In spite of the image of Donald Ross’s original drawing, I am finding it difficult to believe that this hole was ever intended to be played straight. Does anyone know whether the image is supposed to be a pre-construction plan drawing or an as-built drawing? Either way, I don’t think that one should assume that the a 100 year old image of this nature is a perfect representation of reality.
I have drawn lines from the center of the teeing ground to the center of the green on three separate aerial images from three separate periods in the club’s history. Ross’s original drawing shows intended fairway widths of +/-60 yards, but the presence of a parallel golf hole and relatively dense tree cover on the right side of the fairway throughout the years suggests that such width was never available. And neither does it really jive with the the ample “bulge” shown on the left side of the fairway in the early aerial photography. There is a LOT of width shown there that isn’t on Ross’s drawing, wouldn’t you agree? Maybe “dogleg” isn’t the right word, but the aerial photography from as far back as 80 years ago doesn’t suggest a straight hole. Rather, it suggests that the left side of the fairway used to play a much larger role in the hole’s strategy.
1931
1957
2013
I am guessing that the bunker seen from the tee on the left side of the fairway was intended to be a much more critical aiming point for players than it is today. Those that challenged this hazard would be rewarded by having little chance of drifting down the slope into the right rough, among other things. Tree encroachment and the loss of fairway width on the left side, however, have rendered this option all but impossible. I am assuming that trees were added over the years on the left side for extra safety considerations towards those on 8 green and 9 tee, but the impact on Hole #2 is significant.
For me, if there is any issue with this hole at all that, it is not the bulge of rough at the bottom of the slope on the right side of the fairway, but the pronounced loss of width on the left side.