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Michael Moore

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Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« on: January 07, 2020, 09:56:53 AM »
Inspired by Ran's course profile and his annual appeal to the better angels of our nature, I ask -
 
What's the deal with terraced fairways? Something is amiss with the eleventh at Ballybunion and it's the twin landing decks that look like dead-flat practice tees. I associate this feature with too-steep American mountainside cartball drainage areas.
 
Are these necessary to prevent every tee ball from ending up in the same spot? They just seemed so out-of-place. Yes, I love Ballybunion just as much as the next guy.
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Tom_Doak

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Re: Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2020, 10:55:18 AM »
Michael:


It's an interesting point; no one ever brings that up about Ballybunion, and indeed a lot of people including me pick the 11th as one of the greatest holes in the world.  And yet, the fairway contouring is totally artificial.


Yes, the decks are built into a steep slope, and if it wasn't for them every drive would just wind up down in a massive divot hole at the foot of the slope.  A modern designer would try to disguise the "decks" better with more shaping, and for all I know they have done that in the recent renovation, but the simplicity of the decks has obviously played well through the years.


I saw a course in the Canary Islands three or four years ago that had a couple of fairways with 20+ small terraces, and rock walls at all of the level changes.  Better still, they allowed golf carts, but there was a path to the side of those two fairways  :D
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Ally Mcintosh

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Re: Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2020, 01:09:27 PM »
Another good example that always gets a free pass is the diagonal ridge / tier on the 9th hole in Lahinch.

This most likely was introduced as a landing area when a Charles Gibson hole played from the current 7th on the sea directly to the current 14th green.
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jeffwarne

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Re: Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2020, 10:21:59 PM »
Quote from: Tom_Doak on January 07, 2020, 10:55:18 AM
Michael:


It's an interesting point; no one ever brings that up about Ballybunion, and indeed a lot of people including me pick the 11th as one of the greatest holes in the world.  And yet, the fairway contouring is totally artificial.


Yes, the decks are built into a steep slope, and if it wasn't for them every drive would just wind up down in a massive divot hole at the foot of the slope.  A modern designer would try to disguise the "decks" better with more shaping, and for all I know they have done that in the recent renovation, but the simplicity of the decks has obviously played well through the years.


I saw a course in the Canary Islands three or four years ago that had a couple of fairways with 20+ small terraces, and rock walls at all of the level changes.  Better still, they allowed golf carts, but there was a path to the side of those two fairways  :D


17 fairway at Pennard comes to mind.
and 18 at Southerndown-or so I've heard having never been in it-my inability to hit that fairway in a left to right crosswind has cost me dearly...
twice... :-[ :'(
« Last Edit: January 07, 2020, 11:31:02 PM by jeffwarne »
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Sam Andrews

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Re: Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2020, 05:53:45 AM »
Quote from: Tom_Doak on January 07, 2020, 10:55:18 AM
Michael:


It's an interesting point; no one ever brings that up about Ballybunion, and indeed a lot of people including me pick the 11th as one of the greatest holes in the world.  And yet, the fairway contouring is totally artificial.


Yes, the decks are built into a steep slope, and if it wasn't for them every drive would just wind up down in a massive divot hole at the foot of the slope.  A modern designer would try to disguise the "decks" better with more shaping, and for all I know they have done that in the recent renovation, but the simplicity of the decks has obviously played well through the years.


I saw a course in the Canary Islands three or four years ago that had a couple of fairways with 20+ small terraces, and rock walls at all of the level changes.  Better still, they allowed golf carts, but there was a path to the side of those two fairways  :D


I think you are referring to Costa Adeje on Tenerife. I assumed the terracing was because the land had previously been used for farming but I could well be wrong. All I know is that you could have a horrible accident in a buggy if you weren’t paying attention!
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Thomas Dai

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2020, 06:03:47 AM »
4th at Royal Aberdeen.
Atb
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James Bennett

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Re: Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2020, 06:12:42 AM »
Sam Andrews
Abama #8, #9 and #10 would make a good black ski run, with a slow down on #11.Would be just a few km north-west of Adeje (I don't think Adeje existed in 2005 when I visited Tenerife)
James B
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David_Tepper

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Re: Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« Reply #7 on: January 08, 2020, 08:54:58 AM »
The 2nd hole at Castle Stuart has a modestly terraced fairway. It is one way to mitigate playing across severely slide-sloped terrain.
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mike_malone

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Re: Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« Reply #8 on: January 08, 2020, 09:45:25 AM »
Kelly Blake Moran has a lovely one at Morgan Hill.
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Tim Martin

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Re: Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« Reply #9 on: January 08, 2020, 10:13:30 AM »
There are a couple at Centennial GC in Putnam County, NY.
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Jay Mickle

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Re: Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« Reply #10 on: January 08, 2020, 06:35:15 PM »
Also terraced is the blind drive 7th at Tobacco Road where the two tiered green is a microcosm of the fairway.
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Mike Hendren

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Re: Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« Reply #11 on: January 09, 2020, 11:20:01 AM »
I trust you are not talking about land forms as seen at Crystal Downs' 7th fairway?   I immediately thought of the 2nd at Fircrest with a blind downhill tee shot that more often than not finds a shallow flat spot benched into the fairway fromm which the downhill approach is more manageable.  Neat second shot to what is a shallow punchbowl green as the fairway is built up in front of the green to obscure the front and there is a modest mounding circling the rear.

Bogey
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Rory Connaughton

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« Reply #12 on: January 09, 2020, 09:48:46 PM »
The 13th at Enniscrone has a terraced fairway. Bends right and finishes in a Dell. Quirky, fun Hackett.
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Mark Pearce

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Re: Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« Reply #13 on: January 10, 2020, 11:02:20 AM »
Golf courses are artificial.  It really isn't a crime to have artificial features on them if they make the course play better.  I like the 18th at Southerndown.
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Mike_Trenham

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Re: Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« Reply #14 on: January 11, 2020, 06:45:45 AM »
Hamilton Farm Golf Club’s #9 plays very much down hill with a creek you need to carry twice to reach the green so Hurdzan and Fry built a stair step terraced fairway. 


Screamed Hurdzan and Fry to me.
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Jon Wiggett

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Re: Terraced fairways (e.g. 11th at Ballybunion Old)
« Reply #15 on: January 11, 2020, 01:21:19 PM »

The Fream course at Nordcenter in Finland has a series of terrace/steps to climb a steep slope on the par 4 13th. It makes for a very strenuous but also interesting way of getting the player up the hillside.


The other example which I know well is the 7th at Dewsbury District GC in Yorkshire which has the last 150 yards benched into a steep hillside. It made the hole very demanding for those who did not know it but with repeated play you learnt to use the terrace and slopes to your advantage.
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