Mike: the Hog’s Back that was referred to can be either one of two things:
1. It can be a reference to the area before the swale - (I don’t think so) or
2. it can be reference to two angled mounds on the “front” section preceding the swale.
At The Knoll we have these two “deflection mounds” - meant to deflect the running approach into the flanking bunkers if the play was a bit off line.
I have a green blueprint that clearly shows these deflection mounds (or hog-backs).
Frankly, I not have seen these mounds on other Biarritz holes. Why?
??
...... who knows but I wold think they were taken out for one reason or another - mostly probably because clubs did not understand why there were there or perhaps too many balls were, in fact, deflected to the side, strip bunkering.
The Biarritz green blueprint also shows a suggestion (or reflection) of these mounds up on the green itself - here again on the Knoll’s 13th those features are in the green, off to the right and left front of the green. We also have a very distinct horseshoe feature on the Biarritz green. Most of these horseshoes are long gone on other courses.
Going back the words “Hog’s Back” on the front section:
Consider this:
None - NONE - of the Biarritz green complexes I’ve seen (and perhaps I’ve missed only about 5) have a concave landing area ..... so they could not have been referring to the entire frontal area as hog’s-back - they must have been referring to these two unique features.
I’ve seen slight traces of these mounds, like I have seen traces of the horseshoe feature on Biarritz greens. None however of the textbook variety that are on Knoll-13.
Certainly, from the descriptions I quoted, Piping Rock originally HAD these features.
Hope this helps, Mike.