[Ben Voelker]

All,


I made my way to Nova Scotia at the end of September to take the opportunity to play Highlands Links, Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs.  There are lots of photos of the first two up on this site, so I am not sure there is much value in adding my own.  However, I have yet to find a comprehensive set of photos of Cabot Cliffs so I thought I would share mine.  I played two rounds in two days when playing at the end of September.  The weather was great for golf, albeit quite breezy, but not the best for photos since we had clear skies and sunny days.  In any event, there is a bit of commentary with the photos, but mostly I think the photos should do the talking.


Note: All yardages are from the green tees which play to 6,329 and a par of 72.


Hole 1
568 Yards
Par 5


I have to admit this was one of my least favorite holes on the course.  It is WIDE open off the tee, really from tee to green.  It played into the wind both days I was there and it is a bear to get to the green in regulation.  In all, I thought the hole was actually too wide as there seemed to be little thought required other than to just hit three good shots into the wind.





View from the Tee





Zoomed in view from the tee





From short of the right fairway bunker





Center of the fairway





Leftside of layup area, green is on the right side of the photo








The green is a sign of things to come; large and lots of movement.  In this case a nasty slope is just off the back edge.

[Ben Voelker]

Hole 2
379 Yards
Par 4


CC gets interesting very quickly as the second is unlike any hole I have ever played.  The tee shot is elevated and the fairway is wide.  However, reaching the right half of the fairway is a tall task in a strong headwind, as we played for two days.  The green is fully in view from the tee and elevated above the fairway.  With a giant dune in the armpit of the boomerang green, the hole is immensely easier if your drive can find the same side as the pin for the day's round.  It struck me that right pins are significantly more difficult than left pins, especially in the conditions we played in.





View from the tee





and zoomed in.





From the entrance to the fairway, it is already clear how difficult it is to see portions of the green from the fairway.





From left of the fairway it is clear just how wide the fairway is





and from the left side, the day's pin position is not seen.





Both legs of the boomerang green have a false front and it is possible to lose one's ball into the gunk if it doesn't get all the way up onto the green.  This seems a bit penal to me, especially given the fact there is nowhere to bail out on the hole...





but the green is enormous and one needs to ensure they play safely long to avoid such a fate.








Looking back down the fairway at an excellent hole.

[Ben Voelker]

Hole 3
374 Yards
Par 4


Another excellent hole with lots of room off the tee.  However, there is a distinct advantage in being on the right half of the fairway.  The pin is visible and one can run their ball into the green.  The left side of the fairway is much wider and receptive, but the approach is over a large, intimidating bunker carved into a dune with no view of the pin and no green to work with.  Unfortunately, I have no closeups of the green as I was busy making a mess of the hole!





From the tee





and zoomed in it is clear that the aggressive line down the right is preferred if one trusts their driver.





From the right half of the fairway





View of the centerline bunker and the large greenside bunker from the right side of the fairway.





View from the left side of the fairway.





Looking back down the fairway over the centerline bunker one really appreciates the land movement in the fairway.





and looking back from the front right side of the green, with a false front deflecting timid approaches.

[John Kirk]

I'm enjoying the tour.  Thanks for sharing.  Both the 2nd and 3rd holes look really cool.

[Brad Tufts]

My comments, we visited the last weekend in August:

#1 does seem to be a "getaway" hole, but after three plays it seemed to be a hole where you wished you took advantage.  It plays into the prevailing wind so it seems more reachable than it is.  The big, gathering green is also friendly.

#2 is great, and unique.  Long hitters will have to stay left to make sure they do not run through the fairway.  The green is HUGE, but surrounded by thick grass.  My group lost a couple balls in the center bunker at the green complex.  The approach will be with a short iron, but it plays as almost an Alps hole.  Ben has it right, you HAVE to be past the pin to ensure safety.

#3 is another neat hole, and as it was presented to us, there was not a clear consensus over the favored side off the tee.  The left side to me seemed narrower and crowned (with death far left) and the right more forgiving, when the left side is probably technically wider.  The middle fairway bunker will get tons of play.  The greensite is the highlight...from the left you must carry the big bunker, but you play up the length of the green  From the right the green is wide open, but shallow.  There is more room on the left half of the green, but if the pin is right and you miss left, "pin high" finds the back left bunkers or worse.

I would say the first three holes are not the strength of the Cliffs, but 2/3 are very good holes nonetheless.

[Ben Voelker]

John,


Thanks, it might take me a few days to get through it, but I'll try to keep a reasonable pace.


Brad,


I agree with your sentiments about the first three holes, but I think that is largely because of 1 as I think 2 and 3 are very, very good holes.


Hole 4
139 Yards (right green)
205 Yards (left green)
Par 3


Unfortunately, I only have a few photos of number 4, and this is the par 3 with two distinct greens.  As far as I could tell, in late September, only the right, shorter green was open, and frankly the hole looked to be more interesting with the left green in play.  In my opinion this is the weakest par 3 on the course, but the others are all really, really good.





Both greens in view with the right green dominating in the foreground





Zoom of right green

[Ben Voelker]

Hole 5
322 Yards
Par 4


The third excellent par 4 at Cabot Cliffs.  The scorecard yardage is quite short, playing only 345 yards from the black tees, but is expertly designed such that it plays very awkwardly.  First, the prevailing wind is against and to the right, complicating any bold tee shots.





View from the tee





The obviously play is out to the right with a fairway wood or long iron.  However, this leaves a long approach which is tricky to stop on a green that sits below the approach.





The slightly more aggressive play down the left side of the fairway (and just over the trees on the right side of the photo above) has to carry a couple of deep fairway bunkers but rewards one with a speed slot which yields extra yardage.  The most aggressive play is over the bunker short and right of the green.  Its a big carry going that direction, especially into the wind, but the reward is a short pitch and a good chance at birdie.





From the upper portion of fairway





and looking down toward the green as the fairway turns.  The speed slot can be seen on the extreme right of the photo.








There's a lot more room right than it appears from the fairway and lots of room in front of the green, required because one has to land the approach short and let it run down the slope.





The hard slope toward the green and back to the left can be seen above.





Looking back one can see how much trouble they avoided (or did not as it may have been!)

[Ben Voelker]

Hole 6
171 Yards
Par 3


This hole may easily be overshadowed by the spectacular setting of 16, but this may have been my favorite hole on the course.  Directly downwind, and playing into a idyllic theater in the dunes, this hole challenges the modern golfers perception of aerial golf and playing to a specific yardage.  The green is IMMENSE and has two distinct levels, with the back half 5-6 feet below the front.  With pin positions on the front half as they were for both of my plays (and I suspect they normally will be), it takes a as little as a sand wedge and deft touch to keep one's ball on the front half of the green and avoid a very difficult putt back up the ridge.





View from the tee





Zoomed in view from the tee





From the approach, one realized there is much more room short than it looks from the tee.





As one gets closer to the front edge, the extent of the slope starts to become more apparent.





I wish I had one more photo from greenside to better show the ridge, but alas I am out of photos.  More than any other hole at Cabot Cliffs, the photos I have taken do not do it justice.  IMO, an absolutely world class hole and easily one of the best 2-3 par 3's I have played anywhere.

[Wayne_Kozun]

The sixth is a very cool hole. When I was there in July it was inundated with ants - is that still the case.


FYI - Evan Schiller's Twitter feed has some great shots of Cabot. https://twitter.com/evan_schiller

[Ben Voelker]

Wayne,


i did not notice any colonies of ants in my two plays, so perhaps they got them under control in the two months between our visits?


I believe Evan was the photographer that we came across on the course a few times during our visit.  His photos are impressive!

[Tom_Doak]

I have to admit the sixth is a hole I just didn't get.  You play straight down a chute into a giant bowl, with a giant tier to a lower level in the green.  We played when there was no wind, and this hole was as straightforward as could be.  The back hole locations might require more creativity if you want to get close, but balls want to get down there on their own.

[Ben Voelker]

I have to admit the sixth is a hole I just didn't get.  You play straight down a chute into a giant bowl, with a giant tier to a lower level in the green.  We played when there was no wind, and this hole was as straightforward as could be.  The back hole locations might require more creativity if you want to get close, but balls want to get down there on their own.

Tom,


I admit I didn't play it on a calm day and would admit the hole would lose some of its challenge without a breeze.  With a strong tailwind, it required a very good shot to keep the ball on the front half of the green.  Of the 8 shots I saw played on 6, only 1 avoided rolling to the back tier, and of those 7, I think there was only two 2-putt pars.

[John Kavanaugh]

Maybe Tom should follow his own advice from earlier in the day. To quote: "Everyone is entitled to their own view of what makes a course great, but the most credible reporters keep their experience on the day out of the discussion."  To imagine how a hole plays in the prevailing wind can't be much more difficult than imagining how an aeriated green would putt true.

[Frank M]

I agree with you Tom. I thought the 4th (which people seem to think is the weakest par-3 on the course) is stronger than the 6th. Other than the green site between the dunes, which is cool, I really don't see the "greatness" off this hole and feel it's quite plain.

[Steve Lapper]

  I "got" the Sixth hole quite well.


 Upon looking out from the tee, the surrounding tall fescue and reeds pinch the corridor to the green and suggests a deceptively narrow target, when in fact, it's just the opposite. Although visually disorienting (in terms of distance), it's actually very straightforward and provides a marvelous connector back to inland direction of the next few holes. The tee and green are both pocketed leaving our groups struggling with trying to gauge the strength and direction of the ever apparent winds. Yes, the green is, as Tom notes, a giant bowl with an equally giant tier and not easy to get a shot close any back pins. The lay of the approach and the cant of the green all but demand a shot that is effectively a well-placed bounce into the green. Most, if not all, flyers will find the bottom and even the wispy rough just beyond.


  I'm certain this is neither the best par three on the property, nor one of C& C's greats, let alone tops in the world, but it is a very good hole that fits the routing and course perfectly and plays delightfully.


Ben,


   That " giant dune in the armpit" at #2 is actually the world's largest Principals Nose bunker and the long approach shots you describe on  #5 distinctly call for the ball to be bounced into the green. In four go-rounds, we went from bogies to birdies and pars once we figured this out.


  One of the greatest features of Cliffs is that unlike a Pebble, CPC or PVGC, it demands a tidy ground game on a good # of holes. It reminds me very much of the great Sandbelt courses in that regard. It has a healthy mix of holes and approach shots that call for aerial precision, smart ground strategy, or a mix of both. When courses present themselves smartly in multiple dimensions, that impresses me and ramps the enjoyability level up greatly.

[Adam Lawrence]

[quote author=Steve Lapper link=topic=61978.msg1472005#msg1472005 date=1445077691

   That " giant dune in the armpit" at #2 is actually the world's largest Principals Nose bunker and the long approach shots you describe on  #5 distinctly call for the ball to be bounced into the green. In four go-rounds, we went from bogies to birdies and pars once we figured this out.




Not the Lion's Mouth? I mean, we know Bill likes that feature, it strikes me that this is his most dramatic version yet!

[Steve Lapper]

No Adam it's not feline by design...it's most definitely nasal by nature!


David Baum suggested and I agreed ......it's best referred to as the "Abe Vigoda" bunker!

[Tom_Doak]

Maybe Tom should follow his own advice from earlier in the day. To quote: "Everyone is entitled to their own view of what makes a course great, but the most credible reporters keep their experience on the day out of the discussion."  To imagine how a hole plays in the prevailing wind can't be much more difficult than imagining how an aeriated green would putt true.

John:


I really didn't think it would be a great hole in any wind.  Yes, when it's straight downwind, it would be hard to hold the front part of the green ... you'd have to land it short in an area that's blind from the tee.  That's unusual, but not my idea of great.

[Ben Voelker]

Hole 7
566 Yards
Par 5


Starting with this hole, CC has three par 5's in four holes. The cape tee shot here is incredibly intimidating and similarly difficult to to execute.  Playing the tee shot downwind seemed particularly challenging and perhaps almost too penal as I saw  what appeared to be a perfect line and shot manage to to run through the fairway and get lost in the weeds on the far side of the fairway.





From the tee





and zoomed in.





and looking back from the right side of the landing zone.





The ridge running down the middle of the fairway is an interesting feature that presumably would redirect well struck tee shots on an aggressive line and help set one up for a go at the green in two.





Layup area short of the green





The green site is quite interesting, with a false front on the right side and two nasty bunkers front right.

[Tim Passalacqua]

Ben,


Thanks for taking the time to post these photos of Cabot Cliffs with your commentary.  This is the reason I joined GCA.  I think the 3rd hole of CC is my favorite so far.  Great strategy and look on a beautiful piece of land.  Not that we needed to get any more excited about Cabot Cliffs, but this helps even more!


Tim

[Ben Voelker]

Hole 8
515 Yards
Par 5


8 runs more or less parallel to 7 heading back toward the Gulf.  Similar to 3, the fairway is very wide and offers plenty of room for misses, but offers a centerline bunker which is reachable and needs to be respected.





From the tee, with 7 green in the left foreground.



A view from the tee zoomed in.  One can see that the carry down the left is significant and the fairway is narrower down the left than the safer play down the right.  The advantage for a well positioned drive, however, is a more direct route to the green and a better view from the landing zone.



Looking straight down the fairway just short of the landing zone



A closeup of the centerline bunker.  While not particularly deep, it will likely eliminate the possibility of reaching the green in two.



There is a large bunker short and left of the green, which does make the angle from the right side of the fairway slightly more receptive and the small bunker middle right is well positioned just behind a swale running across the green left to right.





The green is again enormous and pins back right are difficult to access due to the swale running in front and the wind generally coming from the left and into the golfer.





A view of the swale from the left side of the green.  The camera has flattened it, although the scale is notable when contrasted agains the 1st hole in the background.


I thought 8 was the best of the 3 par 5s on the front, although I would argue all 3 on the back are stronger than those on the front.

[Ben Voelker]

Hole 9
114 Yards
Par 3


The last hole on the front is an intimidating little par 3 playing directly toward the Gulf.  At 114 yards and playing downhill, but into the wind, it is a difficult shot to judge and there is very little margin for error with a deep fronting bunker.  Those who are uncomfortable trying to judge the short wedge shot in breezy conditions could chip one down the left side and attempt a difficult up and down (or long 2 putt) from there.








View from the tee.








From the left side of the green, the internal contours are clearly identified.


This area is one of two locations on the course where a number of tees and greens come together as 1 green, 2 tee, 8 green, 9 tee and 9 green are all in the same area.  the other is near the 1st tee where the 11th tee and 10th and 18th greens also meet.

[Thomas Dai]

Extremely nice photo tour Ben. Well done.


That wee par-3 9th, interesting what you say about chipping one off the tee. Nice to see a bit of a variety with a very short hole par-3 that can be played in this manner as so many of such a length seem to have either a significantly raised tee or a significantly raised green.


atb

[Mark Saltzman]

Just starting to catch up here... That must be the granddaddy of all PN bunkers on 2... Wow! Interesting that it's in the DZ, MacRaynor never designed them that way, did they?

[Ben Voelker]

Mark,


It's not in the DZ, although looking at the photos again, I could see how it looks that way. It's immediately greenside.

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