Did CBM ever consider emulating TOC contours at NGLA?

[Peter Pallotta]

Not that I assume NGLA (or any other Macdonald or Macdonald-Raynor course) need those ground contours; I'm just wondering.

Shivas' good posts on another thread brought out very nicely that aspect of TOC's strategic genius.

CBM saw deeply into the fundamental principles of architecture as manifested in the GB&I courses.  Did he (should he) have noted how TOC's contours played a role in its greatness?

Was it just not feasible to emulate such contours here in America? Or is this aspect of TOC one that has gained increasing attention only many years after CBM's time?

Or something else?  Or am I wrong about all of this (not having played the course)?

Thanks
Peter

[Simon Holt]

Peter,

The fairways and greens of NGLA may not have the internal contours on the scale of TOC but there is HUGE amounts of undulation in the fairways and greens....more blind shots than you can shake a stick at!  NGLA is a wonderful example of links style golf in a setting that is arguably not be as suitable as the links ground on the East coast of Scotland.  CBM did a pretty good job!

Simon

[Patrick_Mucci]

Peter,

I'd agree with Simon.

I think the fairway contours at NGLA are probably more pronounced, save for holes # 9 and # 10.

All of the other holes have substantive contour and/or slope, whereas, globally, TOC is flatter.

CBM's attempt at replication of anything at TOC probably comes closest on # 13 at NGLA where the hole can play similar to the 7th and 11th holes at TOC.

[TEPaul]

Peter:

If you're thinking of contours from tees to greens at NGLA emulating contours from tees to greens at TOC I don't think that kind of thing was ever done in that early era. They really didn't have construction equipment back then to do things like that. But if you're referring to green contours being some emulation of TOC he may've tried to do that very slightly on some of the so-called template holes but not all that much, in my opinion. Some of the green shapes and perhaps basic slopes are somewhat similar on some of the NGLA template holes but I think that's about it.