The most "genius" part of the Flynn routing was his ability to incorporate a runway with the length to land a modern Jet....in an era of Rotary piston airplane engines.....however upon reviewing the Ross routing for the same property the runway was directed East to West and had an additional length availble of 2500 feet for the newer 777 Boeings..... Grin Grin Grin WOW these guys WERE good Grin Grin Grin Grin
Now that was funny! Thanks, Mike.
Bryan,
The holes along the sea are all parallel to the water. The three front nine holes go in one direction and the three back nine holes face the other direction. Why no triangulation? Why so systematic? Why aren't any of the holes played with the sea in the background, perpendicular to the coastline? I think a lot of the subtlety was lacking as the course was in pretty lousy shape after the hurricane the year before. The bunkers had almost no sand in them. So, I freely admit that I was not impressed by the condition, the caddies and overall experience. But that aside, I found the architecture solid but not great. Interestingly, I can usually remember every shot, every hole and a lot of details after playing a course. I just don't remember much about the course, it left me flat and wondering what all the fuss is about. I do not attach any significance to ocean views when considering a golf course. I don't think you can tie architectural or natural features into the ocean in the way you can topographic features like rolling ground, mountains, meandering streams, depressions, etc. The only tie in is to the coastline. The artificiality of the stonework along the water is a constant reminder that it is man-made. The same is true of the masonary wall at Cypress Point fronting 16. While necessary to maintain the hole, and it is one of the most beautiful and best holes in golf, it is a detraction none the less.
Brad,
Since you brought up the subject of Flynn's routings, would you please remark about the differences between Flynn and Ross on the CC of York thread? I like levity as much as the next guy, but that is a serious discussion that would benefit from your perspective. You know Ross's routing tendencies probably as well as anyone's. Your absence from that discussion was sorely missed. I know you were online in the middle of the discussion as you were posting on other topics. Perhaps you'd like to consider the matter carefully and engage in the topic. I remained surprised that it gets so little attention from the general membership here. Perhaps you missed the thread. It is currently on page 3 if you want to take a look.