News:

This discussion group is best enjoyed using Google Chrome, Firefox or Safari.


Mark_Rowlinson

  • Karma: +0/-0
New Year A to Z
« on: December 31, 2008, 12:49:38 PM »
After several glasses of something stimulating, I thought I'd share with you a few golf course aerials. Unfortunately, after the fifth glass I rather lost track of what I was doing, and now, after the fifth bottle, I realise that I have made this a little trickier than expected. I intended to give you 26 golf courses, one for each letter of the alphabet, although that may - or may not - be the first word. After the fifth magnum it is rather difficult to remember the order of the letters of the alphabet, so they are in higgledy-piggledy order. In my fuzzled state - two bottles of vintage port later - I couldn't for the life of me find Xhongshan Golf Course (or anything for that matter) so I've put in a wild card for X. The only thing I think I can guarantee is that no two courses come from the same country - but, several cognacs later, that may well be wrong.

Ah! A moment of sobriety! The wild card comes last and the last letter comes first. How stupid of me to make it so easy!

I've rotated most of the images, but none more than 90 degrees.

Don't hold back - I hope it will take a corporate effort to complete it. (If not, I should have consumed an extra Methuselah!)

1


2


4


5


6


7


8


9


10


11


12


13


14


15


16


17


18


19

 
20


21


22


23


24


25


26


« Last Edit: December 31, 2008, 12:59:50 PM by Mark_Rowlinson »

Mark_Rowlinson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2008, 12:54:25 PM »
I'm sorry, I can't get the 3rd image to show. I'll go back and try again.

Try as I might, I never succeeded, so here should be image 3:

3
« Last Edit: December 31, 2008, 01:00:49 PM by Mark_Rowlinson »

Bill_McBride

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2008, 01:02:41 PM »
I don't know where #6 is, but I love the double green in the lower left corner!

Actually I feel like a complete dunderhead as I don't recognize any of these courses!

Happy New Year, Mark, and thanks for all the great threads this year.  I hope 2009 will be very good to you and your family.

Mark_Rowlinson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2008, 01:08:31 PM »
Bill, Happy New Year to you and yours, too. Don't feel a dunderhead. I'm hoping that it takes teamwork to solve them. There won't be any clues tonight!  Mark.

Brad Tufts

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #4 on: December 31, 2008, 01:20:34 PM »
#5 might be tucker's point?
So I jump ship in Hong Kong....

James Boon

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #5 on: December 31, 2008, 01:33:37 PM »
No. 23 looks like Askernish, and as A isn't usually the 23rd letter of the alphabet I can see that this is going to be a lot more difficult than your Seasonal Aerials, as these aren't in any order (or are they???)

Happy New Year everyone!!!

James


2023 Highlights: Hollinwell, Brora, Parkstone, Cavendish, Hallamshire, Sandmoor, Moortown, Elie, Crail, St Andrews (Himalayas & Eden), Chantilly, M, Hardelot Les Pins

"It celebrates the unadulterated pleasure of being in a dialogue with nature while knocking a ball round on foot." Richard Pennell

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #6 on: December 31, 2008, 04:13:55 PM »
Mark:

This is a fascinating collection of golf course aerials, and it just goes to show how different courses really are from one another.  There are a couple of links-ish photos where at first glance you wouldn't even see a golf course ... and one of them where I still can't pick it out (I guess that's Askernish) ... whereas others are supremely well defined by the hand of man.

There are a bunch where I think I could guess the architect, but haven't a clue about the course.

The ONLY one I recognized right away was Tucker's Point in Bermuda.  I also guessed correctly on #18, even though I haven't been there ... and it was a disappointment, because I have been thinking about going there, and I was hoping it would be better than that!!
« Last Edit: December 31, 2008, 04:19:15 PM by Tom_Doak »

John Kirk

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #7 on: January 01, 2009, 11:11:04 AM »
Bump.  Hard test.  On #10, the course is really spread out.  It looks to me the player walks at least a mile away from the water.

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #8 on: January 01, 2009, 11:38:44 AM »
Funny that this thread hasn't got more comment.  My guess is that most people on the DG are so completely stumped on most of the courses pictured, that they don't want to comment and reveal how little they know.

So, I have a suggestion for continuing the conversation.

NEVER MIND for now which courses are depicted.  I would just love to hear everyone's take on which of these is the best or most interesting course ... and why you think so.  Then, when Mark reveals the answers, we'll have the basis for a more interesting discussion, and someplace new we want to go.

I'm glad to step out and go first.  To me the most intriguing courses are as follows:

7.  Obviously a links, interesting fairway shapes and native grasses.
8.  Nine-hole links with pock-marked craters.
9.  The holes on the left look very good; the holes down toward the water all seem to turn away from the water.
12.  I'm guessing this was designed by a Tour pro, with some very skinny/severe green complexes and all the skinny water features in play.  There are some weird shapes as viewed from above.
15.  Links with skinny fairways and big greens.
16.  Very striking and unusual par-3's; I'm curious who designed this one.
20.  Ghostly links, you can barely make out anything which is how the original links were.
22.  Baffling to me ... I have tried to piece together the routing on the left side of the road with no luck.  Some interesting stuff, obviously an interesting beachfront setting.
25.  Wouldn't be my favorite course but it does look interesting.

If I could go see only one of them, I'd choose #16 or #22.

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #9 on: January 01, 2009, 11:58:55 AM »
One other note:  I would not be surprised if the most well-known and highly regarded course of this group was one of the plainest-looking photos, that none of us chooses.  Aerial photos are 2-D and you can't tell how good the greens contouring is, so a course like Winged Foot looks pretty plain from the air.

Chris Parker

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #10 on: January 01, 2009, 12:20:23 PM »
I only know #8 at this point, Domburgsche Golf Club in the Netherlands.
"Undulation is the soul of golf." - H.N. Wethered

Rob Rigg

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #11 on: January 01, 2009, 12:27:33 PM »
I think #10 is quite interesting - the ground looks very rumpled and the back nine (I would assume) makes great use of the cliffs or bluffs along the waters edge. Based on the coloring it looks pretty F&F. The course does seem to be quite narrow in places though so it is probably fairly modern.

Is it in the caribbean or something? The club house with adjoining villas and marina below led to that stellar deduction . . .  ::)

#15 looks like a must play and a pretty stiff test.
« Last Edit: January 01, 2009, 12:38:11 PM by Rob Rigg »

Tom Dunne

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #12 on: January 01, 2009, 12:28:47 PM »
8 and especially the spectral 20 have been bothering me since yesterday afternoon.

I did figure out #11, though it took me a long time. It's the only one with a verbal clue--"Lo Barnechea". At first I thought this was a red herring, because people tag Google Earth with any and all manner of crap, but also because I was convinced with all the red clay and red roofed houses that we were looking at Spain.

But no. It's the Camino Club de Golf in the Lo Barnechea neighborhood of Santiago, Chile. Couldn't find a website for this course, though. I'd like to know more...

Great test, Mark!

Adam Clayman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #13 on: January 01, 2009, 12:31:57 PM »
#3 (The last photo added) looks to have enough color deviation to show a plethora of undulation.

"It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing your whole life." - Mickey Mantle

Phil McDade

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #14 on: January 01, 2009, 12:36:59 PM »
Tom:

I'll take a stab, noting ones that strike me as interesting or unusual.

1 -- I like the look of this course a lot, with some Merion East-like parallels. It looks to have a real interesting mix of half-par holes. Not overly bunkered, either, but some tough pinching greenside bunkers. Some interesting use of (and for the golfer, choice of) angles. The (presumably) short par 4 in the lower left corner looks particularly interesting.

3-- holds some interest, but too one-dimensional (back and forthing) re. playing against and toward the wind.

5 -- some interesting bunkering, but little else that looks compelling.

6 -- I don't like the artificial squiggly/non-linear look to the fairway edges. Lots of planted pine trees (pointy shadows...) to define fairway corridors?

7 -- looks interesting due to lack of bunkering, save for a really large waste area between two fairways lower right of aerial.

8 -- A neat-looking out-and-back nine hole links -- the kind of place I might make a detour to play.

9 -- Some very good bunkering here, particularly the use of some long, narrow bunkers.

10 -- looks like some very good rumpled terrain, particularly the left-hand side of the photo near the water.

11 -- Firestone South redux? Boring...

14 -- Ugh -- the kind of course I wouldn't play even if paid to do so...

15 -- a links with again some interesting bunkering. Fairways pretty narrow for a links?

16 -- very artful bunkering, ala Tillie at San Francisco GC or Mackenzie's 10th at Augusta. I'd play it just to see the bunkering itself.

19 -- Nice looking traditional heathland course.

21-- total guess, but a Midwestern classic-era course by Alison, Ross or maybe even Thompson. Judicious use of fairway bunkering, which is appealing. Looks familiar.....

22 -- some very penal bunkering, it appears, on a good-looking links site.

23 -- Unrefined, perhaps even elemental; links golf at its rawest?

25-- Sean Arble would not approve! Water, many large bunkers and tight treed corridors -- too much for my tastes.

26 -- could be interesting; terrain looks good for a golf course.

Highlights and must-plays:

1, 8, 9, 16 (for the bunkers alone), 19 and 21.

Lowlights:

6, 11, 14, and 25.










Mark_Rowlinson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #15 on: January 01, 2009, 12:38:54 PM »
Thanks all for having a go.

Tucker's Point, Domburgsche and Askernish are correct.

No 20 is NOT a links.

Tom Dunne, I think you are very close, but I believe Camino C de G is next door to the one I've posted. If I'm wrong - and I could easily be - I shall be eating much humble pie.

It's still too early for clues.

Rob Rigg

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #16 on: January 01, 2009, 12:43:17 PM »
#14 is one of those RTJ II mega golf course developments in Asia  :-\

Mark_Rowlinson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #17 on: January 01, 2009, 12:56:00 PM »
Phil, Your comment about No 14 is amusing. Some of the world's greatest golfers have been paid a lot to play here!

Tom Dunne

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #18 on: January 01, 2009, 01:25:41 PM »
Mark: Club de Golf La Dehesa? Designed by, if my NYC subway Spanish serves, one "Eduardo Costabal"...

« Last Edit: January 01, 2009, 01:28:43 PM by Tom Dunne »

Mark_Rowlinson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #19 on: January 01, 2009, 01:32:18 PM »
Tom, I sincerely hope it is, or it will make a complete nonsense of the alphabet game! Right country, right city. Best wishes, Mark.

Alfonso Erhardt

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #20 on: January 01, 2009, 01:37:53 PM »
Mark,

I have realized Nr. 9 is Pedreņa, Spain

Regards,

Alfonso

Tom Dunne

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #21 on: January 01, 2009, 01:38:48 PM »
Mark, the alphabet portion of this is already pretty nonsensical, but that doesn't make flying around in the Google Earth spaceship any less fun. I do think Tom Doak has the right idea in terms of how to approach this thread, but I just wanted to contribute one identification to the overall effort.

Happy New Year!

Alfonso Erhardt

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #22 on: January 01, 2009, 01:43:33 PM »
Also able to identify nr.22 as Oporto Golf Club, Portugal.

Happy new year

Mark_Rowlinson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #23 on: January 01, 2009, 01:44:35 PM »
Alfonso, Good to hear from you. For Pedrena to work properly in the alphabet, you'll need to give its full title. Mark.

Oporto's website is: http://www.oportogolfclub.com/

It looks interesting, but I've never managed to visit it.
« Last Edit: January 01, 2009, 01:50:08 PM by Mark_Rowlinson »

Mark_Rowlinson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: New Year A to Z
« Reply #24 on: January 01, 2009, 01:47:12 PM »
Rob, 14 not in Asia.

Tags:
Tags:

An Error Has Occurred!

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()
Back