All the threads about minimalism and Old Macdonald have been interesting, because it's clear that no one really understands what has to be done to build even the most natural of golf courses.  I don't think Old Macdonald is going to take more than twice the earthmoving than Pacific Dunes did, and way less than the typical modern course.

Since God only knows when I will get around to finishing my Pacific Dunes book, I've decided to divulge the Cliffs Notes version of what we had to do to build Pacific Dunes.  I'll wait until tomorrow morning to post the answers to give any of you brave enough, time to show what you know.  You'll get one point for correctly identifying where we had to cut or fill more than a couple of feet to build a feature, and minus two points for guessing incorrectly.  First (and only) prize will be a signed copy of the Pacific Dunes book, or just the manuscript if I don't get it done by the end of this year.  

Let the fun begin!

I'll say dirt had to be moved on the right side of #2 fairway down to build up the left side.

I'll say that the 5th green had to be cut down a few feet into the dune on the left.

I'll say the left side of the 6th green had to be brought up a few feet into an existing knob.

Mike,

You were clearly the guy sitting in the front row of every class, raising your hand for every question and reminding the teacher that there was supposed to be a quiz that day  

Wayne: Who went to class?

Tom,
I would guess the green complexes at 1, 5, 6, 8, lower 9, 12, 15 and 16, the second hole in general.

To Mike's point, 17 ties in with the slopes on either side really well, so it looks natural to me. I thought you might have brought up the back side of the green, but that slope looked to be there.

Are we supposed to guess for each hole?

Specifying the above:
1 green - cut
3 green - cut the right side fill the entry and left
5 - cut
6 - cut and fill
8 - benched in with fill, so maybe a slight cut into the hillside
9 low green - fill
15- cut front right to fill left side of green
16 - cut to bench in the green site, some fill to bring it up

Since I've never been there, the only thing this is going off of is photos of the place...

Cut:
3rd Green
10th Green
13th Green

Fill:
3rd Tee
6th Green
11th Tee
18th Tee

Tom,

I'm going to go with holes 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 18 where you had to do the most earth moving in the fairway and otherwise.

Here are the details:

1 - Fairway short of the green and to the left of the dune nob.  
4 - Fill in work next to the edge of the cliff and the dunes left and behind the green.
6 - Fairway area past the bunker on the right was cut as well as the green
9 - Fairway work to create the lower route to the lower hole
10 - Area between tees and greens modified to allow view of the green and fill for the green itself.
11 - Most of Green complex area built into the side of the dune/cliff
14 - Tee box on back side of dune
15 - Green Complex and mounding left of green
17 - The fairway tie in into the green and the green itself
18 - Massive left side bunker and surrounding area.

Kalen

The fake dunes between 3 and 12. The large mounding to the left of 15th green.  The left side mounds by 14th green.  I don't think 8th green is entirely natura; the bowl effect was exagerated.

Tom Doak -

I think that zero points can win this thing, so please accept this empty ballot in the spirit of moderation with which Pacific Dunes was constructed.

Has the name New Macdonald been considered?

Mike,

You were clearly the guy sitting in the front row of every class, raising your hand for every question and reminding the teacher that there was supposed to be a quiz that day  

Wayne,
I was always the guy sitting behind Cirba....slapping him upside the head or putting gum in his hair when the teacher turned.....

Michael Moore stole my initial guess, so now I have to try.  Based on the scoring system, I think 0 is a strong score.  If this were +2 for correct and -1 for incorrect, then it would encourage a little more risk taking than we are seeing.  This is clearly a penal design.

3) Green cut
4) Green cut
9) Fairway approaching left green cut
13) Fairway cut
14) Green fill
18) Green fill

That ought to be good for about minus 9.

I'm going to do the minimalist approach, to see if everyone is guessing too much

Green cut at 3.

That's it.  I would have gone with Michael Moore's ballot but he thought of it first.