[Bryan Izatt]

.............................

There was no image from the right tee on the 5th
Kyle sent us that way and that was a super cool shot.

Loved Blue 4 too.  My fave on that course.

Here is a picture from the right tee on the 5th, to a very fun back pin:



............................

Joe,

I'm curious how your group played that back pin position.

[Bryan Izatt]

Hole #11






Even after some time for reflection I'm not sure what I think or have to say about #11.  From the scorecard I think my initial impression was that it was too long (at 454 yards, uphill a bit) for a par 4 for my tastes.  Probably would be a 1 in a 100 chance of getting a green in reg for me.  I have a hard time getting my head around a half par hole on the upper side, it's hard to accept that playing for bogey is OK sometimes.  Maybe it's that long par 4's remind me of my advancing age in an unpleasant way. 

Anyway, the hole is long, plays up and over a gentle ridge and the fairway is canted right.  There is a bunker short right that seems to be out of play for all but provides an aiming point if you want to bypass the second centreline bunker about 200 - 230 yards out that does impact the drive.  Sadly, I smothered a hook about 180 yards, so far left it was almost onto the forward tee on #9, which didn't help my assessment of the hole.  On most courses this would be a lost ball drive.  Here, it was a nice fairway lie, albeit it was hard to determine which fairway I was on.




From way way left, my second was blind.  Even walking up on the bunker I couldn't get a line, but at least the location of the fairway was clear.




Where most people will drive the ball the green will still be hard to discern because it is low profile and just sort of lays on the ground.  (A momentary thought, have I wandered onto a minimalist C&C hole by mistake)  From closer in (my third shot) the green is more evident although judging distance is still problematic.




From the left side of the green you can see the green is not without contour or runoff to the back and sides.  The green is devoid of bunkers though.




The end result - an easy bogey off a horrific drive.  Could this be a hard par, easy bogey hole.  Was the length necessary as a linking hole?  Was Tom trying to add some yardage to get past the magic 7,000 yard mark?  For me, this was a stout par 4 hole, but probably the least appealing hole on the course.

[Joe Bausch]

.............................

There was no image from the right tee on the 5th
Kyle sent us that way and that was a super cool shot.

Loved Blue 4 too.  My fave on that course.

Here is a picture from the right tee on the 5th, to a very fun back pin:



............................

Joe,

I'm curious how your group played that back pin position.

We went right at it, all three in my group.  We all hit the green but no one made bird.   

[Bryan Izatt]

Good playing, despite the lack of birds.  I would have imagined getting it to stick back there would have been difficult.  Do you remember the yardage and clubs used.  Was the pin on the lower shelf?

[David Ober]

Bravo, Mr. Doak!

[Bryan Izatt]

Hole #12






To my eye, the 12th is a wonderful mid-length par 4 golf hole.

From the tee there are bunkers right to discourage you (or save you?) from going right.  There appears to be rough crossing the fairway from the right to a rough mound on the left.  There might even appear to be room left of the mound too.  But, it turns out the mound is within driving distance while the crossing rough is another 100 yards down, so the line off the tee is between the mound and the right bunkers.  The better, but riskier, line is down the right opening up the green for the second shot. 




The gap between the mound and the crossing rough is more easily discerned in this aerial.  Interestingly, the river of sand crossing in front of the tee in the above picture doesn't exist in the pre-opening aerial.  One wonders if this was a late change of plan or whether a rain storm created the river of sand and they decided to leave it.  In any event, it's hard to drag the rickshaw carts through it and it must be tiring to carry and walk through it.




It turns out that the left mound can serve to bump a pulled drive back out and down the fairway, providing this look for a second shot.  A forced carry is required to a green with very bold contouring.




There is a pronounced ridge part way into the green, with a funnel off to the front left and a plateau in the back half.  I wonder if it's possible to pin the right front of the green?  Another green where you need to be on the right part of the green with the pin.




Looking back up the hole to the tee.  Note another ridge across the back of the green and a back bunker to catch the overly zealous shot.

[Joe Bausch]

Good playing, despite the lack of birds.  I would have imagined getting it to stick back there would have been difficult.  Do you remember the yardage and clubs used.  Was the pin on the lower shelf?

Pin on the lower shelf. 



I think it was about 125 yards.  I hit a little nine iron quite nice, but landed just on the green on a slight downslope and it hopped past the hole maybe 15-20 ft (you can see the ball if enlarge the picture above by clicking on it).

[Bill_McBride]

The head pro and assistant pro at my club played at Streamsong last week.  Interestingly, both preferred the Red course because the greens weren't crazy like the Blue.

Scorecard and pencil guys.

[Bryan Izatt]

Hole #13






After a 150 yard walk on another dusty road and crossing over the Red course you emerge onto a hole that turns out to be on the opposite side of the lake from Blue #3.  My initial reaction was something like "What the heck is this?"  The look was so completely different from what had come before.  No more open spaces, hit it anywhere.  Lake trouble left and gunge right and apparently narrow.  At first glance I wasn't sure if it was a long par 3 or a short par 4.  Turns out to be a short par 4 that is maybe 40 yards beyond my reach as a possibly drivable par 4.  Normally, I would try to hit driver anyway - better to be close.  However, driver on this hole looked like mostly risk.  So, pulled a 5 iron and then had a wedge in.  Safe, but not satisfying.

From the tee, there really is a lot of room to hit it 175 to 200 yards.




There is a distinct slope down to the left, so it's probably better to keep the layup off to the right. 




The bunker left of the green looks (and probably is) evil.  Don't want to be in there.  A good reason not to try to drive the green.




Looking back down the green to the tee.  The caddie is providing a line for my playing partner who was on his 6th or 7th shot after going right of the tee, left into the pond and then some time on the beach,.  I guess the hole can bite some people some of the time.

Nice vista behind the tee, if you like sandy hills interspersed with golf holes.  It works for me.

[Bryan Izatt]

Hole #14






After exiting the 13th green the westward flow of the routing takes you across a long causeway separating two ponds.  The routing cleverly uses the causeway as the teeing area for the 14th and as a way to bridge the ponds.  It also allowed the red course to utilize the right hand side of the westerly pond.  The causeway tee also is set at an angle to the fairway thus creating a cape-like drive.  The hole is a medium length par 5, but plays a little longer, being somewhat uphill.

From the tee you need to figure out how much of the pond to cut off and where the best leave is for the second shot.  The cavernous bunkers over the pond on the right side are probably too far to carry for most, but provide an angle to run aball up to the green.  Going left off the tee probably leaves a bit shorter second, but requires you to carry a lot of waste and bunkers if you're going for the green.  I played it left (safe), right, and wedge for an easy par to a back pin.




A second from the left requires carrying a lot of white waste and bunkers to go at the green (the pin is just left of the loe tree on the horizon) or a layup back out to the right to set up a short third shot up the length of the green.




The short third shot from the fairway right leaves the green open.  There is alot of slope to the green so you need to carry the ball at least to the hole, if not past to pull it back.  Putts from behind the hole are quite quick.

[Bryan Izatt]

Hole #15






The 15th is another hole that caught my fancy.  Perhaps it was the hint of The Old Course in the main feature of the hole.  From the tee, the hole is as expansive as we've come to expect.  The two objects in the way are well out of reach from the tee.  As usual, there must be a better place to drive it, but where is it?  Turns out to be the right side.




From the far right (well, actually in the waste by a foot or two) of the fairway you can see the right portion of the green, but the left two-thirds is obscured by a mound, reminiscent of the 4th, Ginger Beer, at TOC.  The mystery is what's behind the mound; can I use that ground; and what is the contouring of the part of the green that is hidden.  The flag on this day turned out to be in the centre of the green.




By this point the battery in my camera was weakening and I took less pictures than I would have liked.  Joe Bausch has graciously allowed me to use some of his to supplement mine.

From the left side of the fairway the bunker and the mound obscure most of the green surface.  The pin here is on the right side of the green.  Man, I love that mound, it makes the hole.




From closer in on the right side, the strong contouring of the right portion of the green is evident.  The left side is still obscured.




And, then the green.  Wow, what a green.  There was a very pronounced valley running down the green from back to front where the pin was located this day.  Turns out to be an upper plateau left.  Sadly my ball was up there and 3 putt was pretty much guaranteed.  But, it was an exciting putting experience.  I'll take this any day over flat greens stimped at 13.




A couple more pictures of the green from Joe's collection.  One from front left (clearly he played the left path and I played the right) and one from behind the green looking back to the tee (I wish I had that pin for where my second shot ended up).

[Alex Miller]

Seems like the right-side pins could have been made tougher with a bunker or two, but I like how there are no greenside bunkers right. 

[Bryan Izatt]

Alex,

So much cynical cynicism from one so young ..... tsk, tsk, tsk.   

[Adam Clayman]

These final sequence of holes (#12 on) really floated my boat.

[Bryan Izatt]

Hole #16






The 16th reverses field again and goes back west and up a slope.  At 215 yards from the second from the back tees it is stretching my ability to get there with less than a driver.  I guess it all works out in the wash with the very short 5th hole.  On my day there the pin was front and a thin screaming 3W was enough to get to 10 feet below the hole.  To a back pin, a driver would have been necessary.

There is plenty of room left to bail out or to run the ball in.  Short and right is no good unless you like big and deep bunkers.

From the tee, the foreground bunkers are not in play unless you foozle one.




From short of the green.




From the left side of the green you can see the slope and the contour.  There look to be many options for shots from the left if you bail out that way.  Not so much if you miss right.

[Bryan Izatt]

Hole #17






The 17th reverses direction once again back to the east.  As you walk on to the tee, which is at the far western end of the Blue course you can see the roof of the clubhouse peaking up through the notch in the huge dune ridge.  My immediate reaction was that the last two holes must be killer long to get there in two holes.  They are, with the 17th being 573 from the second from back tees.

The landing area is generous with the bunker left being out of reach for most, most of the time.  There is a huge bunker right that is in play and that is also not so obvious from the tee.




From the more forward silver tees the right bunker is more obvious.




From the left side near the fairway bunker, you are confronted with a ridge that is sprinkled with bunkers.  The question is whether you can carry it or need to lay up.  Anything less than a good drive probably means a layup and an awkward third shot.  Carrying the right side bunkers is probably problematic for all but the long hitters.




From the right side, near the menacing right bunker the same question is asked.




From short of the cross bunkers you end up with a look at a skyline pin.  The green surface is not really visible.




From short of the green on the right side.  If your second is left, the bunker left is a consideration on your third shot.




From close to the front of the green you can see the contours and the nice backboard for back pins.  Another green where you want to be in the same area code as the pin if you want to avoid a 3 putt.




From back of the green looking back to the tee with a nice (maybe receptive) back left pin position in the swale.




And, from back left of the green, the green just laying on the ground in that direction.

[Bryan Izatt]

Hole #18






Now we're on the home stretch, and a long home stretch it is, another par 4.5 hole for most I'd think.  This is another up and over hole with a potentially huge advantage for long hitters with a turbo hill beyond the reach of mere mortals but not the long bombers.  From the tee the landing area is wide with bunkers up the right.  There might be a temptation to carry the ones you can see, but there are more hiding behind and there's really no advantage to challenging them.

Too bad about the barn structure (well, actually the top of the clubhouse) dominating the line of sight.  TOC or Royal Lytham it ain't.




From the top of the hill (which would require a cracking drive) the second is to a beautiful amphitheater with evil bunkers lurking seemingly everywhere you might want to land.  The bail out appears to be left, but that will leave a difficult across and down the green.  For many players the crossing bunkers will be a concern on the second shot since many will be 200 yards or more away from the green.  If those bunkers are carried then there is a single pot bunker impeding what looks like the ideal line.  Turns out it is 20 to 30 yards short of the green, but still in the way.  If the fairways are maintained firm it sure looks like a running second shot to the green will work, if you can miss the bunkers.  For the long hitter who can crest the hill, the second will be a short iron and the bunkering will be moot.  






From down in front of the crossing bunkers the green is actually further than it looks.  Perhaps the scale of the surroundings plays a part in judging distances.




From front left, the green is laying on the ground with a significant cant from left to right and some interesting creases to increase the challenge.




From behind the green looking back up the fairway the slope from the crest of the hill to the green is really evident.




Wow, what a pretty and challenging closing hole.  I wouldn't want to HAVE to make par here in a stroke play competition.

[Josh Tarble]

I thought #18 was fantastic.  We had a couple people hit the downslope and get a huge boost and a couple people had laid back.  The only person to hit the green was the furthest back.  They used the sideboards and slope left of the green to kick onto the green.

The fairway bunkers at 320+ out are definitely in play for someone who gets a good kick from the turbo slot.  I wouldn't be surprised if some are playing this hole with a 3 wood to stay short.

The hole reminds me a lot of Cape Kidnappers #7, which I thought was a great hole as well.

[Adam Clayman]

I  played up the right side of 18, never finding a blade of grass, and had a 12 footer up the hill for birdie.

I loved the tilted plate and the feeling I had when seeing it while playing the Red.

Also, seeing the 12th from behind the green, well before you ever play it, was also a cool part of the journey.

[Joe Bausch]

Thanks for the tour Bryan.  Nice commentary.

I've incorporated a few of your nice pics in my photo album of SSBlue:

http://xchem.villanova.edu/~bausch/images/albums/ssblue/

[Bill McKinley]

Great Photo tour Bryan.  I thought the finish to the blue course of 16, 17 and 18 where three of the strongest finishing holes I've played in a while.  I like to tout my good ol Canterbury has having 3 of the strongest finishers in golf with 16-18.

Mainly 17 and 18 do it for me at the Blue course.  I loved the no throwaway shots on the beefy par 5 17th, with a very interesting green, and the day I played it was down in the lower left, meaning you could try any number of different ways to get it close and plenty of them would work with the big swale in the green to the right of the hole location.  But the 2nd shot really struck me as great.  After you hit a good drive, you're left with a decision even though you're not going for the green.  You can hit it way left and not have to worry too much about carrying the bunkers, but you'll have a poor angle for your 3rd.  But if you challenge the bunkers by hitting it at the green or too the right, you'll have a very easy and shorter shot to try and set up a birdie.

I think I've heard some architects say that par 5s are the toughest to design.  And to me, I've always thought that good 3 shot par 5s are very few and far between, but 17 blue is a great example of a good 3 shot par 5.

Then 18 is just awesome.  It may be my favorite hole on the property.  A great way to finish the day and a wonderful look back after you're done.

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