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RSLivingston_III

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Brora - Google Earth
« on: November 26, 2009, 12:06:56 AM »
Haven't been back there since about 2003 and was cruising the course in Google Earth. Way Cool!
Anyway, noticed what looked to be a new green on 5?
Also noticed an interesting feature behind the green on the par3 hole that is the last of the outward holes, I believe it is the 9th. There is a gorse filled burn to the back left of the green and over it is a feature that looks like an old kidney shaped green surrounded by bunkers. Yes, I know it wasn't ever one.

But how cool if they had that property and made it one? The next hole could be stretched to a Par 5.

Google Earth is too much fun.
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RSLivingston_III

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Re: Brora - Google Earth
« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2009, 12:22:52 AM »
Was just playing with the history slider and looked at it from Jan 06 and the greens are there on 5. larger, but there. I like looking at the older image better as it shows it how I remember it, rough and rugged. The newest one makes it look like an American resort course. Hope it's just the flat lighting...
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Brian_Ewen

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Re: Brora - Google Earth
« Reply #2 on: November 26, 2009, 01:06:03 AM »
Quote from: Ralph_Livingston on November 26, 2009, 12:22:52 AM
The newest one makes it look like an American resort course. Hope it's just the flat lighting...

Doubt it , I cant remember last when I played a course in Scotland , that wasnt trying to make itself look like a US Tour course .
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Alister Matheson

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Re: Brora - Google Earth
« Reply #3 on: November 26, 2009, 01:47:11 AM »
Hi Ralph,
           I have not had a chance to look at google earth but the New green you refer to on the 5th will be the frost green for the winter time .
  The 9th is a super hole imo but i have gazed over the burn on many ocasions and imagined a green complex there but then get back to thinking the way all us Brora members think leave it the way Braid laid her oot ! .

Cheers Ally
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Bryan Izatt

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Re: Brora - Google Earth
« Reply #4 on: November 26, 2009, 02:39:43 AM »
Ralph,

I'm not sure where you are seeing a new green (frost or otherwise) on Google Earth.  In the picture below, I see the 5th, 6th, 12th and 13th greens counterclockwise from the right.  Just as a side thought, the 13th green, Snake, looks and plays a lot better on the ground than it looks like in this aerial view.

The differences in the the 2006 and 2007 Google images may just be due to the time of day (2006 was clearly very early morning) the picture was taken and the climate of that year.  Wasn't 2006 a drought year in Scotland?







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RSLivingston_III

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Re: Brora - Google Earth
« Reply #5 on: November 26, 2009, 09:08:51 PM »
Sorry guys, I guess new green is incorrect. Extra green is probably more correct. And one is a "frost" green? Which one is the main green?
I realize I should know this but it has been a long while now and the brain ain't firing like it used to.
I probably had played 4-5 rounds there and don't remember that hole at all. I don't even remember the beach being right next to the outward holes like that. Memory is going away fast...
And seems like every time I played it was in a good rain.

Ally,
I would never really want to effect a change, I was just caught up in a bit of brainstorming. Remember, I was the one worried about it having been watered down for the tourist traffic.
Well there might be a couple of changes to be made, but it is returning features that appear to have been removed. Are there some bunkers that have been removed, ones that might have been described as carry bunkers?
I wish the historical view went further back in time.
« Last Edit: November 26, 2009, 10:02:37 PM by Ralph_Livingston »
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Alister Matheson

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Re: Brora - Google Earth
« Reply #6 on: November 27, 2009, 09:29:58 AM »
Ralph ,
        Looking at the pic even the frost green is not visible on the 5th. Bryan lists all the main greens in view and the only other one that stands out at all is an old frost green between the 6th and 13th greens which was only used for a couple of winters the utilised as a fine turf nursey .

There are a few old fairway bunkers on the course which are now grassy hollows most from the pre Braid layout .
Sadly due to increased ball flight nowadays a lot of the existing bunkers are out of play for most single figure boomers .Iterestingly though most of the winter tees are behind the summer medal tees and bring these bunkers back into play for the big hitters playing winter golf.  ;D
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RSLivingston_III

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Re: Brora - Google Earth New
« Reply #7 on: November 27, 2009, 04:49:06 PM »
I wish I had a routing plan, but think I have it figured out. I am a bit disappointed in myself that I am not remembering these holes.

Moreton's book, The Golf Courses of James Braid does say it is largely intact from Braids 1925 renovation. The book does show a HUGE bunker with someone hitting out from it. I wonder where that was.
« Last Edit: November 27, 2009, 06:40:23 PM by Ralph_Livingston »
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"You need to start with the hickories as I truly believe it is hard to get inside the mind of the great architects from days gone by if one doesn't have any sense of how the equipment played way back when!"  
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