Waynesborough #14... WHY?

[Brian Colbert]

I had a great day out at Waynesborough CC today. However, the "new" 14th hole was a hole that in my opinion is enough to ruin a great nine holes of golf. I must confess I have no familiarity with the "old" routing beyond looking at pictures, but from the opinion of someone who is admittedly completely blind as to the circumstances surrounding the change, it seems like they took a good par 3 that fits in with the rest of the course and turned it into a manufactured, odd, and awkward par 3 that has no continuity with the rest of the course.

That said, I think Waynesborough CC is a great golf course. The new bunkers are perfectly placed, it seemed like every time I hit a tee shot from all the way back at one it found its way in there. If they could find another 200 yards on that course (which I think they can) they could host a tour event next week. If there are any members on the board or others who are familiar with the circumstances surrounding the new par 3 14th, I would love to know the reasoning behind the change. I also feel obligated to point out that the locker room has one of the best showers I've ever used.

[Joe Bausch]

BC, I've not been to Waynesborough since the work there last year.  I believe a GCA member was involved with those changes, so hopefully he might chime in.

Is the par 3 much different than the one pictured in the Bausch Collection at MyPhillyGolf.com?

[Brian Colbert]

BC, I've not been to Waynesborough since the work there last year.  I believe a GCA member was involved with those changes, so hopefully he might chime in.

Is the par 3 much different than the one pictured in the Bausch Collection at MyPhillyGolf.com?

Joe, I was mistaken in what I thought to be the "old" par 3 on the back 9. That said, they are still quite different. The two bunkers on the right have been removed, the green is probably twice the size of what it appears in those pictures, and instead of the rough there is a collection area long and to the left. In my opinion the older hole looks more natural with the rest of the course. A bunkerless par 3 on a course with exceptional bunkering all the way around is still a little strange to me. I may have been a bit harsh when I said the hole "ruins" a great 9 holes of golf, but I was just confused by that one.

[Mark McKeever]

Based on the layout, I imagine the current 13th was a striaghter hole from with tee boxes in the middle of the current field behind the old par 3 green which still exists..  I agree that the new par 3 hole seems out of place, and it may also be because of the pond next to a creek feature, but more importantly I just don't think it fits in with the rest of the course.  For me, it was the only hole on the back 9 that I wasnt fond of.

Mark

[Peter Zarlengo]

Brian,

I'm glad you enjoyed most of your round at Waynesborough. It's a nice club that get used a lot by members and their family. As Joe alluded to, I managed the 18-hole bunker renovation there for Tom Marzolf and the contractor Mottin Golf (as well as the US Open work at Merion that seemed to please you).

As to your question of WHY the 14th green was renovated, I think a lot of it has to do with the severity and lack of usable pin locations on the pervious version (which was rebuilt ten or so years prior to the latest iteration). But I think more of it has to do with it just being "that" green at so many clubs. You know, the one that everyone moans about at the grill after the round as being "unfair" or the one that ruined their round.

Some of the things I do like about the new hole:
1) The more aggressive and confident play over the lake is rewarded with a backstop at the right rear portion of the green
2) The bunkerless hole adds variety to a course with at least one greenside bunker on every hole
and
3) The chipping area left balances out the chipping area right on the par 3 6th hole.

The chipping area on the 14th is very moundy and "shaped" looking. I would agree that it is far from the best hole on the much stronger back nine (which is odd considering how much flatter the back is than the front - only holes 10, 11, and 18 have any significant elevation change, and it comes all at once on large hillsides). But it is far from a round killer in my mind.

It's no surprise that as a better player you found the fairway bunkering challenging. We built a bunch of them, much more than the current Fazio bunker project I'm working on, and all of them have the better player's carry distances in mind. In fact, while building the bunkers I found that I was in the line of fire far more often on player's second shots than their drives.