Jim and Cabell,
Green speeds tend to be over exagerated or over estimated, sort of like the size of the fish that got away.
ANGC at 14 would eliminate most interesting hole locations, and make playing the golf course goofy.
The real shame with TV is the inability to show contour and slope.
It's truely surprising if not startling when you first see it.
Not just the property and fairways like # 13 and # 9, but almost all of the greens as well.
The plateaus on the upper tiers on # 13 and # 16 are scarey when they're SLOW. As the pace quickens above slow they become exponentially horrifying.
With firm greens it's hard to get below the hole, especially if a hole is cut in front on greens like # 9, # 10 and # 15.
Remember too, that Mother Nature has a say in all conditions of play, and that the speed of the greens and the number of attendees at your funeral are usually determined by the weather.
Cabell,
Don't forget that ANGC had bermuda greens for a long, long time. If anything, they adopted common northern grasses.
As golf became more popular, especially amongst snow birds heading south for the winter, the demand for better bermuda greens that would replicate the northern speeds they were familiar with, created the demand.
Remember too, that while there have been some amendments, ANGC hasn't flattened their greens in order to accomodate higher speeds, and they should be applauded for that.
All too many clubs are removing the character and challenge from their greens in order to accomodate higher speeds.
Jim Nugent,
I wouldn't call information from an attending, long time member, guessing.