El Desafio pics and flyovers - Greg Norman - Patagonia (preview)

[MClutterbuck]

While I try to find the time to put together pictures, video and a full description of each of the currently 9 open holes, I am posting a small preview of one of the holes. 

I hope most of you like the firm and fast conditions that the dry summer weather, good maintenance practices and fescues allow, as well as what in my biased opinion is an overall excellent design from Greg Norman and his team. The course is wide and playable, allows for plenty of strategic options off the tee, plays fast and dry, has a limited amount of fairway and green side bunkers, and tightly mown green surrounds allow for bump and run shots into all holes. Favoring tight, natural countering surrounds over bunkers results in a tough challenge for the better plays but allows the lesser player to use a putter.

There is also good variety in green size and shape, with subtle internal countering that is often independent of the adjacent tie in grades. There is ample variety of shot direction, elevation, shot shape and distance. Just a single hole has out of bounds stakes.

The front 9 measures 3628 yards from the tips, back 9 will measure about 3450 yards for a total yardage below 7100 yards. In total the golf course occupies 220 acres of which only about 100 are irrigated. Native vegetation covers the rest. Elevation is between 975 and 1160 meters over sea level which produces somewhat longer carries. Total elevation change is 185 meters, of which 100 meters of gain will be covered by shuttle service from the 9th green to the 10th tee for those that want to walk. But this is essentially a cart course for most people. 





Hole 7 – Par 4 – 340 Yards
 

This is a driveable par 4 with many options for players off the tee. The fairway is split into an upper fairway right of the green and a lower fairway on the left side of the hole.   Driving the green will require a long right to left tee shot to this peninsula green, that will risk hitting a devilish pot bunker. More conservative players can hit over the right cross bunker and be rewarded with a wide open approach shot. A layup shot off the tee to the shorter left side will leave players with a difficult angle over a group of bunkers that protect the green.


Flyover:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXrxRSX7fWM


The tee shot calls for a tough decision. The riskiest option is to try to drive the green. At 340, 308, 280 and 256 yards with a prevailing favorable wind, a precise slight draw might well find the green and leave and eagle putt. From the tee, anytingh short left, left, or past the green looks like big trouble. 





The second option is to drive over the bunker on the right, that can produce a nice kick left and run up close to the green. The third option is a lay-up short of the right cross bunker to a very wide fairway that roles left. 





The angle gets worse for the shorter balls and especially for anything that is left.




Any shot past the cross bunker will have a very good angle to the pin and allow for a bump and run shot.




The green is just over 6,000 sq. ft. and subtly countered sloping to the back left. There is one shallow retaining bunker back of the green.

[Randy Thompson]

Congrats Marcos, looks like it`s maturing like you invisioned. The best bunker shaping in South America! Hope to see it again in the next year. Take care!

[David_Tepper]

Marcos -

At what altitude is this property?

DT

[Randy Thompson]

Elevation is between 975 and 1160 meters over sea level which produces somewhat longer carries. Total elevation change is 185 meters, of which 100 meters of gain will be covered by shuttle service from the 9th green to the 10th tee for those that want to walk. But this is essentially a cart course for most people. 

[Thomas Dai]

Thanks for posting Marcus. Looking forward to seeing the rest. Out of interest what kind of seasonal weather variations and wildlife do get on the course?
Atb

[MClutterbuck]

Thanks for posting Marcus. Looking forward to seeing the rest. Out of interest what kind of seasonal weather variations and wildlife do get on the course?
Atb

The main golf season is September through May. Winter is relatively mild in Northern Patagonia, and average minimum temperatures for June-August are just under freezing point and average maximum temps are just under 10C or 50F for those months.


Summer is normall very dry and sunny, with cool nights. Average minimum temperatures during the 3 summer months is 7C or 45F and average maximum temperatures are 23C or 75F, though we do get some 10 days spells of 35C or 95F.


We get most of our 700mm (27 inches) of average rainfall from May to August and this is the main reason the course is not used during winter as it gets soft. We probably get 3 snowfalls a year that actually accumulate significantly on the ground for just 3-4 days. It can go 50 days straight with no rain in the summer and typically we get around 50mm only during summer.


Patagonia has no dangerous wildlife. Since we have a 1500 acre Nature Reserve we have plently of wildlife but it is not that common to see them on the golf course. Mainly on property we see deer, boar, guanaco (llama) and if you are very luck, a puma. Smaller wildlife includes fox, hare and rabbits. Birdlife abounds with condors, hawks and the giant Magellanic woodpecker. Most of these tend to stay in the reserve, with the protected native forest. The golf course is built in an area with non native pine trees that were wrongly introduced to Patagonia about 60-80 years ago. The main problem for the golf course are the rabbits. 

[MClutterbuck]

Hole 1 - Par 4 - 456 yards

A medium length par 4 with a wide landing area allows players a generous target to start their round of golf.   Position of the drive is important for players to get the best angle into this small left to right green.   Players hitting up the left side of the fairway are rewarded with an open approach shot to the green with a mid-iron.   The right side of the green is protected by a large deep bunker.  Players are encouraged to hit a left to right approach that uses the closely mown approach left of the green to funnel shots towards the pin.   A challenging but playable par 4 to start the round.




Flyover:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExICSWZNkZk

You arrive at the first tee at El Desafío and you realize not much of the course is revealed. The tee sits across a deep ravine from the uphill fairway, of which you get to see just the beginning. The mostly blind shot however is not unfair, as the generously wide fairway is an easy target with no cross bunkers or hidden obstacles. 


Unlike most of the rest of the course, the first tee is very long and accomodates all sets of tees except for the most forward on the opposite side of the ravine. The carry to the fairway is 165 yards from the tips and 95 yards from the front. The deep ravine becomes more visible as you go forward on the tee. The pine trees below give a sense of scale.


The left part of the fairway slopes towards the center and the right side is relatively flat. Most people elect to aim slightly left of center, since the slope is more forgiving of a hook than a slice.



The left portion of the fairway has a better angle to the left to right green, especially with a back right pin. However, if you miss the fairway or the ball hangs to close to its edge, the green is partially obscured by a ridge and a few pine trees. From the right side, one has to contend with a set of bunkers, and beyond those, a deep ravine that one should avoid at all costs.



Except for the longest of hitters, the second shot is downhill from a flat lie, prevailing wind in favor. There is plenty of space to the left of the green to bail out on the second shot.



Anything to the left of the green will tend to roll onto the green and many players elect to play it safe and allow for a good bounce towards the pin. The tightly mown fescues on the left allow for plenty of bounce. 



The green and fairway from the back.

[Tim Gallant]

Marcos,


Great pics, and thanks for sharing - can't wait to see more!