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) -
