Hole 9 - Brae - Par 4: 402 - 375 - 343 - 313 - 300 - 258 
"Cutting the Corner"Cut the corner with your tee shot over the fairway bunker on the left and have a shorter approach shot to an elevated green. This simple strategy requires negotiating a pair of bunkers protecting the left for the benefit of the more direct route. Out of bounds lurks along that left side, though, so golfers can play safe along the rolling fairway to the right of the bunker to avoid any undue penalty.
From the right side, the golfer will avoid greenside sand along that side but will need to take a longer route as payback for avoiding the sand. The subtle elevation change from either side of the landing area will require more club to a green bisected into back and front tiers. The back tier is further bisected by putting surface flashing off mounds back right and back middle.
“Within the overall routing of the new Braemar, the ninth hole plays in the opposite direction of the old first hole. The advantage for the ninth hole results in less conflict with the adjacent driving range in the sense that any sliced tee shots will go back into the golf course and not into the range, limiting OB for the majority of golfers (righties).
“Originally, this hole did not have a fairway sand bunker but as the shaping of the hole progressed, it was clear to me that a bunker cut into the face of the rising fairway was a great opportunity to showcase the topography of the hole. Whenever one has the opportunity to cut a bunker into a natural hillside, one must consider its strategic value and then go for it if that strategy contributes to the play of the hole. In this case, a fairway bunker cut into the hillside along the left side made all the sense in the world as it offered a classic, strategic “cut the corner” opportunity.
“Those who cut the corner will not only have a shorter route to the green but will also have an approach away from the pair of sand bunkers protecting the left side of the green, all positive advantages for those willing to take the risk. Avoiding the bunker to the right off the tee will result in a longer approach. Visually, the scene from the tee is essentially a diagonal line of hazards cut into the rising topography leading one’s eye from tee to fairway to putting surface.”
Hole 10 - Hillock - Par 4: 382-355-323-300-287-240 
"Sans Bunkers"The straightaway par-four tenth also plays to an elevated green which seems accessible enough thanks to the absence of any surrounding sand. The tee shot seems equally innocuous other than a small wetland waiting to catch a slightly right shot. Although the green does not have any bunkers, a large mound on the front right of the approach extends into the putting surface, blocking easy access for a low running approach.
Clear view from the left side of the fairway 
Obstructed view from the right side of the fairway“The longer I design golf courses, the less value I see in a plethora of sand bunkers and not just because of playability issues. It seems that the default hazard in our business has become the sand bunker so I always try to develop at least a few holes that have no sand from tee to green, in a spurning kind of way to show that great holes can exist without sand.
“Number ten at Braemar is one such hole, which is hard to pull off with an almost-straight, flat, short par-four. Nonetheless, the standout feature of ten is a singular hillock that bisects the putting surface profile from the fairway. Granted, in this day and age of target golf, the hazard can be avoided by air for most golfers. Visually, though, it is another story. Coupled with a subtle ridgeline running diagonally from left to right across the landing area, the hillock demands precise placement of one’s tee shot if a full view of the green on the approach is the goal.
“The farther one plays to the right, the more the green is screened from view by the hillock, almost forcing a blind approach. So much so that the desired tee shot is to the narrow left portion of the fairway, bringing rough and water into play for those who leak too far in that direction. The hillock and grass hollows in front, to the right, and behind the green are the primary hazards on this hole, along with a ridge bisecting the green from the left-side wood line. The result is the challenge of tee placement and utilizing the ground contours with an approach rather than just the avoidance of sand.”
