A Fan's Photo Tribute to Old Macdonald - Hole #16 Commentary in progress

[Steve Kline]

Steve:

I think they stopped mowing the connection between #14 and #3 to save a few bucks.  There might still be a little one, but it's not all fairway over there like it was when we started.

I played out there last week. There was still a connection but you are right in that it was rather small. Actually it was small enough that I wondered why it was even there.

[jonathan_becker]

Blasting right off the tee is definitely the play.  Considering the second shot is so short (even from the back tees) you're left with an approach that should be manageable for most.  During my two plays, our group faced two different hole locations that were both in tough spots but both were extremely fair given the wedge approach.  This hole was one of my favorites.

One cool hole location up on the small shelf that's back center



Back left where the approach will kick or feed towards the hole

[Bill_McBride]

Wow, what a great photo!   "Fog Over Old Macdonald" with the Sahara Snag and the forest primeval behind.

[Tim Bert]

Some how in my year long hiatus from this thread, I lost track of a couple of the photos I wanted to use for holes #13 and #14.

Here is #13 from the right side of the fairway


One more look at the approach to the 13th


Not sure how I missed these two of the 14th.  One of my favorite views on the golf course...

[Jim Johnson]

Back left where the approach will kick or feed towards the hole

Cool photo Jonathan.

[Tim Bert]

Hole #15 - par 5 - Westward Ho
Back tee - 535 Yards
Middle tee - 482 yards

The 15th is the second of three par 5s on the course.  For me, this hole really begins the demanding home stretch, though many good players would probably argue that doesn't begin until the 16th hole.  Since we played in a surprising, lingering winter wind on opening day, this hole played into a sort of left to right, sort of head wind.  As a result, the 482 on the scorecard felt a bit longer on the ground.

The tee shot at #15, along with the one at #17, were two of the most difficult tee shots on the course for me the day I played it.  This one, I think was just in my head as I couldn't find this fairway.  The one thing I did find with frequency was the gorse on the right!  My recollection of this hole is that it has more gorse than any other hole on the course.  This may be faulty, but I was thinking about the gorse on this hole from the time I teed it up.  Actually, I think I may have hit a provisional in the gorse on the left here as well.

The fairway looks extremely generous from the photos.  I just didn't spend much time there.  I believe the fairway steadily drops in elevation from the tee, with some steady humps and bumps like you find throughout Old Macdonald, only to rise back up to the green for the last 50 to 100 yards.

The green site is the 2nd one that sits relatively close to the water, though as with #7, the ocean and the beach below are a scenic view and don't represent a hazard as they do at Bandon Dunes or Pacific Dunes.  There are some wonderful blown out bunkers in the dunes surrounding the green, some in play and other just hanging around for effect.  The green is again massive, and once I took my lumps on the tee shot and got back in play I really enjoyed putting and chipping around this hole.

The view from the middle tee


The real testament to the amount of time that I had to spend looking for tee shots and subsequent second shots is that I don't have any photos after the tee until I got close to approaching the green.  This one shows some of the elevation change as well as a bunker that from some angles appears to be green side.


The final stretch of fairway leading to the hole


A look at the green from over the bunker


A few looks at another enormous green.  You can see a large ridge running through the green parallel to the line of the golfer that is putting




Looking back on the green with the fairway and the dastardly gorse in view!


You'll be thankful this isn't adjacent to the green though it is nearby and worth a look


A wonderful place to take in the view.  The ocean to the right, the 15th green in the foreground, and the 7th fairway in the distance

[Tim Bert]

Hole #16 - par 4 - Alps
Back tee - 455 Yards
Middle tee - 433 yards

I was waiting patiently for comments on #15, but 2 months is my limit!  On to #16.  I'll admit, I went in wanting and expecting the Alps to be one of my favorite holes on the course.  Unfortunately, I birdied the hole the first time around so I may never get to enjoy a completely untainted opinion of the hole.  On the positive side, I was able to thrash it up and make double bogey the second time around and I still loved it, so I'm sticking with my gut.

Because we faced the unseasonal winter wind on Opening Day, this hole probably played a bit easier for us than those that will face this long par four in the summer.  Granted, it is a bit of a crossing wind either way, but in the winter I think there is a bit more of downwind angle to the crossing right to left breeze.

If you love a good blind shot, then this hole is about as exciting as it gets.  If you don't care for a blind shot, then I guess you better go right off the tee.  The mountain guarding the green is imposing from the left side and it is compounded by the fact that there is a good chance you won't have a level lie for your approach.  The Alps feature is significantly more severe than the other well known example of an Alps I've played - #12 at Yale.  In fact, in some respects the approach at the 16th here may have as much in common with #3 (Blind) at Yale as it does #12.  

Perhaps compensating for the severity of the feature is two things - first, the golfer is afforded a view of the green and the pin as the previous hole is played.  Second, unlike he Alps at Yale, going far enough right on the tee can completely remove the visual obstruction on the approach.

Some may also be a bit miffed by the nasty bunker on the back side of the Alps feature.  I say bring it on!  I'd love to sit behind the green for a few hours on a busy day at the resort and watch the bounces of the balls that come flying over the hump.  

This is a fantastic hole that only further whets my appetite to one day play 3rd at NGLA - probably for me the most intriguing hole I've ever seen only in photos.

From the tee - the imposing Alps feature already has most golfers swinging out of their shoes to minimize the distance of the approach


The hair-rasing approach


The lesser approach for the weak-at-heart or the skilled-at-golf


Another look from the right side with the bunker and green in view


The absolutely delicious bunker guarding the back side of the Alps


A first look at the green


Mr. Mayhugh demos the bunker for us.  We should all be so lucky!


The backside of the mountain!


From behind the green


He who birdies the hole gets to ring the bell

[Bryan Izatt]

Tim,

Doesn't this hole whet your appetite for Prestwick?

The 16th was one hole where you didn't have to refer to the card to know what template this hole was emulating.  It offers the basics of an Alps hole while adding to it. 

Using part of the back of the dune as fairway to provide an option to feed the ball down to the green is neat, although it is too bad that you can't see the shot play out.  It would no doubt be entertaining. 

The right side option, taking the dune out of play, seems to me to detract from the Alps concept.  But, what the heck, maybe they had to do something to pander to the abilities of resort golfers.  After all, an Alps hole would be seen by many as totally unfair - a blind shot, all carry, with a deathly bunker as punishment.  Maybe they wussed out on the concept with that right option.   

A couple of additional pictures of GCA'ers coping with the bunkers - one subtle, but in the way of the right option, and the other mammoth, but way out of the way.  Of course, we GCA'ers like to explore all the options.

   

[Anthony Gray]

  My first thought is this is simply a three shot hole for many golfers so playing away from the trouble takes some of the fun away. The golfer is not forced to take on the bunkers like at other Alps if they lack the length to get home in two.

  Anthony

[Garland Bayley]

Tim,

Somehow you got #15 up without my noticing. The bunker in front of the green sure got in my mind. And after playing the hole, it will stay in my mind forever. I hit a good drive, and figured I could reach in two. I was worried that if I didn't carry it far enough, it might kick right into the bunker. Therefore, I ended up trying to goose it, which of course duck hooked (mollydooker) into the bunker. I won't tell you how many it took me to get out, but let's just say I had a lot of raking to do.

Love 16.

[Bryan Izatt]

Tim,

OM is just so last week.  Everybody has moved on to bulldozing BT.