Trying to empathize with our tree-missing members for a second. I'm trying to remember how many greens made it imperative or significantly more advantageous to attack from a specified angle, especially given the technological advances in golf balls. The problem courses run into with mass tree removal is that removing them may not necessarily lead to more strategic play, it simply allows people get on the green from a wider area (with people being able to stop balls aerially from anywhere).
Sometimes green contours test different things:
- Greens with bold shoulders in the front or sideways slopes tend to reward better angles, since "you can't get there" from certain angles (even from the fairway).
- Other green internal contours seem to test distance control and iron precision more than angles. For example, a segmented green may be accessible from all angles, but it is difficult to two putt unless you're in the precise section of the green.
In the former case, trees are definitely unnecessary, because width allows the angles. However, in the latter case, I can understand why members may think trees are needed more, since a straighter hitter may not want some big hitter swinging for the fences knowing he just has to control his distance from whatever angle he gets.
Of course, there is usually a mixture of both elements (and to varying degrees). But I'm curious of people's impressions of the greens at Teugega. Were they more in the vein of the former / latter design? And does this perhaps explain some of the member reluctance to tree removal on certain holes?
I don't have a strong feeling either way, but thought it might be worth consideration whether tree removal in some cases simply makes a hole much easier while not adding much strategically while in other cases it unlocks much more strategy (kind of like Tom Doak mentioned about the 2nd hole - which would bring the right green fall off much more into play or at least into the player's heads).
(In any case, I think we all can agree #9 needs a renovation from the firm of Poulan, Husqvarna & Stihl).