So we are almost three months further down the track and three months closer to playing the new holes.
Shaping is as good as complete and most of the holes have been planted/seeded. Heath plants and whatnot still to go, but it's starting to look a bit like a golf course!
A fair bit of each hole has changed in the field, which is fantastic. All of them have undoubtedly changed for the better and become far more interesting for the combined input and discussion between Mike, Mike and Ashley.
The 1st hole has taken shape (some talk of nines swapping, or maybe a slight ordering change, but until that's decided, announced, I'll stick with hole numbers as used so far) and is looking like a great start to the round, a long par four with enough room for lesser golfers to get away but a definite A-line down the right, over bunkers and heath that will both allow the drive to run closer to the green and provide a preferred angle to the green.
This picture is from the tee and you can see there is a little bowl just off the tee that will be largely heath, then the fairway runs past that, with a diagonal edge to the landform and the fairway drops down into a low area in a further bowl to ensure lesser players' weak cuts aren't savaged. For the better players there is another ridge to be carried just past there, and having carried that the fairway slopes downhill and will give some good run to within mid iron range. By playing left, a gradual slope will keep the ball in play, but will also take pace off the ball and make for a longer approach from the side of the green defended by two bunkers.
The approach shot to 1. You can sort of make out the bunker shapes on the left and another at the back of the green. In keeping with this being a tougher tee-to-green hole, the putting surface is on the sedate side.
1st green from short right.
Approaching the 18th (formerly the 8th on the old course) -- This was always a lesser hole on the course and the plan for this hole was also a bit sedate. But in the field it has developed into something really interesting. It plays at about 410m, so 450 yards - from a high tee. The below picture is from the driving zone, and you can see the outline of a fairway bunker in the immediate foreground, guarding the left-hand side. About 250m to reach it from the back tee. On the right, about 25-35m short of the front of the green is a dune with a bunker cut into it that foreshortens the view from the right. The flag will be visible, but the green will be blind. A great little feature that also comes into play for shorter hitters as something in the landing zone of the second shot. Into the prevailing summer wind, many will be going at the green with a hybrid, long iron or even a wood, so for many, it will be something they're trying to carry and then run out to the green. In short, a really cool feature that will come into play a lot of different ways. The green is bunkerless but has great internal and external shapes that will mean you need to plan your miss according to the pin position.
The 9th (old 4th played in reverse). Looking to the green and from 150 or so is the first time you get a really good look at the green. It's a short par five and for many a good drive will leave 200m to the green, at least slightly blind and the green sits up above both flanks, meaning even a 3i to the green has to be pinpoint. A bit more work to go here than on the others.
The previous page has some other grow-in/shaped pics of 3-6.