I actually enjoyed the International, but I do understand that if you were expecting early 20C architecture, you'd be bitterly disappointed. I tend to like courses that require me to think a little more than usual, so I was quite happy with holes such as the 3rd, 5th (although I didn't think well enough to check the water in front of the green, and belted a nice drive right up the middle to a watery grave) and 6th on the front nine. I quite liked the options on the 16th as well.
The shaping around the greens has a sharpness that does look a bit unnatural and each successive green tries to outdo the previous one, with even more levels, steeper slopes, and more nooks and crannies than an old country house.
I thought that some of the chocolate-drop mounds built into the edges of the greens were a bit severe. They are so high and steep, with the result that you have no shot if you're on the wrong side of one of these mounds.
You all know that cow hide symbol you see on shoes and jackets to denote real leather. The greens at the International reminded me of that symbol, as many were of a similar shape. With such irregular shaped greens, it would not be unusual to find yourself with a few impossible putts during a round.
I thought the use of water as a hazard was restrained - for a modern course with a Woosnam signature! Although there is water present on the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 9th holes, it is really only hard up against the green on the 3rd and 4th, and to a lesser extent on the 5th. There is water again on the 10th, 13th, 15th, 16th and 18th, but only at the 18th is it difficult to avoid. I really detest water within a few feet of the putting green, and thankfully this is only a feature on three to four holes. That's not a bad ratio by modern standards.
The approach to the first green is a bit confusing, especially when playing early in the morning towards a rising sun. Some of the bunkers do resemble star shaped craters, with the crater wall higher than the surrounding fairway and the bunker floor. When you bunch a load of these together, or in line with each other, it does look a bit muddled to the eye. Throw in a low rising sun and it does look a bit lunaresque.
I didn't see anything too bad with the 3rd hole, but I'd probably need to play it a few times going all down the left or all down the right. If you've hit your drive down the right and the hole is located where it was for us, there's only one option and that's lay up right of the green. With a hole located on the left side of the green, the hole will obviously play very differently.
Not a big fan of water, but the par three 4th was acceptable to me.
The par three 4th at The International.
Obvious play at the 5th is to lay up, but you have a better angle to the green from the more dangerous left side. It's got a pretty wild green.
I chose the left option at the 6th but hit it towards the right edge of the green. I made it across the water, but I had a difficult chip over a mound. It's not a bad hole in my opinion.
The 7th is a decent par three requiring a draw; the left side is guarded by a couple of bunkers. Myself, Conrad and Joe all bailed out on the right and got our just desserts; a difficult pitch to a hole cut just behind a small mound and shoulder.
The 8th is a decent par five with a slightly confusing tee shot. There appears to be a number of bunkers dotted here and there, and it only becomes clearer as you approach the landing zone for the drive. There's a centerline bunker just short of the green that needs to be negotiated with the second shot. Another big undulating green. Not a terrible hole either.
The 9th is a long par four that has everything! Waterfalls, bunkers bordering water, and the hum of planes in the background. I guess the bunkers at the corner of the dogleg are there to entice the brave. The greenside bunkers make the second shot more difficult as they eat into the right side of the green. A decent hole if you can ignore the distractions.
I'll comment on the second nine later.
Looking back down the 10th. Think cow-hide
