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Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Cruden Bay's Saucy ST OLAF New
« on: August 20, 2024, 10:27:45 AM »
Our last game of the tour was at Cruden Bay's St Olaf course. If a green fee is purchased on the Championship Course a free game on this 9 holer is included. Not only is the game free, but it can be played the day prior, same day or the day after playing the Championship Course.  The original inner 9 hole loop was created when the OTM/A Simpson main course was opened in 1899. The St Olaf course took on the rough shape we know today after a 1926 redesign by Simpson & Fowler. This course closed during WWII and wasn't opened again until 1968 whan it was named St Olaf. One can only wonder at the sight of a course being reborn after 30 years of abandonment.

A map of the Simpson/Fowler St Olaf course hemmed in between the opening and closing holes of the Championship Course.


Due to recent changes to the Championship course, the St Olaf design was altered. I never played the previous version, so best as I can figure out, the following is in place.

1. New Mackenzie hole using general routing of old 1st

2. The old 3rd green; new tee set back on area close to old 2nd green

3. The old 4th, but slightly shortened with a new green closer to the tee.

4. The old 5th, shortened.

5. New Mackenzie hole using the an which was part of the practice ground.

6. Old 6th green now as a par 3; tee sits in saddle of old 6th fairway.

7. Old 7th

8. Old 8th

9. Old 9th

The opener isn't special, but it does get the game away in a decent fashion.


A long legger right, the uphill second green is tagged into a dune.  From the tee the hole doesn't reveal itself very well. Perhaps it is a new tee?


Behind the green.


More to follow.

Ciao
« Last Edit: November 02, 2024, 01:56:08 PM by Sean_A »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Cruden Bay's Saucy ST OLAF: 1-2
« Reply #1 on: August 21, 2024, 04:28:39 PM »
St Olaf Tour Cont

Much like the 1st, the 3rd is a medium length par 4 which turns left. Good green. Playing over the same bumpy low-level terrain, the short 4th is a subtle hole. 


I am quite taken by the 5th. Two bunkers sit in the left 1/3 of the fairway leaving a bit of room on that side. The right side is open, but it wasn't clear if the green repelled approaches from this side. Being a short par 4, going for the green has its perils with a gorse laden hill on the right. In the end I bailed well right.


I gather the new 6th is controversial. I think this hole used to have its tee just beyond the current 4th green. The hole doglegged left over the ridge near the current 5th green. The hole is now a par 3, whose tee is just right of the current 5th green. Crackin' hole.


Photo taken from behind the green on the 7th tee. The Championship 5th is in the background.  The green would fit well with the far off Simspon cousin, Rye.


More to follow.

Ciao
« Last Edit: August 21, 2024, 04:31:39 PM by Sean_A »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Cruden Bay's Saucy ST OLAF: 1-6 New
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2024, 06:33:03 AM »
St Olaf Tour Cont

The course does suffer a bit from a lack of variety and this may in part be due to all four short holes playing modest distances. Three of the last four holes are par 3s with the unyielding 8th breaking the string.  Akin to the 6th, the 7th is enclosed in a pack of dunes running 500-600 yards from near the 3rd tee to the 5th green on the Championship course. This dune system impacts six holes; four greens and four tees are within this area. It makes perfect sense to return to the this dramatic part of the course as much as reasonable. The routing interacts initially on the second green, then returns for the 5th green and 6 & 7.


From the bottom of the swale.


I believe the 8th is a hold-over from from the OTM/A Simpson days. The drive comes down from the dunes to the flat to a pop up green rising about eight feet above the fairway.




Behind the green.


Not an attractive hole, the short 9th runs to the rear of the small green which gives the hole a bit of an edge.


Left of the hole (play is from the right). The lush meadow grasses are evident throughout the property.


Behind the green.


It is difficult to see how St Olaf could be a more balanced course given the strong dichotomy of terrain between dunes and the flat. Despite the four short holes and no truly great holes, St Olaf is impressive; 2, 6 & 7 are quality holes and it would be harsh to condemn any of the holes with the label of poor. I would definitely need to see the course again for the possibility of a star rating. In the meantime, St Olaf definitely makes my NIfty 50....suffice it say I like it.

Ciao
« Last Edit: September 11, 2024, 03:28:46 AM by Sean_A »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Ally Mcintosh

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Cruden Bay's Saucy ST OLAF
« Reply #3 on: August 23, 2024, 06:41:00 AM »
Sean,


You have a Nifty Fifty and a Happy 100…


Other than your Michelin star ratings, do you have anything else?

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Cruden Bay's Saucy ST OLAF
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2024, 07:04:56 AM »
Sean,

You have a Nifty Fifty and a Happy 100…

Other than your Michelin star ratings, do you have anything else?

Ally

The Nifty 50 is the top 50 of my Happy 100  :D .

My scale is very similar to the Michelin system.

3* Don't miss for any reason

2*Plan a significant trip around this course

1* Worth an overnight detour/extra night

R Worth a significant day trip (no more driving then it takes to play and have drinks)

r Good fall back on course/trip filler

NR Not recommended

I leave it to reader to distinguish between r and R. Very rarely would I NR a course.

Ciao
« Last Edit: August 23, 2024, 07:08:32 AM by Sean_A »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

John Mayhugh

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Cruden Bay's Saucy ST OLAF
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2024, 09:18:20 AM »
If you and Clyde Johnson are both fans, then it's a must in my book.

Niall C

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Cruden Bay's Saucy ST OLAF: 1-6
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2024, 09:43:13 AM »
Despite the four short holes and no truly great holes, St Olaf is impressive; 2, 6 & 7 are quality holes and it would be harsh to condemn any of the holes with the label of poor.

Ciao


Sean


It certainly would be harsh to call any hole poor but I think you're doing the course a disservice by saying that none of the holes are great. Personally I think the 9th is worthy of that description, being a really challenging short par 3. The 6th might be knocking on the door of great as well but I'm possibly biased with that being the one hole I birdied.


Niall   

Thomas Dai

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Cruden Bay's Saucy ST OLAF
« Reply #7 on: August 23, 2024, 12:09:38 PM »
Thank you for this photo tour.
It was saddening when I heard that the St Olaf course was being changed and changed quite a bit.
Reflections and memory time as I must have played zillions of rounds on the previous version starting into the wind on the 1st with its at times partly wettish fairway and playing into a lovely narrow green with fall-aways on both sides. I can’t make it out from the photos but I presume the 1st now plays at a shorter yardage and to a new more left-side green site?
Then came the fine par-3 2nd, now seemingly gone for good, and the 3rd and 4th and 5th with there humpy-bumpy fairways running alongside and between one of the then two practice grounds. These seem to now be re-numbered as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
The great 6th hole, or rather the former 6th hole, regarded by some as the best hole of the entire 27 (28) holes at CBGC is now gone. Replaced by a par-3 (now #5) laid out in what was once a second practice area lying between the old 6th fairway and still current 8th hole. From looking at a google satmap it would appear that the former 6th teeing area and surrounds are now a short game practice area?
Dropping a ball at the top of the ridge line partway along the then par-4 old 6th and playing to the then (and still now) green used to be a regular fun option, and a delightful shot into the lovely greensite resulted. It must now play as an equally splendid par-3. The drive on the old 6th, when played as a par-4, was pretty taxing being narrow with gunch on both sides. Not many could carry the ridge from the tee regularly and still find their ball.
The 7th with its narrow, two tier benched green and evil front bunker, used to be played from two different tees. One as now from a tee atop the dune high above the 6th green, the other tee set at a much lower level to the right of the same dune.
The 8th, usually playing back into the wind, was/is a terrific hole. Not many could land and hold the green with their second shot instead usually having to pitch-up the high semi-vertical bank from short and/or left of the green. Immediately to the right hand side of the 8th green was a significant area of thick gorse and long grass. A spot very much to be avoided. This hole, or at least the tee and some of the fairway, were the original 4th hole on the OTM/Archie Simpson CBGC 18-hole layout (per 1896 map).
The 9th was never a hole that particularly appealed to me. Others may differ. A shortish iron that pretty much wherever the pin was would usually end up rolling into in the middle of the raised front and rear, lower mid-section green.
And then the short walk through the gorse back to the nearby 1st tee with another 9-holes beckoning. And likely another-9 and another-9 after that as the lovely routing and short green to next tee transitions allowed the St Olaf to be played in pretty rapid time.
Atb


Below - this now coloured old B&W photo would appear to show the 8th tee of the St Olaf course when it was the 4th tee on the original OTM/AS CBGC course (per 1896 map) -   
« Last Edit: August 23, 2024, 03:14:22 PM by Thomas Dai »

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Cruden Bay's Saucy ST OLAF
« Reply #8 on: August 24, 2024, 03:36:33 AM »
Thank you for this photo tour.
It was saddening when I heard that the St Olaf course was being changed and changed quite a bit.
Reflections and memory time as I must have played zillions of rounds on the previous version starting into the wind on the 1st with its at times partly wettish fairway and playing into a lovely narrow green with fall-aways on both sides. I can’t make it out from the photos but I presume the 1st now plays at a shorter yardage and to a new more left-side green site?
Then came the fine par-3 2nd, now seemingly gone for good, and the 3rd and 4th and 5th with there humpy-bumpy fairways running alongside and between one of the then two practice grounds. These seem to now be re-numbered as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
The great 6th hole, or rather the former 6th hole, regarded by some as the best hole of the entire 27 (28) holes at CBGC is now gone. Replaced by a par-3 (now #5) laid out in what was once a second practice area lying between the old 6th fairway and still current 8th hole. From looking at a google satmap it would appear that the former 6th teeing area and surrounds are now a short game practice area?
Dropping a ball at the top of the ridge line partway along the then par-4 old 6th and playing to the then (and still now) green used to be a regular fun option, and a delightful shot into the lovely greensite resulted. It must now play as an equally splendid par-3. The drive on the old 6th, when played as a par-4, was pretty taxing being narrow with gunch on both sides. Not many could carry the ridge from the tee regularly and still find their ball.
The 7th with its narrow, two tier benched green and evil front bunker, used to be played from two different tees. One as now from a tee atop the dune high above the 6th green, the other tee set at a much lower level to the right of the same dune.
The 8th, usually playing back into the wind, was/is a terrific hole. Not many could land and hold the green with their second shot instead usually having to pitch-up the high semi-vertical bank from short and/or left of the green. Immediately to the right hand side of the 8th green was a significant area of thick gorse and long grass. A spot very much to be avoided. This hole, or at least the tee and some of the fairway, were the original 4th hole on the OTM/Archie Simpson CBGC 18-hole layout (per 1896 map).
The 9th was never a hole that particularly appealed to me. Others may differ. A shortish iron that pretty much wherever the pin was would usually end up rolling into in the middle of the raised front and rear, lower mid-section green.
And then the short walk through the gorse back to the nearby 1st tee with another 9-holes beckoning. And likely another-9 and another-9 after that as the lovely routing and short green to next tee transitions allowed the St Olaf to be played in pretty rapid time.
Atb


Below - this now coloured old B&W photo would appear to show the 8th tee of the St Olaf course when it was the 4th tee on the original OTM/AS CBGC course (per 1896 map) -   


WW

Does it look like the 6th green was altered?

Ciao
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Thomas Dai

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Cruden Bay's Saucy ST OLAF
« Reply #9 on: August 24, 2024, 01:18:13 PM »
It doesn’t seem to have been. So good it didn’t need to be? Could be wrong though.
Atb

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Cruden Bay's Saucy ST OLAF: 1-6
« Reply #10 on: September 04, 2024, 02:15:28 AM »
Despite the four short holes and no truly great holes, St Olaf is impressive; 2, 6 & 7 are quality holes and it would be harsh to condemn any of the holes with the label of poor.

Ciao

Sean

It certainly would be harsh to call any hole poor but I think you're doing the course a disservice by saying that none of the holes are great. Personally I think the 9th is worthy of that description, being a really challenging short par 3. The 6th might be knocking on the door of great as well but I'm possibly biased with that being the one hole I birdied.

Niall

Niall

9 wouldn’t be my choice. I would lean more toward 6. In any case. St Olaf is a fine course. Any chance it is better now?

Ciao
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

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