Welcome, Eric.
Lucky fellow being a member at SH.
So, what is it architecturally that you find most appealing at Somerset?
The contrast between the front and back is wonderful. It’s great to play 9 holes after work on the front one day and the back another day. Even though they are different, the two nines blend very well together.
Obviously the greens are the centerpiece at SH. It’s almost fun being out of position there because you will end up with a putt/chip you’ve never had before. When the greens are firm, they demand not only a solid shot, but a well executed shot with the correct shape/height. A low, hard running draw will not hold the Redan green or a ball flown to the back tier on the biarritz 13
th.
I think Tillinghast was 100% correct when he said the most enjoyable shots were the ones where you aim away from the pin and let the slope move the ball back towards it. Like all the great courses, if a player wants to get the ball close to the pin, he/she needs to think about where to land the ball and then where the slope take it. There are several greens at SH that allow you to work the ball towards the hole and that is very fun.
Also, the fairways are quite wide for an average/shorter hitter so just about all skill levels can play the course. For a longer hitter/better player, the fairways play much narrower than they appear due to their slopes, especially when they are running out. It’s not easy to make a course playable for all but difficult to score on for a good player but I think Tillinghast achieved that at SH.
Joe, I’ve been through your photo tour of SH several times. Great job!