Like I didn't have enough projects and finals to keep me busy this wee,k you have to bring this up. How can anyone pass up a chance to play Cypress Point. I can't wait to see yours.

OK

For the first thing, put condos on the island and the land adjacent to it.  Then, try to build a really cool golf hole on the land that remains.  That's what real GCA is all about.

Anybody wonder why Mackenzie's "Lido" hole is not part of the pantheon?

Answer--its goofy and completely divorced from the real world.  Like Whitten's infantile fantasy.

Rich,

I completely agree with you about that nutty design.  It may have conceptual interest but the execution was bad.  It certainly looks like it was an amateur contest submission.  I think the fix was in on that one.  

I'm not sure why Ron Whitten wants the contest to be a paean to that MacKenzie's design.  But if that's what he wants, that's what he's going to get.  I hope it isn't a contest where the goofier the better wins.

Good look Wayne, I still wouldn't mind the 3 grand.

Ok, so I took George's advice and had some fun. It amused my kids and was a pretty good exercise to think through the angles and shot values. As the saying goes, "it's not as easy as it looks!"




...yes, I will be keeping my day job!

Ryan,

Is that built on a topo from Rock Creek?

How large is the landing area for route III. Is it not too small for anyone but Ben Hogan to go for?

I like how the narrow entrance to the green means the safest route has to lay up on the second.

Ryan,

How far downhill would that hole play?
Looks like the contours might make the green with quite a right to left slant, no?

Looks like a fun, well designed hole.  I love the options off the tee, plus the fact it would seem to play equally as well from the 362 tees as it would the 512.

Ryan,

Thanks for sharing your entry!  Very nicely done AND something I'd really enjoy playing a number of times from all appearances.

I can't believe we don't have a few more brave souls on here who will share their entries.

Obviously I did not get the call, but this was a really fun exercise for me.

Jeff

Matt Cohn

Do I detect a Rustic Canyon influence in your design?  Or am I just seeing strategies that are simple but well accepted (although not often implemented) that exist at both Rustic and in your design.

Nice work - I'd enjoy playing that often, knowing that I will often take three to get down from around the green (firm I presume) and result in a bogey.

James B

Matt

Good answer.  I understand.  Especially after TOC and the Reverse.  That really encourages a golfer to explore alternate lines of play, albeit from a different tee to a different side of a green.  But, not that different to what your design allows.

Hopefully, if/when you get to Rustic, the greens and surrounds have a consistenct that TOC would be proud of.

James

Ryan, I have mine, but I have to find it and scan it first.

I will say, I'm proud of my hole, but not my illustration skills.

 

Didn't any of you send a description or narrative along with your pictures?

I sent the following with my entry.

The motivation for this design came after first playing Astoria Country Club with its quirky minimalist design routing narrow holes between 30 ft. high parallel dunes. When the course was created designs preserving the dunes and designs cutting through the dunes were submitted, with the design preserving the dunes winning out. The one slight misfortune of this is that there are two pairs of holes that are essentially mirrors of each other, running in opposite directions between the same dunes. Therefore, the variety of holes on the course is reduced as you feel you are playing the same hole in each case, but in the opposite direction. A redesign of the course could keep one each of these pairs as they are quite distinct given the width between dunes. One of the pairs has fairways approximately 12 yards wide, while the other pair has fairways over 25 yards wide in the shallow between the dunes.
The hole design I have created could be used to replace one of the holes that has a 12 yard wide base between the dunes, with the green nestled into this narrow area and the dune in front leveled near the green, the dune in rear leveled later providing a ‘backstop’, and the material from the leveled dunes distributed to bring a series of smaller dunes that define the options on the hole.
The hole is 380 yards long in a direct line from the tee to the center of the green and measures 420 yards around the dogleg of approximately 60 degrees. Various routes can make the hole as much as 440 yards long. There are two routes that could be played without crossing any dunes. The far right route (F) which would be the 440 yard route could be played with low drawing shots to keep the ball below the wind since this is a coastal area with winds blowing in at right angles to the dunes. The far left route (A) would allow a shot of approximately 160 yards between the sets of dunes to the fairway fronting the green after a drive of approximately 230 yards. It is doubtful anyone would try to cross the large dune in front of the green from this position. Route B allow a person that can carry the ball near 300 yards to get in a position for a blind wedge over the fronting dune to the green. The short but straight hitter may choose route C playing through narrow slots between dunes with a drive of 180 yards and a second of 160 yards to get in position in front of the green to try to get up and down. Routes D and E would be require blind drives. Route D would require a carry of approximately 250 yards and would leave a short iron into the green. Route E would give the most generous landing area for the drive carrying 210 yards. From there the player could attempt what would be essentially a bank shot off of the back dune to get the ball on the green. After a 220 yard drive, route F would leave a 220 yard approach that would most likely use the dune to feed the ball onto the green.

The least successful approach to the green would be to come in over the bunker (dug by sheep of course) in a hollow on the left front of the green. There is a ridge between the bunker and the green that will help prevent shots running off of the back dune to run across the green into the bunker. Therefore, it would be extremely hard to get up and down out of the bunker. A hole location on the front ¼ of the green would utilize these features. There is a ridge running thru the back ¾ of the green that makes it advantageous but not required to approach the left rear ¼ of the green with a lob over the tall fronting dune. This would make a mini-Dell hole with a rock placed to designate where you must stay left of to keep out of the bunker. The ridge would also tend to shed balls coming in over the bunker to the wrong side for the current pin location. Two or three pinable areas would be placed in the remaining ½ of the green.

The hole is drawn with one tee. The options are so numerous that players of all abilities should find the hole interesting and challenging without additional tees.


Unfortunately, I don't have nor have ever used a scanner. Therefore, I cannot show you my terrible drawing ability.