Seminole's 16th today--

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

was turned into a par 3 by several pros today in the pro-member.   Hank Kuehne supposedly had a very reasonable eagle putt and supposedly a couple others were greenside.  Also, I was told that the course is a healthy brown\green and very firm and fast.  My friends walked with Ernie and he really loves the layout. He spent quite a few minutes with them afterward discussing how his game has evolved--(swing changes, learning course management, etc.).  Being college kids, it was a great gesture by Ernie that will be invaluable for their games.

[Patrick_Mucci]

RMD,

That's too bad.

# 16 is a wonderful golf hole in a great, closing three hole set.
It's not a severe dogleg, rather an angled dogleg that is well guarded at the green, which would seem to indicate that Kuehne's drive carried the entire tee to green distance.
Do you know what tees the pros played from ?
Even with a following wind, that's quite a drive.

Do you have any of the scores.

I believe that they've been preping the course for this resurrected event.

[Nick Pozaric]

I would love to see or hear the scores as well.  Glad they brought it back as well.  I think many pros besides Ernie love it down there

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

I am in California, so I got the rundown secondhand.  I always thought of 16 as a tricky hole that you needed to scout the pin when playing 13 and 14 for where to place your drive.  I brought this up to further beat the dead horse about technology--I embrace it because of my competitors intournaments, but a greenside pitch is a ruination of a great hole.  Seminole cannot be lengthened by more than 10 yards a hole if any.

[JESII]

While I am firmly on the side of figuring out some way to reduce the distance a golf ball can realistically be hit, I would hate to see anything happen to change the 16th because of this occurance. Hank would be one of only a handful of people in the world capable of reaching that green under virtually any conditions. With the conditions being firm and fast as described, it would take a good deal of luck to actually finish on the green. Patrick is correct in the greensite defenses on that hole making it unlikely to run the ball onto the green, but I think it more unlikely to carry to and stop on the green if it was firm.

I would hate to see this result in any alteration because of the odds against hitting the green combined with the difficulty of getting down in two if you miss the green anywhere except right in front. It is far from a guaranteed three for those that try for the green and fail.