Golf
“ “ 30 I PC APRIL/MAY 2017
Make the players think by creating holes which need strategies, otherwise they will just try to play a long drive to the middle of the fairway
At Castle Stuart Golf Club there are some steep greenside slopes The practice of lengthening courses is
compounded by golf clubs fearful that members will leave and join rival clubs if their course is too short. This fear appears unfounded, however, as only 1% of golfers feel comfortable playing a golf course of more than 6,500 metres, and 75% of the male players prefer courses of 4,600-5,800 metres in length.
How a golf course architect increases the level of challenge and fun
When faced with a new golf course design project, the golf course architect needs to balance how to increase the challenge for the best players, whilst maintaining the playability and fun for amateurs of all levels. Island greens, narrow fairways with high
rough on both sides, water hazards on every hole and 100 metres of unplayable rough in front of the tees, are not the answer - these just increase the frustration level for all. A golf course architect needs to be much smarter in their solution. These are my nine nuggets of how
architects can make a golf course more challenging, without lengthening the course:
1. Make players think - when giving the players multiple options and tempting challenges from the tee, many will feel uncomfortable and that will inflict their
game. Make the players think by creating holes which need strategies, otherwise they will just try to play a long drive to the middle of the fairway.
2. Create false expectations - short golf holes with well-placed hazards are always interesting. The best players expect birdies. They feel the pressure and sometimes play too aggressively, with a double bogey as a result. Players with the ability to read the strategy of the hole and the undulations of the green will always perform well on a short golf hole.
3. Shape the shots - the shots that most players are uncomfortable with are to play a fade from the fairway when standing below the ball, or play a draw when standing above the ball. Using the natural slopes and designing the holes at the opposite direction of what feels natural is not used much by today’s architects, but The Golden Age architects used it to good effect from time- to-time.
4. Strategic mowing - golf pros want to play a high shot from the fairway directly at the flag. If the flag is placed near the green edge, and the outside slopes are mowed to fairway height, a mishit will mean that the ball runs away from the green. The next shot may be a putt, a high lob which is difficult to do from
short grass, or a chip to the green edge hoping to roll the ball to the pin. Three alternatives to finding the most effective solution.
5. Green movements - if the green has a lot of inner movements and multiple areas for pin placements, especially near the green’s edges and the green bunkers, the player’s ability to read the green when playing the approach shot will have a large effect on the outcome. Instead of trying to land the ball near the flag, he must decide from what direction he will have the easiest putt and what will happen if he lands the ball on the wrong side of the flag.
6. Undulations in front of the green - if the greens are firm, the only option is to land the ball in front of the green and let the ball roll towards the flag. A creatively-shaped fore-green means attractive golf; both for the players and the people watching. One of the most important qualities a player must have to win The Open is to have the ability to foresee how a ball will react from its landing point to where it will settle down.
7. Deep bunkers - golf pros prefer shallow bunkers with the same sand depth and quality on every course they play. The bunkers must be deep and unpredictable to be a real hazard for the best players.
Designing the holes at the opposite direction of what feels natural is not used much by today’s architects
This green at Royal Cinque Port Golf Club offers some interesting pin placements
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