I love the original Alps at Prestwick. Yet the 5th at Yeamans Hall is a gem as well. Yeamans' Alps is often known as the flatest Alps Hole in the world. Interestingly, Raynor had some undulating terrain to work with at Yeamans Hall, but he chose to lay out the Alps over the flatest ground. Yeamans' 5th of course lacks the giant dune hill of holes like Prestwick's 17th, Tain's 11th, or NGLA's 3rd. Nevertheless, Raynor built in several bunkers and oddly shaped mounds as substitutes. Furthermore, he recreates Prestwick's fearsome bunker directly in front of the green at Yeamans.
This bunker is the key to the entire operation at the 5th, as Raynor raised up the face of the bunker so that any approach from the low-lying fairway is obscured. The golfer can see the flag, but he will never see the bottom of the flag and will rarely see the green. Yeamans Hall's 5th is an example of brilliant bunkering from Raynor (as restored by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina), and it is a clever way to recreate the blindness and uncertainty of the original over flat ground.
The green surface at Yeamans Hall is also quite fearsome, sloping steeply from back to front. It does not have the complexity of Prestwick's 17th, but it still defends the hole well and forces the player to stay below the hole. Control is of the utmost importance coming into this green, and it can be a very difficult proposition because of the obscured nature of the approach.
The matchup between Prestwick's 17th and Yeamans Hall's 5th is truly one of man versus nature. Prestwick's Alps is entirely natural, with a brilliant green placed in a hollow between two large dunes. Man's hand is soft upon the land here, and, because of that, one of the greatest concepts in golf course architecture was born. On the other hand, Yeamans Hall's Alps is a completely artificial creation over dead flat land. It shows the genius of the greatest earthmover of them all, Seth Raynor. Ultimately, Yeamans Hall's 5th is that cinderella story you can't help but root for. You love the golf hole, but you also know that, at some point, the carriage will turn into a pumpkin. Despite Seth the Surveyor's best efforts, I pick Prestwick's 17th for the win.