The 1st green at Strandhill.
1. It plays downwind AND the wind can blow in this part of the world.
2. The back of the green must be 3.5 feet lower than the front.
3. The slopes and internal contours give guys breaks of 10 feet or so.
4. The green runs slow enough to take advantage of the great design.
5. The sharpest point of the front to back green is the front 15 feet.
6. The crew has the balls to cut the hole in the front with 25mph wind.
7. I am not sure there is an archie out there today who would dare build this green knowing the prevailing wind.
8. It perfectly demonstrates the folly of assigning par to the really good holes. This is a par 5 that often will play like a short par 4! Some players may hope to earn a 3, but in reality 4 is an excellent score and a 5 is good and many will walk off with a 6 wondering what the f&*&() just happened.
To top it off there is bunkering on the high side to stymie the crafty players trying to use the hill to their advantage. Its still possible, but oh so difficult with the wind howling. This green is a great example of why adding distance isn't the best way to tame the long ball. From this bunker with that wind if one hopes to get up and down he has to aim off the green right and hope things come together or be faced with the shot the chap you see has. Not easy. Note his setup, he has no intention of throwing the ball up, its gonna be a runner all the way. If the player just hits a plopper out of the bunker it will run hard left probably 50 feet away. If the player splashes hard at the hole and ends up high its a nasty sharp downhill left to righter putt in a harsh crosswind. Its easy to end up 20 feet below the hole.
To top it all off, this is the 2nd!
Ciao