A while back Sean did a photo tour of Weston-Super-Mare GC - see -
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,38439.msg798806.html#msg798806Recently I had the opportunity to play WSM and while there took a number of photos in order to review WSM's 450 yd par-4 15th hole, an Alister MacKenzie version of the 17th at TOC.
Here, later edit, is a coloured photo of the green in 1922
Firstly, a sat-map overview of the hole
- https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.3255728,-2.9838507,460m/data=!3m1!1e3On this hole the prevailing wind comes from behind and off the left side.
From the medal tee you drive over a manmade ridge - pre-Dr MacK', probably part of the sea defences. There is small pond to the right short of the ridge. I wonder if the pond was there in Dr MacK's time (?) and over the ridge also on the right side is a now roofless stone building, alas not a railway shed or a hotel!
There is a fairway bunker on the right side and short of this on the opposite side of the fairway is a small yellow staked pond surrounded by scrubby trees.
There is no road to the right side of the green. Instead there is uneven ground with rough and OB.
As to the green itself? Well, best let the photos show.....
Below - from the men's medal tee it is necessary to hit towards the marker post over the ridge. There is a small pond to the right and over the ridge an old unroofed building (I doubt it's an old engine shed and some work might be needed in order to bring it up to the standard of the Old Course Hotel!)
Below - looking back to the rear tee - no great looker, no eye candy here!
Below - looking back from the fairway -
Below - the green from various angles -
This is what the Club's Pro says about the hole in his notes to the courses planner -
"The signature hole on the course. From the back tee choosing the line to aim down is everything. With out of bounds all the way down the right its very easy to hit your tee shot too far left. This only leaves you in the rough and/or behind the trees guarding the pond.It's good advice to treat this par 4 as a par 5 and get there in easy stages.If the tee is at the front (with the ladies tee) favour the right hand side of the fairway. This will leave you a much easier shot up the length of this long narrow green."It's a shame the greenside bunker doesn't mimic the Road Hole bunker at TOC. I wonder if MacKenzies's original bunker on this hole did mimic it or whether it was more say swept-up in style?
Well that's the 15th at WSM.
Damn fine hole.
For more on the WSM club and course see -
http://www.westonsupermaregolfclub.com/Thoughts?
atb