Here are a few pics of Colleton River - Dye. I am going to go against the mainstream here. I too like the course overall, but not quite as universally as some on here. I think the back nine is as good as any you will find. My only two problems with the course is that 1)Overall Dye seems like he was trying too hard to make something unique here, and some of the mounding is just a little too wild for me. 2) and somewhat related the front nine winds through some great live oaks, and the mounding on some of the holes just seems too out of place. Here you have these great live oaks and a predominantly flat native landscape and Pete pushes up a 15ft mound that blocks out the native surrounds. Again I like the course, but those are a couple of limitations that I find with it.
Here are the pics.
The first hole at Dusk (obviously even though this is the first hole the picture was taken after the other ones when my round was done.)
The 4th hole, some dramatic contrast between the dormant rough and the rye fairways.
The 6th hole. Here you get a little feel for what I am talking about. I just find the mounding to be a little out of place in amongst these live oaks on dead flat surrounding topography.
The 9th hole also shows where I think Pete was trying too hard to make a unique hole. This picture shows the elevated back tee box built back into the woods/marsh. It is accessed via a path through the trees and an elevated walkway up to the teebox. I would love to hear how has the grass growing worked over the years, this was pretty early on in the courses history.
Also on the 9th hole is what I call the "Volcano" bunker. It is a tiny potbunker located in the top of a nearly conical mound that rises probably 10-15 feet above the fairway. You must admit you dont see that particular feature on many courses.
A spectacular view from the top of the "Volcano" lookind down at the 9th green, the clubhouse, and some of the windswept back nine in the distance.
The 11th hole from the tee shows you the open windswept feeling of most of the back nine. Now to me the mounding works in this setting, just not as much on the front nine.
Playing the 18th as the light begins to fade.
I didnt include any pics of the unique par 3 that Matt showed in the first post. I have some of it, too, but Matt already had it covered. I do have to say though that the grass patches in the waste area on that hole are quite unique. It kind of makes you feel like the surface of the moon or something.
Any comments, I would love to hear them?