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Ron Farris

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Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« on: October 18, 2010, 01:38:48 PM »
Does anyone have good pictures of aiming rocks for blind and semi-blind shots.  I have the Dell hole pictures, but I have a friend looking for pictures that are a little more dramatic.  I tried search, but I have not the patience at the moment.  Thanks in advance.

Joe Bausch

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2010, 01:45:47 PM »
Not a great big rock, in fact it is painted to help (!), but this is the 4th hole tee shot view at Iron Valley, an under-appreciated (IMO) PB Dye course near Lebanon, PA.

@jwbausch (for new photo albums)
The site for the Cobb's Creek project:  https://cobbscreek.org/
Nearly all Delaware Valley golf courses in photo albums: Bausch Collection

Peter Ferlicca

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2010, 02:34:18 PM »
Here is one of #7 at Rock Creek Cattle Company, one of the coolest par 4's of the course. 


Bill_McBride

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2010, 02:51:24 PM »
Interesting that both those aiming points are dead center in the fairway.  What's the point?  I would like to see one way off to one side so you'd know the fairway has a major tilt or there's some other reason for the first time player not to just belt one down the middle!

EDIT:  The photo of the aiming rock on #5 at Portrush is what I'm talkin' about!

« Last Edit: October 19, 2010, 09:14:22 AM by Bill_McBride »

Rob Miller

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2010, 12:17:38 AM »
RCD-Annesley (looking back)




Portrush 5th



JC Urbina

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2010, 12:29:34 AM »
Ron,

Are you interested in a Bowling ball for an aiming point?

I can send you some pictures. 

Ron Farris

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2010, 12:54:36 AM »
Is a bowling ball a rock?  It seems a little un-natural coming from you.  Is this something you saw somewhere?

Rob Miller

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #7 on: October 19, 2010, 03:46:03 AM »
The interesting question is why the bowling ball didn't make it to opening day... 

Patrick Glynn

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #8 on: October 19, 2010, 06:36:16 AM »
One of my favorite at Lahinch (4th Par 5 second shot)

« Last Edit: October 19, 2010, 04:29:59 PM by Patrick Glynn »

Scott_Burroughs

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #9 on: October 19, 2010, 09:08:46 AM »
The aiming rock for the 2nd at Rock Creek Cattle Company is the 'V' notch in the mountain in the background...that's what I was told to aim at.  Is that a big enough aiming rock for ya?   ;D



The 4th at Mike Strantz's Royal New Kent has an aiming rock for the blind tee shot, but I have no pics....anyone?

« Last Edit: October 19, 2010, 09:11:34 AM by Scott_Burroughs »

jeffwarne

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #10 on: October 19, 2010, 09:15:21 AM »
Interesting that both those aiming points are dead center in the fairway.  What's the point?  I would like to see one way off to one side so you'd know the fairway has a major tilt or there's some other reason for the first time player not to just belt one down the middle!

Bill,
Great point-I thought the same thing!
Can't imagine aiming anywhere different although the player can't say he hit one "perfect" and got screwed whenhe pushes or pulls it
"Let's slow the damned greens down a bit, not take the character out of them." Tom Doak
"Take their focus off the grass and put it squarely on interesting golf." Don Mahaffey

BCrosby

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #11 on: October 19, 2010, 01:35:47 PM »
I don't have a picture, but there is an aiming rock on the 16th at Atlanta National.

Bob

JC Urbina

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #12 on: October 19, 2010, 02:54:25 PM »
Ron,

It was the aiming point for the Alps hole at Old Macdonald.  I had surprised Mike Keiser with the feature on the top of the Dune on # 16 at Old Macdonald. The Bowling Ball  has a long and storied past that included many rebirths during the construction of Old Mac.  Brian Slawnik and I had become amused by it's appearance from time to time in and around the project and we thought someone was playing a joke on all of us. We decided to use it as a aiming( point) rock. 

Everyone got a kick out of it but it did not make the final cut on opening day.  It was removed and is now making guest appearances all around the golf course.  Kind of like a Where's Waldo skit.

Ken has told me that it will live out it's life where it can be found somewhere on the golf course.

All part of the fun of designing and building golf courses.   You know what it likes building golf courses, days sometimes get long and are hard work when you spend most of your daylight hours on the course a little entertainment is always welcome. 

John Chilver-Stainer

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #13 on: October 19, 2010, 04:04:00 PM »




This particular rock (on the Buna Vista Course in Switzerland) which you can just see in the middle of the fairway has a multiple purpose.

From the Tee, which is an eagle's nest about 80 feet above the landing area, it acts as a hazard for the long players – especially the ones that claim to have hit it with “a perfect shot”. ;)

.... but probably more important the rock serves players who aren’t quite long enough,  like the 2 in the picture, an oppurtunity to align the green approach, which becomes blind the further one is towards the farm track.

However the main reason the rock is there - is because after much excavation we finally hit bed rock, and rather than bring in the heavy machinery or explosives I thought it would add more strategy (and controversy) to the hole if we left the rock as it be, exposed at the surface.

Up to now the “quirk” is appreciated by the majority of golfers. :)

Terry Lavin

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #14 on: October 19, 2010, 04:48:12 PM »
The aiming rock for the 2nd at Rock Creek Cattle Company is the 'V' notch in the mountain in the background...that's what I was told to aim at.  Is that a big enough aiming rock for ya?   ;D



The 4th at Mike Strantz's Royal New Kent has an aiming rock for the blind tee shot, but I have no pics....anyone?



This reminds me of a great story that I heard at Wilshire CC in Los Angeles.  I think it's the 9th hole that has a blind tee shot.  Legend has it that Ben Hogan asked his caddie where to aim.  "At the El Royale Hotel sign, Mr. Hogan", was the reply.  To which Hogan swiftly shot back, "which letter?".
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.  H.L. Mencken

Neil_Crafter

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #15 on: October 19, 2010, 08:52:30 PM »
Not quite aiming rocks, but big rocks nevertheless! Boulders on the 1st hole of the Hornbill course we designed at  the Borneo Highlands Resort in Sarawak.


Dave McCollum

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #16 on: October 19, 2010, 09:13:33 PM »
Don't know if this will work as the photo doesn't show up in the preview.  This is at a driveable par 4 (290 yards) at my club, Canyon Springs, in Idaho.  Over the top is the angle to drive the green because the downhill slope will feed the ball to the green.  A layup over the rock or to the right is safe.  Anything left has a great chance of taking the slope to OB.




Dan Herrmann

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #17 on: October 20, 2010, 08:24:01 AM »
Dave - you need to tell us more about your club.  We need more Idaho golf info here!

----------------
Here's an aiming rock at French Creek #14:
http://myphillygolf.com/uploads/bausch/FrenchCreek/pages/page_130.html?

It's truly an aiming rock from further back in the fairway, and works very well.

Roger Tufts

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #18 on: October 20, 2010, 01:03:18 PM »
The obvious examples are at RCD, like #5 (from Ran's course profile):


Interestingly, I thought there would be a rock embedded in the dune face on the tee shot on #11 there, but there was not. A low tee shot struck directly at the aiming post while still having the height to barely carry the dune has the danger of hitting it with quite force, while if it narrowly misses will travel right down the middle stripe with some serious roll...

Old Head also incorporates aiming rocks all over the place, but the obvious connotations with that course ensue...
« Last Edit: October 20, 2010, 01:06:53 PM by Roger Tufts »
Cornell University '11 - Tedesco Country Club - Next Golf Vacation: Summer 2015 @ Nova Scotia & PEI (14 Rounds)

Wayne Wiggins, Jr.

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #19 on: October 20, 2010, 01:29:37 PM »
I don't have a picture, but LACC North has a white rock on their 12th hole... up hill tee sheet.

Matthew Petersen

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Re: Aiming Rocks -- Pictures?
« Reply #20 on: October 20, 2010, 01:58:48 PM »
How about an aiming arrow painted on to a giant rock. This is the 100 yard par 3 at evergreen Golf Course outside of Denver that plays directly over this boulder outcropping.

Not the best picture unfortunately ...


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