If asked to select just one modern green worthy of study, it would be the 15th hole at Sand Ridge. This is a green where you will never be impressed looking at it the first time. You are more likely to wonder why I believe it is special. In fact, on several occasions I’ve taken people out to this green and asked if they were impressed.
I don’t recall any positive responses.
But, don’t be fooled by first impressions. The more you play it, the more you realize what a devil Tom Marzolf created. When there is time, I’m fond of asking guests to try 50 putts from various angles around 20 feet or so from the hole. Most guests make none of these putts. The best I’ve seen is a person make two putts. In all the times I’ve played the hole, I’ve never made any putt of this length.
So what make this green worthy of study? It all comes down to the subtlety of the contours and how many tricky pin positions exist on the green. There is almost nowhere on the green where a putt of any length is easy. You get nervous just standing on the tee more than 300 yards away.
Candidly, I was not impressed by the contour of the greens when Sand Ridge was under construction, for they are very modern and lack the bold contour we cherish on many classic courses. But, I remember Jim Roney who came to Sand Ridge from Merion telling me one day “Tim, I know you’ve seen a lot of golf courses, but from all the conversations we’ve had, I really don’t think you understand these greens”.
Roney was absolutely right, especially when it comes to #15. I will never say I like it, but will also never hesitate to call it a modern masterpiece.
By the way, I give credit to Tom Marzolf for this green based on input from John Zimmers.