[Adam Clayman]

Tom Doak made this assertion on another thread as it relates to intent.

I'm struggling with what those might be.

Anyone want to guess, enlighten discuss?

[Kalen Braley]

 Edit...wrong thread!

[Mark Bourgeois]

Could someone explain the horseshoe feature in MacRaynor Short holes?

I get the fun and challenging bit but it sure seems a bizarre way to do that.

It's beyond my comprehension!

[Mike Nuzzo]

I added some extra left side fairway on #5 at wolf point to make it feel like there was a lot more room away from the monster bunkers that are in line with the green - thus drawing the player away from the line of charm - unconsciously.

Don doesn't even believe me that is works.   

The shot from the left side of the fairway is a brute!

Big fairways are certainly shrinking, and I'd bet they were used more often too.

Cheers

[Bill_McBride]

Could someone explain the horseshoe feature in MacRaynor Short holes?

I get the fun and challenging bit but it sure seems a bizarre way to do that.

It's beyond my comprehension!

Those are mostly large, open greens, where the donuts or horseshoes add the spice.  I love them even though I took a bad line and 4-putted #9 from 15' last time at Mountain Lake!  Without that horseshoe, it's easy two putt par or make the birdie and off to the 10th tee.  As it is, you can hit a decent tee shot and have to play very well to make a par.

[Chuck Brown]

It would seem to me that the "Himalayas" idea would be bygone, if for no other reason than for laibility concerns in a modern design.  Are there any new "Himalayas"?  There are, to be sure, a fair number of examples of contrived blind approaches.  But the real thing?

[Tom_Doak]

Adam:

A couple of the things we've come across in years of looking at old courses:

a)  The strategic value of hazards 150-200 yards off the tee on certain lengths of holes, which prompted your thread.

b)  Bunkers 50 or more yards apart which overlap visually, and throw off depth perception.

c)  Building to a climax at the 16th or 17th hole, because early courses were designed for match play.

d)  I'm sure there were a bunch of playing considerations appropos to the stymie rule, which might have been manifested in the architecture, but which nobody today would notice.

It isn't that nobody COULD understand such ideas today, it's that they don't fit with the modern perception of what's fair, so they are dismissed without proper consideration.

[Dan Herrmann]

Tom, I LOVE your observation "C".   This is a fantastic observation.  I wonder if any private clubs are built with this in mind today.

[Sean_A]

Adam:

A couple of the things we've come across in years of looking at old courses:

a)  The strategic value of hazards 150-200 yards off the tee on certain lengths of holes, which prompted your thread.

b)  Bunkers 50 or more yards apart which overlap visually, and throw off depth perception.

c)  Building to a climax at the 16th or 17th hole, because early courses were designed for match play.

d)  I'm sure there were a bunch of playing considerations appropos to the stymie rule, which might have been manifested in the architecture, but which nobody today would notice.

It isn't that nobody COULD understand such ideas today, it's that they don't fit with the modern perception of what's fair, so they are dismissed without proper consideration.

Tom

I agree your example C is abound in old courses and probably not so much these days.  The one element I like is B.  I seem to recall Wayne posting pix of an Indian Creek hole which did this very thing.  I also seem to recall Mark B or Philip G posting pix of (was it Durban) a course which also did this.  I was very impressed by these optical illusions which hid space, but then I like all sorts of architectural deceptions.  I bet archies get a kick out of designing these sorts of things.

I also think most people believe bunkers should always be hard up against the greens.  Many older courses have diagonal or cross bunkering well short of greens to create trouble on recoveries and for approaching in windy/f&f conditions.  I think this sort of idea is considered weird in today's world of soft courses and aerial approaching.

Ciao

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()