An excerpt from a thread on Blue Mound G&CC (Raynor intact), where -- wouldn't you know -- the Double Plateau and Biarritz follow each other (note particularly George Bahto's description of the DPlateau concept, taken from his GCA interview):
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,45401.0.html#2 (par 4, 415/400 – Double Plateau)
One of the tightest drives on the course leads to a blind outcome, as Raynor used a small ridge to hide the landing area of the fairway. While there is some room right, OB looms just a few steps beyond the tree line left.
The green at the 2nd, one of the best at Blue Mound (which is saying something, given how good the greens are here). The large, triangular shaped green has three distinct sections – lower right, upper back, and front left. Although the front of the green is open, traps nearly completely encircle the sides and back of the green. The golfer not precise with an approach shot will often be putting from one section to another. Here are several looks at the green.
Here is George Bahto’s description of the Double Plateau green from the GCA archives, which fits the 2nd at Blue Mound nearly exactly: “The green was generally in an ‘L’ shape and contained at least three levels. A lower level in the center of the green, one plateau one and a half feet higher and a third plateau higher yet. The plateaux were most often right rear and left front but came in varied configurations. The lower level funnelled aggressive shots directly into the rear bunker beyond. Pin placements are very difficult because for what has been created is essentially three small greens on one putting surface.”
#3 (par 3, 220/200 – Biarritz)
The Biarritz – at Blue Mound, the front half of the greensite is kept as tightly mown fairway, not as a putting surface.
The course received quite a bit of rain the day before I was there, and thus didn’t play as fast and firm as it might have otherwise. Still, in watching several players take on the 3rd, not one attempted a ground-game approach to this back-pin location. With such a pronounced swale fronting the putting surface, I’d be interested to know how often the traditional approach to playing a Biarritz is utilized by the membership.
