Old Town Club (Perry Maxwell) - A Photo Tour - Hole 16 Posted

[Dunlop_White]

Thanks to Mark for his Photo Tour. Here are some Fall pics to supplement those that he is posting.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dunlopwhite/sets/72157625240206538/show/

Also, I enjoy depicting holes from areas golfers are not accustomed to. Long distant perspectives and cross-course vistas are the most appealing to me, often made possible by tree removal.

[Ronald Montesano]

Dunlop,

What a well-lit day you had for your photos. In order, it seems you love background-midground-foreground sequencing, glowing light against fall colors and (as you indicated) the hole from an angle that is not the played one. I suspect that this course is the great unknown, the one that will be recognized as a model course in the next decade.

[Mark Saltzman]

Hole 10: Par 4, 410 Yards

A tee shot I've seen probably 25 times from Maxwell -- the start of the fairway is clearly in view, but the landing zone is blind, over a hill, with little indication of the ideal line (for example, see the 5th at Oklahoma City; 14th at Twin Hills; 3rd at Bristow; 7th at Southern Hills; 12th at Crystal Downs...).




The approach plays downhill with the tilt of the fairway running severely from left-to-right and away from the golfer.  A single bunker on the left side guards the landing spot for those wishing to run the ball onto this green.






One of the most subtle and difficult greens on the golf course.  The green has a large hump in its centre; as a result, missing on the short side is actually the preferred miss as the golfer will be playing back into the slope of the green.  Missing on the wrong side of the hump leaves a very difficult chip/putt.







Hole 11: Par 3, 210 Yards

Though maybe not the most interesting hole on the golf course, it is probably the prettiest.  The same creek that wound in front of the 8th green once again comes into play, guarding the entire right-side of the hole.






A single bunker left protects against a bail-out...




And the green is one of the tamest on the course, with a tier on the left portion of the green and a feeder slope that allows clever golfers to get near a right-hand pin without challenging the water.







Hole 12: Par 4, 430 Yards

One of my favourite holes on the golf course.  The green is straightaway but blind from view from the tee.  The golfer is rewarded if he can keep his tee ball down the left side of this severely left-to-right sloping fairway.  Balls that end-up on the right portion of the fairway will leave a completely blind approach to the green.




From the left portion of the fairway, depending on the length of the tee shot, at least some of the green may be in view.  Once again, the green lay at an angle to the fairway, making this approach from a severely sloping lie a very difficult.




What cannot be seen from the fairway is the creek (yep, same creek) that has run down the right side of the hole and crosses the fairway 15 yards short of the green.




As contoured as any green at Old Town, the 12th green is a great of example of the Maxwell Rolls:

[Greg Krueger]

Just wanted to bump this. Mark, any chance you could finish this awesome tour?

[Paul Jones]

I have only played Old Town Club once and came away thinking it is one of the most underrated courses I have ever played.  It was nice to visit with Dunlop (he was healing from an injury so he didn't play) when I played, but he did give me a tour and have a drink with me to discuss the course.  I cannot wait to get back to Charlotte and play Old Town again.  It is one of the most quant places I have been too.

The pictures are great and bring back memories of when I played it - the Wake Forest team even let me play thru on the front nine :-).

Paul

[Mark Saltzman]

Hole 13: Par 4, 440 Yards

I don't have too many pictures of the 13th, but it sticks out from the rest of the course as it is unusually treed and narrow.  It's probably the most difficult hole on the course.







Hole 14: Par 4, 340 Yards

This is how a short hole should be designed; simple and strategic -- even without overt penal features, birdie is a distinct possibility but bogie is lurking.  The tee shot is played to a fairway that slopes significantly from right-to-left toward a creek (yep, same creek!) that runs down the length of the left side of the hole. 




A look at the tilt in the fairway...




This very small green is guarded closely on the left by a severe drop off and to the right by bunkering that will require a delicate recovery down the slope of the green.




This green has an unbelievable amount of internal contouring spread among such a small surface.  Along with the 12th and 15th greens at Oakwood CC in Enid, OK, it shows just how wild Maxwell was willing to get with his greens on the 'birdie holes'.





Hole 15: Par 3, 230 Yards

A very difficult par-3 with a creek (same creek) running down the entire left side of the hole.  The green extends farther left than one can see (or imagine) from the tee.  Shots can be run onto the right portion of the green, and a shot with a little leftward spin could use the green contours to find the left side of the green.  It wouldn't be so far a stretch to say Bill Coore got the idea for his now template green as seen at 8 at Sand Hills from this green.

Tee View:






Green from right:






When on the 14th fairway, one gets a clear look at both the shape and contouring of the wild 15th green.  A clever routing trick by Maxwell, allowing the golfer to preview the shot.  Note the boomerang shape of the green.




Hole 16: Par 4. 365 Yards

The tee shot is played to a blind landing zone on an extremely tilted fairway (two Maxwell traits in one!).



Longer hitters must beware as long tee shots can find this deep hollow short of the green.  Most golfers will choose to lay back to the 150 yard marker.






Shadows hide the greatness of this green; another rolling and difficult green at Old Town.

[Dunlop_White]

Mark -- Hole 16 requires a shaped tee shot (right to left) to hold the severe left to right sloping fairway. Consequently, higher handicappers have more difficulty with this hole. Then there is a short iron to a green, which sits on a small precipice. Miss it right and you will be in the Bear's Mouth (a 25' cliff of trees and junk). I've seen an alternate shot tournament score in excess of 19 on this hole. Actually, I think it was more like a 24, but 19 suited everyone around. We never named our holes at Old Town, but if we named Hole 16, it would certainly be named "The Bear's Mouth". (Yes, we have thought about cleaning it out and exposing this landform) Then, there's the undulating Maxwell green which happens to be one of my favorites on the course. Thanks again for the pics!

[Ronald Montesano]

My Photo Homage To The 17th At Old Town

Tee Shot On 17

Another View From The Tee

On Top Of The Ridge, Looking Down At Double Green

Looking Back At The Tee, From The Same Spot

A Cool Look From Low Right, Across The Estuary, Toward The Green

Looking Down, Closer In

Rumples Right Front Of Green

Rumples, Closer In

Across Green From Left Side of #8 Green

A View From Left Of #8 Green, Showing Twin Descending Fairways (#8 closer, #17, farther)

[Ronald Montesano]

And here are my two shots of 18. No clue why i stopped at two.

Long View From #18 Tee

Deeper View From The Tee