The 11th hole was probably the hole with which I took the biggest risk in trying something I wasn't sure was going to work. I had a piece of ground to get from A to B that was as wide as it was long. My original design, was a dogleg left around a big lake because at that point the water authorities wanted much more water on the site. When that demand dropped I had a lot more land to play with and started thinking about a short version of the famous MacKenzie hole that would have many different playing lines, but would in certain conditions also be driveable.
(click on the picture to see the full resolution picture (13 MB!))
The biggest issue with designing such a hole is that the different playing lines each have to have merit and attractiveness or they will not be used. Couple that with the fact that this hole really got built in the field by Conor Walsh (shaping almost took him 10 days!), and that meant that there was a lot of iteration and "dirt golf" while we were building.
The basic playing lines are:
- Left. The shortest route (is about 20-30 yards shorter than right), but more bunkers defending it in the fairway landing zone and in front of the green. Probably the best route if the pin is in the back low side of the green.
- Right. The most used route, because although it is longer it looks more inviting and wider, mostly because I have added quite some fairway to the right of the optimal line. Also the approach to the green seems more open from the right, but the green does deflect balls slightly more to the right
- Straight. Maybe the least risky way is to play two straight shots, say an iron 7 followed by a wedge. That way you take all risk of the fairway bunkers out of play and still have a comfortable shot into the green, especially if the flag is front right. But I still have to see anybody play the hole that way....
- Drive the green. When the wind is right it is very possible to try to drive the green. The risks are that you aren't long enough and end up in the soft sand of the Sahara, or you are too long and hook it the creek comes into play...
I would say based on current play the percentages are:
Right 50%
Left 30%
Straight 5%
Drive 15%
The feedback I got back sofar is that people love playing the hole, especially after repeated play, and do experiment with different lines, so the hole is not a failure.
Could it be improved? Probably yes. I have been thinking that I might want to put one more bunker defending the right front side of the green, to make the right side less attractive. I have also considered making a sliver of fairway through the Sahara to stimulate the Straight option. On the other hand as they say "If it ain't broke don't fix it"