Hadn't followed this thread closely, but looking at the old photos in response to the Hendren thread got me thinking about it. (Pat, while you may have had the idea as well, I think I have seen Gib write the same thing in the past.)
Looking at Shackelford's excellent book, I am not so sure the hole wasn't originally intended to be something like the original world's greatest Biarittz. All page references below are to this book. (For those who are unfortunate enough not to have purchased it, I might be willing to part with one for around 1/2 the going rate for Doak's Confidential Guide.)
1. Originally there were tees just to the left of the little peninsula that change slightly change the angle (See page 52.) And if one looks at the diagram of the 1926 plan inside the front cover, it seems like the par three version of the 16th tee was planned for well left of the current tee and closer to the spot of the current forward tees. This would change the angle substantially. Obviously a tee was built on that little peninsula as is shown in the photo referenced above, but I do question whether it was the original, intended tee.
2. Macdonald's description in SoSA makes much more sense if the tees were further left. There are no carries of less than 100 yards from near the little peninsula tee unless they played back toward the clubhouse. From the back of the front tees, the carry to the green is still about 200 yards, the carry to the fairway is about 100, and the carry to the shortest part is about 75. Also note the angle from which the hole is usually photographed. It is left of the little peninsula (See pages 164 and 169.)
3. Also, according to the photographs, the original green wasn't nearly as round as it was now, but was deeper and narrower, more what one might expect of this type of hole (See page 162.)
4. And there is a natural swale bottoming just a bit left and short of the green. See AM's description and also the photo on page 165. One surprising thing about laying up left is just how deep and intimidating this little swale is when approaching from over there. (Try laying up if you don't believe me.)
5. Looking at the various photos, I think the left front bunker was was further left, leaving a larger gap between the bunker and green, and putting the swale or dip more in play just short of the green. Take a look at pages 15 and 126, you can see the gap between the bunker and the green.
My understanding from Uncle George is that the his best estimate of the original Biaritz green was that it had some sort of swale in front of it, and/or the swale of the CBM type Biarritz green was based on the Valley of Sin. As many of pointed out, the Biarritz doesn't necessarily have the swale in the middle of the green, but rather often in front. My take (and I could be wrong) is that a biarritz at its purest might play over some sort of chasm.
So this hole is pretty damn close to the a biarritz hole as it is, although it gives a few more options. Fantastically, the swale is at least as much in play on the layup as the tee ball. I don't think formalizing the lines or making an artificial swale would make it any better. I don't know if it could be any better.
When people discuss these supposed templates, they seem to get a very caricatured and engineered vision in their minds, and because of that the seem to have trouble considering the underlying concepts. But the underlying concepts are there, if slightly offset. First clear your mind of what you expect a a biarritz to look like aesthetically, then think of the basic concepts, then look at the photos on pages 15, 52, 126, 162, 164, and 165. Or you can imagine what a Biarritz might look like in an ideal world if the great Mackenzie decided to build something like it.
DISCLAIMER: I am not saying that Raynor planned a biarritz hole exactly there (although it certainly seems possible given AM's description) or that AM decided to build something like a Biarritz, whether because of Raynor's plan or his own volition (although again this is possible.) But if one looks at the concepts, they are there, just a tiny bit offset, depending on the location of the tee.
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By the way Patrick, the wind doesn't always blow the same direction out there. I have no doubt that Marion Hollins could reach the green with a brassie. Depending upon the wind, reaching the green with a brassie is possible even for a hack like me, and when it came to golf Marion Hollins was twice the man I am. Also, keep in mind that they may not have been at the exact tee location as you.
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I think a Biarritz on the 16th at Cypress is like putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa.
Bob
My Dear Mr. Huntley,
You are more well-traveled than the rest of us, so surely you know that occasionally even the most beautiful Italian woman might get a bit of a shadow above her lip. Not my beautiful Italian bride of course, but I've heard.
Best,
DM