At National you will now find the "ORIGINAL" look of their Leven. ..... The great 17th
I've "lobbied" for a long time to rid the flat-top of the Leven berm with its Don King style hair transplant look. They have been very busy getting the course ready for Walker Cup but Bill Salinetti the club's excellent Keeper Of The Green found some time and fit it into his work load, added just the right amount of material atop the berm, as well as some tangent shaping, to return the feature to its CBM's intent. Old photos taken during the original Walker Cup served as the source of information for the height and shape of the feature.
It's great to see a club like NGLA, its administration and its staff, be so aware of protecting the originality of their course.
17-NGLA has always been listed in the top 100 golf holes along with Redan, #4. Yes, a very short par 4 listed among the greatest holes.
Mr. Macdonald's version here is unique, in that with its overall downhill topography, it creates an interesting situation that I cannot recall at other Leven holes. The further (farther?) down you hit your ball, the less of the flagstick you see. Most Levens seem to have been built over level or uphill land.
Great job Bill!