gookin:
I'd only want to comment on two holes (#2 & #9) in a real way but also make very minor mention on some other holes (#1, #5, #7, #8, #12, #13, #14).
#2 and #9 are truly fascinating to me in what I really believe could make those holes better and more interesting holes, and perhaps even in some way the two of them might be looked at together for the reasons you'll see below.
From the walk with Don and the super it appears that the bunkering on the hillside left on the tee shot on #2 may not be original Raynor bunkering but in my opinion that bunkering is a very good set to have there for obvious reasons--eg the very good natural left to right slope and cant of that entire fairway area (if expanded)! In other words to take advantage of that real natural cant of that entire landform the long man can try to bomb a drive directly over that bunker set to catch the real left to right bounce and run of the ball! But you have that enormous tree just past that bunker set and rough in that area directly over the bunker set.
In my opinion, both the tree and the rough left completely corrupt and shut down the effectiveness of directly challenging that bunkering---that's what most good fairway bunkering is for---to be directly challenged---in other words that's a fantastic option that should be restored or just done! Again, the tee shot options on that hole are severely limited because of the tree and the rough on the hillside on the left. And it's a very poor idea to limit tee shot options when you have real slope on a fairway--one of the best natural features and characteristics a hole can have! Expand that tee shot fairway area as much as you dare on that slope and let the ball travel as far and as fast left to right as you can!!
Unfortunately, that tree is large and beautiful but for all kinds of reasons it just has to go as it almost completely shuts down two really great tee shot FEATURES--eg one natural, the left to right cant of the entire hillside and the other architectural, the bunker set! I don't mind trees on a golf course but only if they got planted in the right places considering their full maturity but unfortunately that attractive tree was planted in just about the worst place imaginable!
However, and this is a big "however"---if you do what I'm suggesting here, there will undoubtedly be a big contingent amongst the membership who will say this will make the hole much easier and in fact it will---to two really well thought out and executed shots from a good player! So what?---that's basically the entire point of thoughtful but aggressive risk taking that's well executed! But the downside of the way the hole is now there's no reason at all for a good player to hit an aggressive drive on that high line challenging those bunkers as there's rough and a tree just past them!! So an aggressive option is lost and corrupted and the tee shot as it is now becomes so much more one dimensional!!
If you're at all interested in what I have to say here I'd like to talk to you some more about exactly how those bunkers on the hill are arranged as to carry distance off the tee and such and also what the ideal fairway line would be past those bunkers.
When I mentioned earlier that #2 and #9 should perhaps be looked at together I only mean this in the context of the reaction to this hole (#2) possibly being made easier. If that's so, the club can expect to recoop what they lost in difficutly on #2 by what they'll get back in difficulty by restoring the 9th hole (last hole on the front nine) to Raynor's "Lion's Mouth"!!!
The thought of actually restoring Raynor's "Lion's Mouth" is probably one of the most exciting restoration ideas I've ever seen in my years of interest in golf architecture. But there's no question to me that it will be controversial amongst a contingent of your membership. History tells us, though, that all great holes tend towards the controversial as they tend to be enigmatic, mysterious, multi-optional, both loved and feared or even hated by some probably because their options are so interesting and so much in balance---making both decision making and execution anything but obvious!
If you fellows at Fox Chapel are seriously considering restoring #9 (Lion's Mouth") to the way it was explained to me Raynor originally had it I will personally guarantee Golfclubatlas itself will go to lengths you can't imagine to talk that hole up as one of the truly interesting one's of the world! I will guarantee that!!
Obvousness in both architecture and particularly in strategic choice through architecture is never a good thing, at least not to me---and I don't think I'm alone on that. Executing golf shots as it relates to architecture is one thing and it's very important but creating a higher level and a higher demand on thought in conjunction with execution is the best of all worlds!