[Mike Hamilton]

Note sure if any of the CGC members or others have taken a look at this, but thought it was a neat find.

I was with my brother in law this afternoon for a family Thanksgiving get together and was discussing the courses we played in the Dixie Cup.  He lives in Charlotte and has played Gaston but none of the other 3.  We eventually found our way to the computer and I decided to try the Bing Birds Eye View of both Charlotte Country Club and Carolina Golf Club.  When I first loaded CGC I realized that the pond adjacent to the second hole was still being excavated and the third hole was prior to the restoration.  When I zoomed in like magic the third hole was transformed.

So apparently the Bird's Eye photo's for that area are from two separate flyovers, one during restoration and one after.  You have to monkey with zoom level and angle to get the version you want but some pretty neat views and angles of some of the great work done there.

A couple of screenshots of the third hole....

[JC Jones]

Very cool.  Thanks for sharing, Mike.

[Evan Fleisher]

Wow!

What a stark contrast in hole styles.  The pre-resto picture looks as "boring" as ever...glad they made the changes they did.  From standing on the hill behind the clubhouse, the 3rd hole is one of the first things you see, and it is definitely an eye catcher now.

[John Shimp]

The old 3 may look "boring" but it was flat out brutal.  What you can't see is all the countour around the green.  The sides fall off steeply and all the recoveries to that tiny circle of a green were tough.  Getting in the left bunker now is a great break and the new larger green size makes the hole easier.  It is still a great hole and the circular mowing patterns that created the old green changed the original but it was anything but boring.

[Andy Mitchell]

After the redo at Carolina GC, the third is one of my favorite par three's in North and South Carolina.  The tree removal absolutely made this hole.  I also love what Spence did with the ninth, although I think the hole would visually benefit if the clubhouse in the background was a little more impressive.

[Ed Oden]

The view from the tee before...



...and after...

[John Shimp]

Love the from to tee shot view of 3.  Long and tough hole that really gets you thinking after an easy start.

 I too like the new 9.  It though is a much easier hole than before due to the huge new green.

3 and 9 at Carolina before Kris' work were crazy hard 3 pars.  Tiny, difficult greens w relatively long irons.

[Evan Fleisher]

Ahhh...those ground level shots tell a much different story than the aerials (definitely not "boring"), but I still prefer the new to the old.

[Greg Ross]

I would disagree that 9 is any easier since the renovation. Like #3, the green is much bigger, but the only good miss is short and par is still tough from there. Bogey is easy from any other miss.

[John Shimp]

A lot bigger green on a par 3 almost makes it easier by definition unless it's a bear to putt. The new number 9 is easier to putt than the old which had brutal slope. I also think the new green is easier to recover to because it's so large. Which version do you think accounts for more scores over bogey?

[Bruce Wellmon]

The view from the tee before...



...and after...

I can't get over the difference before and after Kris Spence.

[Carl Johnson]

The view from the tee before...



...and after...

I can't get over the difference before and after Kris Spence.

Also very interesting is a look at No. 3 on the original Ross drawing -- it played originally as No. 8.  Go down toward the bottom of Reply #1 on the following thread and you will see Ed Oden's post of the Ross drawings followed by the Spence drawing: http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,43053.msg927852/

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