On a trip to Pine Tree as we were restoring the greenside bunkers I was touring the course and continuing to study its design. The tour and course got me to thinking which course really bridges the gap between the classic era and modern design. Classic could be defined in many ways but for this conversation I think of a course more suited to the ground game, very strategic and still involving the ever important, angles of attack. Pine Tree and Saucon Grace appear to me, as two courses that fit that mold. Angles off of the tees and into the greens are important, yet, the approaches into the greens are very much through the air. Wilson once state that "if you wanted to play a ground game, go bowling". So what other courses fit that mold. I know designs by Pete Dye fit could be said to bridge the gap, but he came along at a time when American course architecture was changing for the worse and flipped it on its head. I am thinking the era from Post WWII until Pete's appearance. Is there something that Jones Sr. did that fits the molds before he pushed fairway bunkers to the sides and closed off the approaches to greens. The thing about Pine Tree is that is has the length (not that length is critical), strong strategic angles, variety, memorability, risk/reward, the influence of Flynn can be seen (three high points at various points around the green), bold features that have scale to match the relatively flat ground (lay of the land as many classic courses are) and natural in its appearance.