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Bill McKinley

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Re: My first trip to The Hamptons --- NGLA 1-3, 4-6 Posted!!
« Reply #50 on: June 12, 2013, 06:42:08 PM »
#7. Par 5. St. Andrews.

The 7th tee sits right in between the 6th & 12th greens and its the first of 3 par 5s on the course.  This hole, named St. Andrews is inspired by the road hole at The Old Course.  Drives should err to the right side of this giant fairway.
Here's the view from the tee...


The approach is all about angles and how you want to take on the road hole bunker or the right side bunker, which simulates the road at St. Andrews.
Here's a look at the road hole bunker...


Here's another view from the front right of the green showcasing the long bunker that simulates the road.  I wonder if the bank was ever shaved down like it is at 17 at TOC?


Finally, a look back at the green complex.  I love the road feature and the open run up with only the menacing little road hole pot bunker standing in your way...


#8. Par 4. Bottle.

This is a great sleeper hole at NGLA.  I believe John Mayhugh said this was his favorite hole, but it's definitely not one that you think about first before your first play.  The tee shot plays over Shrubland Rd. and asks players to make a decision to go left or right.

Here's the view from the tee...


The green sits up high with a bank that helps errant shots to the left and a slope off to the right which falls away. 
From the right side of the fairway...


A closer look at the approach.  Great front bunkering!


From behind the green...


#9. Par 5. Long.

The very fitting name to the longest hole on the course.  The view from the tee is an excellent one to this wide fairway...


Looking to your left in the fairway you'll find some mini church pew bunkers and the Shinnecock Hills clubhouse in the distance...


The view from about 100 yards out.  Most players will get something like this.  So simple yet so cool.  Those trees are way behind the green.  There's nothing to help you with depth perception and the flat look of the green makes a little feeler wedge shot tough to execute.  Especially if you don't have a distance devise, getting a feel for how far this shot is, is quite difficult.  Great simple design!


Looking back from behind the green, it's tough to tell where the green stops and the fairway starts.  Cool stuff
2016 Highlights:  Streamsong Blue (3/17); Streamsong Red (3/17); Charles River Club (5/16); The Country Club - Brookline (5/17); Myopia Hunt Club (5/17); Fishers Island Club (5/18); Aronomink GC (10/16); Pine Valley GC (10/17); Somerset Hills CC (10/18)

Patrick_Mucci

Re: My first trip to The Hamptons --- NGLA Front 9 Posted!!
« Reply #51 on: June 13, 2013, 09:22:59 AM »
Bill,

One of the really neat things about NGLA, which rarely gets identified, except in competition, is the relationship between the greens and the immediate surrounds and the impact, from a playability aspect of a marginal or misgauged shot.

Bill McKinley

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Re: My first trip to The Hamptons --- NGLA Front 9 Posted!!
« Reply #52 on: June 21, 2013, 11:21:44 AM »
#10. Par 4. Shinnecock.

The beginning hole of the inward half is a long par 4 with a wide fairway and a very large green.  The green isn't terribly wide, but is quite long.

Here's a view from the tee.  The understated, but super cool halfway house is on the right...


This hole is boarders the 3rd at Shinnecock and you can see the wonderful clubhouse through the trees...


From the approach.  The 2nd shot plays over some bunkers down to the green kind of sunken down, hiding some front left greenside bunkers.


A closer look at the approach revealing the trouble short left...


From the 11th tee you can see the expansive length of the 10th green...


One more look from behind the green...


#11. Par 4. Plateau.

Definitely the toughest stretch of holes at The National 10-12.  All strong par 4s which play in pretty much the same direction right up towards Bullhead Bay.  11 has an uphill semi blind tee shot and your approach plays back over Shrubland Road and a Principle's Nose bunker.  The green is a beauty with a very distinct plateau in the front and in the back.

Here's the view from the tee...


Here's the approach from a little far back, but it does give a good view of what you have in front of you...


A closer look at the approach reveals the principles nose bunker and you can see the flag in the center of the green, in the flat between the two bunkers.


The Principle's Nose...


I absolutely love this green complex.  Not overbunkered, nothing really around it but the plateaus in the greens will give you fits on getting it close with your approach or with your chip or pitch.
Here's a look from the right of the green (sorry its a little dark)


A devilish little bunker towards the rear of the green.  You can see the plateaus well in this photo...


Another one from behind the green.  Well placed bunker in the low area that I'm sure catches lots of shots that are overcooked from right to left coming into the green...


#12. Par 4. Sebonac.

The last of the tough 3 hole stretch of long par 4s.  Teeing off just to the right of the 11th green and making your way close to Bullhead Bay.  The green is a beauty with a large mound in it making things interesting.

From the tee...


From the approach.  The hole location in the back of the green made it really tough to get the ball close.  Great visual though...


#13. Par 3. Eden

The last par 3 at The National is the Eden template from St. Andrews.  As is the case with most Eden holes, it's a pretty loose interpretation.  But a very nice hole nonetheless.  There definitely are some similarities to TOC Eden hole with the front bunkers and the swale behind the green, although in this case it is a bunker rather than just a swale of closely mown turf.   It is wise to avoid the deep pot bunkers fronting this green, but I apparently am not very wise!

Here's the look from the tee...


Very attractive rear bunker snaking around the back of the green...


#14. Par 4. Cape.

OK... Hold onto your hats!  The 5 hole finish of 14-18 at NGLA is something really really special.  Not that the rest of the golf course isn't great, because it is! But once you turn around from 13 and start heading back towards the windmill and the clubhouse, it's as good as golf gets in my opinion.

The 14th hole is a mid length par 4 that bends to the right around Sebonac Inlet Road and Bullhead Bay.  Here's the view from the tee.  Sorry its a little blown away with the flat light in the afternoon.


My host informed me that after a good drive, players will walk over to the right along the road and admire the view.  I did that and had some time to reflect.  It was a nice little moment  :D and here's a photo of the walk...


Anyway, back to reality (sort of  ;D).  Here's the view from the approach.  Such an awesome view!!!  Aerial approaches only!


Closer look reveals another neat little pot bunker.


Another look at the green as seen from the 15th tee.  One more reason why you need to challenge the right side with your tee shot.  If you bail out to the left, a longer approach shot means you will have to carry those 3 little pot bunkers AND try and hold the green if you want to be putting for birdie.  Great stuff!


#15. Par 4. Narrows.

Another breathtaking view greets you from the 15th tee.  A mid length par 4 that asks you to carry the directional bunker to find the fairway and set up your approach into this wicked green.

From the tee, soak it in...


A close in look at the approach...


From the front of the green, you can see the large false front and the deep bunker to the right.  You can't see much from down in that bunker.  (Don't ask how I know that!)


Another look at the green from off the right shows the squared off sides and more evidence that you don't want to miss the green!


One more...


#16. Par 4. Punchbowl.

As if the last couple holes weren't good enough, now we get to experience the dramatic Punchbowl, which plays right up next to the windmill.

Here's the view from the tee...


From the approach. You can see how many humps and bumps there are in this fairway.  Rarely do you have an even lie, which plays into the doubt in your mind and is magnified even more by the blind nature of the approach into the punchbowl.


Even closer to the green, you still can't see the flag, let alone where you ball might be.  The directional flag in the distance behind the green is all the help you get!


Ahh yes, there's the green...


A look back.  Pretty special...


#17. Par 4. Peconic

We all know this one.  And really, wow, just wow!



A look to your left from the tee...


From the approach.  More of a Levan style hole now that the bunker is more exposed and built up higher.  Really cool


Don't hit it over the green!  The bunker will catch some errant approaches and is much kinder than the entry road!


A look back at the 17th...


#18. Par 5. Home.

And what a great Home it is!!  Up hill short par 5 that is usually reachable with two good shots, however not today with the stiff evening breeze right into our faces.

From the tee...


Walking up the hill...


A look at the clubhouse from the fairway...


From the left of the green with the Peconic Bay in the distance...


I must apologize for the lack of analysis on the 18th hole.  There's just so much to soak in from all the views and it's hard not to reflect on your day/round when you have those surroundings.

Here's one more picture taken just before sunset as we were leaving.  Lovely!


Finally, I hope you all enjoyed my thread and I hope we can keep up some banter because it's so fun to talk about!!  I can't wait to go back!!



 
2016 Highlights:  Streamsong Blue (3/17); Streamsong Red (3/17); Charles River Club (5/16); The Country Club - Brookline (5/17); Myopia Hunt Club (5/17); Fishers Island Club (5/18); Aronomink GC (10/16); Pine Valley GC (10/17); Somerset Hills CC (10/18)

CJ Carder

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Re: My first trip to The Hamptons --- NGLA All 18 Posted!!
« Reply #53 on: June 21, 2013, 12:47:33 PM »
Don't crucify me if I'm asking a stupid question, but what's with all the rough outlines around the bunkering at NGLA?  I get that it may be a maintenance thing with respect to the little pot bunkers but all the rough around the principal's nose bunkers and then a few other fairway bunkers really got my scratching my head.

Thomas Dai

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Re: My first trip to The Hamptons --- NGLA All 18 Posted!!
« Reply #54 on: June 21, 2013, 01:10:54 PM »
Great NGLA photo tour Bill. Well done.

I echo CJC's comment "what's with all the rough outlines around the bunkering at NGLA? I get that it may be a maintenance thing with respect to the little pot bunkers but all the rough around the principal's nose bunkers and then a few other fairway bunkers really got my scratching my head."

Was there always that collar of rough around the bunkers, eg Principal's Nose and the tiny pot on the 14th? If yes, so be it, as NGLA has a special place in the a history of US golf. But if not, when was it introduced?

All the best.
« Last Edit: June 21, 2013, 01:26:05 PM by Thomas Dai »

Bill Vogeney

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Re: My first trip to The Hamptons --- NGLA All 18 Posted!!
« Reply #55 on: June 22, 2013, 10:12:00 PM »
Spectacular! Thanks so much for putting in all of that time loading the pictures and your commentary

Patrick_Mucci

Re: My first trip to The Hamptons --- NGLA All 18 Posted!!
« Reply #56 on: June 22, 2013, 10:46:08 PM »

Don't crucify me if I'm asking a stupid question, but what's with all the rough outlines around the bunkering at NGLA? 


What rough lines, specifically, are you talking about ?
 


I get that it may be a maintenance thing with respect to the little pot bunkers but all the rough around the principal's nose bunkers and then a few other fairway bunkers really got my scratching my head.

Which fairway bunkers had rough lines around them that affected balls hit in their direction ?


CJ Carder

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Re: My first trip to The Hamptons --- NGLA All 18 Posted!!
« Reply #57 on: June 23, 2013, 12:24:36 PM »

Don't crucify me if I'm asking a stupid question, but what's with all the rough outlines around the bunkering at NGLA? 


What rough lines, specifically, are you talking about ?
 


I get that it may be a maintenance thing with respect to the little pot bunkers but all the rough around the principal's nose bunkers and then a few other fairway bunkers really got my scratching my head.

Which fairway bunkers had rough lines around them that affected balls hit in their direction ?


This is the one that got me thinking... there are several others too:

The Principle's Nose...



Charlie Gallagher

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Re: My first trip to The Hamptons --- NGLA All 18 Posted!!
« Reply #58 on: June 23, 2013, 01:37:24 PM »
Bill,
   First, thanks for your posts here, just great photos and so educational.
    I must comment that while NGLA is extremely high on the list of courses I want very much to play, the Maidstone pictures pretty much blew me away. I also will have to admit that I had never even heard of The Bridge until I reviewed this post, and now I will have to put that on the list.
   I own George Bahto's book on MacDonald and have studied it in detail, but your pictures bring new life to the topic of The National. Thank you again for posting and to all the other commentators who added to the discussion.

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