[Niall C]

I played the course last year for the first time so never saw the paps, however from what I understand the work was done in conjunction with moving the fairway to the left for safety reasons to do with the course boundary on the right. They have had to do that on one or two of the other holes as well.


Having moved the fairway left it would probably have meant you wouldn't have been able to see through the gap but instead you would be looking straight at the left hand mound ie. the shot would have been blind. Again from what I understand, what made the hole so great before was placing your drive such that you could see through the gap. Once that didn't become an option, I suppose the question became why keep the mounds ? Or more to the point it becomes a drive into a fairly featureless fairway to have a short shot over a mound onto a flattish green.


Unfortunately its a pretty bland green and green surround which doesn't help so while moving the fairway and removing the paps I think it would have been a good idea to redo the green complex to make the hole more interesting. I suspect they might have thought about that but maybe budgets didn't allow ? Just a thought.


Niall

[Niall C]

Panmure: that's my kind of course...

you play the first 3 holes there and go ? I must be at the wrong course but then... the magic unfolds

Philippe,


Just shows how different people can have a different perspective. Personally I really liked the opening holes although not so keen on the finishing holes. To me the opening two or three holes reminded me of the opening holes at Formby and even the "old" first at Renaissance. In contrast I wasn't too sold on some of the holes in the middle of the course although generally the internal green contours were fantastic. A really nice course that I look forward to playing again.


Niall

[Mark Pearce]

Niall,
 
Wouldn't the really smart thing to do have been to move the mounds?

[Ben Hollerbach]

While not as good as the holes to follow, I rather liked the opening 3 at Panmure. They each presented different challenges and worked well as an introduction to your round.


I never got to play the 8th with the mounds, but I would imagine the current hole is not as good. without them blocking your view the drive and approach are relatively open. I would have liked to have seen it where you're drive had to be hit to a specific spot to afford you a view of the green for your approach.


To me, the course ends after 13, maybe 14. The last 3 holes seemed repetitive and simply there to get back to the clubhouse. I would imagine if the course could end out at the far point it would be viewed much more favorably. As good as the middle hole are, your final walk to the clubhouse takes some of the wind out of your sails.

[Niall C]

Mark


As I said, I never saw the mounds when they were there but I'll go out on a limb and guess that they probably didn't think it much cop as a feature. Yes I suppose you might think it OK as old school quirk but once you move them it becomes new school and then you have to justify it ? Looking at it on that basis they probably thought lets not bother.


Anyway, it fits into my theory that all you have to do is give an overseas visitor a view of the sea and some dunes and they think they are on a great golf course  .


Niall

[Jon Wiggett]

Niall,

wouldn't the justification for new mounds be the same as for the old mounds namely a correctly placed tee shot sees the green through the gap?

Jon

[Niall C]

Jon


It would. But as I said to Mark, that kind of feature is probably OK as old school but probably a step too far for a modern architect.


Niall

[Mark Pearce]

Even if it retained the original challenge of the hole?

[Niall C]

Mark


I imagine the original design intent for the hole allowed for the running approach through the gap for those the put their drives in position to do that. That would have been a big advantage back then would it not ? So I suspect it wasn't all about blindness.


These days you would likely be playing a fairly lofted club irrespective of your line so that aspect of it is probably diminshed. Besides it was pretty crude mounding even if it was left in a rugged state.


So while I'm not upset that I didn't play the hole as it was I do wish that the did something more  to it to make it interesting.


Niall

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