This book has many great photographs of locations of both the US and abroad. Here are my points of interest.
Page 83. “More strokes are taken, and more matches won or lost, on the greens than anywhere else on a golf course. Thus, their design and conditioning is of critical importance. On sandy terrain, the greens take on even greater strategic significance because firm putting surfaces are inherently unreceptive to approach shots…Further complicating matters, the greens on many sandy courses were designed long before modern notions of “fair” putting surfaces existed. Sharp tilts and bold undulations are common, but even a simple, gently tilting green can strike fear into a golfer approaching from the wrong side of a hole. Greens on sandy sites are often noted for their original and unusual contours. However, their most distinctive characteristic is how effectively the putting surfaces are integrated visually and strategically, into the overall design of each hole. On sandy courses, fairways relate to approaches, and approaches to greens, with continuity that is nearly impossible to achieve on other types of terrain…The putting surface is truly part of a green complex, with bunkers, chipping areas, humps and hollows all playing their part. The best architects make the most of these unique conditions, and design their greens to be part of a hole’s overall strategy, rather than have them act as a separate challenge.”
Page 93. Sprinkler head yardage markers have become a common feature on golf courses. Knowing the distance to the center of a green seems a harmless enough piece of information, but here is a price to be paid for too much information. It devalues the skill of judging approach shots and diminishes the interest and challenge of holes that depend of visual deception…When yardage information is scarce, golfers focus as much on how a shot plays as distance. They study the terrain, learn the bounces, and develop a feel for each approach shot. With yardages printed on every sprinkler head, golfers end up looking down to find the answers to every shot, rather than looking for answers in their surroundings. Despite the widespread use of sprinkler-head yardage markers and laser rangefinders, the greens on most sandy courses remain well defended by their firmness and contours. When it is necessary to land an approach shot 30 yards short of the green to hold the surface, the exact yardage to the pin is hardly the whole story. Throw in a healthy dose of wind, and the yardage on the sprinkler head loses most of its meaning.”
Page 114-115. Courses referenced in the book.
Bandon Trails OR - Public
Chambers Bay WA - Public
Cypress Point CA
Friars Head NY
Garden City NY
Maidstone NY
NGLA NY
Pacific Dunes OR – Public
Pacific Grove CA – Public
Pinehurst #2 NC – Public
Pine Valley PA
Sand Hills NE
Sebonack NY
Shinnecock Hills NY
Streamsong FL – Public
Wild Horse NE – Public
Yeamans Hall SC
45 are listed and mapped. I am not sure when Ballyneal CO was not listed because they made reference to it as least once or twice. They also list 3 in Australia and 25 in the UK.
I just love the explanation about the greens and their part of a “green complex” and how they all work together. Before last year I had yet to experience that, but after playing at Ballyneal, Nebraska, and Sand Valley, this has been the part of any new course I study with the most attention and time.
The feature about yardage markers I disagree with more. I think the author is talking about a time 75 years ago and previous. Now probably 95% or more of courses are marked with yardage markers, printed books, or electronically available on your phone. At least having a starting number to begin with has to be better than an absolute guess! It may not make you score better on a particular hole or course but having no numbers has to be a disadvantage if comparing two players of similar ability playing the same hole at the same time.
Overall a great read, just encouraging me to play more sandy sites like Bandon OR. Who knows, maybe even flying to the UK sooner than later!
Justin