George,
On the small chance you are speaking of my writings on the hole, no need to scan......This is the original version of what I wrote for Paul Daley. No doubt Paul gently edited it to make it better for his book, but this is the "uncut" version of the DVD......
My Favorite Hole
4th Hole at Oakmont
621 Yards, Par 5
By
Jeffrey D. Brauer
I especially like holes with memorable– and colorfully named – features. Names like “Punch Bowl,” “Bottleneck,” “Island,” or even “Maxwell’s Rolls” suggesting a history of titanic struggle between man and golf course.
No feature is more memorable than the famous “Church Pew,” bunker at Oakmont Country Club, a large fairway bunker between the third and fourth fairways. The bunker contains several rows of grassy hummocks, and is as fearsome as its reputation.
While the third gets most publicity, I actually like the fourth much better. Players like holes for many reasons. Better players like holes with easily envisioned shots, average players love famous holes at exclusive clubs, Architects like unique features, and golf historians often like less heralded gems displaying design themes of the past. The fourth displays elements that appeal to each of these players.
• The tee shot is well defined, as the Church Pews, in combination with stacked bunkers on the right clearly call for a controlled fade on the tee shot.
The second shot also requires a fade, and offers great strategy, rather than the need to advance the ball as far as possible, which is unusual for par 5 holes! There are two clusters of fairway bunkers on the right of the second landing area.
Your dilemma is to get near these, as the green is very narrow, and angled that direction, making it much more receptive. The green narrows towards the back, making the decision on your second shot very tricky when the pin is located there.
You can’t help but feel the unique history of the hole in American golf design and tournament history when you play. It’s no stretch to say a course like this will never be built again.
• The course is shamelessly penal, and historians say that “Golden Age” design theories of angles of play were inspired in response to Oakmont’s difficulty. However, this hole shows the course really had both schools of thought.
Coincidently, while the hole appears timeless, and unchanged, it has in fact had a rebuilt green, bunkers rebuilt, and tees extended to keep the famous bunker in play for modern tournaments, and everything blends in very well.
• Like most average golfers, playing Oakmont was a rare treat for me, enhancing the experience of the entire day. That I did find myself “up close and personal” with the famous Church Pews on my tee shot, replicating the famous picture of Palmer trying to recover on the third, gave me a golfing story to tell. My plight naturally gave rise to some good natured opponent and caddy banter.
“Should have spent more time in Church last week…“Closest you’ll ever get to playing like Palmer!”…“I’m praying for you!”…You’ll do some penance now!
Now, I have a story to tell that evokes knowing nods from golfers, of battling an instantly recognized famous adversary called the Church Pews. And those memories is what really creates favorite holes.