[David_Elvins]

I noted with interest that there was a vague comparison between Lost Farm and St Andrews previously. 

I have only had one day at St Andrews so my memory isn't great but the 2nd and 6th holes reminded me a bit of some of the holes at St andrews in that there was a big green but a central feature on the green that it seemed like the pin needed to be close to to have a lot of interest. 

I loved the 6th hole at Lost Farm to the pin position we played.  It offered all sorts of options and rewarded good execution.  I think all the really good pin positions are near that central ridge, although I might be selling some of the contour on the left half of the green short.  Not sure if this is much of a limitation or not.  Really interesting hole IMO. 

[Patrick Kiser]

Really liked this hole as I got lucky in the morning round with a bird  

It looks reverse Redanish in a way.  It's got the table top thing going and the entrance into the green definitely allows you to run it and turn it.  The ridge and the backboard make it that more interesting.

Just a good hole.  Period.

[Kevin Pallier]

I liked #5 & #6 - both offer some really interesting setups that encourage a bit of lateral thinking and execution.

[Brett_Morrissy]

Just had a brief read on the latest interview and Flynn's triangular routed groupings on windy courses- it seems this to me reminds me of this last  3 hole stretch - With one more to come - and it feels so good to play and be challenged by he wind so differently so quickly by simply turning 270 degrees over 3 holes and am surprised this is not utilized more...

Once again, as with a few of the previous holes, for me there is a stand out preferred pin position and that is behind the the bunker on the right requiring great skill in controlling the distance, accuracy the lesser importance, go back to 4 and accuracy probably prevails over distance a little.

[Scott Warren]

Brett,

In my experience, linksland this wide, allowing for routings like at Lost Farm, is rare, or we'd see more routings like that.

There is a lot to be said for a routing that turns so frequently, like Royal St George's and Hankley Common do.

[Sven Nilsen]

In response to David Elvins comment on the pin needing to be near the central ridge to provide any interest, I would whole-heartedly disagree.  The Thursday pin was in the "dell" like area over the bunker.  With a strong cross wind from left to right, it was exceedingly difficult to find that portion of the green, but if you managed to get over the bunkers and not run through into the marram, balls would generally feed to the middle of the putting surface leaving a fairly straight forward putt.

[Kyle Henderson]

Bringing golfers back through the flats, the 7th is a 396 meter-long par 4. Here, the wind is usually from behind or quartering from the right.


Somewhat reminiscent of the 17th at Cruden Bay, the fairway here is interrupted by a large mound smack in the middle of the landing zone, yet plenty of width is provided for those electing to skirt by on either flank.


Ever the minimalist, Bill Coore once bemoaned the placement of a natural heap in the planned 7th fairway as being too near the right side. Hearing this, the owner/client had crew members move the pile 20 yards left during the middle of the night.


Tee balls that stop short of the mound yield blind approaches.


Skirting the left side will open up the longest axis of the green.


From the right, pins become progressively more difficult to access the further right they are placed.


For big hitters or in strong tailwinds, carrying the mound entirely is possible. Few will be crooked enough to miss this massive playing corridor.

[Bill Brightly]

This tee shot is pure FUN. I played the hole 3 times. Carried the bunker once, skirted it on the left once (best angle to the green) and hit a good drive that failed to carry the dune once, and got my just rewards, a near buried lie on the mound.

[Scott Warren]

Bill,

I remember clearly that was where your drive ended on the Sunday afternoon, and even more clearly the incredible effort from there to get the ball into the greenside bunker. Remarkable shot.

[Kevin Pallier]

I'm not a fan of the "Ayres Rock" styled mound on #7 - it looks and feels so manufactured for mine.

They could have achieved a similar effect with the creation of a series of bunkers instead  ?

That said - the green site location is particularly pleasing.

[Sven Nilsen]

I'm not a fan of the "Ayres Rock" styled mound on #7 - it looks and feels so manufactured for mine.

Does anyone know if the mound was built up or found?

This was the only hole where I got "Brightlyed," I hit what I thought was a good drive over the left side of the mound, never to be seen again.  Only guess is that the ball hit the back of the mound and took off for the long stuff.  To me the play is directly over the mound (very doable with the any breeze over 2 clubs) or just to the right of it.  The green sets up to feed balls coming in over the short right-side bunker back to the middle and over to the left side.  I thought the green contours were some of the best on the course, with a myriad of pin positions that could make things interesting.  I also noticed how the left side of the green was shaped to propel a slight miss away from the green while capturing a shot that was 3 to 4 yards within the green boundary.

[Bill Brightly]

Sven,

Don't forget about the crows...they seem to particularly like scooping up well hit drives...

The mound was built up (actually moved...) In our after dinner Q & A with Richard Sattler, he said that Bill Coore commented that he wished the dune on the right side of the fairway was actually in the center. I think I heard Richard sattler say that he got on the bulldozer himself and moved it that night, surprising Coore when he next saw the hole.

I did not think it was unatural-looking, but Kevin must have a keen eye. I imagine that it will blend in with the surrounds over time.

[Kyle Henderson]

Jevin, Sven, Bill,

I mentioned the orgins of the mound above (reply #81)...

[Kyle Henderson]

Hole # 8 extends up to 554 meters, but plays downwind to a wide (!) fairway.


The fairway is angled from left-to-right with respect to the advanced teeing grounds. Aggressive lines down the right edge can bring the green within reach, but anything that strays too far to starboard will be punished severely.


When the wind is howling, one must be careful not to run their tee shot into the left-center fairway bunker. On calmer days, in reverse winds or for very short/crooked hitters (i.e. under normal conditions), the bunker will affect second shots.


The final approach to the green is uphill, with a centerline pot bunker set well short of the surface to catch low runners from long range.


Though small, this little pot coaxes many to play down the right…


… and will require a well-played escape shot to reach the green.


Looking backwards, it becomes clear that missing right of the green (left of frame) is no bargain.

[Patrick Kiser]

I'm kind of with Kevin on the mound for the 7th.  Feels contrived.

Like the green and surrounds though.

The 8th is one of my favorites.  That's just a cool hole.  I really like how the tee shot shapes.  In the afternoon round the crows also got one of my best drives of the day.  The green complex and the massive dunes to the back and right are something else.  The fronting green bunker seems to be a magnet.  C&C use this strategy on several of their courses I've noticed.

I'll say it again, I feel C&C make some pretty good par 5s.

[Kevin Pallier]

The 8th is one of my favorites.  That's just a cool hole.  I really like how the tee shot shapes.  In the afternoon round the crows also got one of my best drives of the day.  The green complex and the massive dunes to the back and right are something else.  The fronting green bunker seems to be a magnet.  C&C use this strategy on several of their courses I've noticed.

I'll say it again, I feel C&C make some pretty good par 5s.

Patrick

I loved 8. I thought it was the best P5 on the property - there's interest on every shot.

[Patrick Kiser]

Couple of pics to supplement Kyle's

7th approach:



7th green from right dune:



8th approach from left shelf:



8th green entrance right:



8th green entrance left:  notice rise thanks to Scott



8th green front bunker:  

[Brett_Morrissy]

I am still not convinced about the FW mound on 7, I think it would have 'blended' into the surrounding FW with a few smaller mounds and bumps, and that with a couple of years of coastal wind, it will probably get blown and moved around a bit - I believe the super suggested that there may be some tweaking of it, perhaps with exposing some sand, it will hopefully evolve into something that looks more natural.
- a super green site with smile inducing back drop of dunes, sandy blowouts and marram.

Eight is a favorite, I am probably 50/50 successful on my tee shots, and still love it, and my absolute favorite bunker on the course is the nasty little fella just short right of the green, very hairy and gnarly and deep.

The only negative on both 7/8 tees, and it is no fault of Mr Coores, but the new clubhouse (not the restaurant) roof line is enormous, and looks very ugly, a poor design because of no consideration giving to the aspect from the golf course, it seems, IMO!

[Kyle Henderson]

The 9th hole is a par 4 measuring up to just 306 meters and generally played in a left-to-right wind. Sadly, the on-site accommodations detract from the aesthetics.


Featuring a split fairway, the lower left side of the hole is wider and on a more direct line to the green. The rough separating the upper and lower fairway sections is quite penal, as are the bushes that border the prepared corridor.

[Matthew Mollica]

Interested to get others thoughts on this hole - it seemed to me there was little reward for going to the smaller right fairway segment, especially with such a short club in hand on approach irrespective of drive placement. I know the green is angled to favor approaches from the right, but the shot from the left didn't seem so tough.

MM

[James Bennett]

MM

the hole 'looks' better from the black tee.  From the 'terracotta', the upper level just doesn't seem an option.

Benje

[Kevin Pallier]

The hole really is narrow up near the green. I took driver the first time I played it but dont feel the risk is worth the reward.

It was just an OK short P4 for mine - there's a little too much room left if one decides to layback to give it any real interest.

[Mark_F]

It's a very different hole from the two tees.  From the back, it almost forces a particular shot on the player - a faded driver or three wood, since you wouldn't hit to the right hand portion deliberately, and a draw could carom off the mounds or slope past the ridge into the rubbish left. 

From the middle tees, it's just a layup.  Some pins may be easier to access from the right, but it is too narrow, with too much trouble for missing, to hit it there.  The dune up near the green also hinders depth perception to some degree from there.  After all the width on offer in the previous holes, it is interesting to be confronted with such a narrow hole, and it is a very nice green, but the fairway doesn't match the green. 

[Scott Warren]

Thing is, on a property so chockers with choice short fours, one that lacks greatness just sticks out like a sore thumb.

[Brett_Morrissy]

With the critiques of this hole pretty much in agreement - why does the DG think was the reasoning, strategy behind the architects laying out of the golf hole with the smaller right section not really offering a reward that is fitting that of the risk?

So, what should they have done? I guess there is room to remove some foliage from the high right - perhaps removing more down left may offer the easiest and unthinking option more room, but a more challenging and difficult angle into the green?

Is the rough "wall" in the centre of the FW, just a feature to enliven what would have been a strong sloping FW left to right without much interest and seemingly easy hole, the separation adding visual interest off the tee, but really is just a narrow FW on a short hole?

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