How would you "CBM" your favorite holes?

[Brian_Gracely]

At NGLA, CBM is known to have said that the he believed he improved on several of the designs that he brought over from the UK.  (Whether it's true or not is simply a subjective opinion...not part of this discussion)

Suppose you're building your own NGLA, which holes would you bring to the design, and how would you attempt to improve on them?

[Bill_McBride]

There's probably nothing more fun that playing a new course and discovering a Redan type hole.  I think that's the most fun of all, thinking in particular of the short hole at Southern Dunes.

[TEPaul]

What I would do is exactly what Macdonald apparently did do. He found a site (actually he looked at many for NGLA) and then analyzed the land carefully to see what holes from Europe would best fit naturally on the land of the particular site. What he found out there and which holes he said he discovered would naturally work on that site is in his book. For instance, he did say he would have liked to have a biarritz hole at NGLA but he just didn't find a spot on the site conducive enough for a biarritz hole. (Incidentally Tom Fazio, when he was designing PVGC's short course which are partial replica holes of the regular course said he was dying to replicate the great par 3 5th hole but he just couldn't find a site on the short course conducive enough for it).

I'd just analyze any site really carefully and then just file back through my mental inventory of neat holes I'd seen anywhere as to how conducive they may be on any particular site.

I think that mental inventory thing may be one of Tom Doak's real strengths. He's seen an absolute ton of courses and holes around the world and they say he has the type of mind that's virtually one of total recall for holes he's seen anywhere and everywhere.