Sven,
I appreciate your great love for OFCC South, but your logic on its greatness compared to the North escapes me completely.
Round 1.
Par 3’s – 3 South, probably the worst on South is not a good hole. 5 South, great green, below average hole. 12 South, is a good hole. 14 South, ok short hole.
16 North from the back tees at 215, is one of my favorite shots on any par 3 on the property. The creek, deep bunkering, the creek again, a nasty front third of the green, and an intimidation factor absent on any par three shot on South. This is a great hole.
13 North is an underrated short hole and has the same disaster left as 14 South, but has a green with some actual life to it. Uphill tee ball, usually obscured pin bottom, deep bunkers, and some near impossible pin spots make this hole both fun and treacherous.
8 North – This hole is just a bitch with a long uphill tee ball, tough deep bunkers and a fabulous green. As much as I like 12 South, 8 North is a better hole.
6 North – Probably the weakest hole on the entire North Course, but it’s still a better hole than 3 South.
So I have this match 10-8 North after Round 1.
Round 2.
Short Par 4’s – . To dismiss 4 North because Ricky Barnes hit a hybrid 260 yards from the Members tee means exactly squat. How did Ricky Barnes play 11 South? Did he hit driver to the front edge and chip up to 2 feet? Does that hole suck because of that? Do you think Ricky Barnes is shitting his pants on 6 South hitting a 110 yard wedge to the green, after bunting another hybrid to the perfect position. I think not.
This PGA Tour outlier has nothing to do with the playing, the challenge, the enjoyment, or the rating of these golf holes by 99.9999% of people who play either of these courses, and to suggest that it does is nonsense. I know you and others have great love for 6 and 11 South, they are fun holes, and 6 might even be called a great hole, but 11 is a 340 yard par 4 with tons of room off the tee and a huge green. I guess it has great “strategic value” because you have to decide which side of the bunker to hit your drive. Whoopee, it’s still a wedge from wherever your drive lands. I think this is the easiest par 4 on the course.
8 South is not a good hole, might even be called a bad hole. 16 South has a tough and fun green, but is not a good hole. And the whole screwed up routing of 8 and 9 on South detracts from the whole so much, I for one just can’t find room in my heart to pardon this gross deformity. It’s not just about each hole, it’s about the sum of the parts, each of their relation to the whole, and the tempo and rhythm of the round. The 8-9 issue on South is just such a scar. I can’t get passed it.
4 and 5, 11 and 12 North are the short par 4’s. All are really good holes for different reasons, but great holes for how they tie the entire tapestry of the routing of North together, and how they contribute to the rhythm of the round. And the routing and rhythm of North is what really seals the deal for me. 4 and 5 come after the brutality of 2 and 3, giving you a chance to make a few birdies, but neither hole is a pushover. 11 and 12 come after a tough three hole run, again, giving you the chance to score on a few holes before the final 14-18 swing that is as tough and demanding a stretch as you will find anywhere. Many a great round has been trashed between the back of 13 and the green on 18.
North 10-9. Probably shouldn’t be that close.
Round 3.
Long Par 4’s – Seriously, North has two ALL WORLD long par 4’s, and then 2, 9, 10, 17, and 18, are all great. South has 2 and 17 that are great. The rest…, …well not that great. In a four round amateur fight, the south gets knocked down 4 times in this round, is bleeding from the nose and ears, and has one eye completely swollen shut. Any merciful referee would stop the fight.
North 10-6
Round 4. In the unlikely event this match is still going…
Par 5’s – I think you dismiss 1 North a little too easily, and to suggest that ANY of the South’s par 5’s are less mundane is preposterous. From the 630 yards tips, 580 Black tees, two deep bunkers off the tee and OB left await your first swing of the day. More tough deep bunkers around the green, and probably the best change at a birdie all day make this a must score on hole. No pressure, 2 and 3 are waiting. #4 South is a nothing hole compared to 1 North, and not much of a hole compared to nothing. 7, 10 and 18 are fun par fives, but are far from great holes.
15 N – It’s a 570 yard par 5 with tight drive, penalty shot waiting on the right, and 40 oak trees waiting on the left, plus a really wicked green. I see the college kids hit hybrids to the left side of the fairway short of the bunkers, just to get in the right position and avoid death right. What is the great strategy on any of South’s par 5’s? Hit the drive into the correct half of the fairway and blast away at the green?
This fight is stopped early. KO.