LES DUNES TOUR CONTBack to back long holes close out the side. The 8th is a shortish par 5 that played its full length and more into the into wind. The bunkers look oddly under-sized which is in complete contrast to the greenside bunkers.
The green is a fairly tough target.
A roundhouse legger right, the shape of the 9th makes it tough to reach in two even for big hitters.
A raised green awaits.
A short par 4, the 10th is fairly narrow and plays uphill. This is one of many incidents where one can choose to play safe of trouble with a lay-up and still be able to reach the green. I prefer this sort option if a lay-up is a choice. The option of a lay-up which requires an extra shot to reach the green gets old. To a large degree, length should be its own reward and hitting a much shorter club into a green seems a fitting advantage for the successful bigger hitter.
A short hole over water follows.
To great effect, the sandy element of the course is evident on some holes. The 12th legs hard left and heads uphill. Perhaps the architects realized the course is quite short and used sharp leggers to tame the long ball....it is effective.
The problem with open sandy areas is it requires a strategy to successfully integrate isolated bunkers. Otherwise, stand-alone bunkers as seen below look inadequate.
Not long, but uphill, the 13th is a decent par 5, although the sharp doglegs were starting to wear thin.
A cracking longish par 3 follows. A large swale fronts a green which runs away from play. One must make a decision on the type of ball flight. Will a flat shot (hard to pull off on a downhill shot) run through the swale? Will the carry hold the green?
15 too is a good hole. A short par 4, the fairway narrows the further one hits the drive. Bailing into the right rough is an option, but it does leave a less than desirable approach angle.
The 16th asks the golfer to consider the risk of a narrower fairway for the reward of a shorter approach. Even though the hole isn't long, being uphill the reward can pay great dividends.
A short par 3, the 17th seemed to play longer than its yardage suggested.
It may be a cliche, yet I like the over the water 18th. Two factors mitigate the penal carry. First, there is fairway right. Its not a huge fairway, but its just enough to be a viable alternative. Second, there is plenty of scope for playing long. There is a saving bank behind the right side of the green and open ground beyond the left side.
I had no expectations about Les Dunes prior to playing, in fact I didn't know it was a modern course. The property, while hilly, isn't onerous. This is helped by the low yardage of the design. There is a sandy site trying to burst through and it does here and there, and this would be my major misgiving about the course (same as Les Pins). If a site is blessed with sandy soil it must be exploited for all its worth. That said, I do like Les Dunes even if it isn't as classy as its sister course. 2019
Ciao