After a very short walk past the clubhouse, we're ready to start the back nine.
Hole #10 409 meters (450 yards)Still going down the prevailing wind. Somewhere down the road there's going to be a price paid for all these down wind holes. At first glance, the back nine appears to be more open - the dunes less sharp. The 10th, as shown in the aerial, has a huge expanse of fairway some 50 to 60 yards wide past the left fairway bunker. The hole bends a bit to the left depending on how much you want to miss the fairway bunker by.
From behind the back tee the green can be seen perched up on a dune ridge up the left edge of the fairway. The wide expanse of fairway seems to be luring you off to the right. Strategically I don't see much advantage to either side of the fairway. Perhaps the right side is a little more direct up the ridge? In any event, down wind with that huge expanse out there the temptation is to just grip it and rip it.
From a little closer up on the more forward tees the green is more visible (at least to the zoomed camera lens). The only trouble is to avoid that fairway bunker. Although the long hitter could carry it, there doesn't seem to be any reason to do so.
The second shot is going to be a short iron with the wind and maybe mid-iron on a calmer day. Into the wind approaching the green would be much more difficult. The most striking feature of the hole is the green site. It is a true trompe l'oeil. The pin position this day looks like it's near the front, when actually it is well back in the green. And, what a nice skyline; nothing to help with depth perception.
From the fairway it is hard to discern where the green actually is. The leading edge of the front of the green and the ridge line behind the green are so neatly arranged that it is impossible to tell what's forward, what's back, and what's in between. On the first play, I hit a 6 iron in thinking I needed to fly it up top or risk having it come way back down the ridge. I saw the ball land toward the right half of the green, take a few hops and come to rest. I shook my head, wondering how I could have hit it over the green onto the back ridge. When I climbed the ridge to the green I was shocked to discover that I was actually short of the green. The green is artfully set in a bit of a depression between the front ridge and the back ridge.
From this close up photo of the front edge you can see the subtle difference in grass color between fairway and green that helps trick the eye. And, even from close in the heart of the green is still not visible. But some humps that suggest it's going to be interesting the putt this green.
Even from in close, what a wonderful example of a skyline green.
And, courtesy of David, a picture of the green contours. As David says: "The pin can be an automatic 3 putt or automatic 1 putt depending if it is in a bowl or on a ridge."
Yet another hole where length is not an issue, but dealing with the green complex is everything.