Your Thoughts Please ?

« **on:** February 28, 2009, 02:07:02 AM »

What do you Guys make of this par 3 ?

« **Reply #1 on:** February 28, 2009, 02:09:02 AM »

vaguely mediocre?
looks like some sort of RTJ blah fest I played in China.
Balz

« **Reply #2 on:** February 28, 2009, 02:14:39 AM »

Maybe the camera flattens it out a bit .

It looked a pretty wild green viewing it in person .

A perpendicular biarritz

« **Reply #3 on:** February 28, 2009, 02:17:25 AM »

Don't know mate - seems like a bit of a stretch - Guangzhou's finest doesn't mean much in the land of GCA (not that this is in China - just has the vibe)

« **Reply #4 on:** February 28, 2009, 03:56:56 AM »

The 11th at Loch Lomond is a bit like that, and let's not forget the 16th at North Berwick. Neither of them, however, has a photo with such a fine Gulbis ass shot, at least not that I am aware of....

« **Reply #5 on:** February 28, 2009, 07:54:50 AM »

I like the green a lot.

I've never understood why a rotated, crypto, soi disant Biarritz green isn't used more often. There are many contexts where it can be a delightful, interesting, challenging feature.

Otherwise the hole and the setting look pretty awful. To what purpose the bunkers on the left? Where is this?

Bob

« **Reply #6 on:** February 28, 2009, 08:05:10 AM »

Bob
This was my next question to the experts .

What purpose does the bunkers on the left serve ?

Visual ?

Framing ?

To hide the bail out area ?

« **Reply #7 on:** February 28, 2009, 08:14:56 AM »

Does everything have to have a purpose?

« **Reply #8 on:** February 28, 2009, 08:17:51 AM »

Brian -

My guess is that they are there to hide something over that way. But why put bunkers there that will have to be maintained? Why not native grass? Or fill-in the bunkers and use the mounding into which they were cut.

In any event, the bunkers seem a bad choice that is going to cost someone to keep raked and trimmed out to the next time horizon.

Bob

« **Reply #9 on:** February 28, 2009, 08:22:24 AM »

Quote from: Gary Slatter on February 28, 2009, 08:14:56 AM

Does everything have to have a purpose?

I love these philosophical questions. You might ask why is there something and not nothing?

Speaking philosophically, I'm of the opinion that everything you do has a purpose. But sometimes you are the last to know what it is.

But we are getting too eschatological, no?

Bob

« **Reply #10 on:** February 28, 2009, 08:27:40 AM »

Quote from: Gary Slatter on February 28, 2009, 08:14:56 AM

Does everything have to have a purpose?

No .

But those bunkers are not exactly randomly placed so .... ?

« **Reply #11 on:** February 28, 2009, 08:34:53 AM »

I like the green...that is pretty cool. Not sure about the bunker in the back and the water on the right.

The hole is certainly helped by the eye candy on the tee!

« **Reply #12 on:** February 28, 2009, 09:02:05 AM »

The Natalie Gulbis feature is well placed...a nice visual taking your attention away from the real teeth of the hole.

« **Reply #13 on:** February 28, 2009, 10:30:20 AM »

First thought

That's a short skirt

« **Reply #14 on:** February 28, 2009, 10:46:12 AM »

What par three?

« **Reply #15 on:** February 28, 2009, 10:59:26 AM »

Golf Hole? What golf hole?

« **Reply #16 on:** February 28, 2009, 11:05:23 AM »

Quote from: Kalen Braley on February 28, 2009, 10:59:26 AM

Golf Hole? What golf hole?

Golf? Don't talk to me about golf!

You kiddin' me?? Golf??! GOLF?!?!? Who said anything about golf?? GOOLFF??

« **Reply #17 on:** February 28, 2009, 04:45:29 PM »

The green is really very interesting. Why don't we see more of this? I don't think it needs to be that shallow however.

I don't think it needs so much sand around it.

« **Reply #18 on:** February 28, 2009, 06:05:23 PM »

Forrest Richardson started a thread on "horizontal Biarritz" greens a month or two ago. They are not an unknown feature.

« **Reply #19 on:** February 28, 2009, 06:19:13 PM »

You mean this thread WASN'T just started as an excuse to publish Nat's pic? How disappointing!

Doug

« **Reply #20 on:** February 28, 2009, 06:22:01 PM »

One thing I do like is that the falloff leads to water hazard rather than a stupidly placed bunker next to water. With so much going on with the green I think I would prefer if there were no sand - just a general tilt of land toward the water to catch out the guy who wants to bail left. It looks like there may be water well behind the green in the distance. If so, I would like to see that ridge the towers rests on be cut down so the water in the distance can be seen. Not a bad hole in general concept - just taken too far.

Ciao

« **Reply #21 on:** February 28, 2009, 06:25:37 PM »

Looks great to me.

A few greens within a green.
No forced carry for those who can't, but a forced carry to go at a right pin.
Ground short that is conducive to a running approach.
Ideal bail out still requires you to negotiate a lesser hazard (bunkers), but less than ideal bail out can be had with a 100m shot with no real threats.
Not too long, so the call for extreme accuracy is not too much of an ask.

The only thing I'm not keen on is the very short trap that only hurts someone who having just hit a 50m tee shot is already in a lot of trouble. Generally, I think people who hit such bad shots don't play for excess challenge and would resent being in a bunker there. And I can understand where they are coming from.

Just my opinion.

PS - I haven't cross referenced, but I really hope those of you going gaga over Gulbis weren't the same ones ragging on Amy Mickelson before...

« **Reply #22 on:** February 28, 2009, 06:36:09 PM »

I like the hole. Playable for everyone, yet requires the precision necessary to challenge a good player. I don't care for the two bunkers short left (waste of space and purpose) and I'm not crazy about the large bunker long right... a small bunker close to the back right of the green might be nice, however... it would give the hole a sort of 12th at Augusta feel to that side. I give the hole a B.

« **Reply #23 on:** March 01, 2009, 10:49:29 PM »

The course is Siam CC , Plantation Course in Chonburi Thailand , which held the past weekends LPGA tournament won by Lorena Ochoa .

The course was designed by Curley & Schmidt , and has been barely open a year .

It opened with all the usual Thai hoopla and nonsense , "the only private course in Thailand" , "the only course in Asia with a triple green" , "the most difficult course in Thailand , blah , blah .....

Course itself is okay in parts , not a lot of water in play , quite wide fairways , most greens are raised , with a lot of contours and run off areas .

I made a visit on Thursdays first round , and decided to follow Miss Gulbis , and Miss Laura Davies , which made for a contrast !

The day was a bit dull and cloudy , and it being a comp. day [practise rounds were closed to the public

] , I dont have too many photos .

So what do we want , more of the course or more of Miss Gulbis ?

« **Reply #24 on:** March 02, 2009, 01:08:33 AM »

Quote from: Brian_Ewen on March 01, 2009, 10:49:29 PM

...
I made a visit on Thursdays first round , and decided to follow Miss Gulbis , and Miss Laura Davies , which made for a contrast !
...

Yes, a short knocker and a long knocker. Did Laura ever pull driver? Even once?

What is Thailand? The new Florida? Lose the water, add a Road Hole bunker, and the hole begins to get interesting.

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