Mark:
I think the narrow green is perhaps one of the coolest and most interesting, and most sophisticated architectural offering of all. Some narrow greens (list below) are some of the best, most respected and famous holes in the world of golf but I think the real key to the success of the narrow green on a golf course is to never do too many of them!!!
Great examples:
The Best in the world, in my opinion, is;
1. Riviera's #10
Followed by (those that I know);
2. PVGC's #8
3. PVGC's #12
4. Pacific Dunes's #6
The real beauty of these greens and holes, in my opinion, is the architects of them had the talent and the sense to construct fairway arrangements (in combination with these narrow greens) that're quite wide and consequently give the golfer distinct choices off the tee to make an approach to these greens to a target that's EITHER narrow and long OR wide and shallow!!
Tom-
I have seen narrow greens from many of the "Golden Age" architects--in your research with Wayne, had Flynn ever designed or built narrow greens?
With the exception of #12 at Rolling Green, are there any examples?
Come to think of it, if you, Wayne, or Craig recall that hole at Washington Golf & CC that we toured this past August, do you recall the one hole after you cross over to the other side of the property--with that dramatic fall-off in the fairway, maybe 20 to 30 feet in height? It was over the bridge to the left of the halfway house.
I seem to remember that was a relatively narrow green, and angled to the line of play. I also recall it featured several tiers, however this could be Flynn and it could have been Ross. Craig would probably know best.
The old #18 at Congressional Gold also featured an extremely narrow, 3 tiered green--we didn't see this green. It was built by either the Fazios, Hills
, or Ault/Clark, and it's not in play anymore. It serves as a practice green.
Burning Tree also featured some narrow greens--I believe #7 in particular was narrower--and I'm not sure if this was Alison's work or Art Hills
Emmet built a few narrow greens at Bethpage Green-#8, #10, and #16 in particular. This may have been Tillinghast, though--Phil Young would probably know the correct answer here, as Tillie did a redesign of the Green in the late 1920's or early 1930's.