I added a quick (both in thought and editing) design to the
Club TFE thread on this same subject this weekend, so I'll share it here as well. It seems I have similar thought to a few folks here:
They could also add some movement to what appears to be a fairly flat green(?).
Make the desired layup area from 80-120 yards out be rolly and rumply so you would have 3 choices:
Here is the design:
Generally, since the pros are playing iron wedge, I thought it would be sensible to commit to that, and added forward tees if the members want to play it this way as well. I begrudgingly like island greens, but at sand wedge distances, any hole should have the types of trouble offered by the postage stamp, so I added some pretty severe contours to a tiered green and a fall away section to a bunker in back. For the sake of the membership, pins 1 and 2 are pretty similar to the current layout (especially when played to the right), but pins 3 and 4 both bring the bunker in play if the wedge hits a fall away contour. Pin 4 is especially challenging, because putts straight down from the top tier should run out into the bunker, and players would need to play a controlled putt down to the middle tier, which curves down to the lower tier where pin 4 sit to hold the green. This means than there is a definite benefit for targeting the back section of the green, even with the added risk of kicking into the bunker, hopefully with that section being out of play for normal, day-to-day member play.
The only other thing I did was make the fairway wider, and rumple the ideal landing area, so that folks who play the safe shot to the center of the fairway might give themselves a sub-optimal lie. Playing short off the tee leaves a safe 125+ yard landing area.
If was really fun to design, and I really think the Fried Egg crew should be commended for engaging their readership in such exercises (this is the second one they've done). I really think it got me engaged in watching a tournament I normally would have skipped.