[Bryan Izatt]

After climbing to the top of the dune to tee off on the 14th you are faced with one of the prettiest views at Cabot Links and a short par 3 that should be added to the pantheon of sub 100 yard greats.  When the wind is up it must be fun to play.  In calm conditions it's only a little wedge shot to a large green.

Ben's description"

"A short but dangerous par 3 of 100 yards to an infinity green overlooking the dark blue waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Only one pot bunker, middle right, guards the green. This hole is similar to the short 7th at Pebble Beach which also punishes those that get too greedy. It is the simplest of holes in a postcard setting but the elevated tee means there is no place to hide when the wind is up. Best to aim for the middle of the green."




A wider view with the 13th green to the left.




The green from the front at ground level.




Ben's picture - much more dramatic but curiously flattened.




The happy golfing couple on the tee with Margaree Island in the background.

[Bryan Izatt]

The 15th is one of the best par 4's on the course, set dramatically along the coast.  

Ben's description:

"A medium length par 4 playing downhill and frequently downwind. The coastline of the Gulf of St. Lawrence hugs the left of this most handsome hole. No fairway bunkers were required but the green angle favors approaches played from the left portion of the fairway. The elevated green is protected by bunkers on left and front right. When played downwind, the green is a particularly elusive target to hit and hold. Par is always a great score here."

Looking along the hole while walking down from the 14th tee to the green.  It's evident that left and right are lost ball dead.  The fairway bottles in nearer the green - a consideration if you play downwind from one of the more forward tees.







From the green tees there is an intimidating carry across the tall grass to the fairway.  The back tees are elevated right behind the 14th green and provide a better view of the carry, but a much longer carry.  From the green tees:




From the left side of the fairway a good angle to approach this pin position on the green.  The green is a upside down reverse "L" around the fronting bunker.  The back right pin position is tough to get to.




From closer in on the left side of the fairway.




A longish drive from the silver tees can leave you with this short chip from the right side of the fairway over the fronting bunker to a back right pin peeking over the right edge of the bunker.

[Bryan Izatt]

The 16th is a longish all-world par 4.

Ben's description:

"Another thrilling hole that borders the ocean. This par 4 normally plays downwind and a drawn tee shot played down the right side of the fairway gains extra yards from the slope. Three fairway bunkers dissect the fairway and depending on the wind conditions may be reachable by a longer player. The green opens up to shots from the right and favors a running approach. Penal bunkers guard the green left and back right. The green location and its proximity to the ocean make this one of the most spectacular holes at Cabot Links."

From the back tees the hole is partially blind especially to the safer right side.  As Ben suggests, a draw down the right seems like the safest and best play.  Certainly left is lost ball dead anywhere off the fairway.

 



From the more forward silver tees the hole is more laid out in front of you.

 


Zoomed in a bit.




The second shot from the right side of the fairway.  There's a nasty little gully in front of the green.  No running it in here.  The far left Sunday pin position must be a joy to play.

 


The fairway bunkers are actually in the fairway and can ruin what otherwise appeared to be a fine drive.   

 


Some fabulous undulations in front of the green.




Looking back up the fairway from behind the green.



 

[Wayne_Kozun]

I am typing this on my plane at the Halifax airport on my way home from two days and four rounds at Cabot - it was/is a wonderful experience.  Bryan is doing a great job describing the course and his pictures are fantastic.

In terms of walkability I didn't have any issues although I am tired after playing 72 holes in 41 hours, although I had a caddy for three of those rounds.  Playing 36 holes in a day is tiring when you area walking both rounds but I guess many of you have done this at Bandon or in Scotland.  Playing in a twosome early or late you can get around in under 3 hours if no one holds you up.  A few quick notes:

The double green on 4/13 is wacky and wonderful with huge undulations.  You could end up with a 100 yd putt if you are on the wrong side.  
The second hole is great with an intimidating approach shot.  For long hitters in the fairway it is reachable.  One is also drivable.
The fourth is a great hole with an intimidating drive over a waste area.
The Biarritz 7th is a great hole- it is tons of fun watching your ball run through the swale.  I am a relatively long hitter and playing 230, usually into the wind I need a choked up driver to reach.
The wind didn't affect the ball flight as much as I would have expected on 14.  It is usually a left to right wind and I hit my 60 left of the pin and it never blew over.
Although I was playing the Green tees the black tee for 15 is a must use - it is directly behind the 14th green.  Even from these tees with a good drive I could reach the green with my second - although you won't see your shot run up.
The course is playing firm and fast which should be evident from Brian's pictures.  Drives can run a lot and on some holes you have to club down and try to land short of the green.

On getting to Cabot - if you are pushing it the drive from the Halifax airport can be done in 3.5 hrs and it is a pretty easy drive without too much traffic although there is currently a bit of highway roadworks.

The accommodations and food at Cabot are excellent, there is very little reason to leave the property.

[Greg Beaulieu]

 
 

I believe that land in the background of the shot is the property for which Cabot Cliffs is planned?

Great job in this thread incidentally, Bryan.

[Wayne_Kozun]

One other comment - in the week since Bryan took these photos the course has browned up a lot, particularly the fairways.  It is playing f&f right now although the greens are a wee bit slow and fescue greens give a different feel when you are used to bent.

[Bryan Izatt]

The 17th is another short par 3 and it turns away from the sea and back towards the clubhouse.  It was described to me as having a valley of sin in front, but I guess I missed it.  In retrospect, I think if the course comes up a little short of the very top echelon courses, it will be the par 3's that hold it back.  The biarritz 7th is a good hole.  The other four par 3's are all shortish to very short and 12 and 17 struck me as uninspiring.  The new 12th looks to be a better hole than the current version, although it too looks to be a short hole.  The 14th enjoys a wonderful location, but would be better, in my opinion, if it was 20 or 30 yards longer.  A sand wedge to a relatively large green is just a little too easy.

Ben's description of the 17th:

"A short par 3. This hole turns back in from the ocean. Four bunkers guard the green on the left, front, right and back right. A short to medium iron shot to the center of the green is the play here. The rub is that the hole generally plays a bit longer than one first imagines but one still needs to keep the tee shot underneath the day’s hole location. Putts from above the hole are some of the fastest on the course."

Ben's picture.  The fescue has certainly grown in since that picture was taken.




The current fields of fescue between tee and green.




The green from the front left.

[Bryan Izatt]

The home hole is an interesting and challenging longish par 4 finishing on a green hard by the dining building and patio.  Into the wind, with a long club in hand for the second shot, those windows sure look in jeopardy to me. 

Ben's description:

"Designed as one of the longest par fours at Cabot, the back tee length measures 475 yards, making this a great half par finishing hole where lots can happen. A short bunker set into the hillside front left signals the beginning of the fairway. In the background, the clubhouse and church steeples provide further guidance for the tee shot. The first landing area has bunkers cut into a dune on the left. Bunkers at the second landing area divide the fairway in half. The green is protected on the right by 2 deep bunkers. If the pin is set front left, a right approach shot would open up the green. If the pin is set back right, a shot from the left side of the fairway opens up the green. Like St. Andrews, you are likely to hole out in front of a small group of onlookers!"

From the tee, with a blind shot over a dune ridge and the twin church steeples look to provide a good line.  Interestingly there are foozle bunker builts into the ridge that supports the forward tee and the beginning of the fairway.
 



From the middle tee showing one of the foozle bunkers and one of the forward tees.




From the top of the ridge on the right side of the fairway.  I'd guess that many drives will end up down in the swale in the immediate foreground in this picture.  The two centreline bunkers are clearly shown.  These bunkers did not influence play in my two rounds although they might into a more brisk wind.




Ben's picture from behind the green.  It appears to have been taken with a wide angle lens.  The building is no more than 10 yards from the edge of the green.

[Don Hyslop]

Thank you Byran for a great photo essay. I must say that the day last year when I played the 10 hole preview the day started out pretty calm but by the time we reached what is now the 17th hole we were playing into a very stiff wind and that hole seemed a very long 170 yds. Can't wait to get back again in September.

[Wayne_Kozun]

The 17th is another short par 3 and it turns away from the sea and back towards the clubhouse.

I think this depends on which tees you are playing from as 17 plays 170 yards from the Blacks, 142 from the Greens and 128 from the Silvers.  That tee yardage differential is much bigger than 12 and 14 where there is only a 10 yd difference between Silver and Black.  And 170 yards into the wind is a pretty tricky shot.  I played from the Black tees here a couple of times even though I was playing the Greens on most other tees and it is an intimidating shot that required my 4 iron hybrid - which I normally hit about 190.

[Bryan Izatt]

Fair point on the length of the 17th from the black tee.  I played it from the green and then the silver tee and there was little wind on either day, so it played short both days.  It seems to me that for most people playing the black tees that 170 yards would be a relatively short shot. 

Interestingly the black tees did not really add much yardage to 10, 12 and 14.

Apart from the increased difficulty of playing the tips into a wind, what did you find as the interesting features of the hole? 

[Wayne_Kozun]

Fair point on the length of the 17th from the black tee.  I played it from the green and then the silver tee and there was little wind on either day, so it played short both days.  It seems to me that for most people playing the black tees that 170 yards would be a relatively short shot. 

Interestingly the black tees did not really add much yardage to 10, 12 and 14.

Apart from the increased difficulty of playing the tips into a wind, what did you find as the interesting features of the hole? 

The bloody bunker on the left which swalled my ball on two of my rounds!  Certainly it isn't one of the more memorable par 3s given the competition from 7, 14 and the new 12th.  But I think it is a fairly solid hole that will play more difficult than the yardage suggests since it will usually be into the wind.  In my four rounds I probably found this green only once - or maybe not even that.

If anything the black tees at 14 will make the whole easier since that is closer to a full shot from my 60* which should help to hit the ball higher and with more spin to hold the green.

[George Pazin]

Many thanks for the pix, Bryan. You don't look like an old folk to me.

[Bryan Izatt]

Wayne,

I was just being nit-picky.  Overall, the course is wonderful.  I just found the par 3's to be less wonderful than the rest. 

I was doing a mental comparison of the par 3's at Cabot vs those at Pacific Dunes, one of the gold standards of modern seaside courses, and in my mind PD wins that match-up 4.5 to 0.5.  But that's pretty rarefied company to be keeping.


George,

You're welcome.  I'm past my best-before-date and have a year's worth of experience at being a senior citizen, but thanks for the thought anyway.  I was reminded of my age yesterday playing with some young studs, one of whom drove his ball 356 yards to within 4 feet of the hole on a par 4.  That ain't in my repertoire any more (if it ever was). 

 

[Josh Tarble]

Bryan, Thanks for the photos, the course looks like it would be a blast.  It looks like it may be even more fun to play if the wind is up a little.

Just from the photos, I also agree with you that the 14th looks a bit too easy.  Seems that the green is a little large and not quite undulating enough to make it a real challenge from <100 yds.

[Don Hyslop]

Bryan,
  The bunkering and the contours on the green were what I enjoyed the most about the hole.

[Robert Thompson]

What are everyone's thoughts on the 18th? I thought it was a bit disappointing, having been conceived as a par five and transformed into a long four. Strikes me as an awkward way to finish what I think is an outstanding design.

And anyone clang one off the clubhouse? I was there about a year ago playing with Mike Rossi, the super super, and he managed to hook one into the clubhouse...

[Bill_McBride]

What are everyone's thoughts on the 18th? I thought it was a bit disappointing, having been conceived as a par five and transformed into a long four. Strikes me as an awkward way to finish what I think is an outstanding design.

And anyone clang one off the clubhouse? I was there about a year ago playing with Mike Rossi, the super super, and he managed to hook one into the clubhouse...

I'm still a bit embarrassed about my tee shot on #1 at Bandon Dunes last year that clanged off McKee's Pub at Bandon Dunes.   

[Wayne_Kozun]

The 18th is a hard, long hole --I don't think I did better than bogey in my four rounds.  I was never near the clubhouse, I was always right of the green.  IMHO the tee shot is somewhat reminiscent of the 18th at Merion as they are similar length holes and you don't see your shot land.

It is not the best hole on the course as the inland holes struggle to compete, but it is a fine hole and better than the 18th on many Scottish courses which invariably have weak finishers.

After thinking about it for a day or so I think my favorite hole on the course is 13.

[Jim Johnson]

What are everyone's thoughts on the 18th? I thought it was a bit disappointing, having been conceived as a par five and transformed into a long four. Strikes me as an awkward way to finish what I think is an outstanding design.

Robert, I've never understood, if given the chance, why an architect/developer wouldn't jump at the chance to create an exciting "short" par-5 as the finishing hole. The thought of giving the golfers/customers the opportunity of scoring a birdie (or better) on the last hole of the day would, I think, be a strong incentive for the hosts. Leaving a "good taste in one's mouth" would be great for guests and should encourage repeat business. Much better, I think, than killing somebody on #18 with a long tough par-4. Does one really want to commiserate over a tall cool one or two in the clubhouse afterwards after walking off 18 with a bogey or double (or worse)? No comparison to reminiscing about that birdie/eagle.

Just my 2 cents.

P.S. Bryan, thanks very much for the photo tour. I know how much effort goes into making one.

[Wayne_Kozun]

What's the difference between a short par 5 and a long par 4 other than an arbitrary number called par?

[Jim Johnson]

.

[Greg Chambers]

Well, when you're on a short par 5 in two you have an eagle putt, but if you're on a long par 4 in two, it's only a birdie putt.

[Wayne_Kozun]

Well, when you're on a short par 5 in two you have an eagle putt, but if you're on a long par 4 in two, it's only a birdie putt.

Which only affects your state of mind, not your total score in the round nor your score vs your opponent.  Call the hole a par 6 and when you are on in 2 you can have a putt for a double bogey.  All that really matters is how many strokes you take and par only matters in something like a Stableford comp where you get points relative to par.  We just had this discussion in another thread.

It doesn't matter for your handicap calculation unless you have an incomplete round.  Arguably the USGA uses this method to keep their scores near par - just call two of the par 5s par 4s and you have a par 70 course instead of par 72.

[Jim Johnson]

Sorry, I'd still rather have an eagle putt than one for bird.

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()