[Mark Bourgeois]

Mostly when I think of the ground game I think of the conditions (wind) and conditioning (firm and fast) of the course. I've started this thread to help me think about the architect's contribution, beyond the obvious (open route to green).

So here goes...

1. False fronts: perhaps more than any design element, most likely to cause paralysis by analysis in my fragile mental state. Oh no! what should I do?

Partial brain lock:


Total brain lock:




2. Slingshots: aim to one side or another, watch ball slingshot around to a destination at right angle to initial line of shot.

A ball landing just right of the trolley in the middle of the picture (10 meters left of green) will end up near flag:




3. Turbo boosts: ball hit (aerially) to proper spot produces turbo boost of added distance.  10 Augusta the famous example, how bout the greatest driveable 4 built after WWII (IMHO) -- ball that lands out of picture bottom left will kick forward and then use greenside slingshot feature to roll all the way to far section of green:




4. Washboards / "deflectors": who knows what happens?! Most famous perhaps the 8th Prairie Dunes; what are other good ones?

Buckle up...






5. Sentries: don't hit it here! Great for influencing positioning on prior shot.  Works even better when green relative to sentry is small.

This bunker certainly influences choice of line on approach and off the tee.  Also shows the role trees can play in whether to go ground or air:




6. Green rolls: giant humps, rolls, and swales in greens:


What are more examples of these elements, and what are other taxonomic entries? Please post pictures if you have them, highly-detailed "word pictures" if you don't!

Mark

[Jim Johnson]

Mark,

I hereby submit a couple of pics of Katepwa Beach golf course, here in Saskatchewan, Canada...designed by GCAtlaser Greg Murphy (perhaps Greg can chime in here)...

The following is the view of the tee shot on Katepwa's 4th hole...a par-4 of approximately 300 yards...a tee shot high and left will get the "turbo boost" off the far side of the ridge coming down from the left, and roll on or near the green.


The photo below shows a closer look at the green


This is my favorite hole on the course.

JJ

[Jeff Doerr]

Mark,

One of my favorites for a number of those features is #8 at Pacific Dunes.

This image is from the back and shows the false (front/back/side) edges on the left side of the green on the approach.


This image is from the back right of the green and shows the bowl that can give you a slingshot effect.


This final image shows the front single bunker. This was taken going up the ridge to #9 fairway.

[Jeff Doerr]

Mark,

Another element is a solo knob or bump. The one on #15 at Pac Dunes is a perfect example of brain lock. It makes you think of it on your second, third, fourth, fifth...  If you miss right it is a huge obstacle to navigate from a tight fescue lie. Even on the green it comes into play as you consider the slope it brings into the green.

Your second shot...


From left of the green...

[Mark Bourgeois]

Nice pics!

The thing that kills me about boosts that slingshot (some call it a "slingboost"?), as this one apparently does, is the angle.  The play looks like it must be up the mountain in the crap.

It's neat to think about the angles: from one angle (way left of these tees), it would play as a straight turboboost; from another angle (way right of these tees), it would play as a slingshot!

[Mark Bourgeois]

Jeff,

Knobs definitely cause me brain lock.  When they're positioned front of the green (left, right, or center), it's amazing how much they affect strategy, especially on front or even middle pin placements.

I'll try to post a pic of one that regularly kills me.

Mark

[Bill_McBride]

That hole at Katepwa - what a tease!  I would have a very hard time aiming far enough left (into the trash) to try to take advantage of the slope.

Great thread and photos, Mark.  This kind of photo essay - with equally thoughtful and illustrated responses - is what I like best about GCA.com.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Here's a knob that screws me up.  You barely can see it -- see that brownish spot front right of the green -- but it gives me fits!

I guess the cool thing about knobs is they require so little work / construction, yet can play a dramatic role in the ground game.



Mark

[Philip Gawith]

Nice post Mark! Trying to recognise a few of the holes: is that 5 at Barnbougle (looks like Barnbougle, but the angle is a bit unfamiliar), followed by 4 (the driveable par 4 you refer to?) followed by 17 at Durban CC?

The mounds to the left of the 12th and right of the 16th at Dornoch would certainly justify inclusion in your taxonomy as elements that have a lot of impact on the golfer.

[Kyle Harris]

The Waterfall Front

Willie Park used this extensively as a way to test longer approach shots. Well-struck long irons could use the front to stop the ball on front hole locations while fairways woods could be used to bound over the waterfall front to achieve back hole locations. I guess a good description would be having a ridge atop a false front of a green.

The 10th Green on Penn State's White Course demonstrates the concept in spades and it is well placed on the 470 yard Par 4.5

Near the green:


From the approach:


Think of it as a false front that falls off to the front into the fairway, and a lesser amount into the green. Note that the 10th green on the White Course should be squared off and expanded to the bottom of the fill pad for the full effect.

Another fine example is the 18th green at Glen Ridge CC (Park, Jr.) Which I, unfortunately, do not have a picture of at the moment. Dean Paolucci?

Perhaps a better name could be a Dam front, since the concept resembles a dammed river or lake.



Just think of the building in the lake as the flag and the approach coming over the dam from the right.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Nice post Mark! Trying to recognise a few of the holes: is that 5 at Barnbougle (looks like Barnbougle, but the angle is a bit unfamiliar), followed by 4 (the driveable par 4 you refer to?) followed by 17 at Durban CC?

The mounds to the left of the 12th and right of the 16th at Dornoch would certainly justify inclusion in your taxonomy as elements that have a lot of impact on the golfer.

Well guessed, grasshopper! But now you have brought the RDGC homer Locust into thread; soon he will descend and leave us grasshoppers nothing but ground game chaff to ponder...

How do the mounds play? Would they fall under slingshot or are they a separate category?

[Philip Gawith]

Mark - their impact is not strictly ground-game related (maybe Rich will chime in if he reads this) though they qualify indirectly by being features of a links! On the 12th, the hump is short and left and makes you feel you need to stay right or shape a shot right to left, which means that many people tend to miss the green to the right and end up in bunker.

On the 16th they are short and right - so their first impact is to foreshorten the approach as they make the green seem closer than it is; and their second impact is to encourage you to turn your approach over to stay away from them.

I would say they are just classic examples of visual features which affect how you play the shot, normally to your detriment! Possibly they are not strict examples of what your post is about!

[Greg Murphy]

Mark,

A very interesting thread. I've personally never been able to get the template idea—actually going out and trying to replicate holes—but this kind of breakdown of features related to the ground game makes it easy to see how great holes might be more likely to come to life as a result of an appreciation of and use of various elements of design.

Your partial/total brainlock analysis is as descriptive as it is funny.

JJ

Thanks for posting the pics of the 4th at Katepwa. The 4th hole is a strategic short par 4 that gets much of its interest from ground game elements. Playing directly at the green or even slightly left of it is dangerous because of the bush tight to the left side of the fairway. There is a little more room left over the hump than it looks from the tee, but the slightest pull and you're dead. The ideal shot is directly at  the green with a slight draw. I have never seen anyone carry a ball to the green, but the “turbo boost” slope short of the green can kick a ball forward onto the green, so it is very tempting to go for it. Even for shots short of the green, hugging the left side of the fairway creates a much better angle of approach into the green as the green side bunker is taken out of play and the shot into the green may be flown in high or bounced on low. The safest shot off the tee is down the middle of the fairway or a bit right but the next shot is then a tricky approach off a side hill lie. Further right brings the bunker at the green much more into play and shortens the green but it generally provides a flat lie to play from. In addition to the fairway turbo boost, the area to the left of the green may be used to sling shot balls from left of the green onto the green or as a back stop if approached from the far right side of the fairway.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Mark,
I'm literally out the door right now and can't comment now, but will do so when I get back late tonight, but this thread is bringing tears to my eyes. I almost can't believe it:

AN ACTUAL HONEST TO GOODNESS GOLF ARCHITECTURE THREAD!

I'm going to sleep good tonight......

[Adam Clayman]

What are more examples of these elements, and what are other taxonomic entries? Please post pictures if you have them, highly-detailed "word pictures" if you don't!

Mark,
 I'll have to use words to describe the three tiered green Marion Hollins used on or around the 13th hole at Aptos. It's your waterfall front on steroids. A very long green with three distinct levels. The greens width was apporx. half the length. The massive fairway undulations leading to the approach made the narrow target hard to hit and the three levels tested distance accuracy, perfectly.

Where's the respect for Marion?

Paging Peter Galea...

[Mike Benham]

I'll have to use words to describe the three tiered green Marion Hollins used on or around the 13th hole at Aptos.

? ? ?  Aptos Seascape?  I believe it is the 15th in the current routing and the 6th going back a few years.

[Rich Goodale]

Mark

Thais is an excellent thread, even though Tommy likes it!

As for the humps at 12 and 16 at Dornoch, Philip is generally right.  The main one on the 16th serves as both a point of reference and a ball magnet.  The one on the 12th (which was either built or found by John Sutherland when he moved the green from the hollow to the right) does affect the ground game in that most mortals will find that after a good tee shot you are still looking at 220-230 to a green which slopes right to left, but whose approach slopes from left to right.  From that distance, unless you have a club you can carry 220 with a bit of fade, the only shot to the green is a running hook, between the hump on the and the bunker right.  If the hump weren't there a straight shot would work, and that would be boring, wouldn't it?

Speaking of boring, I'll make some more comments on other species within the taxonomy (at Dornoch and even Elsewhere!) in due course.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Irch,
Well, I thought I was going to sleep well tonight.....(I shouldn't have had that last cup of java)

I feel an excellent hole for examination of the ground game is #16 at La Cumbre. At least the old 16th which was a true jewel.

One has to ask themselves, how does a hole with a forced carry equate to a ground game-type of golf hole? Really simple, that side hill; the ravine itself and it's risk factor--well these were thrilling shots in their day. The common play was put the ball on to the hillside and watch it ricochet itself off of the hillside, and then hopefully you placed it on the proper area of the hillside to get it close to the pin. OR........ You could either lay-up short of the ravine or go straight at it which was complete fools play.

Thomas practiced bump & runs shots like this--meaning he used them practically. At least that's what I think he did.

Here's another interesting Ground Game Golf Hole--The famed Sandy Parlour of Deal (Royal Cinque Ports)

Sandy Parlour's challenge was to throw (hit) the ball over a very descriptive blind sand dune. Depending on the pin position you had to precisely hit it in a certain area to get the ball to run off of the back side or "slack" of the dune, where it would ricochet off of a slanting tier in the green, pushing the ball to the back pin position. It was a rather blind faith shot, one that had all of the elements of luck, faith and talent to get the ball close. All of it occurring on the ground, or using the ground itself.

[James Bennett]

Here's another interesting Ground Game Golf Hole--The famed Sandy Parlour of Deal (Royal Cinque Ports)

Sandy Parlour's challenge was to throw (hit) the ball over a very descriptive blind sand dune. Depending on the pin position you had to precisely hit it in a certain area to get the ball to run off of the back side or "slack" of the dune, where it would ricochet off of a slanting tier in the green, pushing the ball to the back pin position. It was a rather blind faith shot, one that had all of the elements of luck, faith and talent to get the ball close. All of it occurring on the ground, or using the ground itself.

Tommy

one of my fellow club-members was describing his experience at Lahinch and the Dell hole from some 30 years ago.  He played as a last minute guest in the 36 hole event, with a local who could play and another visitor.  He was 'encouraged' to take too much club so that his ball would hit the back hill with a blind shot, and return to the green near the back pin. He remembers today that he got to 10 or 15 feet on his blind journey into the unknown of the Dell.  The other visitor played a club more befitting the hole length, came up well short and ended up three putting from the front of the green (a long putt).  Sounds similar to Deal's Sandy Parlour.

James B

[Rich Goodale]

Tommy (and James)

Since blind "ground-game" shots require knowledge of the daily pin-position, aren't their skill requirements diminished for the average bloke that doesn't have that information?  Also, at least for me, much more than 50% of the enjoyment of a ground game shot (whether properly or improperly thought out or played) is watching the "John Kirk Effect" rolls of the ball after it hits the ground.  While there is a special joy in finding your ball on a blind shot having ended up near the pin, it is nowhere as satisfying as watching how a similar but visible shot gets there.

Vis a vis the "Dell" there is a (probably apochryphal) story that the hole has the highest percentage of holes-in-one of any hole in the world.  This is reportedly due to the fact that caddies will always encourage visitors to have a forecaddie positioned on the hole, and when a shot goes close, the forecaddie will run down and put it in the hole while the players are walking around the hill from the tee to the green.  Very good caddie strategy for getting a good tip, or at least a free dram in the bar.

And Tommy, great Dozer Porn on the other thread.  Night, Night.

Rich

Rich

[John Chilver-Stainer]

Here are some more terms to throw in the pot.

The benign “Kicker” - placed outside the line  of play to  deliberatly deflect the well placed (or misplaced) shot in the direction of a certain part of the green. Once you know your “kicker” you can predict quite accurately, if you catch it right, where the ball will end up.

The malignant “Kicker” - often placed directly in the line of play, designed to deflect the ball away from the green surface. This kind of “kicker” will catch out the golfer who thinks straight and true is the honest answer to golf - alas this is not the case - always pepare yourself for adversity.

[Mike Sweeney]

A little ground game a little aerial - You can bounce one onto the 2nd at Wannamoisett, but make sure you get over the stream:



You can still bounce one onto this skyline green, the 9th at Newport, but no Kirk effect:

[Rich Goodale]

John

The 3rd at Dornoch is the perfect "benign kicker" hole.  If you drive it to less than aerial-shot-approach-length, you must aim your second shot directly at the left hand bunker if you want to get close to the pin (or even stay on the green).  When the pin is tucked mid-left behind the bunker, if you want to get it close, you have to hit it left of the bunker, through the rough and near the 4th tee before (hopefully) seeing it trickle down to the hole.

Rich

[Mark Bourgeois]

Tough to read this thread -- indoors.

Greg Murphy, awesome when the man behind the hole comes on here!  Holes like that just kill me.  The second at Cascades Lower requires a tee shot up the hill, to the left, for the best angle into the green, especially given the bunker fronting the green right.

But I always end up getting hung up in the left rough because I overdo it.



Mark

[Mark Bourgeois]

Oh, here's another design element of the ground game:

Monochromism, aka "Wall of Green":  This is where it's impossible to tell where the green ends and the fairway or apron begins.

In the aerial game, you just check your yardage book and dial in the distance.  But in the ground game, I don't know why, this feature gives me mental spasms. Maybe it's because you have to factor how the ball will run on fairway and on green and it's hard to know how long each stretch is.

I know some criticize this feature as monotonous, but I find it really interesting when the greens and surrounds, even fairways, use the same strain of grass.  

Tell me, where does this green begin?! Did someone put that flag in front of the green?


Another one. (Maybe you can see the border up close, as here, but I guarantee you can't from 150!)


Mark

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