#7 is a par 4
464 from the black tees
436 from the green tees
Another long hole that can play pretty short in the summer. While I like both holes (#4 and #7) a good deal and I don't pretend to have a better proposal for Tom Doak to have designed or routed his course differently (though we've all tried in our heads, on paper, on this discussion forum, etc) I wish that both of these long two-shotters didn't have to play in almost the same wind. I would have liked to see one long par 4 on the front nine demand two strong shots just to reach the green, though 13 can serve that purpose later in the round. At the same time, I can only imagine how brutal the #4 / #7 combo must play in the winter wind.
My group has tended to have a bit of a "helping" cross wind on #7, which makes it play a bit more narrow than the wide fairway suggests. The tee shot can definitely run through some of the angles on the sides of the fairways as it starts to narrow closer to the hole. With the wind pumping, we've put tee shots pretty much everywhere imaginable on this one. I've seen the hole play as little as driver / wedge for someone that can hit the ball (but that I wouldn't characterize as a bomber.)
The first time I played it, the furry bumps well short of the actual green didn't really catch my eye. I've gotten used to them, though I won't say I love them. I think they make for some interesting recovery shots if the approach isn't well-played. I've seen balls bounce off of them in many directions (including a helpful forward if you catch the correct part of the back side) off of these humps. I've also seen the ball get stuck in the long grass on them. I think I might enjoy them even more if the grass on them were maintained at fairway levels, though I suppose it wouldn't provide the raw, natural feel that currently exists.
In my opinion, the real treat of this hole is around the green. Both the bunkering and the green itself is superb. The green, while it lacks the exaggerated mounds of the 2nd green, has quite a bit of contour in it. All of the bunkers are in play, and there is also a nice fall-off area on the back right where the ball will quickly funnel away from the pin and off the green.
Walking up to the 7th tee from the 6th hole
From the tee
From the fairway
Two views of the approach from closer to the green
A view of the green from the side
A view of the green complex from the 8th
Looking back on the hole. You can see the shaved back right fall-off portion of the green on the left side of this photo.