Steve, it's a good point you make on 13. I'll add to it a bit. We saw in our group what I consider to be the worst position on the entire course, which is long of that green. Missing there leaves you in a swale if you're lucky, but more likely on a downslope where the infamously bad lies that Clovernook's rough presents are abundant. The green runs away from you dramatically, and it's almost impossible to stop a shot on the green (my first round opponent in the club championship hit a chunk-flop to 12 feet and I think it's one of the five best shots I've seen on the course).
Of course, shorter hitters rarely miss long. Longer hitters do it much more often. That's another place where I see that hole presenting an equitable challenge, and you see a bit of the same at play on 14 and 15. That's part of why I consider that stretch of holes the toughest on the course despite the modest length.
Also, regarding the ravines and having the nerve to challenge them, I wonder if part of the reason that kind of architecture "works" is that it's so much more accessible. Very few players can consistently hit a drive on a line to "laterally challenge" a left side or right side bunker trying to gain a better angle. More players, though, can hit it close to the distance we planned on a fairly regular basis. I think sometimes we fall in love with architecture that works "in theory," like the lateral challenge that is strategically brilliant but often pretty random for the average player to interface with. The strategy off the tee at a course like Clovernook is probably a little less subtle and interesting, but it makes up for that somewhat with the fact that the average player is capable of interfacing with it consistently. And, like the greensite at the 13th, it also has a stronger effect on the longer hitting, stronger player than it does on the weaker one.
Hyde Park today was a real treat. The restoration work Tim has done there is a real model for a lot of other courses in the city, Clovernook and every public that I've played around here included. Hyde Park isn't the most scenic golf course or most visually stunning property I've ever played. But it MIGHT be the most stunningly presented property and course I've played, if that makes sense. It's not in a setting like the sand hills or along the Platte River or Lake Michigan or the Pacific. But man, standing on the 4th green there and seeing parts of five or six holes in play from way up on that ravine is just breathtaking. I don't think I've seen a course that gets more stunning views out of its property, and I sure didn't expect that in the middle of Cincinnati.