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Your thoughts on uphill approaches to angled and sloped greens

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mike_malone:
My home course provides these on several holes. The members just adore the challenge. Last week a friend hit a hybrid from 170/180 that rolled for twenty yards onto the front left of the green. I expected him to have a chance at birdie but it rolled back to the right sloping fairway down 40 yards into the rough.


Some don’t like this but I think it’s real challenge that flatter approaches can’t duplicate. Interestingly Pine Valley doesn’t have much of this. I recall most of their uphill holes as straight on. It would be over the top there.


I really think this is an exceptional architectural feature because there are so many possibilities.


Your thoughts?

Craig Sweet:
I was thinking the other day about the lack of holes at Old Works that encourage running the ball up onto the green. Most don't.  Unless perfectly struck on the proper line and pace the slope of the land rising up to the green carries the ball away from the green surface and into a hazard. I don't like that.

Scott Warren:
Mayday,

I reckon holes/shots like you describe can get out of hand pretty quickly due to green and fairway speeds getting faster (year to year and also during dormancy) and also topdressing and sand splash increasing slopes beyond what was intended.

I also find that, perhaps due to the landforms those sorts of greens are often built on, the greens tend to be inclined to shrug a marginal shot off rather than having a safer section that will gather it, albeit probably leave you with a longer putt.

They also seem too often to have balls feed back into a catchment area that invariably becomes overrun by divots.

Used sparingly, it's an impactful feature and can set up some cool experiences.

mike_malone:

--- Quote from: Craig Sweet on November 18, 2024, 06:27:13 PM ---I was thinking the other day about the lack of holes at Old Works that encourage running the ball up onto the green. Most don't.  Unless perfectly struck on the proper line and pace the slope of the land rising up to the green carries the ball away from the green surface and into a hazard. I don't like that.

--- End quote ---


 In my experience that can be fun but one usually has the option to carry it farther versus a flatter approach where either tactic works.

Jim_Coleman:
   Gary Player played RG a few years ago and was very negative, criticizing the of number of false fronts and elevated greens. “I don’t know how the members can enjoy this” was the gist of his parting remarks.
   At the time, I dismissed he criticism. After all, architecture isn’t his strong suit. I thought more about it over time, and have changed my mind. On 13 of the 18 holes, a shot that stops on the very front of the green will roll back a minimum of 15 yards and, on 8 of the holes, over 25 yards.
  I agree that this feature used “sparingly” can be challenging and fun. But on 13 holes? I’m off the reservation. I think I remember Jamie Slonis expressing a similar point of view.
   

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