This is the link to my entry for the Lido Competition. Some of you might have seen my name in Golf World. Tell me what you think:
https://webmail.colgate.edu/exchange/jlyon/Inbox/Scanned%20Drawing.EML/1_multipart_xF8FF_2_JNCL_Lido%20Competition.jpg/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/JNCL_Lido%20Competition.jpg?attach=1Below is my description of the hole, in my own words:
• The fairway extends directly from the tee to the green, and is 150 yards wide at its widest point. This gives the golfer a multitude of options from the tee in terms of both lines of play and club selection.
• The preferred line of the shorter hitter is over the two fairway bunkers short and right off the tee. This allows for easier negotiation of the left fairway bunker on the second shot, which must be challenged to set up an easy third shot.
• The line off the tee is in part dictated by the placement of the day’s hole location. A hole located on the right side of the green demands a drive that challenges the left fairway bunkers, which are partially obscured by the six-foot high mound short off the tee. The contours in this part of the fairway feed to the left bunkers, creating a lethal gathering effect into the hazards. A shorter drive down this side brings a hidden bunker into play some thirty yards short of the green. A drive hit down the right side will bring a down-slope on the right side of the green into play, severely complicating the approach.
• A hole located on the left side of the green demands a drive to the plateau towards the right side of the fairway. Tee shots that are overcooked to the right result in a blind shot. However, a tee shot that successfully finds the plateau leaves the clearest look at the green.
• The green itself is not directly defended by bunkers, but two bunkers removed from the putting surface define the long approach shot. If the hole is maintained in firm condition, long shots landing just over these bunkers will reach the putting surface.
• The green is quite large and contains many interesting contouring features. The large mound short of the green affects all approach shots from the right side of the fairway as well as most long putts on the green, much like the 15th at Deal. A small thumbprint, not unlike the valley of sin found on the original seventh at Augusta National, cuts into the front left portion of the green, providing many unique hole locations. The ridge cutting in on left side of the green appears cliché in modern design, but, unlike most greens, the ridge extends beyond the putting surface, making for interesting recovery shots and wild bounces. The back section of the green contains a sharp, triangular shaped tier, six feet high. The tier itself extends through the back of the green, meaning that approaches that finish over the green leave an unusually straightforward recovery to a back hole location. This feature is reminiscent of the green found at the 12th at the Old Course at St. Andrew’s.
• Overall, the green is large and varied in its contours. Its outrageousness, its variety, and its size is not unlike many Alister Mackenzie greens, especially the original greens on the 18th at Sitwell Park are the 16th at the Jockey Club (Red).
• In conclusion, this golf hole makes an admirable final hole at any golf course, especially the original Lido Golf Course. After being beaten up by the original long par-five seventeenth at the Lido (modeled after the 14th at St. Andrew’s, golfers would look to settle matches in fine fashion with my hole.