R,
Am back. Regarding the seventh green contours...first of all, the green sits beyond a small rise, so shots flying and landing short will not advance. However, a well-played running shot (especially from just short of the green) will run up nicely. There is a small trough/funnel at the green's middle that drains to the left and the back pin is on a crest that rises from the green's mid-point. While the rise seems gentle, anyone who is putting from the green's rear is usually shocked at the run out and faces a much longer than hoped for second putt.
The large tree at green's left does shade the green, and like most large/close trees, is an agronomical (is that a word?) problem. A pity is was not planted about 7 paces further left. But that planting was a long time ago.
As to why the hole is my favorite...
...first of all, the shapes of the tee ball and the approach balance - tee ball bends right and approach favors a draw. Second, the hole plays into the prevailing wind, testing the player's accuracy and solid ball striking capacity. The pond adds just the right amount of pucker factor, yet is not so foreboding to overwhelm (in fact, when the hole is played at full length, 449, it is hard for me to reach the pond, thus making the tee ball less frightening.) BTW, the maint crew sets it to play from 449 down to 360. A nice change of pace from day to day. The pond was enlarged more towards the tee by Rees and also widened. An interesting note is that the two water holes at OH are both on the 7th hole of their respective sides.
But the biggest reason for my affection is the strategic/heroic nature of the tee shot. You are right that a draw can be played into the left-to-right slope. Additionally, a fade also works as a play. In fact, a fade played aggressively and successfully toward the fwy's right (and close to the hazard's edge) will reward the player with a relatively flat lie and a kind angle into the green. Tee balls played safely to the left (and avoiding the deep fwy bunkers) leave the player with a hanging lie into the green which is angled from 11 to 5 o'clock. Greenside bunker shots from the two right bunkers tend to roll out, thus making them a finesse test, while the left bunker extends back and can leave a yanked approach with a long bunker save.
The final element that makes the hole so great is that it is the start of a 5 hole stretch (especially in tournament play) that are huge tests. And of the five, it may just be the easiest. So, stand on the tee thinking that!
Note: the pitch of the fwy at 7 is quite obvious to all. However, many players dont realize that most approaches from all the fairways are from uneven lies, making the shots even more of a challenge. The hole that is the exception-#14. A hole which is just plain nasty. A challenging par 5.
Er, par 4
