This week I received a postcard from the Glen Club, a Chicago area Fazio design I have played several times, and the pretty picture on the card featured the "signature" 11th hole, a par 3 wrapped around water that's a challenging hole, but ultimately just like the course's 17th hole. See pics below.
The course was built on the site of the former Glenview Naval Air Station, and therefore was as flat as a pancake. A lot of earth was moved to create a golf course with some elevation changes and Fazio-ology that would enable achievement of the $175 peak rate.
My question is, if you're going to move a jillion yards of dirt, why not build a couple of template par 3s? Since it's Master's week when I received the postcard with the pretty pic, I thought, Especially if you're Fazio, and you know way around Augusta National, you could direct your staff to "make a hole that plays like 12 (16) at Augusta." You don't have to proclaim it to the world, just do it, and let people figure it out if they're so inclined.
Thoughts?
11th hole diagram ~215 yd par 3
11th hole scenic view
17th hole diagram ~180 yd par 3
17th hole scenic view
