George Bahto:
Thanks so much for the info on the early evolution of NGLA and the history of the clubhouse(s).
As you know I'm fascinated by the evolution of clubs and particularly the evolution of the design of golf courses.
It did seem logical to me that the present clubhouse had to come after #1 was designed and built since I can't see MacDonald designing an option for driving #1 almost over the entrance circle. But I can see him compromising (or intensifying) that option to accomodate such a clubhouse as that! I do like the fact that the entrance road down by the parking lot is quite close to #1 green. I think that very much intensifies even a quality shot at the green.
I'm also interested in the early reversing of the nines. I feel like you that the course would play so great with #10 as #1 and #1 as #10 but for a different reason. GeoffShac and I were talking a while ago about the added interest of psychology of Riviera's #10 with that position in the routing. So many players seem to total up their front nine and feel that they instantly have to make up ground by going right at that hole. I've seen the ultra long but usually fairly conservative Davis Love do this without success more times than it seems he ordinarily would if the hole was in another position.
With #1 NGLA as #10 I think it would benefit from the identical pyschological temption as Riviera's #10.
On the other hand it is a completely unique and world class opening hole! I can't really think of anything like it-with the myriad of options to start a round.
It is interesting to me as an opener in match play because it does give you the opportunity to see what kind of player you're up against if you don't happen to know him. Is there an opening hole that has a greater play spectrum between match and medal as well??
One of my opponents this last week drove the ball onto the front right of the green. The pin however was in the bowl on the back left. It seemed from where he drove it that there was virutally no way for him to two putt without making a fair sized second putt. He hit his first putt to the back fringe and did 3 putt. We halved the hole in pars with me hitting an iron from the tee for an approach of about 90yds.
When we were done the hole I putt a ball on the ridge forming the back bowl and the ball without any help filtered to about 12 feet left and long of the pin. You have to almost stop the ball on that ridge and if he left it short of the ridge the ball might have filtered God knows where and he would probably be looking at a 4 putt.
For those who play the hole as I did with an iron from the tee and an approach from the middle of the fairway to a pin in that back bowl, I can tell you that the blind line to that pin is the left side or the tree behind the green (the tree is visible). That shot however is one of the all time "feel" shots since you can see none of the green and of course you can't see where the ball lands on the green. I have been told by those watching though that the effective landing area for the pin in that back bowl is a distance margin of about 2 yards and also an accuracy margin of about 2 yards.
It is some kind of hole-certainly one of the very coolest openers in the world.