Cuscowilla No. 3 - Tee from here...or here

[Carlyle Rood]

The 3rd hole as it plays today.



The 3rd hole as photographed from the roadside.  Drop a ball here and fire away?

[blasbe1]

I like that shot better, how far do you think it plays from there?  

[blasbe1]

and how the heck did you post those pictures?

[THuckaby2]

I like the shot better from the current tee, where one can run a ball up, from the right, with a draw.  There's a definite bailout on the right side making it doable for all players.  From Carlyle's new road angle, methinks one couldn't stop the ball on the green, and it is carry or death with no other choice.  Now those things in and of themselves aren't BAD - hey, I'm not against hit the green or else golf holes from time to time - but you'd have to make HOLDING the green possible and I don't think it would be from there, unless it was less than 150 yards.  And if it is that short, well then in the net, it's not a better hole than how it is now, which I have on the VERY short list of great par threes on this planet.

[BCrosby]

I too prefer the current tee. The green is designed to feed a draw from the right towards the middle. No. 3 clearly has Redan qualities that are lost from a tee too far left.

The back pin on Saturdayday was a new one for me. I'm not sure a draw is the right play to that pin.

Bob

[Chris_Clouser]

This is a great example of where a lot of people are in the world of architecture.  Many would think the second photo would be the spot to put the tee.  I ran across a similar example at Dornick Hills this year.  

When they rerouted the first hole they decided to move the second tee.  What they did was create a hole much like the second photo on this page.  The water intimidates, but doesn't leave many options.  The old tee was sort of a mirror image of the first hole, going left to right.  I asked the club member in my group why they moved the tees.  They said the new tee was a more demanding shot even though it is probably 20 yards shorter.  So what did I do, promptly walk up and hit a 7 iron.  No, it didn't go in the hole, but I put it and nine more in a row within 15 feet of the cup.  For me to do that, means either I was on my game that day or it is an easy shot.  And trust me, I wasn't on my game that day.  

I couldn't use the old tee because two trees block that shot to the green, but as I told the member I was with at the time, that would be a much more difficult shot with the prevailing crosswind and gives a much more intimidating shot into the green as all the trouble is right instead of short.

[Carlyle Rood]

I prefer the current tee, as well.  I just noticed how stunning the view was from this angle while leaving Cuscowilla on Sunday.

C

[Brian_Gracely]

Did anyone drop a ball from the tee to the right of the current tee (slightly up the hill)?  I thought it looked like a pretty interesting angle, which still allowed run-up but was maybe a bit more punishing for a pull.

[Brent Hutto]

Did anyone drop a ball from the tee to the right of the current tee (slightly up the hill)?  I thought it looked like a pretty interesting angle, which still allowed run-up but was maybe a bit more punishing for a pull.

One of the players in our group on Sunday had his tee shot roll back down the bank and into the hazard. He determined that he could use that front-right teeing ground as a spot to drop in line with the hole and where the ball last crossed the hazard boundary (although that was ambiguous since the hazard is not marked or staked). So anyway, he dropped there and with a not particularly good swing got the ball to the front (from his point of view) fringe not quite onto the green. It left a not so difficult uphill chip with right-to-left break. I stood with him as he was hitting the shot and it wouldn't have been particularly intidimating given the short club you would be using from there.

[EDIT] I think I'm talking about a different teeing ground than Brian's question. Nevermind.

[BCrosby]

Brian -

That was the only tee on 3 when Cusco first opened. It is a fun shot. You are right, the bunkers are more in play, thus there is more of a temptation to aim farther to the left, thus you get more balls in the water.

Bob

PS - Carlyle's pictures bring out how wonderfully flexible a Redan green is. Very small changes in the location of the tee give you very different shot options.

[THuckaby2]

Carlyle - it is a very cool pic.

And funny, I too stopped and gawked on the way out.. first at the golf hole, second at two yokels named Duran and Daley playing it.

 

[Mike_Cirba]

The two pictures almost perfectly exemplify the philosophical architectural differences between Coore & Crenshaw (and others), and say, Jack Nicklaus of the 80s and most of the 90s.  

I know which I prefer.  

[Lou_Duran]

MC,

You have further cemented your "good ole boy" position on this site.  I am sure that Tommy loves you!

BTW, I noticed #3 from the road as well and it brought to mind the 12th hole of a certain formerly beloved course to the east of Cuscowilla.  Does that mean that the Good Doctor's work is more closely identified with JN than C & C?

BTW, JN has a really long par 3 at nearby Great Waters complete with a nicely tiered fall-away green.  Difficult, but great fun.  Much more strategic than C & Cs one dimensional #11 at Cuscowilla.  

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