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Tim Nugent

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: A great par 3! / A terrible par 3!
« Reply #50 on: January 05, 2011, 11:51:13 AM »
Well, you did say an Amatuer designed the course....

It looks like the Ravine behind the green caused him some troubles in the routing and my guess is that he left the tree to try to add something to what he felt was a weak hole.  Is it an Oak? The vase-like shape and the thick, white streak down the trunk makes one think it could be an American Elm. Both can live well past 100 yrs and this tree has undoubtly reached it's mature size.

Features on a course should have some reason for being.  It is up to the golfer to ascertain what that reason is.  In this case there exists 2 Features However, given the horizontal nature of the green, it is redundant with the frontal bunker as both require a high arcing shot.  I would imagine that most players know about how FAR their clubs go but not how high or where the apex is. 

Being in the camp that only one option is actually no option, I would vote this to be  a poor design.  As Mr McBride states, it's too hard for slow clubhead speed to generate enough height to clear it and there is no ability to go under or around. Plus, one on the tee is indeed sheltered from wind but, given the height of the tree, a ball hit over it will encounter wind that is all but impossible for the player to gauge.

I also disagree that it would be a boring hole without the tree.  Just leave the bunker and eliminate the artifical mounds behind the green to highlight "death beyond" and it would be an equally psychologically demanding hole.  Being a public course, a shelf bunker or grass ledge depression could be cut into the slope behind the green as a Saver.
Coasting is a downhill process

Morgan Clawson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: A great par 3! / A terrible par 3!
« Reply #51 on: January 05, 2011, 02:09:59 PM »
Tim Nugent -

The tree is definitley an oak as it kicks-off acorns in the fall. I personally think it is a Bur Oak which is part of the White Oak family. Bur Oaks don't seem to grow as tall as American Elms in this part of the country. Jeff Brauer estimated in this thread that the tree is about 70' high and I think he is right. I believe that there are some American Elms on the course between holes and they are really hard to hit over from my personal experience.

The 17th hole is a short par 4 and it also has a tree (I believe it's a Bur Oak also) in the middle of the fairway. There are definitely more options on that hole to get to the green, and I have rarely hit it (I can not say the same for this hole!)

So, clearly the designer was drawn to this sort of thing!

I think your design suggestions for the hole without the tree are excellent.  Note in my email discusion below with the super that the trees days may be limited.  Your ideas may need to be implemented sooner than later:

"In the 15 golf seasons I have been at Keller, we have had dead wood removed from it on two occasions by arborists who know what they are doing. I noticed the other day that there is more dead wood in that tree that should be removed. My gut tells me that “the oak” may be entering the decline phase of its life." - Paul Diegnau

Matthew Rose

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: A great par 3! / A terrible par 3!
« Reply #52 on: January 05, 2011, 02:52:30 PM »
Quote
The short par 3 12th at Janesville Riverside

I made my first par on that hole :)
American-Australian. Trackman Course Guy. Fatalistic sports fan. Drummer. Bass player. Father. Cat lover.

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