There's not much to say about this course that hasn't already been said...by Patric Dickinson.
But, Patric, I disagree wholeheartedly that this is a course whose individual holes lack the greatness of the overall sum. I hope to carry memories of several holes to my grave -- some even positive! For example, the 4th, the 16th and especially the short-4 3rd and 14th holes. And that's not counting my favorite: the dogleg-right 417-yard (yellow tees) par-4 7th. (Let's not forget the 18th, which is what I'd call an unforgettable "forgettable" hole...
But when you're right, you're right! The bunkering and routing are genius, this is as true a links course as you'll find anywhere, and it must make for a great championship test. (We have someone now playing who could put that to the test!)
My own insignificant thoughts (before I get to my unfortunately-poor photographs):
1. As a work completed "by committee," I give the nod to Ganton over Rye. In the case of Rye, there was at least an informal "organizing principle": move the course towards the great dune structure. The result undoubtedly is greatness; however, Ganton's many changes over the years have come (roughly -- sorry about your course, ladies!)
within its original footprint. There has been no great migration -- not that a migration into the Yorkshire Moors would have made any sense.
2. On the other hand, if you are to form a "committee," could one do better than Mssrs. Dunn, Vardon, Ray, Taylor, Braid, Hilton, Hutchinson, Colt, MacKenzie, Simpson, and Cotton? Good God, they could have made greatness from a dump!
3. The great injustice against Ganton is that people always seek comparison to others: to links, its bunkers to Woodhall Spa, etc etc. Ganton deserves to stand on its own -- unless these "comparisons" in fact are challengers to its crown, in which case let Ganton rule these unworthies, regardless of their location!
4. If there is one thing I have to add, it is the nature of Ganton's test: I know nothing of championship golf, but if the measure be mental exhaustion, mark Ganton first class. For while it is a gentle walk, I envy those able to make it round without a moment's thought. (Professional golfers?)
What I find so amazing about the test is its nature: off the tee and into greens you are asked to hit shots whose blessed ground not only is "Far Enough To"
but also "Not So Far As." I have played few courses where ideal ground is both of these, certainly not to the level of precision as here. (Ganton is wide on the map but smaller under conditions of high wind and firm turf.)
To provide this test, Ganton employs:
a) Angles, i.e., not too far left or too far right;
b) Penal bunkering to ensure the wayward, especially the arrogant wayward, are punished;
c) A surprisingly large number of fall-away greens whose front edge nevertheless is perched on a rise, so that the foreground rises towards the green;
d) Firmness of turf, and perhaps most-evilly,
d) Routing with regard in particular to the prevailing winds: I think most of us can handle winds in three directions but only the greats can master them from the four corners. What makes Ganton brilliant in this regard is, like Muirfield, the golfer will see winds from the four corners. He is forced to make adjustments from hole to hole and shot to shot, or else suffer the consequences of his stubbornness (okay, lack of skill). Did I mention all the gorse left and right of the holes?
Right -- apologies for the poor-quality of photos!
1 green: the golfer who finds "Dub's Ground" out here -- short and right of greens -- will pay the price again and again and again...
2 approach: see the nature of the challenge out here? Try to hit an approach to a fall-away green seamlessly blended into the environment -- with a sharp port-abaft wind to shoot your ball to the accursed kingdom of "Not So Far As"!
Of all my photos, I wish most of all this next one had come out, for it is a brilliant short 4. The wind blew hard to the right -- and OOB -- when we played. This complicates the golfer who would drive the green: you must carry that bunker down the left of the hole, where the green, angled from front-left to back-right, opens.
The conservative golfer may lay up short of the bunker, going left and to get the shortest shot challenging the thing. This is like a mutant, or perhaps "forerunner," Riviera 10th. MacKenzie worked on this very hole; you don't suppose he "shared" with Geo. Thomas...
3 tee
4 approach: ideally, your tee shot has gone left of this POV, it's a bit of a reverse dogleg
4 green: ah, the genius of Mr. Colt. He moved the green back to its present location perched on a rise, frustrating the short among us
4, looking back: how I wish this photo conveyed how beautifully this hole "rests" on the land as it winds off to the left
5 tee: did I mention this par 3 plays downwind? Beware the bunker right!
5 green
6 fairway: a duff's nightmare of angles and Gauntlet Bunkers; after a tee shot that sees you left of a 40-yard long beast, next you must tack to the right of this thing, assuming you are not of the Long John variety of golfer; the prevailing wind is off the starboard bow...
6 approach:...to this view of a dastardly green. It's Redan-like (Redanian?) in its fore-green rise, but from which point it falls away to the back. So once again you must negotiate a safe landing at the intersection of "Far Enough To" and "Not So Far As"
6 green
The brilliant 7th demands the golfer calculate how much of the bunker-infested dogleg to cut off ("Far Enough To") while contemplating his ball bounding across the firm fairway to the bunker and gorse on the other side ("Not So Far As"). Simply exhausting...
7 fairway, short of dogleg: bunkers en echelon and perhaps a hint of Royal Melbourne (West) 11 (mirrored)?
7 approach: MacKenzie shrunk the size of this (do we need mention?) fall-away green, which originally did double duty as the 7th and 10th
7 green: dead ground fore, a fall-away green, firm turf -- can there be a sterner test of one's ground game?
8 green, right: more "Dub's Ground" bunkers than you can shake a wedge at -- note "helpful" stairs
8 green: she falls with the land. On the bright side, go long and you can drop your bag right near 9 tee
9 fairway: the drive is mostly blind owing to these huge humps
9 approach: a little "mini-angle" test, optimally your second shot is a layup to the right -- but not *right* in a bunker! -- to give you the angle in, for you want to hit up against the hill on the left. Of course, over on the right are moguls...
9 green
Second nine when I get a chance -- but for now, guess who:
Mark