Hole 1 - Southern Hills discussion

[Chris_Clouser]

Much like George Pazin's wonderful series on Oakmont, this is a series of threads that will be used to discuss the course at Southern Hills for the PGA Championship.  We hope to have two holes a week, but we do have some grace in the timing if that doesn't happen.  

Much like George's thread I will give a brief summary of the hole and have some photos posted then let the discussion take off from there.  Thanks to Kalen Braley, these will follow shortly to show off some of the course.  Just to note the photos I will have posted were prior to the latest round of work by Keith Foster, but we'll talk about that later.  

One of the main tenets of Maxwell designs was his love of elevated tee shots.  He tried to incorporate as many of these as possible into the layout of each course.  At Southern Hills, the best of these is on the first hole.  It provides a view of the Tulsa skyline to the north.  From the tee, the hole runs about sixty feet down hill to the fairway below.  To the right are two bunkers that were cut into a slight rise.  The natural flow of the terrain is from right to left and rolls away from these hazards.  
Second shots on the green are more difficult if the player must come from the right side as a large bunker protects the angled putting surface.  The challenge of the shot is augmented by the slope of the green running away from the player on the back half of the target.  Even at 460 yards, the hole plays much shorter with the elevated tee and a prevailing wind that actually helps from the south.  In most cases the  pro players will be looking at a short iron or wedge for their approach.  
The green is a push-up variety that still contains the famed Maxwell Rolls.  It can easily be split in half with the front running towards the fairway and the back the other direction.  Beyond the green is a fall-off that provides a difficulty recovery from the famous steel-wool rough if the approach is carelessly struck.  Front half pin positions will be much easier on this hole and could lead to several birdies.  If the flag is in the back half, it makes the hole a half-stroke more difficult for the pros.

Here is the description from the SHCC website:
An inspiring tee shot starts from an elevated tee to a slight dogleg left with the ideal tee shot position being in the left side of the fairway to avoid the fairway bunkers on the right. This tee position will allow an open second shot with a medium-to-long-iron to a green which slopes from front to back and is guarded by three traps.

So let's start the discussion.  Hopefully the photos will be up soon courtesy of Kalen.  

[Peter_Herreid]

Chris:

Thanks so much for initiating this analysis of Southern Hills; I'm afraid that not many GCA'ers have had the opportunity to visit SHCC because it is not so much on the "Hot List" of must-study locations and Tulsa is not so much at the Crossroads of GCA travels.  I hope that those who have will help educate all the rest of us ...

The two times I have been in Tulsa in my entire life have coincided with member-member events at SHCC so I have no personal experience to chime in with, but I am hoping that these hole studies will elicit some lively comments.

While the course has been altered on a handful of occasions in significant ways, I have heard from multiple folks that Keith Foster's most recent work was pretty well-received.

The list of major (and sub-major--Tour Championship, etc.)champions at Southern Hills reads like a roster of workman-like pros; not always the flashiest and showiest, but almost always classic ball-strikers:  Zaharias, Bolt, Murphy, Stopckton, Green, Floyd, Price, Mayfair, Lehman and Goosen.

I suspect this reflects the course's central character pretty well--not going to blow you away with breath-taking views or dramatic risk-reward choices all the way around, but rather an ongoing examination of classic shot-making and rational decision-making.

Chris, I am sure you will educate me if I'm off-base!!

Peter

[Chris_Clouser]

Peter,

Your summary is pretty spot on.  

Actually the course is very much like what Maxwell originally laid out.  The changes made by RTJ just prior to the 58 Open were minor and were mostly adding a few bunkers and changing one green that had drainage issues supposedly.  After that Floyd Farley made a few adjustments to some greens, but nothing too serious.  One of Farley's changes was actually eliminating one of RTJs changes and got it back to closer to a Maxwell style.  I think though that the changes by Foster are closer to Maxwell's style, but they do involve some things that the club did based on some "direction" from the USGA and PGA to a few greens.  But aside from the trees, the course as it is today is probably still somewhere around 80% of what Maxwell put into the ground if I had to give it a number.

[Kalen Braley]

Here are some diagrams/photos of the 1st hole.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Is there anyway to show any details of the greens?

I would think it would be extra important to show any Maxwell-designed golf hole, how the green works from the fairway.

[Dave Bourgeois]

Has there been a deforestation effort there since the photo's were taken?  

I do like that fronting bunker, it is certainly intimidating.

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

After reading Pat Mucci's thread on Tree Removal, as well as all of the Oakmont discussions, I can't help but look at courses (or discussions on them) now without thinking about a chainsaw.

What was the terrain of Southern Hills when Maxwell began his design process?  Was it open space?  Heavily treed?  etc.

I can't help look at these first pictures of #1, and see plenty of angles which would be opened up, especially into the green from the right side.  Because you not only have to contend with that bunker, but those two or three lone trees come into play.

I'm just wondering if they've always been there, and Maxwell incorporated them into his strategy or if they were planted in following years?

[George Pazin]

Many thanks for doing this, Chris.

I've never been a fan of elevated tees, I think it takes a lot of visual strategy out of the architect's hands, but that aside, I was very impressed with what was shown of Southern Hills during the '01 US Open.

And, no offense to whomever did the hole diagram, but man does it not do the course justice!

I do love the simplicity inherent in the design of this hole.

[Sean_A]

I've never been a fan of elevated tees, I think it takes a lot of visual strategy out of the architect's hands, but that aside, I was very impressed with what was shown of Southern Hills during the '01 US Open.

George

Its difficult to avoid elevated tees on a hilly property.  I have only seen two Maxwell contributions and both feature many elevated tees and but both are fairly hilly properties.  On Uof M and Old Town the elevated tees made perfect sense and were used to great effect.

Ciao

[Chris_Clouser]

Tommy,

Unfortunately, I do not have any detail sketches of the greens at Southern Hills with the exception of some items sent to me by Keith Foster.  This green is actually fairly simple as it has three main sections.  A higher plateau mostly on the right, a short entrance at the front that faces the player and then the rest of the green running away.

I just don't have all the resources that George had for his threads.

George,

The hole diagrams are not the best.  But I don't have much else to work with that will show adequate distance markings.  Especially since I have no idea on how to post pics.  

Sean and Dave,

The site has always had some trees, but just not the large number that exist there now.  I think I have seen an estimate that 4,000 trees exist on the course now.  Probably about 3,900 too many for my taste.  And yes, they do take away from the design by eliminating angles of play.  This becomes apparent on holes 2, 3, 12 and 18 among others.

I'll try to answer questions as they come up.  

[Matt_Cohn]

Chris,

I seem to remembert his entire green running away from the player - in particular just over the bunker. I don't remember any part of it sloping back towards the fairway. Am I correct?

[Chris_Clouser]

Matt,

The very front entrance of the green is visible from the fairway.  I was thinking it slightly sloped that way, but perhaps it is just level.  It probably goes back five steps before running away.  The right side is a little higher, which is why I said it is almost a plateau over there, and then runs away quickly.  But for all intents and purposes the green pretty much runs away from the player and makes for a difficult approach.

[Jay Flemma]

Chris, this is terrific.  Tommy, how about adding a sidebar entry in the new GCA.com where all the "18 weeks of..." series will reside?

[Craig Van Egmond]

Finally a course I've actually played!  

I love this opening hole, a well struck drive the ball just seems to hang out there forever. An opportunity to score here, before the brutal second hole starts.

I am looking forward to seeing how well the pro's handling the sweltering heat that we call summer here. Yikes! The course is in incredible shape.

[Matt_Ward]

Chris:

Minus a front right pin placement the 1st at Southern Hills belies what will soon follow. For example, the 2nd is certainly on my short list of superb long holes.

The 1st at Southern Hills allows for the big play off the tee and with any wind behind the player -- plus the natural elevation of the tee -- will likely result in a 9-iron or wedge approach.

Compare the 1st at SH with the 1st Oakmont and the differences are enormous IMHO.

There's plenty to talk about at SH but the 1st isn't at the top of my personal listing -- of course -- the PGA can rectify that with a heavy dose of bermuda rough. Thankfully, they understand how to prepare a major through Kerry Haigh.

[mike_beene]

The pictures don't really show how elevated the tee is.It is not a gradual downhill,but feels more like you are hitting off an 8 story building.The first tee is higher than the 9th and 18th greens and doesn't feel like it is on the course.Almost like you are walking into the arena after you hit your first shot.An interesting feel.First at Bel-Air is closest first tee,but its slope is a little more gradual.

[Matt_Ward]

Mike B:

You are soooooo right about the elevation.

Frankly, if Tiger decides to hit driver (doubtful) and has a sw wind which is normal and really bombs it -- I can't him hitting anything more than a half-wedge to the green.

The 1st at SH is really nothing more than a intro hole to the overall course. The real architecture is yet to follow.

One other thing -- as correctly pointed out by Doak and a few others -- at SH the long holes play usually in the same direction and the shorter holes (the more interesting ones) generally play uphill and into the wind. A very smart tactic by Maxwell.

[Chris_Clouser]

Matt,

I don't want to be critical, but the other long holes that play with the wind would both be par fives, except for the 16th in tournaments (which is an awful decision in my mind, but that comes later in the series).  The other long holes on the course have a cross wind, quartering, or the wind against the player like the 2nd, 12th and 18th.  The first is the only long par four that plays with the prevailing wind.  

The shorter par fours do mostly play into the wind though (4, 9, second shot on 10, 15, and 17).  

[Matt_Ward]

Chris:

My overall point about Maxwell's smartness on the routing still stands (w corrections you provided noted).

Frankly, I also have to say -- although it will be discussed when it's posted -- that the 18th is one of the most strangest finishing holes I have ever seen / played for a big time venue.

Chris -- the 1st at SH is simply a grip and rip type hole. That part I'm not backing away from. If the PGA were smart the front right hole location would be used no less than two times in the 72-hole event.

[Chris_Clouser]

Matt,

I agree with your point on the first for the pros and the choice of pin positions.  If that isn't the Sunday pin, I'll eat my hat.  

I'm surprised you haven't posted on the 2nd hole thread.  I think it is on page 2 now.