Caledonia #9

[Tim Gavrich]

My father and I were arguing about the ninth hole at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, a sub-120 par 3.  It's a little disjointed from the rest of the course, since most of the room was used up by the time Strantz had to fit that hole in.  While it's a victim of the lack of room, I really don't think it's such a bad hole.  Sure, it's a wedge to a wide green, but while it's the least difficult hole on the golf course, that's ok because it affords a nice birdie opportunity.

I'm just curious as to the opinions of anyone who has played the hole, to shed a bit of light on it.

[Michael Whitaker]

Tim - Did you and your father make birdie?

[Brent Hutto]

Tim,

I'm of the opinion that every golf course can benefit from having a "postage stamp" type Par 3 somewhere. Actually, the ninth at Caledonia  is more like a "band-aid" but it only looks to me like there's one easy hole location on that green even with a wedge in hand. With a bit of a breeze I don't think it would be an easy birdie at all with the pin where we played it Saturday.

Mike W,

What can I say? You da man.

[A.G._Crockett]

It is an unusual 9th hole, but in every other respect, it is a very good hole.  Short enough for lesser players to survive, but a pretty demanding shot to get close to any pin on the green for better players.  I think it seems a little more disjointed than it is because of the distance from 8 green to 9 tee, and just the fact that it finishes a side.

If that was the only time you've played Caledonia, I guarantee that #9 will grow on you.

[Ted Kramer]

That hole is a real downer for me.
#9 is the only thing that prevents me from considering Cal up there with some of the best courses I've ever seen or played. While the 18th is one of my favorite holes, #9 is probably the single worst hole on any course that I really love. . .

-Ted

[Tim Gavrich]

Mike W--

My father and I have played the course a few times, and my father and I have each made at least one birdie.  But it's not a regular thing.  I hear what you're saying, and I agree.  My father has the dissenting opinion.  He can't seem to understand that 'half-par' holes add good color to golf courses.  Ah well.  I suppose the "Golf Course Architecture appreciation gene" came to me.

[Yannick Pilon]

I personnaly don't see any problems with the ninth.

IMHO, the land begged for a short par three of this type to be built there.  The setting is just so nice with all those oak trees surrounding you....

I just wonder if some of them had to be removed to build the hole, or if the hole is there at that length simply because there was just enough room to fit a short par three in there....

The 17th, in my mind, is the weeker hole at Caledonia.  Wedged between two great holes, it just seems like Stranz did not know what to do with this large area and just decided to shove a long tiny bunker in front of an otherwise ordinary green....

But its still one of my favorite courses....  Definitely one of the top courses in the Myrtle Beach area by a mile!

[Matt Kardash]

It's not bad, it's not great, it's certinaly not difficult. But I did feel weird using my lob wedge on the tee.  

[Jfaspen]

I consider #9 to be one of the most intimidating holes I've played.

The tee is weird, it seems harder/more firm than the rest of the lush course.  The green, although wide, is very shallow.. And this makes sense..  Whereas direction shouldn't be as big of a problem with a 100 yard hole, distance could be if you put wind into play..
Of course, if you miss the green you're in a rather penalizing bunker and face a difficult shot to a shallow green.

It's really a hole that makes you "trust your swing" no matter what show you're taking.. I don't mind it, and only having had the chance to play it once, enjoy the hole, as well as the course (esp 18 playing into a sunset with people on the veranda).

jf

[Michael Whitaker]

I have played Caledonia many, many times and have witnessed many more bogies (and worse) on #9 than birdies. Isn't it amazing how such an "easy" hole can create so much havoc. The combination of a wide, multi-leveled, and narrow green with a wide multi-position teeing ground provides #9 the opportunity for numerous angles and challenges. Its never been exactly the same hole twice.

I've always felt that par threes were the particular genius of Mike Strantz. Having said that, I agree with Yannick that #17 at Caledonia is not one of Strantz best. It is a good hole, but fairly ordinary compared to all of the others I have seen.

[Matt Kardash]

seriously, i don;t know how anyone can say this is one of the most intimidating holes theyve played. It's just not.

[Sean_A]

Help me out. It sounds like Cal's #9 is similar to The Road's #6.  Is this the case?  Mind you, I find it difficult to believe that any other hole on the planet has such a wide teeing area as #6!

Ciao

Sean

[Brent Hutto]

Sean,

It's sort of a little brother to the sixth at Tobacco Road. The tee box is wide but not extensive enough to allow either a shallow-wide green or a narrow-deep one. At Caledonia #9 you're pretty much always playing to the shallow-wide aspect. There are large bunkers in front and behind the green but they aren't a natural-looking waste area like the ninth at the Road. The green at Caledonia is smaller and more contoured but the shot is shorter with a maximum yardage of under 120 yards and a minimum of just 70 yards.

The ninth at Caledonia is a cool short Par 3. The sixth at Tobacco Road is one of the most interesting short Par 3's anywhere.

[Brad Klein]

I think some of this thread misplaces the problem with the 9th. As a little tiny shot to a shallow green, it's a tricky hole. You think it should be easy but it's not esp. with any wind in the air.

But I think the perception of "weakness" regarding Caledonia's 9th emerges from its location in the routing. You have a long way to go from the 8th green to 9th tee, and then after finishing at the 9th green you double back, partially retrace your steps, and go to 10th tee. So I think it's the positioning and direction of the hole that is more annoying - or disjointed - than the hole itself. If ever a par-3 were shoe-horned in, this is it, and I've always thought it felt like it played in trhe wrong direction considering how 8 and 10 run. Not that I think the current routing offers much room by way of a better alternative that is evident. So I see it as evidence of a clumsy routing, not as a weak hole to play.

Having said that, I still love Caledonia.

[Brent Hutto]

Brad,

I wonder if that routing awkwardness is even noticed by the 99.5% of Caledonia players who are in carts. There are a lot of courses at the beach where every third hole seems to involve a long cart ride to the tee and then backtracking from the green. On my occasional trips to the Grand Strand I'm always greatful to find a good course that actually allows me to walk.

[A.G._Crockett]

I think some of this thread misplaces the problem with the 9th. As a little tiny shot to a shallow green, it's a tricky hole. You think it should be easy but it's not esp. with any wind in the air.

But I think the perception of "weakness" regarding Caledonia's 9th emerges from its location in the routing. You have a long way to go from the 8th green to 9th tee, and then after finishing at the 9th green you double back, partially retrace your steps, and go to 10th tee. So I think it's the positioning and direction of the hole that is more annoying - or disjointed - than the hole itself. If ever a par-3 were shoe-horned in, this is it, and I've always thought it felt like it played in trhe wrong direction considering how 8 and 10 run. Not that I think the current routing offers much room by way of a better alternative that is evident. So I see it as evidence of a clumsy routing, not as a weak hole to play.

Having said that, I still love Caledonia.

Brad,
Thanks for doing a much, much better job of what I tried to say in #3 above.  This may explain why you write for a living now, and why I'll remain in the classroom.

[Yannick Pilon]

I think Brad nails it.

That brings me back to my comment.  Is the hole there just because there was a nice opening through the trees and it fitted there regardless of the location of 8 and 10?  I think the backdrop is not as nice behind the tees....

Guess we'll probably never know.  What a shame this guy is dead! IMHO, he was a genius....

[Michael Whitaker]

Sean - Here's a look at #9 from above.

The left half of the green is a sort of bowl, with most shots gathering to the center. The right half of the green slopes up from the left to a plateau in the back.

Note that the hole plays to a maximum of around 120 yards, but most play it in the 90-110 range.

The bunkers behind the green are hidden and are often quite a surprise to the first time player. This hole can be an easy par if you hit the green on the correct side. But, that is the rub... it looks so easy that if you don't par the hole you go away talking to yourself.

[Sean_A]

Thanks  Michael.  The green looks wider than The Road's #6.  perhaps it is an illusion.  Looks like the prime pin location is in the pinching middle.  Is this part of the green slightly raised from the left and right parts?

One aspect that looks cool is the waste area coming all the way back to the tee.  It would look even better if the green was cut all the way to the waste area.  Eliminate the collar.

Ciao

Sean

[Brad Klein]

Caledonia is shoe-horned in so tightly that Strantz could not route 18 holes on the original land and had to get the owner to purchase an additional 5-acre parce just for hole no. 1.

I'm not criticizing Strantz, I think he's a genius for having made the site work. But when you look seriously at the entire land plan, you see how compressed it is. I think that says more than anything about hole no. 9. It practically sits in the parking lot.

[Kyle Harris]

Would this be an example of a site where 15 or 16 holes would have been better?

[Brad Klein]

Actually, it's simpy a site where an 18-hole course measuring 6,526 yards from the back tees, par-70, with 5 par-3s, works fine.

Besides, a par-70 with 5-3s and 3-5s at that length functions exactly like a conventional par-72 measuring 6,900 yards.

[Ted Kramer]

Brad,

Great posts above.
I think you hit the nail on the head.
While I don't really care for the hole at all, I agree with your comments regarding the routing aspects of the 9th being the major problem . . .

-Ted

[Tom_Doak]

I thought the ninth was okay.

I do think it's a bit like the sixth at Tobacco Road, but the sixth came afterwards, and it is an improvement with its alternate angles to the green.  It is very likely that Mike Strantz thought about what he would have liked to do at Caledonia if he'd had the room, and later, applied that thought to Tobacco Road.

I didn't even notice the disjointed routing at Caledonia, because I understood how crammed in the course is.  The par-3 in the middle of the back nine at Royal New Kent is much more disjointed ... it looks like they only built 17 holes and then added one later.  Does anyone know the story behind that?  Did a hole get nixed by the permitting authorities late in the process?

[Tim Gavrich]

I had my father read the thread (the first 10 or so posts), and he had this reply, which I found an interesting response:

"Bottom line, if the architect had more room to sculpt a finisher to the first nine, would he have designed this 9th?  Maybe, maybe not (such lack of flow and cohesion is one of the things I don't like about Strantz).  All designers have to make compromises if the land mass isn't endless.  But Van Gogh wouldn't put an eyeball where a full head should be.  It would look weird.  Dali, on the other hand, would put the eyeball anywhere he damn well chose, and his fans would call it art.  That is the difference between, say, Donald (Ross) van Gogh and Mike Dali.  It's a matter of taste, and my taste says that any time you are able to hit wedge to a par three, the penalty for a miss should be a more severe than just sand traps."

I disagree with my father as to the "lack of flow and cohesion" in Strantz' work.  The progressions of holes on any Strantz courses never seem jerky to me.  I did find the van Gogh-Dali comparison interesting, though.  I do believe Strantz's holes are a bit of Surrealism brought to the golf course, but apart from the fact that #9 is awkwardly routed, is it a random eyeball as it relates to the rest of the holes?  I don't believe so, because the hole still fits the character of the course.