Is Cockle the new Hell?

[Ran Morrissett]

I saw hours upon hours of the Open last week on television but what I didn't see was anyone in Hell or Hill or Strath or the Principal's Nose. True, the Road bunker/Road combo was as fierce as ever but many of the most famous hazards of The Old Course didn't seem to dominate play as they once did. It makes me wonder if Macdonald would copy the same features from The Old Course today as he did from over a century ago? Perhaps the beauty of the numerous hazards at The Old Course are that as some phase out, others phase in?

Not too long ago, Nicklaus was thrashing around in Hell bunker but now that it is surrounded by rough, I just didn't see anyone come even close to getting in it. Why would Macdonald even pick up on Hell's presence if it plays such a minor role? Clearly, the wind direction has a lot of say as to which features stick out but this was a windy championship. True, the fourteenth never played into the wind so Hell rarely saw action. However, I contend that with hickories and even Tony Penna drivers/blade irons, be it downwind, no wind or into the wind, a large hazard that falls 120 yards short on a 560 yard hole always played a role. Its presence was felt more than today's 620 yard hole where the fairway no longer feeds balls into it. In fact, with all the surrounding rough, it would take a true miss, and not just a marginal shot, for a player to wind up anywhere near Hell. In many ways, the fifth hole with its spectacular very front and very back hole locations (the back one was 82 yards  onto the green) played as the more interesting three shotter.

The features that DID seem to wreck the most havoc was the swale in front of the fifth green, the large and deep Cockle bunker at the seventh, and the false front and back at the twelfth. For instance, in Macdonald's day, Cockle was strictly a second shot feature and frankly, since it is removed from the green, how much of a factor really was it? Today's drives of 350 yards now can find it and we all saw many people including Tiger have to splash out sideways from its ten foot deep vertical face. Today, it represents a GREAT central feature on a short par four.

Hence this post: Has technology changed which hazards are now the most relevant at The Old Course - and in golf course architecture? And if so, which ones? And which modern designers will be quick to pick up on this shift?

Cheers,

[Dan Herrmann]

To the question, Yes!

I can tell you that Hanse built a couple hazards at my course (French Creek) that would only catch the longest of hitters.  I saw bunkers come into play at an AJGA event that really surprised me.  So, yes, I'd say that modern architects are designing for the modern game.

Makes me wonder what will happen to NEW courses if there's ever a ball rollback.

[Bill_McBride]

Ran, the Principal's Nose actually played a very large part in the Open, but it did so in hand with the abhorrent practice of growing thick rough just left, effectively blocking access to the safest route to the green.   

Because the fear of the OB line, the players were laying up in front of the PN!  As a result, they were hitting long irons, mostly into the hollow in the front of the green.  #16 was one of the most difficult holes during the Open, harder than it should play. 

It was really poor distance control for those guys to drive into Shell bunker, and poor strategy to boot as they can't spin wedges from just short.

I did think most of the other bunkers -- Coffins, End, Road, the unnamed line down the right side going out -- played their parts.  Hell has become the orphan and that is sad.

[Dan Herrmann]

PS - There's a great story on the Hell bunker in Brad Klein's book, Rough Meditations.

[Tom_Doak]

Ran:

Those bunkers are so famous now that no one goes near them.  They all took plenty of club to get over Strath, they all laid up short of the Principal's Nose [except Mickelson on Sunday!], and they all easily cleared Hell because the hole played downwind for four straight days.  Into the wind, Hell would get some play, even though you'd have to be stupid to wind up there because a shot that does wind up there was never going to get near the green and if you aren't getting near the green you should be playing way left.

I was surprised at the number of guys who went into Cockle, but Tom Watson noted that because the start of the fairway has been converted to rough, it's hard to lay way back there, and if your tee shot lands on the back side of a bump it can easily scoot 30 yards farther than you intended.  Everybody was laying up, some just went a bit too far, including Tiger on Sunday.  [Another mental error to blame on Stevie.]

Have we learned anything?  You bet.  I've been using that shallow little plateau from the 12th green on my courses for years ... at Riverfont and The Rawls Course, to name two.

[Anthony Gray]

  I think with the 7th a 3-wood is the club for the pros. As far as the hell bunker.......those guys are good.

  Anthony