The elasticity of Riviera may be unsurpassed in the golfing world whereas Sand Hills, like most courses is equally fun for me from any tee. Riviera from the tips is only playable, as it should be, for those with the talents to play in the US Open. At my age and fitness every athletic field should make me want for lost potential and wasted days.
JK,
You may prefer Riviera, but your comment above (my emphasis) suggests the opposite- unless you have masochistic tendencies. If I may question your judgement, the tips at Sand Hills under normal conditions (very windy) coupled with the more difficult green complexes make for greater challenge (curiously, both are 7013 yards from the back tees with a par of 71). In addition to SH's harsher environment, the topography and surrounds are more demanding.
Elasticity can also refer to a course having sufficient room to add yardage. If my recollection is accurate, Riviera is pretty much stretched out to the property lines whereas SH appears to have a lot of room to expand. True, Riviera's kikuyu adds some difficulty to indifferent golfers like me, but it would be near the top of my list if it played as Thomas designed it- in the air AND on the ground.
Lou makes a somewhat typical observation that I should enjoy a course that suits my game from every possible tee. I don't know if Riviera even publishes their yardage from the tips including such monsters as the new back tee on 12 but I am convinced the course plays, elevation and firmness included, at least 600 yds longer than Sand Hills. I once played Riviera on the Monday after their tour event from the Sunday set up and there were seven par fours that I could not reach in regulation. It was chilly and damp and I had a touch of the gout but I just didn't have the game that the boys the day before me possessed.
JK,
What can I say about making a "typical observation"; while picking up my mother at the airport right before Christmans many years ago, she scolded me in rapid-fire Spanish of being "common, vulgar, and ordinary" because I declined to drive 60+ miles out of my way to give a ride home to a young man she had just met on her flight. I guess I am guilty.
But where did I make such an observation that you
"should enjoy a course that suits my game from every possible tee"? I may have questioned how you arrive at your preferences, but who am I to criticize proclivities to the extraordinary and the outlandish such as references to a "woman's cervix" (are there other types? though having some familiarity with your mindset, you might have been seeking to be precise by differentiating from others you might like to challenge one day). But I digress.
Do you think that Riv on a cold day with a PGA Tour setup might not be playing just a little bit different than normal and perhaps not a great basis for comparison to SH on a "superior" day hosting regular member and guest rounds?
"Fun" is important in my book, but it does not necessarily correlate with fitting my game- in that case I would just play the short tees and have a blast. I don't know that Riv is that more difficult under normal conditions than SH with equal set-ups. In fact, I suspect that from the backs at both, I would shoot a considerable higher score on SH because of the wind and native surrounds. Riv is more similar to Colonial CC in FW, though it does play longer because of the kikuyu. When I was playing reasonably well, I would not have a problem shooting around 80 at either, but probably would not shoot much higher or lower. At SH, my range would likely be much greater though length would not account for the differences- it is just more rugged as is the environment.