[Steve Kline]

Piggy backing off another thread (https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,14831.0.html) about Hyde Park, I wanted to start a new thread to focus on the complete set of Ross drawings the club has and how the club plans to move forward with these.


As I mentioned in the other thread, I am a fourth generation member of the club. I joined three years ago, but I have played there for more than three decades as my uncle was a member and Hyde Park was my high school's home course. Also, I joined the grounds committee in the fall of 2020.


As the other thread mentioned, the club previously worked with Tim Liddy since the early 2000s when he developed a master plan for the club with assistance from Brad Klein (who clearly needs to learn how to spell his last name). This master plan served the club well with lots of tree removal, green expansions, and bunker renovations. This was all done without any knowledge that any Ross drawings existed of the course.


Shortly after much of the work on the course was finished, a complete set of Donald Ross' drawings of Hyde Park was found. If I have the story straight, in the 2008-2009 time frame a member found the drawings in the attic of a relatives house during a move. How serendipitous!


I was invited to the grounds committee because of my interest in golf course architecture and the club's need for a new master plan. I have been involved in selecting a new architect to develop a new master plan. The committee has made a recommendation, which I hope will be approved at the next board meeting later this month. If/when it is, I will make an announcement here as well as keep the site up to date on our progress. Our goal is to restore as much of the Ross as we possibly can.


I'm also going to use this thread to post the Ross drawings and provide my comments about the holes regarding what's currently there, what's missing from Ross' drawings, and what I hope to see happen with the hole. If you really want to geek out yourself, then you can find the complete set of drawings at https://jzugelter.imgbb.com/. Thanks to Jeff Zugelter for getting the Ross drawings online for me.


The images and comments for hole #1 will be posted soon.

[Steve Kline]

Hole #1 is mostly in the original location of Ross' hole #1. However, since I have been playing at the club, the green was moved away from the club house, adding some length to the hole. Even though the Ross drawings were non-existent at the time the green was moved, the current first green is eerily similar to the one that Ross drew. The current green has a front right and front left shelf as well as a center hogs back. This almost creates a "Y" in the green.


The hole currently has two fairway bunkers left and one farther from the tee on the right. Of course none of these are original. The green has a bunker along the left side, which was not original to Ross. However, the current green does have a front right bunker, which Ross had in his drawings. However, this bunker is too far from the green. Also, there are some fairway bunkers missing on the right not too far of the tee.


One interesting thing you will note in these drawings is that Ross drew every single bunker on the course with instructions on how deep they should be and how high the face should be. My understanding from the architect we hope to higher is that it is rather unusual to this level of detail in the Ross drawings.


Throughout these drawings, you will note that the fairways were 50-70 yards. Of course, at the time the course was built, only one cut of grass could be maintained. The current fairways range from 20-35 yards wide. I think we will shoot for an average of 45 yards wide moving forward. Our super, Pat O'Brien, wants them as wide as possible because we have zoysia fairways. They are far easier and less expensive to maintain than the rough. Last year, Pay turned off the water in the fairways to save money during COVID. That practice has basically continued and the fairways have some wonderful browns in them and playing firm and fast.

[Will Lozier]

Very Cool!!!!

[Steve Kline]

The second hole has been lengthened over the years. The current back tee is about 450 yards. Ross had it at 391 yards, which I think is the current senior tee.

As you can see in Ross' drawing, the fairway has a swale, or mini ravine, which Ross makes use of. This swale starts to drop in the landing zone of a good tee shot and kicks the ball to the right. Because the fairways are so narrow, that kick causes the ball to end up in the right rough. However, this is exactly where you want to be to get the angle to the back left wing of the green. Although accessing right hole locations would be extremely difficult from here. Also, the swale is deep enough that an excellent drive will leave a blind shot to the green with a 9 iron or PW.


All of the fairway bunkers are missing. While Liddy did add some fairway bunkers (not on this hole though), they weren't what Ross drew as Liddy didn't have these drawings. There are approximately 40-50 Ross bunkers missing from the current course, which would be great to restore. And, near where some of the fairway bunkers used to be on the right there is a giant oak tree. The canopy of this tree is just starting to encroach on the fairway, which is not good as the shade is bad for zoysia turf health. Ideally a new tree would be planted farther right, which would be completely out of play of all holes but still provide a visually majestic tree in the future.

The green is original and fantastic. It has two spines or rolls running vertically up the green. This creates a back right shelf. And, it makes accessing the back left wing of the green difficult. Also, this green is steeper back to front than the player realizes. Putts to the back green always end up short. Over the green drops 5-6 feet and is no good. Finally, even though Liddy helped greatly expand the greens closer to their original pads, the front of the green does not wrap around the left and right bunkers (now two right bunkers instead of one drawn by Ross) as it used to. This would be a great feature to restore.

Currently, there is a small group of trees left of 14 green (and there is nasty cart between the green and trees). Even though the trees are in Ross' drawing, I'd love to see those trees come down as the swale that started in the fairway becomes a major ravine that puts the second green on the edge of high ground. This would mess with a player's depth perception and make the green appear as if there is nothing long or left of it.


One neat thing about Hyde Park is that because of the compact routing you can see nearly every hole location before you play it. While walking down the 2nd fairway you see the 17th and greens. At the 2nd green you get an excellent view of the 4th green, which is critical because the second shot on 4 plays 30-40 feet uphill and the green is completely blind.

[Jason Thurman]

Steve, am I reading correctly that the No. 3 bunkers on hole 1 were designed as mounds with sand in front and behind? That's what it looks like based on the written description and presuming that "dots"=sand while "lines"=grass. I'm trying to think if I've ever seen hazards quite like that before though.


Also, is it understood that Hyde Park was constructed originally in accordance with these plans? Or do we think some of these bunkers were never actually installed? I presume the latter as the 1956 aerial on historicaerials.com clearly shows bunkers 4 and 5 on hole 1, but not bunkers 1-3. The 1932 aerial is much lower quality and there may be some fairway bunkers present, but if so they look to be on the left side of the fairway and not in accordance with the drawings here. It's just interesting to think about the idea that a "restoration" of the Ross design would create a course that's never actually been seen on the ground before.


I remember hitting a pretty good fairway bunker shot from the left side on my approach to 1 the lone time I played Hyde Park. Looks like that was added when the green was moved back. Do I remember correctly that Fazio did that work? Must've been between 1994 and 2000...


I already loved Hyde Park's golf course. I'm excited to watch this work happen.

[Steve Kline]

Jason,


Those mounds do appear to have sand in front and behind. Those mounds would be between the 1st and 18th fairway. So, they could potentially have served as dual hazards for both holes.


We believe Hyde Park was built according to these plans. But, it was not too long after construction that the depression hit and then WW2. My understanding is that during that time the course would have been maintained by just two people. Therefore, many of the constructed bunkers would have been filled in during this time for ease/cost of maintenance.


I have a series of aerials starting in 1938 that I hope to post soon. I'll try to label the holes on them. It's interesting to see the evolution.


In the 1960s, Dick Wilson did some work on the course (he built Coldstream Country Club in 1959 I think). He butchered three of the Ross greens (one of which resulted in a completely new hole and is easily the worst hole on the course). Since the first green got moved back, that means Hyde Park has 14 original Ross greens (with the original grass as well).


Then, in the early 2000s through 2010s, Tim Liddy was the consulting architect. Any work done during that time period would have been passed by him or done by him.

[mark chalfant]

Steve,


This is great news, best of luck as you and your fellow members enjoy the transition to embracing the Ross plans!  Although its been 17 years I vividly remember so many fun holes at Hyde Park. A very sporty course to play.


Mark

[Steve Kline]

A very sporty course to play.

Sporty is definitely the right word. The course maxes out around 6,600 yards. And, the regular tees are around 6,200-6,300 yards. The length will not punish you.


The greens have lots of movement (rolls, humps, tiers, slope) and wings/corners. When they are rolling at 11 or so, you can put the pins in fair but tough places that will make it quite difficult to shoot a good score.

[Steve Kline]

Before we move on to hole #3, I will post a series of aerials from 1938 to 2020.


In these aerials, starting on the left hand side, the holes that run vertically are 1, 18, 17, 9, and 12 (long par 3 with a tiny circle of fairway well short of the green). Starting at the bottom left, the holes that run more horizontally are 16, 10, 11, and 13. Hopefully you can figure out the rest.


1938



1960



1970



1994



2004



2010



2020

[Steve Kline]

Hole #3 is a downhill par 3 that from the back tees is about 210 yards but plays more like 200. And, in the summer the prevailing wind is generally helping. So, I'm usually hitting a 4, 5, or 6 iron. The hole plays basically the same length as Ross designed.


However, in the 1960s the green was altered (I'm 99% sure by Dick Wilson). Almost all of Hyde Park's greens are very wide in front, as was the case for the third green. It was nearly 25 yards in the front, had a bunker on the very front left corner, no bunker on the right, and a dry drainage ditch running from the left to the right across the hole. The second half of the green angled to the back right, with steep drop offs behind.


Currently, the front left corner bunker is more behind the green. A front right bunker was added. Now the green opening is maybe 8-10 yards wide, which is a very narrow target hitting downhill when the ball has so far to fall. The drainage ditch on the right was covered up and a cart path put on top of it. A total travesty.


Recently, the cart path was moved to go wide left of the hole and around the back of the green. A new forward tee was added at the bottom of the hill. Hyde Park is a very long course from the forward tees. It is around 5,600 yards and a par 74. And because of the ravines, there are some difficult carries. So, the upcoming work will include more forward tees to shorten the course and make it more playable for the women members.


When the new forward tee was built, the short, sort of top shot bunker in Ross's drawings was found and rebuilt. It's a very odd bunker because you can't see it from tee.

[Bret Lawrence]

Steve,


Thank you for posting these working plans of Hyde Park.  Your descriptions are excellent.  The way Ross writes about using present greens, present bunkers and the present forward tee makes it sound like Ross only made alterations to the green for the 3rd hole.  Was this 3rd hole part of the original Bendelow routing?  Looking forward to the rest of the plans.


Bret

[Steve Kline]

There is evidence in the plans, particularly when we get to number seven, that Ross was referring to work already done according to his plans. Hole 7’s drawings show a green design thy Ross cancelled and then drew with different slopes.


Also, in the club history book, I don’t think Ross kept much of the Bendelow course. I know it mentioned he kept one hole in tact, which if I remember correctly was #12.

[Steve Kline]

Hole #2 plays through the start of a ravine. Hole #3 plays from the top of the ravine down to its bottom. Hole #4 plays from the bottom of the ravine up to a knob. The use of this knob is great. Hole #4 plays up to it. Hole #5 plays down it on the tee shot. And, hole #6 plays around/over it on the second shot.


Hole #4 is just around 400 yards. Last year a new back tee was added just a few paces from the third green. Even from the regular tees this is the 3rd hardest hole on the course (based on stats from two years of play in the men's league). And, for women and seniors the hole is brutally hard because they can't hit it high enough to reach the green 30-40 feet above the fairway.


The tee shot plays through the bottom of the ravine behind the second green. So, to the right is a big hill side. If your drive ends up on that in the rough, it is a very, very difficult four. You will be hitting from 140-180 yards from the rough with a downhill lie and the ball above your feet to a green that is 30-40 feet above the fairway. However, to the left is a drainage ditch that always has water in it. This ditch then cuts across the fairway on a diagonal starting around 130 yards from the green. Up until the early 2000s, there was a giant oak tree on the left that meant if hit it in the left third of the fairway you were blocked out from the green.


In Ross' drawings, this was the widest fairway on the course at 70 yards. The fairway went from the ditch way up the hillside. The fairway is not even half as wide now. And, if your ball lands in the right rough, it almost never kicks off the hill into the fairway. This fairway must be made wider moving forward.


You can choose to lay up on the hole, but then you have 170 yards to the uphill green. And, if you happen to miss the fairway on that lay up you are done. So, I choose to hit driver. If I hit it right, at least I'm close enough to the green to have a chance to get it on top. And, if I hit it left in the ditch, I can still make 5 pretty easily and maybe even a four.


Behind the green on the back of the knob, there is a stand of trees. I am hoping we clear all of those trees out so that when you are hitting up the hill to the green all you will see is the top half of the flag stick with nothing else to aim at.


The fourth green is fantastic...one of my favorites on the course. It is steeply sloped from back left to front right. When the greens are running at 11, it can get tricky to find hole locations because of all the slope in the green. But, there are shelves in the four corners of the green that work out nicely.


There are two bunkers missing on this hole. One was a fairway bunker on the right in the hillside. It wasn't far off the tee so most could easily carry it. However, it blocked the view of the really wide fairway. We'd like to see this one restored. The second was in the hillside up to the green. It's unlikely we would restore that one.

[Bret Lawrence]

There is evidence in the plans, particularly when we get to number seven, that Ross was referring to work already done according to his plans. Hole 7’s drawings show a green design thy Ross cancelled and then drew with different slopes.


Also, in the club history book, I don’t think Ross kept much of the Bendelow course. I know it mentioned he kept one hole in tact, which if I remember correctly was #12.

Steve,


I agree with you about the seventh green.  Ross clearly made revisions to his original 7th green in the plans. 


The difference to me is that the seventh green was an original Ross hole, unlike the 3rd hole. Ross didn’t use any features from a previous hole to build the 7th hole.  I get the sense from these plans that Ross used features from an existing course on Holes 1-4.  He built new greens, while adding and altering bunkers on 1, 2, and 4.  He used the existing 3rd hole from tee to green, but made alterations to the bunkers and green as indicated in the plan. 


Starting with the 4th green, it appears Ross builds the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th without using any of the existing features of the previous course. Perhaps parts of 4, all of 5, 6, 7 and parts of 8 were on new land, not previously used by the prior architects? (Holes 12, 13 and 14 may also be on new property?)


Starting on the back nine, you begin to see the old course being referenced again.  The 15th hole is noted as using the old 12th green, but every other hole has a new green designed by Ross.  Other holes on the back mention present pits, tees and fair greens.  There is no doubt Ross completely redesigned what was there and added completely new holes, but I think it’s likely that both the 3rd hole and 15th hole are remnants of the old course. Ross’ plan for Hyde Park is too detailed and too complete to be a redesign of his previous course.


I do recognize the report in August 1922 that only one hole would remain intact, but the plans make it sound like two.  It’s interesting to note that the 12th hole became the 15th hole in Ross’ routing, and the 3rd hole remained the 3rd. To me, the plans appear to represent Ross’ work prior to 1922, with perhaps the exception of the “Revised” 7th green.  I just wanted to share a different point-of-view, to encourage the club to stay open minded on this terrific information you have uncovered.


Bret

[Steve Kline]

Bret,


I think a lot of what you say makes sense. I don't have any particular theories how much of the old course he used. I'd be surprised if he didn't use at least some of hole corridors.


I'm pretty sure I remember reading that the original clubhouse was near the current third tee. And, more land was purchased when the course first went from 9 to 18 holes. After it went to 18 holes was when Ross was brought in to completely redesign the course. I don't remember and don't have a good sense which part of the property was the additional land that was purchased.


When we met an architect recently, they walked through the big group of trees between 7, 8, and 13 and found an old green site in there, which was interesting.

[Steve Kline]

The tee on #5 is on the knob left of the 4th green. It is some 40 feet above the fairway. This should be one of the best views on the course. Behind you is the 7th green and the 8th tee, which is blocked by a few trees. To your right is the 13th green (which you can see the flag but not the green surface) and the 14th tee. And, in front you is a very narrow fairway with three fairway bunkers (which are all out of scale) and too many trees (even after tree removal) some of which overhang the narrow fairway.


#5 is a short par 5 of just 485 yards. In local tournaments, it is played as a par 4.


Ross's drawings show only one bunker, which was to the right of the green. That bunker still exists, but now there is also a left green side bunker and three fairway bunkers. Because of the left green side bunker, the front left wing of the green no longer exists.


This hole is in need of serious work. All of the trees should be cleared out to restore playing angles and promote fairway turf health. The fairway should be widened to the left - almost all the way to edge of the woods. This is the ideal driving line to attack the back right hole location with a long iron. Also, the front left bunker should be removed so that a drive to the left can use the hillside to feed the ball to the back right pin.


There is also thought to joining the 5th and 6th fairways with a scattering of bunkers "separating" them.


If these changes were made, I would change the par of the hole to 4 for the back tees only. Almost everyone playing back there feels like a 5 is a bogey anyway. And the wider fairway will allow for a freer swing off the tee and easier second shots. So, 4 will be even more likely.

[Steve Kline]

Hole #6 is a par 5 that is about 540 yards from the back tee. So, that's back-to-back par 5s.


While this has potential to be a great hole, I would argue it is currently the second or third worst hole on the course. The main reason for this is the right hand side, particularly on the huge knob extending off the back of the fourth green) is cluttered with trees. The challenge on the second shot is a blind shot to lay up or go for green but the trees prevent that.


The way the green sits the ideal second shot is as far down the fairway to the right as you can hit it. However, unless you hit it within 5-7 yards of the left rough, you have almost no chance to hit it there because of the trees. After a great drive, if you hit the middle of the fairway you are virtually forced to hit a layup with a 7 or 8 iron. Or, if you miss the fairway by two yards to the right, like I did in my club championship last weekend, then you are forced to lay up with a 9 iron or PW. Without the trees, I would go for the green in two frequently challenging the drainage ditch that comes from the left side of the fairway and crosses the very front of the green.

The drainage ditch that crossed the fairway 300 yards from the tee no longer exists. Years and years ago a pipe was put in, almost on top of the ground and then covered up. So, instead of a ditch there is a raised mound, about 3-5 feet high that crosses the entire width of the hole. It's very difficult to drive it over that mound and keep it in the fairway. If my drive gets half way up the mound that is the signal to go for it. Although it is pretty steep and a tough shot. I think this is a much better feature than the drainage ditch as almost all good players would start laying up off the tee and the hole would become a boring three shotter.

The green slopes steeply from back left to front right. And, around the left side and back of the green it's banked like a race track that funnels your ball to the right. From the front left of the green to the back right there is a false front that will catch any shot just short of your intended distance. However, the slope of the ground ends up about an inch or two below the stone wall lining the drainage ditch. So, if you ball backs up off the green, instead of going into the hazard, it stops against the stone wall. I think the ground needs to be regraded so that balls that roll off the front of the green roll into the hazard. And, instead of a 1 foot strip of rough on the green side of the hazard, I think it should be fairway straight back  into the hazard.

The contours within the green that Ross drew are there, but it seems like they have been softened over time, perhaps do to all the years of top dressing. If so, it would be great to make those internal contours a little more prominent.

The grass hollow that Ross drew left of the green is there. However, instead of being 3 feet deep, it is only 6 inches to 1 foot deep. Restoring the grass hollow should be done. The bailout left to use the race track slope of the green becomes a lot more dangerous with the hollow there. Because if you miss it in that grass hollow, you can keep it on the green, but you can't close to any pins except the ones on the far right of the green.

[Steve Kline]

Hole #7 is a par 3 that from the back tee can play anywhere from 160 to 200 yards depending on the tee and hole locations. I think the maximum the hole should play to a left hole location is 180 yards (about a 6 iron for many players today), making the hole a mid iron. Any longer than that and you quite often end up hitting the same club on both par 3s on the front.


The tee and green are benched into hillsides and you play across the low point of the ravine. The green in the front and right is reminiscent of a volcano green with very steep drop offs. The green is quite shallow so correct club selection and solid shot are paramount. It takes a few plays to realize that the green angles from front right to back left so that hole locations on the left hand side play much long and require a longer carry to reach the green. There is a fairly steep false front, but going over the green is dead. From over the green, or even on the green and past the flag, it isn't uncommon to see your shot rolling off the false front.


In Ross's drawings, you see two green designs. The one with the single hogsback down the middle of the green is the one that was built. That single hogsback really makes a difference as putting over and correctly playing the break and speed is difficult no matter which direction you are going.


There are two large oaks directly behind the green up on the hill side by the 8th tee. One is dead and coming down this winter. Hopefully, the other comes down during the restoration as well as a stand of trees behind the right side of the green and the 8th tee. I think removing these trees will reveal even more how the green is benched into the side of the hill that forms one side of the ravine that the 4th hole plays through.

[Steve Kline]

#8 is a 370-ish par 4 with a pretty hard dog leg left. There are trees on the left, mostly in a ravine, that prevent one from seeing the green from the tee. They also protect the 13th tee from a quick hook. Short of the inside corner of the dogleg is a bunker about 150 yards from the tee, which looks original to Ross's plan. Then, at the inside corner of the dogleg there are two more bunkers. These bunkers are not original to Ross and replaced the three bunkers on the outside corner of the dogleg. And, those three bunkers were replaced by two large oaks, once of which died and was removed recently.


With the current bunker arrangement, most good players try to bomb a driver up and/or around the left trees/bunkers. If you blow it right, it does not matter as you still have a wedge to the green from the rough. Granted, you may not be able to get it close, but it is an easy par. Restoring Ross's bunker design off the tee would either force a layup off the tee, likely with a hybrid and leaving an 8 or 9 iron to the green, or it would force one to hit a draw around the corner. No more easy bail out to the right off the tee.


The two bunkers about 50 yards short right of the green are no longer existing and should be restored. The same is true of the bunker back left of the green.


This is a fantastic green. There is a valley in the middle that slightly angles from front left to back right. Holes in the valley make it a definite birdie hole. But, the farther back in the valley the hole is the more your tee shot needs to be left to get it close. The front part of the valley is guard by a knob in the fairway. It is high enough you can't see the bottom of the flag for very front hole locations. The high right side is extremely small and very sloped. Hitting it on and keeping on that ledge is extremely difficult. If the hole is up there and you happen to it right it in the right bunker you will make at least a five if not more. The high left side is larger and you can attack flags there from the fairway. Putting from the back left is probably the fastest putt on the whole course and is very deceptive. Finally, there is a back right wing/shelf behind the valley. This is a great hole location. It takes guts to hit it back there and is difficult to get close to the hole.


This is a really good medium/short par 4, especially if restored to Ross's plans. You feel like should make a birdie every time, but it can jump up and grab you quickly.

[Jason Thurman]

I'm often smitten by bunkers on the outside of doglegs and think we underrate how strategic they really are sometimes. They inject a little tension on a shot where the smart player would otherwise simply take the bailout. I know that, in theory, an inside bunker is more traditionally "strategic" in that it presents a hazard to carry or skirt to set up a shorter approach. But in a DECADE world where we know how good players actually approach scoring, the way to challenge Position A is often with the outside bunkers that force a more committed swing. Excited to watch 8 transform in that light.


I have to ask - will the pond on 7 be restored/established?

[Steve Kline]

I have to ask - will the pond on 7 be restored/established?

I hope not. It doesn't add anything to the hole in my opinion.

[Steve Kline]

Last night our board approved working with Tyler Rae and Associates to develop a master plan for Hyde Park.


I heard Tyler speak at the GCA outing several years ago at Northland and was really impressed. I've also played some of the Ross courses he has worked on and was impressed with the work.



Tyler and his associate Jim came out to the club in July and toured the golf course with the grounds committee as well as super and assistants. Then, the two of them presented to the grounds committee and a few board members. Everyone was very impressed with their knowledge of Ross and passion for Hyde Park. When they showed a 3D rendering of the restored 8th hole I could feel/hear a gasp in the room. (I hope to post some images of that later.)


Some big takeaways for me from the first course tour with Tyler:


1. The green expansion is about 95% of the way there.
2. The current bunkers are too flat, meaning balls roll up to the lip and stay there. The sand needs to be flashed up more. And, the bunkers aren't deep enough.
3. More tree removal is needed.
4. Hyde Park has great land movement with the ravines running through the course and that needs to be featured. See point #3.


As we move through the process with Tyler, I will post updates here. And, if he ever has some time, hopefully Tyler and/or Jim will share some thoughts too.

[Steve Kline]

The 9th hole is about 390 yards from the back tee. A new back tee was added last year, which lengthened the hole 10-15 yards and changed the angle slightly by moving the tee farther to the right. The tee shot plays over a ravine to a plateau and the fairway ends at another ravine about 90 yards from the green. Unfortunately, some trees on the right have caused the fairway to shrink on that side. You can see the shrinkage clearly as the fairway curves in the shade of the tree and around its canopy. It appears to be precisely in this spot that the two fairway bunkers/mounds are missing. So often, where the original fairway bunkers/mounds are missing, trees were planted. Basically, the course exchanged a good hazard for a bad hazard in my opinion.


This fairway really needs to be wider to the right but even more so to the left. Notice how Ross's drawing has the fairway line bow out to the left. That is because it approaches the edge of another ravine. However, that bow in the fairway is currently next to some tree trunks.



The green used to be surrounded by 5 or so large oaks. Now there is only one behind the green.


The green itself is awesome. There is a shelf in the back center that basically takes the form of semi-circle. The shelf is fairly steeply pitched back to front. With the bunker behind the green, it is an intimidating shot to try and keep a ball on that back shelf. The shelf creates a back left and back right wing of the green. There are some interesting pin placements in those behind the greenside bunkers.

[Steve Kline]

The 10th hole as designed by Ross was 436 yards. There is a ravine that starts on the left hand side, gets deeper, and cuts across the fairway to the right where it forms a deep ravine right of the current 15th green. It also connects with a ravine behind the 10th green and right of the 14th fairway. When the ravine cuts across the fairway, the far side of it must be close to 30 feet high and the top is probably 80 yards short of green. The fairway slopes down gently and then more steeply as you get to the bottom of the ravine. When Ross built this hole in 1921, the second shot must have been incredibly difficult.


Today, the hole has been shortened some 20 yards, most likely when the snack shack was built back left of the 18th green. This is too bad, because many people think the back nine is now too short. However, even at a shorter distance and today's technology, the second shot is still a doozy. Over the last two years, the 10th hole had the second highest average over par in the men's league.


Unfortunately, large oaks were planted left of the fairway, blocking the ravine from site. This also pushed the fairway away from the ravine. So, the fairway needs to be widened closer to the ravine. Also, large trees were planted in the ravine behind and right of the green, providing depth perception and eliminating its skyline effect. These trees behind the green are damaging the health of the green. All of these trees need to be removed.


The fairway is crowned making it difficult to hit. You can lay up to a flatter area, but this leaves 180-200 yards to the green. Years ago, I used to do this. Now, I hit 3 wood. Typically this leaves me 130-150 yards. While you can still see the green, the lie is fairly down hill. Sometimes, a really good 3 wood will leave you a completely blind shot from a steeply downhill lie.


All of the fairway bunkers are missing. There is now a left green side bunker that used to be a mound.


The green is fantastic. There is a hump front right. The middle of the green is the lowest part, which sheds water to the right side of the green. The back half is a shelf that narrows as you go back. Long is absolutely dead. And, it is extremely easy to go long here as the shot plays shorter than the yardage and the ball really bounces in front of the green. The knob at B in the drawings doesn't seem to be what the green has today. It seems more horizontal to the green and is contained on the green. It does not extend into the fairway.

[Steve Kline]

Currently, #11 is pretty bland hole - probably in the bottom four on the course. It's 360 yards with a straight, featureless fairway. There's a fairway bunker that could be reached with a driver, but you can't see it from the tee.


However, the hole can be dramatically improved because it does have a very interesting green. It is steeply sloped from back to front, so much so that putting to the front of the green is one of the fastest putts on the course. And, there is a back left and back right wing behind the bunkers on either side. Widening the fairway would allow one to try and position their tee shot to access those hole locations.


I'd start by moving the tee back and to the right, which would make the hole a bit of a dogleg right instead of the straight hole it is now. This would mean 4 to 5 large oaks on the right of the hole need to come down.


The same ravine that is left of 10 is left of 11. However, the fairway is 15 yards or so away from the ravine. The ideal line to the back right wing of the green is probably 5 yards from the ravine. By moving the tee back and to the right you would be aiming at the ravine and probably want to hit driver, making the tee shot a little scarier. There are several large oaks along the ravine that prevent you from taking the optimal line off the tee. So, all of those need to come down.


Virtually all of the non-greenside bunkers and mounds in Ross' drawings are missing. Restoring these would provide much needed interest to the hole. The string of bunkers down the right would guard the ideal angle to the back left wing. And, they would aim players away from the right side, keeping drives away from the 13th tee (especially with the oaks removed on the right).


This could go from a lack luster par 4 to one with significant interest and varying strategy depending on the day's hole location.

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