Sometimes nothing is better ...

[Sean Leary]

There is a hole at Jack's El Conquistador in Tucson that looks just like this, but I don't see any desert in the backdrop.

[Anthony Gray]

  I like the way it sets up for the low runner.

  Anthony

[JC Urbina]

Mike
The hole you posted a picture of is the Par 4- 6th hole at Aetna Springs Resort.  A nine hole golf course located in Pope Valley California. A very special place.

The picture is from the landing area high above the green maybe 15 feet.  You are in position A if you have made it to this spot.  The green falls away at about 2/3% with the ridge in the green holding up the front pin position.  The green slopes from right to left and also has a back slope that when well struck on the ground ( I use a 7 iron) will funnel into that back pin position.  A high lofted shot must contend with the ridge and risk being kicked off the green if not well hit.

Ryan is correct.  No tree, No backround = no thread.
  But since a tree happened to be in that position and a wonderful back drop was in place we opted not to compete with the setting by building bunkers around the green.  The green stands alone in its defense.

 

[George Pazin]

My money says chipoat would hate that tree - and I think I'd agree with him. But I also understand why most wouldn't.

I wonder how much the flattening effect of photography has on this hole.

[Tom Huckaby]

So I got it right!

JC - what is the length of the golf hole? 

In any case your description solves all issues I had previously raised... except one... I assume there are bunkers elsewhere on the golf course?  I ask because I just think this hole gets even cooler if it is unique, rather than symptomatic of the entire course... with the caveat on the other side that sticking out like a sore thumb rarely works all that well also....

I dig the tree, btw.  Take it out and it all becomes simpler. I like complexity.

This course is eagerly anticipated by us Bay Area folks... is it open yet?

TH

[Charlie Goerges]

But Tom, there are bunker on every hole at Cypress Point. Does that fact detract from the artfulness or beauty of any one of those holes individually?

[Kevin_Reilly]

LOL, I told Mike to post the picture and see how many comments about removing the tree it would attract.  Just goes to show, it truly is a "big world" out there in terms of preferences.

[Tom Huckaby]

But Tom, there are bunker on every hole at Cypress Point. Does that fact detract from the artfulness or beauty of any one of those holes individually?

Of course not.  However, seeing the entire course does help in evaluating any particular golf hole.  Imagine all you saw was 15... and knew nothing about the rest of the course... does not the quality of 15 rise at least a little when one finds and sees where it falls on the course, what comes before, what comes after?

Don't make too much of this, Charlie.  My comment was meant to apply to ONE PICTURE... meaning we just can't know all that we need to know based solely on the picture.

[Garland Bayley]

But Tom, Pete Dye's mentor Bill Diddel built difficult courses without bunkers. Does that fact detract from the artfulness or beauty of any of the holes on those courses individually?

[Charlie Goerges]

But Tom, Pete Dye's mentor Bill Diddel built difficult courses without bunkers. Does that fact detract from the artfulness or beauty of any of the holes on those courses individually?

I deserved that! 

Consider me placated. 

[Mike Benham]

JC -

Thanks for the reply, I figured someone close to the project might reply.

For those that may not know, Aetna Springs has been in existence for, well many years, way back in 1890 according to some.

On this hole, can you tell us the changes that you guys made, if any to get it to what we see in the photo.

Thanks

Mike

[John Kirk]

Although the approach shot looks simple, it looks only a well-struck shot will hold the green.  Otherwise you have to bounce it on.

I like it.  I like the tree.  I would tire of a course if every approach looked like that.

[Tom Huckaby]

I would tire of a course if every approach looked like that.

John - THANK YOU!  Man that's all I meant by my previous statement that Charlie didn't buy.....

TH

[Will Smith]

I worked for Jim and Tom on this project, and I hope that I am not telling state secrets, but that green site is brand new. The old course stopped where the sixth tee is now. The new sixth and seventh play into a valley that was never used for golf. The theme, I believe, for the course was simplicity. On this nine hole course there are only a few bunkers and often the old oaks serve as hazards.

George Waters and Kyle Franz did the majority of the feature shaping. You might remember them from the thread about the Cal Club. They were the shapers there as well. They did a great job on the greens.

The tee shot on this hole plays up and over a ridge. The player must shape the ball left to right to get into a position where they can fly the ball to the hole. Hitting it low and under the tree is always an option. An interesting hole and a great back drop.

Thanks for posting the picture. I have yet to see the place with grass on it. I am going to try to get there in a couple of weeks. I will report back.

[Charlie Goerges]

I would tire of a course if every approach looked like that.

John - THANK YOU!  Man that's all I meant by my previous statement that Charlie didn't buy.....

TH

Hey, I yielded OKAY!!!!!! What, what, do you want an apology....Fine


You were right...I was wrong      You're smart...I'm stupid      You are a handsome man...I am not attractive



 

[Mike Benham]

Look, a bunker ...

[Tom Huckaby]

I would tire of a course if every approach looked like that.

John - THANK YOU!  Man that's all I meant by my previous statement that Charlie didn't buy.....

TH

Hey, I yielded OKAY!!!!!! What, what, do you want an apology....Fine


You were right...I was wrong      You're smart...I'm stupid      You are a handsome man...I am not attractive



 

I didn't get that you had yielded... your post was directed to Garland, and I had no clue with Garland meant by his.

But you do have fine taste.

 


Mike - that looks darn cool also.  So the "what if the whole course looks like the first pic" issue is solved... as I expected it would be.

[Charlie Goerges]

All in good fun Mr. H. I'm in a hyperbolic mood today (which I'm told doesn't suit me, but what do the critics know?).

[John Kirk]

Gosh that second photo is beautiful.  The golden, oak-dotted foothills of Central California.

[Tom Huckaby]

All in good fun Mr. H. I'm in a hyperbolic mood today (which I'm told doesn't suit me, but what do the critics know?).

NO hassles here Charlie.  I dig hyperbolic moods.

 

And John I agree completely... that 2nd one is very very beautiful.

[Ted Kramer]

I like that look better than just about any from so many newer "glitzy" courses like . . . say . . .
Pound Ridge.

-Ted

[Mike Benham]

Gosh that second photo is beautiful.  The golden, oak-dotted foothills of Central California.

Northern California ...  Aerial

[John Keenan]

Mike

Is Aetna Springs open to play?  It seemed to be under construction for a very long time and I have not heard anything about its opening.

From the photos it looks superb.

John

[Mike Benham]

Mike

Is Aetna Springs open to play?  It seemed to be under construction for a very long time and I have not heard anything about its opening.

From the photos it looks superb.

John

I believe it is open for play but it is a private club ...

[Tom_Doak]

Interestingly, the aerial photo is labeled 2009, but that's the 9-hole course before we changed it.  It was VERY tight.

However, Will is not quite right that there was "never a golf hole" on this site.  The original Aetna Springs course had covered more ground and was reduced to what shows up in the aerial in order to save costs. 

When I did the re-routing for the course I did not know what the original routing looked like [as far as I know, no map exists], but it turned out that all three of my new holes had been part of the original course!  We found the remains of sand greens on both the sixth and seventh holes [it was between the green pictured and the seventh tee], and a vintage postcard turned up showing what is now the fourth hole, a little par-3 into a canyon which we accidentally restored.

It is not a great surprise that we wound up back in the old slots for some holes considering the narrow space we had to work with.  What's now the sixth fairway was a narrow corridor through some big live oaks, and that corridor must have been cleared by the original architect 100 years ago.  It would take a terrific tee shot to get the view of the green posted in the first photo ... most people will approach from much further back, so the shot is semi-blind.  Leaving the tree on the left helped short hitters locate the green, though I am sure we would not have been allowed to remove it if I'd wanted to.

Because of the trees and the tight spaces, we did many things differently on this site than we normally would.  There are only about 15 small bunkers for nine holes.  The eighth green is about 2500 square feet, surely the smallest I will ever design.  However, the course has a ton of "design interest" as Mr. Brauer would say.

Sadly, its sister 18-hole project is barely clinging to life due to zoning issues, and may not get built, which would be a real shame.  That one might have an all-Doak par-3 ... a tiny green at the confluence of two small streams.

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