The Postage Stamp: An inside look at one of golf's gentle giants

Gentle in length, but deceptively terrifying, Royal Troon's signature 8th hole, universally known as the "Postage Stamp", is one of the most extraordinary par 3s in the world. The hole got its name from the compact nature of the green, which William Park famously coined, "A pitching surface skimmed down to the size of a postage stamp."

Sitting at just 123 yards, one might think that a simple wedge at the pin would do the job. This shot, however, is anything but simple.

Statistics from Golf Digest indicate that the average proximity for a PGA Tour professional from around 123 yards is a touch over 20 feet. To the naked eye, it may seem like a healthy chance to make a birdie. Yet the most narrow part of the green is a measly 27 feet wide.

Even the slightest of mishits, and your fate is suddenly in the hands of a potbelly bunker (one of five) as deep as an ocean and as wide as a pencil. Judging by the name, players probably do not want to end up in "coffin", the bunker directly to the left of the green. Throw in a towering sand hill as well as choppy tall grass peppering the outskirts of the bunkers, and it becomes clear that high scores are lurking.

And this is all without factoring in the relentless and swirling coastal wind that is a staple of links golf. The 8th hole in particular is even more susceptible to a sudden gust, as the tee box sits on an elevated surface, adding another layer of exposure.

Tiger Woods describes the famed 'Postage Stamp' at Royal Troon

When asked about the 123-yard par 3, Tiger Woods said the following:

"It's a very simple hole. Just hit the ball on the green. Green good. Missed green bad. It doesn't get any simpler than that. You don't need a 240-yard par 3 for it to be hard."

Of course, Tiger knows firsthand as he made a triple bogey at the Postage Stamp amid his weekend chase in the 1997 Open. It is also the place where Greg Norman made his sole bogey in the 1989 Open. He would have won the championship by a stroke if he would have parred it.

The volatility and wholly unpredictable nature of the Postage Stamp may lead to the demise of many players. But its true beauty lies in the luck, the hint of chance that is necessary to land on the putting surface.

As the 152nd edition of The Open Championship looms, so does the Postage Stamp, waiting in the shadows, ready to suffocate the unwary. Carnage is on the horizon.