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Mark Saltzman

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Re: Wild Horse GC, Gothenburg, NE (Photos) - Front 9 Posted
« Reply #25 on: July 07, 2011, 09:19:27 PM »
Hole 10: Par 4, 408 Yards

Hole Description: #10 is a medium par four dogleg right that requires an accurate tee shot to find a rolling narrow fairway. A bunker guards the inside of the dogleg but is only a factor for the longest hitters. The second shot is to a small unbunkered green with falloffs on both sides. The green itself is one of the toughest with several mounds and a steep tilt from back to front.


Gold Tee




Forward Tee - Hole opens up from here




Approach from right




Approach from left




From short left of green




From long left of green




From behind



Hole 11: Par 3, 126 Yards

Hole Description: #11 is a short heavily bunkered par three. Only errant shots long will stay away from the three bunkers that guard the left, right and front of this large green. The green slopes from right to left in the front with a mound on the left that can run balls back to the middle. The back of the green is flatter with only a couple of mounds. A two putt here will thrill you.


Interestingly, the tee box is some 30 yards wide.  Tee position as much as pin position will dictate strategy on this hole.


From right side of tee box




From left side of tee box




Front left green




Front right green




Long left green




Look back from 12 tee




Hole 12: Par 4, 442 Yards

Hole Description: #12 is a downhill par four that plays differently depending on the tee placement. The forward tees allow you to see the entire hole but choose your club and placement wisely to avoid the many fairway bunkers. The back tee is a blind tee shot over a hill into a flat valley. Shots to the right will nearly always find trouble in the rough or fairway bunker. A good line is toward the aiming bunker in the distance. The approach shot must navigate three bunkers that closely guard the narrow green. Shots will kick to the left so play just over the short right bunker to find the middle of the green and stay below the hole.


Gold Tee




Red Tee




Approach from left




Approach from right




Short of green




Notice the kicker over the bunker towards the green




Left of green




Looking back from next tee




From Behind


Mark Saltzman

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Re: Wild Horse GC, Gothenburg, NE (Photos) - 1-12 Posted
« Reply #26 on: July 07, 2011, 11:34:26 PM »
Hole 13: Par 3, 208 Yards

Hole Description: #13 is a long par three that plays from an elevated tee over a valley to a huge green with many rolls. Bunkers in front and left should be avoided. Shots up onto the hill right will find their way back to the green and shots long will avoid trouble. A tough par most days into the wind.


Gold Tee




Forward Tee




Green from long left




Green from left




Hole 14: Par 5, 524 Yards

Hole Description: #14 is a short par five most often downwind that presents a good birdie opportunity. The tee shot is open to an 80 yard wide fairway. The left side cuts some distance but presents a trickier second. A shot to the middle or right should come to rest on a hill looking down to the green. A middle fairway bunker lies about 70 yards from the green and a deep bunker guards the left side of the shallow but wide green. Play to the right to give yourself a chance to run onto the green in two but dont overclub as a bunker behind the green will gobble up long approaches.



Gold Tee




Forward Tee




2nd from right




2nd from left




Approach from right




Approach from left




Short of green




Over the green there is a bunker completely hidden from view from the fairway.  Here is the view from behind the green:




Hole 15: Par 4, 342 Yards

Hole Description: #15 is a short par four with a myriad of bunkers. Three fairway bunkers challenge your tee ball that should hug the left side. A fairway bunker right catches wayward slices. The green is pinched in by bunkers front right and back left and only opens up from the left side of the fairway. Although your second shot should be from 120 yards and in, it must be very precise to hold on this tiny, shallow green. Safe shooters play a run up to the front left part of the green and take par. Aggressive players must avoid the deep sand traps front and back and spin the ball to keep it greenside. The green slopes from back to front slightly making for some quick, breaking putts. #15 is short but treacherous!


Tee






From lay-up tee shot




From tee shot down the left




From aggressive tee shot that carries left bunker




From long right of green



Mark Saltzman

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Re: Wild Horse GC, Gothenburg, NE (Photos) - 1-12 Posted
« Reply #27 on: July 07, 2011, 11:34:44 PM »
Hole 14 is the one hole where I thought that the presence of homes on the course made a difference.  It felt to me that the hole was designed so that one would have difficulty picking a line off the tee.  The fairway is wide, with no fairway bunkers and I thought the idea was to no points of reference to unsettle the player on the tee shot.  With the homes, there are now points of reference.  One need only pick their spot on one of the homes and aim at that, which I felt detracted from the design of the hole.  Thoughts?

RJ_Daley

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Re: Wild Horse GC, Gothenburg, NE (Photos) - Hole 15 Posted
« Reply #28 on: July 08, 2011, 02:02:10 AM »
Mark, you are correct about the vagueness that used to be part of the 14 hole before homes were built.  I wish they wouldn't put the clue in the yardage book, stroke saver about the surprise bunker in the rear of that green.  It is much like one of Doak's holes at his early period High Point 6 or 7th hole as I remember, with one of those little surprise rear of green Bs that seem to catch their share of first timers, which is always fun to watch the reactions.  The little pimple on the front of the green is a neat little ground feature as well. 

Tee shot 14 around year 2000 - no houses, vague horizon:


View from left side first LZ 14 - no houses:


little snarly hidden rear bunker with good look at fescue surrounds lighter green turf:



I love the tee ball shot at 12.  They put a tee on the knoll to the left of the original tee runway, which I never liked and basically won't play it when the men's reg tees are up there.  I'll just go back to the real tees.

From 12 FW:


I think 11 is one of the very best short 3s I've ever had the fun of playing. 

10 green before houses ii in background, and 11 from behind the tee box:



As has been stated on GCA.com many times, but I'll repeat, the 15th was Dave and Dan's tribute to the idea of #10, Riviera, prairie style.

Look at 15 green from mid FW, can see light green fescue surrounds contrast with dwarf blue FW:


The light green contrasting turf in greens surrounds used to be firm and fine fescue turf that was really fun to be able to use that feature to play a little more linksy style along the ground in the foregreens and putts from off the green.  Unfortunately, the fescues have given way to more bent and k-blue dwarf turf over the years as the fescue was prone to disease and hard to maintain in that climate. 
No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Neil_Crafter

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Re: Wild Horse GC, Gothenburg, NE (Photos) - Hole 15 Posted
« Reply #29 on: July 08, 2011, 03:40:14 AM »
Approach short of all centerline bunkers



How penal are these bunker edges? Two yards left in the bunker - can recover. Two yards right - on fairway. In between totally dead and potential lost ball. A little severe in my view.

Adam Clayman

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Re: Wild Horse GC, Gothenburg, NE (Photos) - Hole 15 Posted
« Reply #30 on: July 08, 2011, 06:59:52 AM »
Neil, A bunker is suppose to be penal. But in reality, the width and length of the hole, makes finding these spots very rare indeed. So rare, that if one does go in there, don't they deserve their fate?

Mark, 15 green is actually easier to hit into a stiff breeze. One just has to hit a high shot and it lands like a butterfly with sore feet. A great hole.

One hole that has grown to be a favorite is the 5th, too. I really like how the hole narrows. After playing the wide, 2nd and 3rd, the golfer is lulled into thinking the left side is wider than it appears from the tee. Also, When the pin on 5 is on the left, it can be a bit dicey to get to without a deft touch.

One could argue there's not a bad hole on the course, but, if I had to pick a worst hole, it would be the first one shotter. The 4th. The reverse redan always seems to yield higher scores than it should, but that's not a weakness. So, if it is the worst hole on the course, that's pretty good.

I hope you were able to play it more than once and in different winds.
"It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing your whole life." - Mickey Mantle

Phil McDade

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Re: Wild Horse GC, Gothenburg, NE (Photos) - Hole 15 Posted
« Reply #31 on: July 08, 2011, 10:25:08 AM »
Neil:

Is the equivelant "unfair" shot one on a links course in which a well-struck tee shot gets the wrong bounce or carom into the face of a pot bunker, forcing a sideways shot? Perhaps unfair, but I'd argue similar. Happened to Westwood on the last hole as he was near the lead on the final day at Turnberry at the Open recently.

Mark Saltzman

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Re: Wild Horse GC, Gothenburg, NE (Photos) - Hole 15 Posted
« Reply #32 on: July 09, 2011, 09:31:12 PM »
Hole 16: Par 4, 445 Yards

Hole Description: #16 is a long par four that requires excellent shots to take par. The tee shot is slightly uphill and blind and should split the fairway between the middle bunker and the right fairway line. The second is usually a long iron to a green most difficult to hit because is sits on a plateau guarded on the right by two bunkers. Stay left to avoid pitching into those on your approach. The putting surface is two tiered with mounds galore. Stay below the hole and judge speed carefully.

Tee




Approach from the right




Approach from left




Short left of green




Green from left (I really like this picture)




From behind



Josh_Mahar

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Re: Wild Horse GC, Gothenburg, NE (Photos) - Hole 15 Posted
« Reply #33 on: July 10, 2011, 11:13:41 AM »
Quote
How penal are these bunker edges? Two yards left in the bunker - can recover. Two yards right - on fairway. In between totally dead and potential lost ball. A little severe in my view.

You probably cannot tell from the picture but it would be pretty difficult to get a ball into the tall grass surrounding the back of the bunker.  It could happen but very unlikely.  We trim down the front and sides of the bunker edges so that balls will not hang up in the long fescue.  We leave the back edges longer for a "rougher look" and the extra height adds an intimidation factor to the hazard.  However once the fesce has seeded out we will trim around the back sides of those bunkers to clean them up a bit (probably in a week or two).  So you are seeing those bunkers in their gnarliest state  but still not likely to be too penal imo.

Mark,
Enjoying the pictorial of our place and also the other prairie courses.  Your narratives and pictures really do a good job of describing the way the holes play.



RJ_Daley

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Re: Wild Horse GC, Gothenburg, NE (Photos) - Hole 15 Posted
« Reply #34 on: July 10, 2011, 02:59:53 PM »
30 posts in a decade Josh?  :o  Don't you have enough to do out there?  ;D

For GCA newcomers or those that don't know, Josh is among the best in the biz!!!  8)

No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Mark Saltzman

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Re: Wild Horse GC, Gothenburg, NE (Photos) - Hole 15 Posted
« Reply #35 on: July 10, 2011, 04:37:05 PM »
Holes 17 and 18 are a fantastic finishing stretch!  17 is a great, reachable, thinking-man's short par five where one really wants to bank a shot for the treacherous 18th.  18 is birdieable with two very well executed and brave shots, but I'll bet for every three made on 18, there are 10 sixes.



Hole 17: Par 5, 505 Yards

Hole Description: #17 is a short par five reachable in two. The tee shot should be played over the saddle in the middle of the fairway into a broad flat valley. A small pot bunker can catch long drives in the middle of the fairway. The second shot requires a decision to go over two bunkers at the turn of the fairway for the green or to play left of those into a small neck in the fairway leaving a simple bump and run to the green. Shorter players can play short of those for a 120 yard pitch to the green. The entrance to the green is open but a bunker guards the left front and another parallels the green on the right. The green itself is concave with mounds right and left.


One thing I really liked about this hole was that the green opened up with an aggressive tee shot down the left, but the lay-up area opened up with a tee-shot down the right.  This means that a flared (weak) tee shot that chooses to layup on the second will not be penalized too much for the poor tee shot and 4 is still an option.  Even more, it means that the short but straight hitter, knowing he will be laying up, should make the conscious decision to hit his tee ball down the right.


Tee




Approach from right (layup area opens up from here, but shot at green is very difficult - pin is over rightmost bunker)




Approach from left (green opens up a bit from here)




After a conservative layup




Short of green (plenty of room to run a ball onto the green here)




From left


Mark Saltzman

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Re: Wild Horse GC, Gothenburg, NE (Photos) - Hole 15 Posted
« Reply #36 on: July 10, 2011, 04:40:21 PM »
Hole 18: Par 4, 418 Yards

Hole Description: #18 is a medium dogleg right par four. The tee shot should find the fairway between the middle fairway bunker and the huge blowout bunker guarding the right side. The green is uphill from the fairway and guarded by bunkers all around except for the right front where the approach slopes right to left allowing a shot to feed down onto the green. Finding the green in two should give you a chance to birdie as the green is reletively flat.


The line of charm here (notice the green/pin to the right of the massive blowout) really, really make you want to try to carry that bunker (or even go right of it) from the tee, but alas, that is dead.  Still, one is  rewarded with a far easier approach if they manage to skirt that blowout on the tee shot.




Approach from right




Approach from left





Short right of green



From behind


RJ_Daley

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Re: Wild Horse GC, Gothenburg, NE (Photos) - All 18 Posted
« Reply #37 on: July 10, 2011, 11:01:46 PM »
Great thread Mark.  For a first timer, you did about the best photo tour I've seen of WH, with the exception of this website of architecture photos.  I thought I'd post the link to Pont and Hunt's site again for newbies that don't know of it.  Their journey through WH, particularly if you click in rapid succession, is very close the feel and look of being there.  But you done very good, Mark. ;D 8)

http://www.golfarchitecturepictures.com/Pages/about.html
No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.