https://www.turfnet.com/news.html/becoming-a-superintendent-was-always-in-the-cards-for-ledgerocks-fitzgerald-r1589/
Was going to post this in the "Greens vs. Bunkers" thread, but decided it deserves it's very own thread. Good stuff.
Seems you have similar elevation change challenges in PA as we have here in the Rocky Mountains, so spill it. Is the hill mentioned 4500 Hill, 3500 Hill, or something else?
Tom - thanks for posting....
I'm guessing you mean the type of mower/ the hill name. Its actually the 5410 Hill, as it's awd system was the only at the time that could maintain traction on it. The engineers never thought a 5410 would have to mow a fairway that steep so they were concerned about it operating on the slope. I don't remember what the angle is, but as it was a few degrees inside the design spec, they were pretty proud it worked at its limits!
The steepness of the hill may sound weird but Rees likes the player to see the landing area if at all possible, so the top of the hill is the furthest horizon to hit to from the tee. If you hit long, it will run over and stop before the wetland/creek but you can see where it went before it dropped. I remember asking why couldn't we do the hill in rough and was asked if I'd like to hit from the downslope to the uphill green if my ball lodged - so it remained bentgrass! Ideally if the wetland could have been removed, the landing point would have been further ahead, so the hill would not have been unnecessary. There are a few similar areas around the course and while purposeful, they are also a fun quirk.