JNC, your brown-nosing is strong...
I'll take Smails if nobody wants him…
Wow, everyone is in agreement?
I guess put me down for a "disagree" then (especially if "by a significant margin").
My reasons:
- Greens: I go the exact opposite way - for the most part, I prefer subtle, and what some call "bold" on Blue, others might call "tricked up"
- Due to its angle of fairways and presence of hazards (sand and water), Red provides more "risk/reward" shots off the tee than Blue
- As to all that water on Red? You need to hit a REALLY bad tee shot for it to come into play on most of the holes. I say this as someone who is not a very precise driver of the golf ball
- Routing: while #7 is a great hole and is fantastic looking, the routing on Blue has to be dinged due to the fact that you need to walk back along that bridge, practically back to the tee. I seem to recall a long walk from #16 Blue to #17 tee as well.
- Speaking of best holes, #16 might be the best Biarritz anywhere
- Finish: as much as I like #18 Blue, the short par 5 #18 on Red is an amazing match play hole and terrific finisher
Bottom line: I loved both courses, but after 2 trips now and ~3-4 rounds on each, I would give the nod to Red over Blue.
OK, with that you can all go back to your sucking up
Kevin,
I did enjoy the finisher at the Red (particularly the green, which is one of the boldest on the course), but I found the 18th at Blue much more thrilling because of the variety of shots you could hit into that green. Also, less related to the architecture, I preferred the setting of 18 Blue, which plunges through the gap in the dunes toward the clubhouse, to 18 Red, which is isolated and gives off a feel of "what, this is 18?".
I don't have a huge problem with the walk over the bridge on 7, especially since you are taking in some of the most unique golf landforms with which I'm familiar along the way. I agree that it isn't ideal, but it doesn't take major points away in my book. I enjoy the Blue routing more because of its constant change in direction, which is especially effective on a course where wind is everything. In general, I prefer a routing with a few jogs between holes but constant change of direction to a routing that has all tees close to greens but runs in a circle or line. Red doesn't make a perfect circle necessary, but the positioning of the holes gives it a feel of aloofness that is a bit of a turnoff for me.
I think risk/reward is a quality that's broad and difficult to define, but I'll try to list some holes on the Blue where "risk/reward" is abundant:
1. Take on the green side bunkers with driver.
2. Gamble with the bunker and scrub on the right to catch the turbo boost.
3. Hug the water to get the shorter approach to the green (particularly from the back decks).
4. Hug the bad country left to shorten an otherwise daunting approach.
6. Driver will risk finding that gnarly fairway bunker 50 yards short, but it could also find the green.
9. Hug the bunkers right for a chance at the green in two (applies to big hitters only)
11. Thread the needle left to shorten the approach.
13. Pull out the big gun and drive the green, or find all sorts of trouble along the way.
14. Classic diagonal tee shots to start a short par five.
17. All about the carry on second shot.
The other non-par-three holes (8, 12, 15, and 18) carry plenty of drama not otherwise related to "risk/reward" characteristics. Do you think Red has more thrills than this? I can think of plenty of holes on the Red (1, 3, 10, and 12 come to mind immediately) where this is limited risk/reward tradeoff. But unlike the holes listed on the Blue, which still carry plenty of width to allow freedom and creativity, these non-RR holes on the Red are more penal, asking the golfer to buckle down and hit some fairways. It's not the worst type of golf in the world, but I'm much more inspired by what I see at the Blue.
As I said before, I love the Biarritz at 16 Red, but I don't think it's quite long enough. I'll take 9 at Yale, or even 3 at Hackensack, because it calls for a 3-wood instead of a long iron.
I think the greens are more of a personal call than anything. I've always lusted for big contours in my greens, but some guys don't dig that.