Jim,
I hope you are starting to get the idea of why I hesitate to discuss the specific holes at Merion and their connection to CBM's concepts. Between TEPaul's insults and indignation and Mike Cirba mailing in his foolish flames, I have trouble seeing how the conversation can be productive.
As usual, Mike must distort and misrepresent my posts to try and make his point. Mike quotes me as claiming that Merion's redan allowed for a "'run on'" shot. I wrote no such thing. He also mocks me for providing you with my perspective on how the hole played for me, a left-hander. Not sure whether he is claiming I am lying about my experience or whether I have no business explaining to you how the hole played for me. Either way he only proves that, absence from the website or not, he reacts only with hysterics and is incapable of having a civilized discussion. By the way, Mike is one of the left-handed golfers who has in the past written extensively about how redans play (or don't play) for leftys, so I find his mockery to be particularly ironic.
Jim, I will assume that if you ask for my take on the hole, you will want me to provide it despite that you are obviously a much better golfer. Is that a fair assumption?
As for your take on the redan, I don't know if I would go so far as to say there are 100s more redans than yesterday, but would agree that that CBM's understanding was not nearly as constraining as the current understanding. The tableland is important I think, as is the angled green, as is the fronting or quartering bunker, as is the ability to play at part of the green without challenging the fronting or quartering bunker.
As for the hole fitting in with the "shot-testing" mentality that TEPaul and Wayne have frequently espoused, I am not sure I totally agree. I understand what you mean, but note that at its best the redan does provide an option of playing around or by the bunker instead of over it, at the risk of giving up ground to one's opponent. Whereas many "shot-testing" holes do not provide such options, at least not short of playing short and taking on the "test" on your next hole.
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Philip,
You've got some nerve lecturing Patrick on who he can and cannot take to task, given that your selectiveness in policing these threads has been an absolute joke, with the same people getting scolded for minor aggressionsand others getting a constant pass for outrageous behavior. I mean look at TEPaul's recents posts, and Cirba's mail-it-in insults as well. In fact, the majority of Mike's post in question is nothing but a blatant attempt to mock me, yet you have the nerve to compare it to an important post that might open up dialogue?
Unfortunately Phillip, your self-appointed roll as etiquette expert has accomplished nothing but exposing you as nothing but an enabler of those who cause the problems around here, and a thorn in the side of those who are after a civilized discussion. Might I suggest you consider your own posts and motivations rather than constantly lecturing a small number of us about ours? Be the bigger man, Phillip, and stop playing favorites or at least hold your tongue.