Gentlemen,
It has been quite a span of years since I have been able to regularly check in on this esteemed site. However, it is clear that the dilutive effect of too many newbies has degraded the level of discourse to pedestrian pap.
I warned of this years ago in the infamous "Pizza man" thread, but alas, it fell upon deaf ears as I was beaten into submission with a series of accusatory, egalitarian rants.
Therefore, in order to help get this esteemed board out of the kiddie pool and back into the deep water, let's discuss a thing or two:
The alternate fairway you see above is a Channel Hole. it is a wonderful design that harkens back to #4 at Lido. The reason Arnie uses it quite often is that if thought out correctly, it presents the ultimate risk/reward from tee.
I'm not sure if if Arnold Palmer (or his design coterie) know C.B. Macdonald from Old Macdonald, but the inclusion of this concept tends to (briefly) elevate his courses which are normally 17 holes of dreary excrement and one Channel hole.
I walked Running Y Ranch (Klamath Falls, OR) last March and found this to be the case. A beautiful lakeland site defaced by a brainless series of hideous dozer-mound infested green complexes that blocked expansive views of the pristine surrounds.
Yet, after clearing bile from my stomach after a particularly poorly conceived back nine, I came across #17, a superb Channel Hole par-5.
My stepson, who sadly suffers from the tertiary effect of living with a congenital curmudgeon, noted on the tee that it was the first time all day I smiled.
In fact, #18 was quasi-acceptable, so like a bad movie with a decent ending, I could not bring myself to give it less than a "5" . . . . but it all began with the Channel Hole.