How well has Sand Hills matured?

[Brian_Gracely]

As Sand Hills comes upon its 10th anniversary, is it worthwhile to look at how the course has changed, matured, and evolved over the past decade?  

Does anyone (Mr.Greco, Mr.Regan, etc.) have any pictures from 1995 vs. today to see how those blow-out bunkers have evolved?  

Have the widths of the fairways changed, or contours of the greens needed to be altered to accomodate faster speeds or wind conditions?  

Has the course been significantly lengthed on any holes?

[TEPaul]

I've never been to Sand Hills but on how the course evolves is something I once had a brief but interesting discussion about with the architect. He said they were hoping the course would simply evolve with natural forces to an extent perhaps more, to a lot more than most courses. He said (this was probably about six years ago) that they were going to be very interested to watch it, and that they weren't all that sure exactly how it would evolve. I guess we can all imagine what he meant by watching the course evolve. The subject came up because he happened to mention during construction the wind and blowing sand was so severe he  came close to permanently damaging his eyes! I think Coore & Crenshaw and those involved with Sand Hills understand they shouldn't try to get into some endless sisyphean maintenance effort against Mother Nature. That the best thing to do is just watch it evolve and if something needs to be repaired due to the forces of nature that they'd consider doing that after seeing what happened. But I have no idea at all how it actually has evolved due to the forces of nature in the last ten years.

[Brad Klein]

Having been there opening weekend in June 1995, I have a complete set of hole by hole images. The course is basically the same today, though GCA inspectors with magnifying lenses will surely find material to discuss in terms of migrating bunkers and widened or altered playing surfaces due to wind erosion and bunker movement.

[TEPaul]

I'm going to be very interested to see if some of our contributors on here say that Sand Hills has changed and that's a bad thing because it isn't the same as when it opened and that it should be preserved or restored or some other nonsense like that. What better architect is there than actual natural forces? I have a feeling that the architects and those who have to do with Sand Hills are watching it all very closely to see what really will happen, and if you think about it how cool is that in a sort of advanced architectural/maintenance way? Has any golf course been intelligently observed this way for a purpose of actually trying to advance the art of golf architecture in some on-going combination of man and nature? That would be an interesting thing to know. I really like the Attitude of Coore and Crenshaw and those at Sand Hills in this sense. They aren't pretending to know what's going to happen long term but at least they're willing to observe it patiently. Obviously none of them want to see sand blow all over the fairways or greens but that's not the point.

Again, how cool is it to intelligently watch a golf course be evolved by Nature over time right before your eyes? At the very least they're all going to learn nature's own architectural formulae and that's got to be a great education. If the forecast is for the wind to blow at 60-70 mph I want someone to tell me because I want to catch a plane to Sand Hills and watch Nature's architecture in action!

[Jonathan Cummings]

You know, this is kind of like asking how something 100 years old has matured in the last 10 years.  I've played a number of times at SH - beginning, middle and last summer and can simply see no changes in the place - accommodations, food, atmosphere, Ben's cabin, Tom's burgers, the Youngscaps enjoying a beer on the veranda, and the course - it seems timeless to me.

JC

[Tony_Chapman]

I haven't seen the place since 1996 and I have some print pictures from that time. I would have to see if I could get them scanned and I would gladly post them and if someone wants to compare, they can feel free.

Most of the pics I see on the board, I very similar to what I have.

[RJ_Daley]

As we had discussed on here a few times in the past, Mr Youngscapp has experimented with snow making machines to cover the bunkers and greens with a thick layer so as to prevent erosion and desication damage.  I have some pictures from before opening day 1996 or 97 showing caved in bunkers, with pallatts and tires in the bunkers trying to stop errosion.  Also, they have had Dan Proctor up there a time or two in the off season to re-edge and shore up damaged bunkers from winter erosion.  I think there are some places on the course where you simply can't step back and let Mother nature have her way.  But, as others noted, most can't even tell where some of the re-working of blown out bunkers into fairways occurred.  

That blowing sand is one hell of a top dressing machine, however...

[Mike Hendren]

Dick,

The most obvious re-working I saw was the right-hand side of the fairway bunker guarding the corner of the 11th fairway.  

MIke  

[RJ_Daley]

Hi'ya Mike, are all the hillbillies hunkered down in their shacks unable to get out and golf their ball this week?

[Mike Hendren]

Yes Dick.  The very same shacks we've had to re-mortgage to pay for the iPOD's our kids got for Christmas.  Just when I thought I could finally remove the wheels from underneath the house.

Merry Christmas (it is a 12 days season, you know),

Mike

[Gene Greco]

The course is virtually without change aside from a few of things:

1. A runaway fairway bunker on #11. If its movement were left unthwarted it might have eventually bisected the fairway. Initially, it was one of the more terrifying and intimidating sights on the golf course from a teeing area. Dick Youngscap got into his tractor and sured up the east wall of this mammoth bunker. Though its not as fearsome looking it still has the same playing characteristics (or unplayability!) as it did before.

2. The first green was altered. The false front seemed to become less accomodating as the years have passed. Any wind from the north and your wedge approach, unless hit past the mid part of the green would SLOWLY roll back down off the green and roll to the bottom of the hill ala 10 at Shinnecock. It is unnnoticeable as the work was done with a deft touch.

3. Championship tee on 17 was abandoned. The best vista on the course is here but the shot required, 168 yds. from a fairly good elevation, was almost silly in winds above 15mph. Besides the walk up that hill left most breathless.

[wsmorrison]

"3. Championship tee on 17 was abandoned. The best vista on the course is here but the shot required, 168 yds. from a fairly good elevation, was almost silly in winds above 15mph. Besides the walk up that hill left most breathless. "

Gene,
There sure is a lot around that course that takes your breath away.  But that climb to the back tee on 17 left me gasping    Sorry to see it go, however.

[Tom_Doak]

I played the golf course the fall before it opened, and a handful of times since, most recently in 2002.  I don't think it has evolved all that much, really; although the first and last times I played the course there was no bunker to the right of the 12th green, but in 2000 there was a bunker with a lip so high my nine-year-old son wanted to jump off it repeatedly!

However, the work done to maintain the bunkers every winter is quite a bit more than anyone here has implied.

We had some long discussions with Dick Youngscap about the problems of migrating sand before we built our bunkers at Pacific Dunes, because we were concerned that using that style would create problems in the wind in Oregon.  We decided that it was doable in Oregon because the winter rains hold the sand down, and we deliberately put irrigation water into the bunkers in the summer.  Sand Hills' worst sand erosion problems are in the winter months, when there is little moisture to hold the sand in place ... hence the snow fencing and other physical barriers they put in place.

Dick's advice was that those sorts of bunkers are okay, as long as you don't get too caught up in the details of them because they are all going to change at Nature's whim.  He had a good laugh at our expense [and Bill and Ben and Dan Proctor's] over how much time we spent on edging the bunkers when none of it would be the same two years later.

[RJ_Daley]

Gene, while it may be a bit edgy of a golf shot from up there on the old back tee at 17, it seems everyone discovers its a perfect photo shot, so they make the trek up anyway.  Maybe you ought to have a local rule, that if you trek up for a photo, you must hit a freethrow sort of mulligan, and you can have your regular stroke when you get back down to the regulation tee.

[Doug Siebert]

Taking a tee out of play because it is too exposed to the wind seems like a really dumb decision to me.  It isn't as though a group playing there couldn't decide to move up for that one hole if they think it is too unfair or too silly, but if they take it out of play (I assume that means it is no longer mowed or maintained) then it takes away that option away from everyone.  I'm certainly glad that they haven't done this at Old Head from say the 5th and 18th back tee, which on top of that hill with views to the entire course, and on a clear day you'd almost think the entirety of Ireland and halfway to NYC, is about as exposed as it is possible to be anywhere!  Not to mention the countless links courses over there with decades or centuries more history behind them.

A short shot from an overly exposed and elevated tee is one of the great joys, the great puzzles to solve when playing links golf.  Heaven forbid someone might have to play a shot that consists of more than checking out the distance, calculating how many clubs to add or subtract for the wind, and playing an otherwise normal stroke.  Sheesh, I could believe this at a regular course, but hearing they did it at Sand Hills has me rather stunned!  To have that course they obviously "get it", but perhaps they don't quite entirely get it?

I mean, damn I really hate the obligatory drop shot par 3 you see everywhere, but if there is one place you really SHOULD have it, it is if you can do it in a situation like that on a course like that where the wind is just going to do crazy things to the ball and it is up to the player's skill to minimize that effect or take advantage of it somehow.

[Tom_Doak]

Doug:

I don't think either Bill or Ben was ever really convinced they ought to have that tee back up there.  The hole wasn't designed for it -- the green is tiny, and you were often hitting a long iron from the upper tee.  I think they put it in just because of the beautiful view spot, but found that too many people were playing from there and not appreciating the golf hole.

Just because there is a good spot for another tee doesn't mean you HAVE to put it in -- especially on a short par-3.

[Tony_Chapman]

Doug:

I don't think either Bill or Ben was ever really convinced they ought to have that tee back up there.  The hole wasn't designed for it -- the green is tiny, and you were often hitting a long iron from the upper tee.  I think they put it in just because of the beautiful view spot, but found that too many people were playing from there and not appreciating the golf hole.

Just because there is a good spot for another tee doesn't mean you HAVE to put it in -- especially on a short par-3.

This is interesting to me. When we played (1996) it was obviously there and I remember it being about 170 yards. What does it play from the lower tee? That is one tiny green and a very exacting shot -- especially with a 3 or 4-iron into a 30 mph wind!!

[RJ_Daley]

If they put the blocks at the very back of the regular tee, it is about 151-153tops.  It is usually about 148ish.  It definitely has a redanish flavor to it.  Yet, we really don't see C&C build replica or theme holes per se.  So, it is really unique and not a pure redan green complex or shot.  (But the perfect 6-7iron drawing shot to a back left pin certainly is the one)

This sort of reminds me of the 11th at Wild Horse.  It can only play about 122-124 from the very back of the tee, yet everytime I play there I tell my playing buddies how I would love to live in that house above the tee.  I'd put a artificial turf teeing pad made out of that swept in crumb rubber and it would be one of the most exciting shots on the golf course at about a65-170 drop shot to that very exciting green.  I'd wake up everymorning and hit a shag bag at the hole, before breakfast, whilst in my pajamas (ala the good Dr.)  Yet, I don't wear pajamas.  I don't think Nebraska is ready for that...

[JDoyle]

When I was there last year I ended up in the front left bunker on #17 twice.  Neither time could I see the top of the flag.  The pin position was roughly the middle of the green.  When we had dinner that night I was looking at some photos from the first or second year the course was open that were on the clubhouse walls.  In the photos that same bunker was quite shallow and did not resemble the car swallowing bunker I had played from that morning.  Apparently the Nebraska winters and the normally strong winds have dramaticly enlarged some of the bunkers.