Evan,
Thanks for your response, and I do respect what you're saying. But I disagree that altering the stretch we're talking about would cease to make Cruden Bay Cruden Bay.
I think that in and of itself quirk is a bit empty. It's great, but it doesn't stand alone. And quirk is really all that 14-15-16 amounts to.
I tried to photobucket some pictures to illustrate what I'm trying to say, but photobucket is spazzing out. Anyway:
The drive on #14, to my mind, is sublime....
...But once you hit that good drive the approach is really a joke. It can be putted. It's nice to have a punchbowl green, but it's a bit like a serving of cotton candy at Disney World.
#15 .. the blind dogleg par-3.. is just tedious. Again, Disney World. The ratio of luck to skill on this par 3 is slanted too far toward luck, and after repeated play it must get old. I've played the hole twice and by the second time it had worn on me. Sorry no picture.
#16 A second straight blind par-3. Again, that's really neat for novelty's sake, but to the members who play this as their golf course it's just tiresome. Most well-struck shots funnel across the green into the depression behind it. That's how the hole plays time and time again.
Pete Dye is an honorary member of Cruden Bay, and has sung the course's praises. If it means anything, I picked up the phone and asked him about the proposed changes. He is all for them.
As you said.. nothing wrong with disagreeing.