[rhett]

When I play any hole that has a drop zone but requires more than one OB shot from the tee to use it, it feels extremely gimicky to me. That my opinion. It just feels like "putt putt rules" to me.

I liked how USDGC did hole 17 in 2005: land OB from the tee, take your penalty and move to an easier tee. You still get the 2/4 split on scores with very few threes, but it sures seems more like golf to me. It doesn't bother me that a par-3 hole only gets 2% threes scored on it if it is a hole like #17 at Winthrop Gold. It's a good hole that makes you very nervous.