Biarritz holes

[Nigel Islam]

So I was reading "Scotland's Gift," and became a little puzzled by how CBM described the Biarritz hole:


"210 yards. Suggested by the 12th Biarritz, making sharp hog back in middle of course. Stop 80 yards from hole bunkered to the right of green and good low ground to the left of plateau green."


Am I just reading this wrong? Or is this somewhat different from my beloved yet somewhat non-functional Biarritz template?

Nigel:

To backtrack for a second, the original description of the concept first appeared in 1906.  In those descriptions, the hogsback is noted as stopping 30 yards short of the green, not 80. 

As for the low-lying ground to the left of the green, it appears from this 1913 photo of the Biarritz at Piping Rock that CBM and/or Raynor did adhere to the earlier descriptions in their first attempt.  It is possible that they could not always find an ideal site for the green on the property they were working with, and made the economical decision to replace low lying ground with greenside bunkers.



I'm also curious as to where you gathered that CBM removed himself from the Piping Rock project.  There are reports in 1914 of him revisiting the course to perfect the bunkering scheme.  Not something you'd expect from someone that had "dropped out" of the work.

Sven

So did CBM himself put the green side bunker on the left on the Biarritz when he went back in 1914 then? Or did somebody else do it. That picture does reconcile the description he gives to me so thanks for that. I'm also thankful to John for sharing the info about the green at North Berwick. That looks like a first cousin to the Biarritz greens I've played.

[Sven Nilsen]

John:


The timing also makes sense for Oswald not having acted alone.  What's your take on that?


Nigel:


There's a major difference between the double plateau-ed angled green at North Berwick and a green fronted by a hogsback feature.


I'm highly inclined to take CBM at his word when he noted that the concept was taken from the 12th hole at Biarritz, and that it wasn't a strict copy of an existing hole, but rather an adaptation of features the he thought could work on a par 3.


Sven


Copied from David Moriarty's post in the thread linked to above:


CBM  mentioned what became known as his Biarritz concept shortly thereafter in a letter printed in a June 20, 1906 NY Sun article about his recent trip abroad:[/size]"The best holes have not been found on the five British championship links alone.  . . . The idea for one hole comes from Biarritz.  The hole in question is not a good one, but it revealed a fine and original principle that will be incorporated into my selection."  CBM expanded on the description later that year in his article on ideal holes in Outing Magazine where he provided a sample listing of 18 holes: "15. 210 yards. Suggested by 12th Biarritz making sharp hog back in the middle of the course.  Stopping thirty yards from the hole bunkered to the right of the green and good low ground to the left of the plateau green." H.J. Whigham repeated this early understanding in 1913 when describing  the inspiration for Piping Rock's Biarritz:  "There is a Biarritz hole of about 220 yards which is new to this country and is one of the best one-shot holes in existence. There is a hog's back extending to within thirty yards of the green and a dip between the hog's back and the green." [/color]

[John Kavanaugh]

The original and perhaps most interesting Biarritz: http://www.northberwickgolfclub.com/the-course/hole-16/

[Sven Nilsen]

The original and perhaps most interesting Biarritz: http://www.northberwickgolfclub.com/the-course/hole-16/

Not a Biarritz, there's no chasm.

[Brian Finn]

The original and perhaps most interesting Biarritz: http://www.northberwickgolfclub.com/the-course/hole-16/

Not a Biarritz, there's no chasm.

There isn't?  Can you please explain further?