Even later than never - Photos of Stone Eagle from KPV

[Scott_Burroughs]

I thought I showed these already, but apparently not.  We
dissected Stone Eagle to death from earlier post-
KPV threads, so this is very anti-climactic and untimely, but
here are my SE pics not previously shown in my earlier KPV pics thread:

Opening tee shot, par 4:


Tee shot on par 4 2nd:


2nd shot:


Approach to par 4 5th:


Approach to par 4 6th:


Tee shot on par 5 8th:


Tee shot on par 4 9th:


A pulled tee shot yields this blind approach:


Tee shot on par 4 10th:


Approach:


Approach to par 4 11th:


Looking from 12th tee back towards #11 green and #15 green in distance:


#12:


Par 5 #13:


Tee shot on par 4 #14:


Approach from end of fairway:


#15:


Approach to par 4 #16:


Tee shot on par 5 #17:


2nd shot from right side:


Tee shot on #18 (captioned: "Doak moves more dirt"   ):

[PThomas]

nice pictures, thanks Scott

[Matt_Cohn]

Scott,

Did you find it easy to remember each of the holes distincly? Did any of the holes seem to blend together or escape recollection?

There's an understandable sameness about the looks of some of the teeshots - as there is almost anywhere else, too - and I'm just wondering if it actually felt that way on the course, how well each of the holes offered unique and non-repeating looks.

[Mike Benham]

Question for the SE members or Mr. Doak:

There is a substantial area short of the 12th green, before the bunkers (not visable in Scott's pictures) that is maintained as turf.  Is it expected that this area will continue to be maintained as turf?  On a relatively short hole, it would not seem that this area would come into play much ...

[Jeff_Brauer]

A question and a comment:

It appears there are many semi blind approaches. Is that true or is it just the photo angles?

It appears to me that Tom's work gets more "polished" each time out.  Pete Dye was the same way. The scale is larger, the features are smoother, slopes are broader, etc.  Anyone else feel that way, and is it an inevitable process for gca's? Or is it just this particular client wanted a smoother look?

[George Pazin]

Great photos, Scott, thanks for posting them. I especially like the approach shot photos, most people only seem to take photos from the tee.

It appears to me that Tom's work gets more "polished" each time out.

Do you feel that way about the photos in Ran's Ballyneal writeup?

How about photos of Barnbougle, or is that not recent enough?

I'm not trying to hassle you, I'd like your honest opinion. Me, I think the sample size is too small to draw such inferences.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Scott,

Did you find it easy to remember each of the holes distincly?
Did any of the holes seem to blend together or escape
recollection?

There's an understandable sameness about the looks of some
of the teeshots - as there is almost anywhere else, too - and
I'm just wondering if it actually felt that way on the course,
how well each of the holes offered unique and non-repeating looks.

Matt,

This was discussed in previous threads on SE, that the tee
shots on #9 and #11 seemed to 'blend together' in memory,
in addition to a few other aspects.  Both par 3 #3 and #15
seemed similar although maybe 20 yards different in length.  
All 4 par 3's are downhill.  The side slope of the downhill par
4's all went right-to-left (partly due to that's how the land
sloped!).  It's still a very fun course, with lots of 'strategery' ,
fun approach shots, and green complexes.

[Rick Shefchik]

Jeff -- Interesting observation. Stone Eagle looks rather polished to me, too. Is the same true with your work? Are the features on your courses smoother and the slopes broader? (I don't think that's true between the original Giants Ridge course and the Quarry, but I haven't played your other courses.)

[Tom_Doak]

Jeff:

Actually Stone Eagle is quite wrinkly in the fairways considering what was there when we started.  We felt it essential to break up the long slopes with smaller bumps so the ball would stop rolling before the last basin.

Barnbougle and Ballyneal are very wrinkly, too.  Tumble Creek, not wrinkly at all.  Rock Creek, somewhere in between.

In general I would say we spend more time on finish work than ever before -- that was one of the weaknesses of some of our early construction efforts -- but we aren't always trying to polish it smooth.

Scott B:  Yes, a lot of fairways at Stone Eagle slope right to left, but #6 (uphill) and #10 (right half) and #13 (first half) do slope left to right.

Mike B:  That bit of turf out to the right on #12 is so that players who can't carry the bunkers in front have somewhere to aim.  There is also a small forward tee up on the right which plays straight along that bit of turf to the green.