Rich Goodale,
I had dinner Friday night with two members of NGLA.
In the course of conversation I mentioned the subtle dip in front of the 2nd green and its influence on shots, especially when the pin is up front. What makes this feature more influential is a slight breeze in your face.
Some greens are protected by the incline created by the slight dip, other greens are protected by a similar feature if they're slightly elevated from the fairway.
The greens at Hidden Creek, almost universally, have this feature.
Most golfers NEVER see it and are shocked when their ball, hit just a few feet short of the putting surface, stays there.
What can make this feature even more devilish is if the tee end of the dip is elevated, like at NGLA.
With that feature, balls hit just short of the green stop dead, while balls hit even shorter, are propelled across the green.
This make a front pin positions devilishly diffficult to get close to, if, like the VAST majority of golfers, you try to "squeeze" your approach shot between the front of the green and the pin, rather then playing to the top of the flagstick.
I always look for evidence of this feature when I play new golf courses. If drainage in the area is good, there's no reason not to see it on a few holes.
My theory is that the old timers created it to frustrate slightly mis-hit shots, or poor thinking. It's perfect for TEPaul's game.