Less is more!

[Tom_Doak]

An aside -
what are the things in the sea behind the green? Fish farms or something else?
atb

Yes, fish farms.  I saw them just offshore on several of the Asian seaside courses I visited this year.

[Jeff_Brauer]

What is good vs great golf architecture is soooo subjective.  Take the latest Golf Club Atlas Home page photo that is up right now (maybe someone here can add it to this thread)?  That left front bunker is beautifully done (as are the other bunkers surrounding the hole).  However, do those bunkers add to or subtract from the beauty of this golf hole? 

Here's the pic in question.

Looking at it again, strikes me that the front right probably needs a safety bunker more than the left.  I could see a narrow neck of green going between the two bunkers, creating a really narrow pin position.  Sometimes, its hard to get the front pin to be the hard one, but this would do it.  Also, I could see using the downslope of the fairway as sort of a funnel to get the ball to the narrow pin.

[Tom_Doak]

Looking at it again, strikes me that the front right probably needs a safety bunker more than the left.  I could see a narrow neck of green going between the two bunkers, creating a really narrow pin position.  Sometimes, its hard to get the front pin to be the hard one, but this would do it.  Also, I could see using the downslope of the fairway as sort of a funnel to get the ball to the narrow pin.

The picture must be deceiving your eye ... the slope at the front of the green is pretty sharply down to that little approach area, so you are more likely to spin the ball back off the front of the green, than funnel one up there.  And the slope from back to front is pretty steep, so the front pin is already hard ... but not as hard as the right-hand hole location.


I hit a bit of a pulled short iron here, and between that and a right-to-left wind, even the saving bunker was not enough to save my shot.

[Thomas Dai]

Thanks for the fish farm confirmation Tom.
I haven’t commented before as I was a bit confused by the photo but now I read about the photo deceit and deceptiveness and slopes around the small front fairway area I can understand better the need for the bunkering. Also the practicality of riding a mower around the sides and rear without one-day someone going over the cliff edge makes the bunkering more understandable.
Cool hole visually though, although not sure of the number of playing options, but sometimes you can’t have everything.
I’d be interested to know the prevailing wind direction and it’s usual strength.
Atb

[Tom_Doak]

The hole plays to the east so you can likely find it playing downwind, or with the wind off the right, or the left.  Anything but into the wind. It's a coastal site so one would expect it to be breezy, but I don't know how often it's very windy.


The hole does at least make you think about whether to attack the flag (back right) or play to the middle of the green (which is hard to identify because of the kidney shape).

[Norbert P]

Modified . . . .      Test . . .     Hey!  It worked  . . . ugh !  (temporarily). 
 Anyway, picture was of right bunker coming closer up the approach with golfable turf between it and the big rock outcrop.  Fence removed for 10 yards or so.   




  I invested 3 minutes into modifying the photo and another 30 minutes to figure out how to post this angelic Bierstadt-ish image.


  I didn't mind the subtlety of the pre-modified bunker so much as the "assumption" that a ball hit on right edge of approach would kick the ball across the fence - thus OB.   Thus, the mod makes a "saving" bunker, and is still safe.   


  It balances better to the eye and lessens the severity of the left bunker.


BTW, Jeff B, I like your "tough promontory" idea.

[Rich Goodale]

Great to hear from you, Slag!


ForkaB

[Norbert P]

Great to hear from you, Richard,   my favorite Aberdourian.

[Rich Goodale]

Shiite replica of PB 7th with useless vegetation right, left and rear.  One of the worst golf holes I have ever seen.  Shame on the archie involved,