Dan,
I haven't played the National's Ocean course down in Aus., and I know Mike hasn't either. So he certainly didn't copy the idea for Kingsley's 1st from that course. It's a coincidence indeed.
I've played Kingsley, a few times. And I do think the opening tee shot works well.
The hole tends to play into the wind (at least every time I've been there!), which makes the carry to the upper fairway on the right quite intimidating, but far from impossible. In fact, there's a neat opticial illusion there, at the 1st. The scale of the hole is so large that the carry looks a lot farther than it actually is. Which is neat, in my opinion.
From up there on the high side of the fairway, right, you get a really good look at the rest of the hole. (And, Mike tells me, a shot a the green occasionally, particularly on day's the 1st is playing down wind).
Conversely, being down on the low side of the fairway is somewhat awkward, at least in my view. You can't really see the rest of the hole very well from over there on the left. And, there's a grouping of trees at the left margin the fairway that, if you've drvien too far left, force you to play a draw around the corner. I think these trees work well, adding to the challenge after either missing a tee shot intended for the high side, or bailing out left.
On aside, the 1st green at Kingsley is lovely. Tucked between two hills, it's steeply pitched from back to front, with some significant interior contour. The slope of the green really makes golfers think about placing the ball in the correct spot, below the hole, on approach.
Just my .02
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