Highlands Links Golf Course (Stanley Thompson) - A Photo Tour! - Hole 18 Posted

[Mark Saltzman]

Has that huge landform on the left disappeared?

[Guy Nicholson]

Two more photos of number 13 from 1965

13 used to be a par 5? Is that correct? If so, there would have been three par 5s in the span of four holes coming home.

[Mark Saltzman]

Guy, I knew 13 was a par-5 at one time, but I didn't know it was longer than it is today.  Where did they find another 35 yards? It is dense forest behind the current tees.

[Ian Andrew]

Has that huge landform on the left disappeared?

Sill there, the trees have grown in to the top of the hill

[Guy Nicholson]

Guy, I knew 13 was a par-5 at one time, but I didn't know it was longer than it is today.  Where did they find another 35 yards? It is dense forest behind the current tees.

Would have made for an extremely delicate second shot, whether laying up or going for it. That landform short of the green is so much fun.

[Will Lozier]

That stretch from 13-16 (yes, including 15) is one of the finest four hole sequences anywhere.  The terrain is unreal - made all the more so by the only real flat holes on the course in 11 & 12, the routing is genius - alternation of downhill & uphill utilizing angles beautifully to further complicate the lie and thus the shot, and the 4455 because that is what was there.  Of course, one could easily say this about the entire course!  One of the coolest things about these four holes is that one could hit a perfect drive, be smack in the middle of the fairway, and have ANY sort of lie possible - ball above/below fee, uphill/downhill....anything due the amazing micro undulations.  For all these reasons, and the fact that I was able to walk 36 in about 7 hours - I didn't stop for lunch or anything - and the fact that I'd talked my wife into honeymooning for a year starting in Cape Breton on our way to Banff before taking 5 months to work at Bandon...HL is and always will be one of my all-time favorites truly up there with Cypress and Royal County Down.

Ian, has moving, hiding, obliterating the cart paths ever been considered...same question for thinning out the trees?  Those early views are stunning!

Cheers

[Ian Andrew]

Ian, has moving, hiding, obliterating the cart paths ever been considered...same question for thinning out the trees?  Those early views are stunning!

It's part of the plan.
Drainage was going to be next.
 
The continuous cart paths would disappear.
They would be replaced with green to tee cart paths and lots of drainage in fairways.

The tree work has about three or four acres to go.
It's mainily the interior holes now.
Nothing done this winter for obvious reasons.

We'll see what the RFP process does to the future work.

[Greg McMullin]

Another photo from the 1965 Shell match between Knudson and Balding. Balding must have missed the 15th. green on the right side and was forced to pitch over the right side bunkers.

[Mark Saltzman]

The 16th plays uphill but at only 460 yards is within reach in two after a well-struck tee shot.  The fairway is lined on both sides by dense forest, but there is ample fairway width.  Contouring in the 16th fairway is unlike anything I have seen before with a unique combination of extreme micro-contouring and broad and steep macro contours.  Playing left leaves a flatter lie, but playing to the right shortens the hole and leaves a preferred angle for those trying to reach the green in two.






Second shots will be played over a deep valley in the fairway to a green surrounded by fairway that will repel any shots slightly short or left.






An unforgiving false-front awaits...




Once 'up-top' the green is plenty deep, though there's no way to no that from the fairway!




A look back at the highly contoured fairway

[Ian Andrew]

Looking back at dusk


Same anglke from the 50's

[Jon Wiggett]

Contours on the fairway remind me very much of the 2nd and 4th at Boat of Garten.

Jon

[Don Hyslop]

This is a great hole! This fall while playing a round here saw a golfer in front of me fall short with his pitch to the green and had the ball roll back to his feet twice. I wasn't close enough for him to hear me chuckle at his misfortune.

[Mark Saltzman]

The 17th plays 200 yards downhill to a green set in a natural amphitheatre.  The green lay at an angle to the tee, with the difficulty of the hole increasing as the pin moves farther back and right into the green.  Flat portions in the front-left and centre of the green make for easier pins as the green's contours can be used to funnel balls to these low points.  A back-right portion, however, is near impossible to get close to.

[Don Hyslop]

Love the contours on this green.

[Ian Andrew]

The image from the tee


From behind

[Will Lozier]

The image from the tee


From behind

Ian,

Looks better now than ever!  Well done!  I think #17 is underrated...love the angles the offset green creates as well as being a great surface.

Cheers

[Mark Saltzman]

The 18th is a 410 yard down-then-up par-4 with out of bounds running the entire right side of the hole.  From the tee, golfers will want to challenge the left-side bunker to leave the ideal angle of approach.




Approaching from the left side of the fairway, the golfer has a clear line into the green and even has the opportunity to challenge right side pins.




From the right side of the fairway, the golfer will do well to find the putting surface




One more rolling green at Highlands Links

[Jon Wiggett]

Great photo tour. I really enjoyed this thread.

Jon

[Ian Andrew]

In Construction


From Shell's Wonderful World of Golf (blurry)


Original Clubhouse and 18th green


The Postcard looking back


The appropriate ending image ... at least for me
Geoff Cornish on site

[Robert Thompson]

The old clubhouse looks very cool -- too bad they didn't replicate it.

[Thomas Dai]

Mark,

This is a terrifically put together photo tour. So nice to see the old photos, postcards etc. You must have put in a great deal of time and effort. Well done and thank you for sharing it with us.

Some of the landscapes and trees remind me of the upper areas of both Deeside and Speyside in Scotalnd.

All the best.

[Mac Plumart]

When is the earliest in the season you guys would advise going up to play Highlands Links?

[Bill_McBride]

When is the earliest in the season you guys would advise going up to play Highlands Links?

July.  It rained in August. 

[Dan Herrmann]

If you haven't been to Highlands Links, you have no idea just how great it is.  Extremely special. 

[Wayne_Kozun]

Last week I played Highlands Links for the first time in several years.  This is my 3-4 trip to the course in the last ~20 years and the course is in the best shape that I have seen.  Long time pro at the course (now at Cabot) Joe Robinson also commented on this.