[Chris_Hufnagel]

Great tour Richard...

I found the mowing line around the first fairway bunker interesting - they cut the approach to fairway height to allow balls to run into the bunker versus stopping them with a narrow sliver of rough.  I don't remember any other green side or fairway bunkers with a similar treatment.

The tee shot does leave several options and I suppose multiple plays here would be of great benefit - as a guest, I found myself – pulling club, being indecisive, pulling a different club, changing my mind, etc.  It certainly was an uncomfortable tee shot for me...

Chris.

[John Percival]

R,
At 15, the fwy left of the two middle bunkers was widened by about 4 yards. The overhead pic was taken before the change. While 4 yards does not sound like much, it does create a more receptive option on the tee ball. In fact, Laura smacks her drive into that section about 90% of the time.
A lay-up short of the bunkers leaves about 165 in, but that is uphill and into the prevailing breeze. The breeze is funneled thru the large trees on both sides of the green, thus making the approach play about 20-25 yards longer than the distance. And the back left pin looks like it's waaayyy off the green.
Coming after the brutal 13th green and brutal 14th hole, the 15th is often overlooked by players. They should look again, for it can be one  nasty sleeper.

Chris, great eye, as that bunker is the only one to be trimmed tight. Would like to see more done that way. Have had a large number of foot in/foot out stances lately.

[Tom Allen]

I agree with the earlier sentiment.  No. 11 is simply a FANSTASTIC golf hole.  No other way to put it.

I had the misfortune ("mis-talent" more accurately) to put it into the first fairway bunker on the right.  I faced a hill of six feet of sand rising past my head, and had no view of the green.  For some reason, I liked it.

Thanks for the tour!  Can't wait until my return trip in May or June 2014.

[Richard Choi]

Hole #16, 401 yards, Par 4

This dramatic water hole is probably the hole that most TV viewers would recognize. This dogleg right around a pond does not play as difficult as it looks, but I am sure it feels like a torture test during a Sunday stretch at a major.



While the pond to the right is the major feature for this hole, from the tee, the pond is barely visible and intimidation factor is mostly in your head, rather than visual. Most are going to stay well clear of the water to the left, which will bring rough into play.



Staying short of the pond will mean your approach shot will be entirely over the water.



Based on the original layout, the entire right side rough used to be fairway all the way to the water. A restoration closer to the original design would probably greatly enhance the risk/reward strategy of this hole.



Even if you bomb a drive past the pond, with the combination of the water that juts in just short and around the green on the left and the bunkers guarding the left side, the approach here is no joke.



The large green is bisected by a spine in the middle and slopes left to the water on the right. Hitting a greenside bunker shot is a dicey proposition.

[Richard Choi]

Hole #17, 194 yards, Par 3

Parkland par threes don't come more dramatic than this hole. It is a fearsome looking hole that rises out of the ground with primitive, wild bunkers lashing across it.



The hole is as intimidating from the tee as the giant scale of the features overwhelms you. The amazing thing is the hole looks even more intimidating in the pictures from the 20's with unkempt bunker edges that look even larger and wilder than they do today.

Your goal is simple - avoid the bunkers at all costs.



It is difficult to convey how epic this bunker is. It is absolutely cavernous. It is also a ton of fun to hit out of.



The green is just as wild as the bunkers that surround it with various humps and hollows that give amazing character to this hole. This is one of the best par threes you will see anywhere.

[Richard Choi]

Hole #18, 475 yards, Par 5

The thrilling walk around this roller coaster ends with a hole worthy of deciding a major championship winner. This dogleg right par 5 is reachable in two with two great shots.



The tee shot is an intimidating one as everywhere you look in the driving zone, there are bunkers abound. The preferable miss is to the left...



...as the bunkers on the right are quite severe as you can see here.



If you manage to hit the fairway, you have a long iron/fairway wood approach to the uphill green. The fairway is reverse canted to the left, which makes the high fade you want to hit even more difficult.



If you are hitting out of a bunker or laying up, the landing area short of the green is pinched in by the bunker from the left. The green is perched well above you, so you will be hitting a blind wedge up to the green.



You better not hit the approach to the green short as the bunkers are steep and quite, quite soft.



This is one of the best green on site with 4 or 5 distinct pin zones requiring precise distance control. You must leave the ball below the hole as there is a severe slope from back to front.

[Richard Choi]

That concludes the tour, hope you enjoyed as much as I did.

This is easily one of the best course I have ever played. The site is full of rolling hills and hollows that beg for golf holes, and the routing genius of Ross is certainly obvious. The greens, as a group, are as good as you will find anywhere with full of drama that will never let you get tired of playing this course.

Are there too many bunkers? Probably. Could they remove few more trees? Sure. But those shortcomings do not overcome the fact that this is a thinking man's golf course brute enough to challenge the very best players.

As I have mentioned before, if Oakland Hills ever decides to do the same type of restoration that Plainfield did, bringing back Ross' original bunkers and width, I would imagine it would be good as any in US.

Everything about this place, with its deep history, stately clubhouse, and classic layout is something almost every other country club strives for but never quite achieves. This is one great golf course.

[Tom Allen]

Thanks for the tour.  Outstanding summary and pics. 

[BHoover]

Seeing the severity of 18 makes Harrington's par in the final round of the 2008 PGA look pretty damn impressive. That hole is an absolute BEAST of a par 4!

[John Percival]

R,
Great job. You captured the South course's challenge and nuances very well.
The overhead shots combined with the POV are a great touch.
Congrats

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