[Mark Bourgeois]

Going by the aerials, it appears SFGC has undergone a fantastic restoration when compared to 1938 -- kudos to the club for their stewardship -- with one notable exception: the 10th hole.

All I know about the course are these aerials, so I don't know the 1938 or the present 10th, but it seems like the 1938 version involved a generous fairway but with a centerline bunker presumably right in the LZ. It seems like off the tee the conservative / fearful golfer could bail out to the left for a safe tee shot. But this tee shot appears to give the conservative golfer a very challenging approach, as the green skinnies from that side, bunkers line the left of the green, and a major cross bunker short of the green lies ready to snare tops, chunks and whiffs. Maybe it blocked the golfer's view of the green, too.

In contrast, the 1938 golfer who takes the bold line off the tee to the right must run a gauntlet of bunkers, yet if he places his tee shot perfectly he is rewarded with a better angle viz the green and takes most or all of the crossing approach bunker out of play. In particular, the more he challenges a row of bunkers down the right off the tee, the less fraught his approach.

I think: I'm just looking at an old aerial and have zero familiarity with the course.

What does the tree house think? Could the 1938 hole be restored? It looks like not only would the hole need to be changed dramatically from ~100 yards and in, it looks like a bunch of trees down the left need to be uprooted. And fore left! you golfers on 18 green.

And should it be restored? Could the old "values" of the hole be brought back to life? Are restorations ever justified for restoration's sake?

Here is a link to a page showing overlays of the 1938 and 2012 courses as well as isolation sliders of 9/10 fairway bunkers, of my guesses for strategies / routes of the 10th hole, and of the 10th green and approach:


http://golfcoursehistories.com/SFGC.html


From that link, here are the two pictures used in the 1938 v 2012 10th hole slider (again, with uninformed guesses for possible routes):




Lastly, here is a picture I found on the Internet showing the view from the tee for the modern hole:

[Joel_Stewart]

There must be a reason why isn't wasn't restored a few years ago.  I think it's a perfectly good hole now, and an amazingly beautiful hole when you stand on the tee.

I'm playing there on Tuesday and will ask my host.  Maybe TD can comment.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Is it possible the strategy for the 1938 depended on the location of the flag? Better to come in from the left for a front flag and from the right for a back flag?

[Mark Saltzman]

Mark, maybe I'm missing something, but how do we know that is fairway cut way out there to the left?

[Michael George]

I would hate to be putting on that green to the left if they opened up the left fairway.

Looks like the tee was brought back a little bit and makes this a more dangerous situation.

[Sean Leary]

I really, really like the hole, but redoing the green site might not be a bad idea...

[Padraig Dooley]

The trees on the left are a big factor now, safe line off the tee is right, left of centre is a good line but too far left and the trees block out shots, but do give plenty of interesting recovery options. I think it's a better hole with them.

[JC Urbina]

Mark,
If you would have zoomed out just a little further you would have shown people what is currently in the open field on the left fairway as depicted in the old BW. When we restored the 3 hole loop 13,14 and 15 they put the old reservoir that was on hole #15 in the section just east of 10 fairway.
So taking down the hedge row that hides the small lake would be exposed.
One other obstacle is  a large group of trees nearer the tenth green which would require some thining  and that isn't going to happen anytime soon.

I think the club is enjoying the current configuration.

[Steve_Lovett]

I don't understand the benefits of this as a restoration project

Do we know that anyone elected to play down the left line of play (dashed)? Why would anyone wish to intentionally play toward the left line of play? It looks to be longer and to bring more trouble into play.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I too think it is a great hole as is.

[Will Lozier]

It looks to me like the area between the bunkers on the right of #9 might have been kept as fairway and the current fairway was the left option.

Anyone else think they see those mowing patterns?

Cheers

[Mark Saltzman]

It looks to me like the area between the bunkers on the right of #9 might have been kept as fairway and the current fairway was the left option.

Anyone else think they see those mowing patterns?

Cheers

Yes, that's exactly what I saw.  I don't see fairway way over there to the left. 

[Will Lozier]

It looks to me like the area between the bunkers on the right of #9 might have been kept as fairway and the current fairway was the left option.

Anyone else think they see those mowing patterns?

Cheers

Yes, that's exactly what I saw.  I don't see fairway way over there to the left.  

I think the only "restoration" left to do is to mow that whole swath within that bunker complex to make it a shared fairway for #9 & #10 - which would be really cool and introduce maybe a few more options on both holes.  I would think that might introduce some safety concerns however.

I might also guess that the area left of the hole was a small practice field?

[Greg Tallman]

From the current aerial it looks like a wonderful place to cut everything at fairway height and let one's imagination determine the line of play.

[Will Lozier]

From the current aerial it looks like a wonderful place to cut everything at fairway height and let one's imagination determine the line of play.

Greg,

See previous post.

Cheers

[Mark Bourgeois]

So taking down the hedge row that hides the small lake would be exposed.

With that green, if you kept the hedge you could call it homage to the Road Hole. 

I wonder what the old green and approach bunker looked like at ground level. Must have been pretty fearsome even from position A.

Will, that gap between the bunkers looks like Hogan's Alley width. Would anyone else try? (I see the 9 fwy potentiality; isn't this a low-round club? Maybe safety not all that big a deal.)

[Jordan Caron]

Mark,

Thank you for posting this and linking to the golfcoursehistories website. Love the idea of the slider before and after aerials.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Jordan, you're welcome -- it's a pretty amazing technology, isn't it? Have you seen the carousel?

[Will Lozier]

So taking down the hedge row that hides the small lake would be exposed.

Will, that gap between the bunkers looks like Hogan's Alley width. Would anyone else try? (I see the 9 fwy potentiality; isn't this a low-round club? Maybe safety not all that big a deal.)

Yes, it looks exceedingly narrow, but rewarding in terms of the advantage the resulting approach might give.  Your right on safety as well...

So, mow a double fairway and renovate the green?  I think it would be worthwhile judging simply from the aerial.  

Cheers Mark...and ditto the thanks for beginning your histories website - truly fascinating!

[Joel_Stewart]

Played here today.  Took a close look.  It's pretty wide and the rough is not that bad.  I suspect the trees on the left could be eliminated but I think its a fine hole.  I pulled my drive to the left and tried to hit a 6 iron and draw it but it went straight into the right trap.  Luckily got up and down.  Ogilvy killed a drive and had a wedge into it, maybe 110 yards.  He hit it in about 20 feet and missed it.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Joel, thanks for taking a "playing tour" over to the left to check it out!

[Mike Hendren]

What an absolutely wonderful golf course.  Safely in my top ten - great routing, muscular scale and world class bunkering.  That said, I'm astonished at the change in the shape of the 10th's green.  Is that typical?  If so, why do we bash Augusta National yet give SFGC a pass?

Bogey

[Jordan Caron]

Jordan, you're welcome -- it's a pretty amazing technology, isn't it? Have you seen the carousel?

If you're talking about the Kodak Carousel, only in this Mad Men episode!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suRDUFpsHus

[Mark McKeever]

It appears to me that the original option of playing left was not fairway based on that old aerial.  It seems like the fairway wrapped around the bunkers that are on the present right side of the fairway.   

Mark

[Will Lozier]

It appears to me that the original option of playing left was not fairway based on that old aerial.  It seems like the fairway wrapped around the bunkers that are on the present right side of the fairway.   

Mark

Mark,

Please see posts 10-12, 15 &18.

Cheers

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