17th @ Long Shadow

[Mike Sweeney]

John Mayhew posted some good pics of the 17th at Long Shadow. Playing at roughly 190-200 for the 3 rounds for me, I personally liked the hole and the wildness of the green. For those not familiar, the back half of the green has a backstop quality to it that is unpinnable in many spots but also allows for some wild putts in others.

The closest thing that I have seen is Silva's Punch Bowl green at Mountain Lake which may have been softened over the summer.

Opinions on the hole/green and will it survive after a few years of public golf play?

[Mark Bourgeois]

Mike

Did your alarm trigger falsely at this ungodly hour, too, or are you going fishing?

Is there as much slope as appears in the photo? If so, sharp slope plus wild contour on top of that?

From the tee shown by the camera POV, what's the play? Can you play directly at that flag? How deep is the green?

Mark

[Mike Sweeney]

Mike

Did your alarm trigger falsely at this ungodly hour, too, or are you going fishing?

USED TO MARLIN AND TUNA FISH IN THE BALTIMORE CANYON, NOW JUST ON THE KIDS SCHEDULE! SLEEP AT 9:30PM .........

Is there as much slope as appears in the photo? If so, sharp slope plus wild contour on top of that?

YES, THE LEFT SIDE FLATTENS OUT SO YOU CAN LAND THERE AND STAY THERE. I DID ONE ROUND. RIGHT SIDE WILL MOST PROBABLY BE ROLLING BACK DOWN THE HILL.

From the tee shown by the camera POV, what's the play? Can you play directly at that flag? How deep is the green?

PRETTY MUCH AT THE PIN WAS THE PLAY.

Mark

[Jamey Bryan]

The slope of the backstop is actually much GREATER than appears in the pictures, but there isn't really a lot of interior undulation in the front half of the green.  The green is also one of the largest I've ever seen..... It must be 10,000+ sq. ft.  Sunday, the group behind us was a ways back, so I did some experimenting.  I rolled some balls up the backstop, from the top of the slope they rolled back to the pin in the middle of the green.

Sunday, I hit a tee shot that went a little long and snagged the left fringe and stayed there!  I played about 30 feet of break and almost made it!

A really fun green.

Jamey

[Mike_Young]

Mike,
I hope it survives a few years of play....I don't know.  
But my Scradegee(I don't know strategy since I am not a professional golfer) was to create the safest shot by hitting one club more than the distance so that the green would bring it back to the pin positions.  And in so doing just a little too long and you could be stuck on top.....a shot to the back right corner of the green near the right back bunker will roll the ball close to the "sunday pin" (that is a scradegee term we use).....the green has 4500 feet of useable surface and a total of 12500 feet of green surface.  Because the green comes on you suddenly..I have named the green "crab cakes"......and it will remain so....
Mike

[Bill_McBride]

After underclubbing and hitting into the front bunker on Saturday, I played the shot exactly as Mike prescribes on Sunday (long right toward the back bunker) and was rewarded with a six foot birdie putt.  It's a really exciting shot!  You see the ball fly over the big bunker, appear up high on the green, and then start down toward the pin whose bottom you can't see behind the bunker ramparts.

Actually, the bunker shot is even more exciting up that sheer bank.  You want me to hit it WHERE?  

[John Mayhugh]

I wish that I had taken more photos that could better show the size and slope of the green.  Each time I played it I took 1-2 extra clubs and aimed at the hole.  Quite the thrill waiting to see how close the ball ended up since I couldn't see until I was greenside.

Hopefully that hole is exactly the same next time I play Long Shadow. Not sure when that next time will be, but hopefully it's soon.

[RJ_Daley]

Yeah, that whole one club more scratdgedy is the ticket.  I watched Mr. McPride hit his beauty shot, saw his club and still with arrogance took one club less than him.  I came up about 5 ft short, and tumbled down to the bunker from which after three whacks, was still in it!    But, I loved watching the good players enjoy the whole, including Steve Wilson and John Mayhugh.  It is a great hole, and the bunker is sort of like the stragedy   of the road hole bunker - where you can always take your medicine and play out away from the pin (which I didn't figure out until too late) IMO.  

[Michael Christensen]

I sort of agree with MY about the 17th.....just like the Icehouse's specialty appetizer, being on the 17th tee makes me queezy  

[A.G._Crockett]

IMO, not only will the 17th survive, it will be tremendously popular with the public.  There  isn't anything else like it around that I know of, and there will at least one cool story told by almost every group that plays it.

[BCrosby]

It's a wonderful hole.

It's the only uphill punchbowl I've ever seen. It also requires a long iron, which is unusually long for a shot to a punchbowl.

You would think those two factors would make the hole too hard. But it's actually quite forgiving.

As noted the green surface is enormous. Any decently struck iron will hold it. But to get close you are going to have the play the gigantic backstop correctly, depending on pin location.  

I've played the 17th about 10 times and I still get excited as I walk to the tee. Isn't that what happens on great holes?

We do have to come up with a name. Punchbowl doesn't capture it. How about "Crater Hole"?

Bob  

[Mike_Young]

I sort of agree with MY about the 17th.....just like the Icehouse's specialty appetizer, being on the 17th tee makes me queezy  

Hey I named a hole after a moment I will not forget.....the hole is called "crab cakes" Bob.....

[BCrosby]

Mike -

Too much inside, inside stuff.  

We have some serious naming work to do.

How about: "Raised Punchbowl" ?

[Mike_Young]

Mike -

Too much inside, inside stuff.  

We have some serious naming work to do.

How about: "Raised Punchbowl" ?

I will let the orginator of the name explain if he wishes....

[A.G._Crockett]

I would love to know the % of groups that, if time permits, finish the hole and then go to the top/back of the green and putt down and giggle.  There aren't many holes that are that much fun.

[Tim Bert]

In our afternoon rounds following the Dixie Cup, our group just started taking every ball out of the bag and hitting at the green with all different clubs.  We played the tips, we played the forward tees, and everything between.  I think in two afteroon rounds, I probably hit 10-12 shots to that green.  I also rolled balls up and down the back, and hit 90 degree chip shots to the hole.  I can't recall a par 3 that I've ever played that inspired me to do this.

It is that much fun.  It is a marvelous hole.  There are a number of good holes and fabulous greens at Long Shadow, and this is amongst the best in my opinion.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I enjoyed looking at this hole during a construction tour with Mike. It is a great golf hole which I think will become one of the often discussed holes in the state of Georgia.

[Mike_Cirba]

The 17th at Long Shadow is possibly the best, most original hole on a course full of bold statements.   Coming where it does in the round, it is also in some ways the coup de grace, even though 18 makes for a nice gambling finish, albeit unfortunately uphill.  

I love the name "crab cake".

Even though it has absolutely nothing to do with the features of the golf hole, earlier this year I posted some photos of the unintentional originator of that moniker buried deep within the bowels of that fronting bunker.  

He's probably still queasy from playing 36 with me that day in serious heat and humidity and just had a delayed reaction that evening.  

Amazing how quickly news travels north these days, Michael C.  

[Mike_Young]

The 17th at Long Shadow is possibly the best, most original hole on a course full of bold statements.   Coming where it does in the round, it is also in some ways the coup de grace, even though 18 makes for a nice gambling finish, albeit unfortunately uphill.  

I love the name "crab cake".

Even though it has absolutely nothing to do with the features of the golf hole, earlier this year I posted some photos of the unintentional originator of that moniker buried deep within the bowels of that fronting bunker.  

He's probably still queasy from playing 36 with me that day in serious heat and humidity and just had a delayed reaction that evening.  

Amazing how quickly news travels north these days, Michael C.  

All I know was it was a very projectile type of experience for myself and Sweeney in naming the hole.  we could not have done it w/o Michael C's help.  

[John_Cullum]

I hear the Icehouse is now offering crabcakes with vodka sauce as an appetizer

[Mike_Cirba]

Mike Y.,

In thinking about it, "Projectile" might be an even better name.  

It's certainly catchy.  

[Mike_Young]

I will take it under review and discuss with the committee....it gives catchy a new meaning.

[Mike_Cirba]

I will take it under review and discuss with the committee....it gives catchy a new meaning.

Mike,

Given the receptiveness of the punchbowl green setting, as well as the hungriness of the deep front bunker, as well as the aforementioned crabcake incident, I'm starting to think that "catchy" is about as apt a name as one might imagine.

[RJ_Daley]

Whilst playing a 3rd 9 on Sat., a certain WV Mountaineer went 1/2 way down the face of said bunker to use a water ball retriever to reach the other half way down to pluck out a shot that came up short.  He'd still be there if I hadn't lent him a hand and a widebottom anchor to pull him back over the crest.  Don't ask me why he didn't enter and leave via the bottom entry.  All I know is he was a WV Mountaineer, stuck on a sheer face without his mountaineering equip...  

[Jim Thompson]

Perhaps the bunker should just be dubbed the "emesis basin"