Does anyone know where the term Lion’s Mouth comes from? Is that a modern term or did Macdonald, Raynor and Banks ever characterize one of these greens as the Lion’s Mouth? I know Raynor and Banks built them, but I can’t find any record of the architects referring to these holes as Lion’s Mouth’s, which raised this question.
I have played a few Lion’s Mouths this year and they are a fun and interesting concept. They likely score big on social media, because it’s a unique concept, photogenic and recognizable. Do we need a boatload more? Probably not, but I do enjoy playing them on Raynor and Banks courses. It reminds me a little of the Biarritz at Yale. Back in the day Yale’s Biarritz was unique, because it was one of very few that had both the front and back mowed as green. Over time more clubs mowed both sections of the Biarritz, resulting in a streamlined look across Biarritz’s. Today, the Biarritz’s that are most unique only have the back section mowed as green, even though that’s how most, if not all were originally designed. It’s the cool thing to do, is probably the best answer?
I played a nine-hole course this year that has a 1965 Al Zikorus version of a 10-12 yard deep green and it’s a do or die proposition. A short miss is okay, so long as you don’t find the central bunker, but long is dead. I would not recommend building anymore of these greens. My guess is they were modeling the green after the 12th at Augusta?