A bunkerless course?

[Lou_Duran]

Tim,

Re: TOC, you must be myopic or blind.  When I played the course, the bunkers which I could only see part of and some not at all (but knew that they were there), fully occupied my mind.  Bunkers make for interest and strategy.  I have not played a great course that did not have some bunkers, say 20 or more.

Mike DeVries,

What is the status of Meadow?  Are you about done?

[ian]

Brian,

I think Jeff's example says a lot. If the land has drama in the contour, terrain and slopes can play the role of hazard. Highland Links is a great example

I agree, deep banks and edges could do wonders, especially in the morning and evening.

I think irrigating fairways and not roughs is something I dearly miss from the days that I began playing. As much as I agree with your idea, I can't help but think that it would be hard to convince a club to do this.

There are better experts on this than me, but the variety of colour available in native grasses is spectacular.

[Chris Perry]

Brian if you want an idea of what Ian is talking about the gallery is here:

http://www.hockley.com/gallery_golf.asp#

Those are some pretty sculpted greensites, and a couple are perched on top of some pretty dastardly hillsides (#10) that you wouldn't want to miss a shot on.

Gotta love those fall colors as well, looks like Vermont in September.  

[Kevin_Reilly]

Mike DeVries,

What is the status of Meadow?  Are you about done?

I can give a comment on that one, since I toured the course two weeks ago with the head pro Jim O'Neal.  It appeared that 12 of the holes had been done, leaving 6 to be worked on at a rate of 2-3 per year.  I wished I could have taken pictures, but it was raining cats and dogs that day.  Things looked fantastic though...I hadn't played the course since 1984.

[Tim_Weiman]

Lou Duran,

My comments regarding not thinking about the bunkers really applied to the Cashen. Bunkers do influence play more on Ballybunion's Old course, but even there you could remove them all and still not change the course that much.

Biggest exceptions: #1, 5, 16 and 18.

[Mike_DeVries]

Lou and Kevin,

13 holes are done.  We have 3 (including #4 tees) and 6 to do this year.  #7, #13, and #15 in 2005 will complete the restoration.

Kevin, glad you liked things -- hope the weather is a bit better next time you get a chance to get out.

Mike

[Michael Dugger]

Boy, I'd really like to see some pictures from The Meadow Club.

Purdy please

[Jeff_Mingay]

Geez Mike, I can't believe I used Highlands Links as an example of a great course with limited bunkering and didn't think of Greywalls. Too much Labatt's Blue!

Ian, Greywalls in many places is similar to Highlands Links in scale and contour. Probably more similar to the Muskoka landscape though, than Cape Breton Highlands.

Greywalls is a fine example as well, of a great course with comparatively few bunkers.

Go to www.marquettegolf.org to look at some photos of the course in various stages of construction/grow in.