Sahara Bunker at Piping Rock?

[JNC Lyon]

I was searching for information on Leatherstocking Golf Club when I stumbled across this article from the New York Evening Post in 1914.  On the bottom left portion of the page, it describes changes to be made to Piping Rock Club on Long Island.

The most interesting comment is on the changes to the 18th Hole, where the article describes, "Installation of one of these terrifying
bunkers similar to the famous Sahara hole at Sandwich, and the second at the National Links."

http://www.fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2010/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201914%20Grayscale/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201914%20Grayscale%20-%202100.pdf#xml=http://www.fultonhistory.com/dtSearch/dtisapi6.dll?cmd=getpdfhits&u=ffffffffcc09c7c6&DocId=1532963&Index=Z%3a%2fFulton%20Historical&HitCount=11&hits=1e+5f+b1+ee+34b+43e+55e+56e+6a8+6bb+72d+&SearchForm=C%3a%5cinetpub%5cwwwroot%5cFulton%5fNew%5fform%2ehtml&.pdf

Currently, the 18th at Piping Rock is a par five, meaning that it would not have been a Sahara Hole in the same vein as the Second at NGLA.  I have not played Piping Rock, so I cannot comment on the current hole.  However, I wonder if the original intent of the second shot was for the golfer to face the same challenge as the Sahara hole.

I don't want to make any broad interpretations here.  What do others think?

[TEPaul]

John:

Since Piping was my home club when I lived in NY I remember it well back to the 1950s. I doubt those changes mentioned in that 1914 article for the 18th were ever done. It says the 18th green was going to be moved to the base of the hill and it also said it was behind the clubhouse. It's actually at the front of the clubhouse and I would say that may've been an idea contemplated very early for the club and before they built the series of roads and drives around that clubhouse one of which crosses the 18th fairway at the base of the hill the 18th green is on.

The 13th did have a runup front to it that was removed in favor of bunkers. Personally I think the runup ramp was more interesting.

[Tom_Doak]

Tom P:

I remember that P.B. Dye added the front bunker on 13 when we worked on the course c. 1985, but it was steep enough that I can't remember if there was fairway in that space then.

P.B. Did have a redesign for the 18th hole with a new tee behind 17 green, which we actually started to build, before the powers that be told us to cease and desist since we had never mentioned the idea to the committee.  P.B.'s dad told me before we started there that if I messed up, I would never be able to get a bank loan for the rest of my life (!), so we stopped.  That was just Pete's way of telling me who I was dealing with ... although having Mr. Merrill as green chairman made it pretty obvious anyway.

I agree with you that the idea described was likely never done, since the 18th green has been up on that hill since the oldest aerial photos from 1926 at least.

[JNC Lyon]

I believe the article says that the green was only temporarily moved to the bottom of the hill to make room for construction.  Obviously the green was relocated to the top of the hill, and the article states that this bunker was cut into the side of the hill.  Is it possible that this bunker was built and torn up later?  Was it still there in the 1926 aerial?