These threads are generally a psychological study for me anyway. Any review or opinion is a practical Goldilocks of comments. Too fast. Too slow. Just right. All on the same putting green. All within 15 minutes of each other.
The question remains how does the golf course suit the idea that golf is merely hit ball find ball hit ball again until hole. Repeat 18x.
I've attempted the approach shot in question almost weekly for the past 9 years and have yet to be able to repeat your result. I've never NOT been able to bound an approach shot into any of the greens on the property but then again I've been immersed in the site fully for a decade now. I will stand by my statement that it's more about knowing HOW to integrate with the golf course conditions than the same TAKING AWAY the option. You even hint at it yourself, to wit: "I didn't get to play the golf course the way
I wanted to play it."
No golf course on the planet gives a damn how
you wish to play it.
I do know that I am generally fearful of the ball going long and almost always use the approach to scuttle the ball on to the green, even if/when I'm fortunate enough to catch a bounce of the tee that puts a shorter iron in my hand.
The approach is partially blind, with many of the low hillocks completely blind, from the distance in question so I'm not sure you could fully see how the ball behaved on the ground or if it bounced into an upslope or bottom of the hollow. I do believe that you visualized a shot and it didn't end up as intended but as is most often the case in those situations that has much more to do with the archer and the arrow than it does with the target. Your numbers seem suspect, too. If you have the fire power to knock 2/3 off a 4 iron and trundle it in there from 180 yards out you probably have the firepower to hit a tee shot further down the fairway than you did. Though admittedly you did say you switched Drivers on that tee.
The slight dig was more to your comment (on the blog, which I clicked so good job on getting that engagement!) that you don't evaluate golf courses based on your own preferences. Utter rubbish. Everybody does. In fact, I'm not really interested in reading your opinion through the lens of what you think others want to think but rather in how your own experience and perspective shapes your opinion. The worst thing that can happen their is that I think you're a moron, but at least you're an HONEST and OPEN moron all the same. And guess what? We're all morons.
Maybe I'm just offended that my namesake friend of yours clearly didn't do our shared given name any justice.
Looking forward to your return.
P.S. Didn't realize you were the Coach at Behrend.