to force a player into making a series of difficult decisions.

Look for it on your own course. It's probably a long par 4 or 5 that doglegs around some type of hazard. There’s likely a safe route and a hero route from the tee. The green is probably well-guarded, with a clear "no-go" area. Once you identify that hole, you can apply this same smart, conservative game plan. By thinking one shot ahead and respecting the design, you can finally conquer your own personal nemesis.

Final Thoughts

The Road Hole at St. Andrews is a masterpiece of golf architecture, engineered to test a player's nerve, skill, and strategic mind. Applying a smart game plan - choosing conservative targets, avoiding the big hazards, and managing expectations - is the key to surviving not just this legendary hole, but any difficult a a hole that stands in your way.

When you're standing on your own "Road Hole," indecision is your worst enemy. Our goal with Caddie AI is to give you that expert second opinion right when you need it most. You can describe the hole layout and get an intelligent strategy back in seconds, or even snap a picture of a difficult lie near an out-of-bounds wall to get clear advice on the best way to play it. We built it to take the guesswork out of these high-pressure moments, so you can commit to your shot with complete confidence.