Rustic Canyon (Hanse / Shackelford / Wagner) - A Photo Tour!! - Hole 18 Posted

[Alex Miller]

short of the pin... or green 

There is no shame in getting up and down for par on that hole in the afternoon wind, but it is only possible from short of the green!

[Mark Saltzman]

short of the pin... or green 

There is no shame in getting up and down for par on that hole in the afternoon wind, but it is only possible from short of the green!

Yep, I was going to say that... I remembered you telling me that!

[DMoriarty]

Hole is definitely most interesting in the wind, and when it is blowing it tends to shift constantly at this particular location on the course.

The "beast" bunker just short left is maybe not quite as nasty as it used to be, but still no place to miss. 

Only good miss is short, as left, right, or long will leave an almost impossible up-and-down.   

Playing safe when the pin is on the left plateau leaves an extremely difficult two putt.

One drawback is that much of the green is too steep to reasonably pin, and since the green is small anyway there aren't a great variety of pin positions.

[Dan Grossman]

You also have to be careful with your wedge and the amount of backspin you put on the ball.  It is easy to hit a good looking shot that lands past the pin and pulls back significantly leaving you with a longish (15 feet plus) birdie putt.  I think this is one of the trickiest greens to putt and unless you are directly underneath the hole, you will be hard pressed to make anything longer than about 4 feet in length. 

I'm always amazed by how few birdies this hole actually yields.  Great hole and fits well with the front nine.  The front nine has a lot of high "beta" holes that can either yield birdie or bogie.  #1, #3, #7, #8 and #9 all fall into this category for me.  With thoughtful, well struck shots, all can be birdied.  However, if you get it out of position, they are all easy bogies as well. 

On the back nine, I would only put the run from #12 through #14 into this category.

[Mark Saltzman]

On a golf course with tremendous width, the 9th fairway may be the widest and least defined fairway on the golf course.  Bombers can likely reach this par-5 in two, but for most it is a very comfortable three-shotter.  It's interesting how, when the golfer knows all he wants to do is keep his tee shot in play, he hits some of his worst tee shots.  Such was the case for my group at the 9th (Alex excepted) where we all hit crooked and short tee shots.  




The 9th is a hole where the golfer needs to play backwards from the green.  The wonderful 9th green is dominated by a swale front-left and a plateau back-left.  Playing to the front-left pin the golfer will want to play left of this perfectly placed fairway bunker.  Playing to any other pin the golfer will want to play as far right as he dare.

[Lynn_Shackelford]

Odd isn't it, very wide fairway and many of us hit our worst drives here.  Smoother, flatter turf down the left side and better place to drive it, but a hazard is on the left.  The great part is that the green was not shaped, but staked and the current elevations have been there for many years before the course was constructed.  Most interesting and unusual hole location is far back left.

[Greg Tallman]

Odd isn't it, very wide fairway and many of us hit our worst drives here.  Smoother, flatter turf down the left side and better place to drive it, but a hazard is on the left.  The great part is that the green was not shaped, but staked and the current elevations have been there for many years before the course was constructed.  Most interesting and unusual hole location is far back left.

Interesting point - the same is true for me on our Ocean Course at 8 and 15 which are each 80 plus yards wide with very small central bunkers. I hit more recovery shots on these two holes than the rest of the course which is exacting from the tee in stretches.

[Joe Perches]

9th green may be the best green on the course simply
for the difference between easy and hard putts.

If the pin's in the front left bowl, good chance at birdie.
Back left, not so much.

Anywhere right, don't be above the hole.

On to 10?  Well, not so fast, it's a 150 yd walk.

[Mark Saltzman]

The 10th is an uphill par-5 of 571 yards.  The tee shot is wide again, but for the first time the canyon drop-off is in play and a miss wide right will surely result in a lost ball.




Another small pot, though larger than the one at the 2nd, sits in the right side of the fairway about 250 yards from the tee.  Though one would think this bunker would see little action given the width of the hole, note the proximity of the tee shots of half of our group to the bunker -- I think this speaks to how well placed the bunker is!




The second shot is played over a series of cross-bunkers to a semi-blind tee shot.  There is a safe route to the left, where the carry is short, but for a shorter approach into the green with an angle that plays into the opening of the rectangular green, the golfer will need to challenge the bunkers on the right.

[Joe Perches]

The 10th is an uphill par-5 of 571 yards.  The tee shot is wide again, but for the first time the canyon drop-off is in play and a miss wide right will surely result in a lost ball.

Of all the calamity caused changes and repairs to holes of Rustic Canyon's original layout, 10 is perhaps the only hole that has actually improved.

The cross bunkers and the extended bunkers right of the second half of the fairway are great, both visually and as a threat impairment to different golfer skill levels.

It's not so much that they are really in play, but people think they are in play.  It's like the little pot bunker on the drive.  So many balls gravitate there.

People just don't seem to be able to play left enough on this hole.

[Mark Saltzman]

The 11th is an uphill par-4 of just over 450 yards.  With a stunning mountain backdrop, the golfer must make a decision from the tee -- should he challenge the canyon on the left for the shorter approach, or play conservatively to the right and leave a long iron or more? 




The flag is in full view from the tee, serving a dual purpose.  First, it adds to the temptation to play left from the tee, by pulling the Line of Instinct away from the Line of Charm.  Second, it allows those with home course knowledge to make a more educated decision from the tee, because...






The green is split left and right by a sharp spine down the centre of the green.  Having played Soule Park that morning, I was immediately convinced that Soule's 4th green was the inspiration.  And, fellow GCAer Jim_Benz will appreciate this green, as it is one of few where the golfer wants to play from fairway on the same side that the pin is on the green.  We noticed this rare situation earlier in the week at Stone Eagle's 17th and we both struggled to think of many more examples.  Well, Jim, here's one!

[David Kelly]

Just want to chime in and say that the 10th green is absolutely brilliant and unlike any other green I have ever played.

[Mark Saltzman]

Just want to chime in and say that the 10th green is absolutely brilliant and unlike any other green I have ever played.

David, 10 or 11? Can you expand on your point?

[Joe Perches]

Just want to chime in and say that the 10th green is absolutely brilliant and unlike any other green I have ever played.

Umm, 10?  Really?

Did you typo a number?  Are you off a hole?  11 instead of 10?

If not, what's brilliant about 10?

If you mean 11, I like that it's like 4 little island greens connected by a couple of spines.

The back left island is the most fun to aim at, just don't go too far long and too far left.

I've chipped from back right to back left on 11 green.
Maybe 11's the only green on the course where that's ever necessary.
I think 13 can generally be maneuvered around given the slopes.

[David Kelly]

Just want to chime in and say that the 10th green is absolutely brilliant and unlike any other green I have ever played.

Umm, 10?  Really?

Did you typo a number?  Are you off a hole?  11 instead of 10?

If not, what's brilliant about 10?

If you mean 11, I like that it's like 4 little island greens connected by a couple of spines.

No, I meant 10.  What green have you ever played that is remotely like it?  If you play there a lot how many times have you knocked it very close with a wedge?

Some things I like about it:

1. It looks completely innocuous but plays harder than it looks.
2. Putts and approaches are heavily influenced by the canyon.  I don't see many putts of any length made from about the hole and the further back the pin is on the green the faster it is down canyon and slower it is up canyon.
3. Sidehill putts break hard.
4. The length of the green (30yds?) means that figuring out your distance is often difficult especially since RC doesn't use color coded flags. There is a three club difference on your approach depending upon where the pin is.
5.  The best angle into the green is from as close to the right side fairway bunkers as possible.  Play it safe with your layup to the middle or left side of the fairway and the approach angle gets a lot tougher.
6. The green hugs the ground and from the fairway appears to merge with the apron to make one huge green.  Many golfers hang their approachs out to the left because of this optical illusion.  This effect also makes it hard to judge where the flag is unless it is all the way in the front or back.
7. Miss the green short or to either side and you can (and must) get creative with your recovery.  Miss the green long and you are in big trouble.
8. Finally, it is unique. The architects were willing to take a chance with the green and it paid off.

[Mark Saltzman]

Some of my favorite holes ask the golfer to fight temptation -- and, in my opinion, there is no greater temptation than to play towards the pin to shorten the hole.  The 12th is a short par-4 without any hazards in play from tee (except that tree, which should go).




But, golfers that choose to take the short route to the green are left with an intimidating pitch over a series of bunkers to a shallow green:




Playing away from the green, the golfer is left with a simple pitch, and far easier access to the back/left portions of the green:




No matter the angle of approach, a miss long, over the ridge in the green, is a disaster:

[Jordan Standefer]

Mark,

I got out to Rustic last week and, for the first time, laid back in the fairway with an iron.  I left myself with a nasty distance (somewhere in the 65-70 yard range) and flew the knob in the green.  (The pin was in the front.)  I ended up where your last picture is taken from.  Three shots from there and in with bogey.

A great short par-4 with lots of options.  You're not done until you're in the hole.

[Mark Saltzman]

The final par-5 of the day is another long one, playing 582 yards and up the canyon.  From the tee the golfer must choose whether to play left or right of the centreline bunker 250 yards from the tee -- play right and flirt with out of bounds for the shorter line to the hole, or play cautiously to the left away from trouble.




The 13th fairway, much like the 11th fairway at Doak's Streamsong (Blue), ripples gently.  Pretty cool how the ripples seem to replicate the creases in the mountain beyond:




The green complex is certainly the highlight of the 13th hole.  A single Lions Mouth-esque bunker dictates decision-making on the 2nd and 3rd shots.  After playing The Los Angeles Country Club's North Course and The Riviera Country Club, this boomerang type green is something I grew accustom to seeing in Southern California.  The golfer must lay-up to the correct side of the fairway, otherwise he will face a nasty approach into the green.

[Joe Perches]

The final par-5 of the day is another long one, playing 582 yards and up the canyon.

Nice pictures.

I've played this hole once since the new back back tee was added.
It seems pretty far now with the normal slight headwind.

Can long hitters still reach this green in 2 from the back tee now?

[Mark Saltzman]

The final par-5 of the day is another long one, playing 582 yards and up the canyon.

Nice pictures.

I've played this hole once since the new back back tee was added.
It seems pretty far now with the normal slight headwind.

Can long hitters still reach this green in 2 from the back tee now?

Paging Alex Miller...

[Dan Grossman]

I think it is possible to hit it in 2 from the blacks, but you have to really be a big hitter.  I hit it reasonably far, and the black tee is too far back for me.  The hole rarely plays downwind and it is uphill all the way, so it does play significantly longer than the yardage.  If you are a bomber in the true sense of the word, you can hit the green in two from the backs.

The one thing I do like about the black tee is that it brings the OB right more into play, in my opinion.  I have played it a couple of times and hit it out of bounds once and came close another time.  From the blue tees, I can't remember the last time I hit it out.

[Alex Miller]

The final par-5 of the day is another long one, playing 582 yards and up the canyon.

Nice pictures.

I've played this hole once since the new back back tee was added.
It seems pretty far now with the normal slight headwind.

Can long hitters still reach this green in 2 from the back tee now?

Paging Alex Miller...

I think this hole "normally" has a slight tailwind. It really depends on the conditions, but it is more reachable than 9 even from the new back tee. So yes, still reachable. 

I do think the back tee also brought the centerline bunker back into play for longer hitters and made it much harder to reach the power-boost giving right side that really must be taken on if one is trying to reach the green in 2.

To me, the green is really the story. Very cool Lion's mouth set into a hillside that plays nearly equally challenging to all pin positions. The fairway also has a ton of width and it can all be used depending on the wind and pin placement. It's a hole that you often walk away from with 5 on the card feeling like you missed an opportunity for 4, though it's not necessarily an easy birdie.

[David Kelly]

I think this hole "normally" has a slight tailwind.

As Dan said, the hole rarely plays downwind. The wind is in your face or negligible 95% of the time on #13.

The first few years the course was open before the turf became thatchy and a lot softer the bunkers on the left were in play for long hitters and we could reach the green with a long iron.  

[Mark Saltzman]

The 498 yard cape 14th is only the second hole since the 6th to play back down canyon.  There is certainly temptation to take the bold line to the left, as this shortens the hole considerably, but there is more than ample room to play to right for the golfer that wants to play cautiously.




The open green-front allows for, and arguably encourages, a running approach.  The sharp right to left tilt short of the green emphasizes the importance of the bold line from the tee, as approaches from the left that utilize this slope will be far easier to control.

[Lynn_Shackelford]

Minor point, but the 12th goes back down the canyon.