In early October I had the good fortune to make a long day trip out from Philly and nearly across the state to play Sunnehanna, a Tillinghast design that opened in 1923. This course has been talked about here before, but I don't think there has been a detailed presentation. I'll come right out and say it now, that I really like the place. It is very good and getting better.
Below are the plans by AWT:
(most figures and photos in this thread are 'clickable' to a larger size)
Here is a very early aerial of the course from 1928. This shows much of the front nine. Check out some of the bunkering!
The hole-sequencing really has not changed since the opening. Here is the current hole-sequencing on top of a Google Earth aerial:
My host (John Yerger) is the tournament co-director for the Sunnehanna Amateur, one of the best amateur tourneys around, in existence since 1954. The list of contestants in this tourney is a who's who of the golfing world!
Much work has been done to the course over the past years, following a master plan by Brian Silva:
For those that have played Sunnehanna but haven't been back for years, you may not recognize parts of the course due to significant tree removal. They didn't do 'an Oakmont' on it, but plenty of trees met their maker. Grin.
I'll be asking John to help out with the thread with his very informed perspective. Even with some wet weather the previous days, the course played pretty fast and firm. And that is the way they typically present it. This summer John told me the fairway sprinklers were turned on once!
My playing partners this day were Cobb's cohort Mike Cirba, and Matt Frey. I'm thinking they'll chime in as well.
Let's get started.
#1. Downhill par 4 (405 yards from the tees my group played from). Google Earth view of the hole:
Here is the description of the hole from John Yerger:
The first is a fairly gentle start to start to the round. A decent drive leaves the player with a mid to short iron. The green has a false front that works beautifully with the grade. This is a theme throughout the course. The prevailing wind is typically behind the player requiring shots to be played short of the green for pins that might be in the front quarter of green.The first tee starts real close to the clubhouse with a beautiful view on this early October afternoon:
You can play 2nd shots on the ground at Sunnehanna on many holes, but care must be used. Here there is a little rise at the front of the green, which then may even run a bit from front to back. Fairway view:
View from long and left of the green, back up the fairway with the clubhouse in view at the crest of the hill:
#2. Uphill, dogleg-right par 4 (400 yards, tips out at 430).
This hole does not run right next to the first, as there is some separation and a good skyline green.
Some excellent info from John:
The second hole is the most difficult on the course, it requires a solid tee shot, a very well struck iron and an adept touch on the green.
Played back into the prevailing wind, a good drive leaves an uphill shot with a mid-iron into what clearly was once a skyline green. The approach shot is made more difficult by the natural terrain which lends itself to uneven lies. A player, in the left side of the fairway, finds his ball slightly below his feet and in the right side of the fairway the opposite. This slope becomes more pronounced as you move to the center of the fairway where a small but noticeable depression exists. The players approach shot must then clear a large false front which is made more significant because the green slopes from back to front.
The front half of this green was flattened by William Flynn in 1939. He also changed the existing greenside bunkers and added the “duffers headache” on the right side. In his review of the course in 1931, Emil Loeffler commented., “this is a much trickier green than number 17” which, as you will find out later, was saying something. The original green also had a small kickback feature which was particularly pronounced on the back right side. Without the change in the green, and with today’s green speeds, the hole would, in all likelihood, be un-pinnable today.Tee view:
Most will have a very uphill 2nd shot:
Big false front on this green:
After that long uphill par 4, you are met with a short par 4.
#3. Par 4 (373 yards).
The protruding left fairway bunker must be dealt with.
From John:
The third hole, while modest in length, requires intelligent play off the tee. The green slopes dramatically from right to left and works away from the player. The ideal shot to any pin in the center or back right requires the shot to be played from the left side. Like most of the course, the fairway is generous but the ability to go at any pin is dictated by where the player positions his ball off of the tee. Aggressive tee shots must be played directly over the fairway bunker otherwise the ball will move hard right upon landing leaving the player with a poor angle and little to work with. Shots played just short of the bunker leave a downhill approach of just over 100 yards.
This hole, when it was built, featured a bunker that was 30 yards from the green, was some 60 yards wide and at its deepest was 40 yards in depth. It was filled in within 5 years of opening. Tee view (sorry for the crappy lighting on this hole):
This bunker has a big face and must be avoided, say laying up short of it:
Or drive past it leaving a short iron that seems pretty simple:
And like some other greens at Sunnehanna, this green slopes from front to back!
That's a nice start. Three more in the next day or so.