Sam Design: June 2007

Friday 15 June 2007

Fairway Bunker Grading and Drainage Plan

Thursday 14 June 2007

Wednesday 13 June 2007

Green Grading and Drainage Plan

Green Grading and Drainage Plan : Sketch to follow

Thursday 7 June 2007

Tuesday 5 June 2007

DD : Hole 9b (Approach Area) ; After a successful drive the player is faced with a few options on his second shot. The player can attempt to hit their shot into the neck of the green at around 245yds and levae a simple pitch into the green. When the pin is placed back left of the green this will the best (or only) chance of the player pitching really close to the pin to get a birdie.

The plaer can also choose to play short of the left bunker at 220yds leaving a fuller shot into the green but the bunekr on the right becomes more in play in that senario. The green falls away from the player steeply both right and back which would leave a tricky up and down for the players. The green is also very wide and there are a number of pin posistions avaliable that can alter the strategy of the hole so the player can get the best angle into the pin. The large mound front left protects the back left pins and make the back portion of the green seem very small indeed.

With the slope running the whole length of the hole on the right side, kicking people closer to that main water feature the hole will prove to be a true test for the players to finish with.

Hole 9a (Driving Area)

DD : Hole 9a (Driving area) ; This is a long par 5 hole to finish that meanders back towrad the clubhouse and the main water feature. The hole passes from the heather and stone setting on the tee through to the rushes, dense woodland and grassland that surrounds the main water feature and clubhouse area.

From the tee the target seems tight with the stone wall that wraps around the tee continuing up the right side of the driving area some 180yds. There is also a large specimen tree on the left of the drivign area that will frame the tee shot well. The hazards from the tee are the large slope on the right hand side that will kick shots that are leaking right into rough. The collection of bunkers on the left are intended to tighten the run out area of the drives so the hole does not rely only on distance to be successful. The furthest bunker will give a good line for the players off the tee and provide definition to the landing area.

Hole 8

DD : Hole 8 ; This hole is a shorter par 4 playing into the heather plantings around the green both left and off to the right. There is an existing stone wall that creates a good angle for this hole and pinches the landing area for any player going with their driver. The colour contrast created between the stone wall and the heather planting provide a great setting for this hole especially around the green surface and even beyond on the walk to the 9th tee when players cross an elevated wooden boardwalk over the heather plantation.

The hole requires accuracy rather than distance to get reward. The landing area is quite tight and there is alot going on. There is a slope that kicks the player from left to right on the hole and player that drift too far right will find themselves either in the large bunker integrated with the stone wall or may have their shot impeded by the wall as it cuts into the fairway. PLayer going too long down the left may miss the slope and find themselves in the heather, a shot of around 230 yds down the left side would leave around 110 yds on the approach. The angle of the green open up to approaches from the left hand side, however, the green runs away from the players and with such a long green surface getting close will be difficult.

Hole 7

DD : Hole 7 ; This a a tough up hill par 4, the hole incorporates heather planting on the right hand side almost all the way up the hole, and existing woodland planting on the left hand side of the hole. There is also a stone wall that is existing that comes into play as the player gets up towards the green which is also integrated into number 8. The green has a wooded backdrop of exisitng specimen trees and hedgerow planting.

There are two options for the golfer from the tee. They can play right of the bunkers into the more open are which leaves an approach over the large mound and stone walll short right of the green or the player can play left over the bunkers to have a more open view of the bunker and hitting into the upslope of the green making it easier to hold the balll on the green. Playing in from the right the player will always be playing down the slope and may find the ball running over the back of the green into the wooded areas.

Hole 6

DD : Hole 6 ; This par 3 plays down the hill to a green that slopes up to the front edge of the green then away from the golfer falling off into the water on the right side of the green as well. The hole is almost like a reverse redan design except i think i may need to shift the tees more eastwards to give the green more of an angle.

The water feature to the right of the green is the main one on the site and will loom large on the right side of this green. With a short iron in the players hand and playing downhill hitting th right shot to hold the green will be difficult. The bunker front left will be deep and with rough coming in so close to the green back left the bail out option is not so tempting especially when you consider the recovery shot back towards the water.

Hole 5

DD : Hole 5 ; This par 4 plays down the hill and back up to an elevated green set against the slope. The hole is flanked on the drive by a mixture of native tree species some of which are existing on site. The view in the backround will be over the sites main water features and over the rest of the course as this tee is one of the highest spots on the golf course.

There is a swale that is placed in the fairway to reward the golfer who hits it over the left edge of the first bunker. The best line into the green will be given to the golfer who can carry the right hand bunker as the angle of the green will open up to the right side. The complete hole will be visible to the golfer from the tee making the angle of the green and bunkering visible.

The green is set into the slope on the right of the hole and the design of the green is intended to blend with the slope by creating a tiered system on the green that gives the impression of the green falling down the slope and it falls away steeply on the left side of the green. Remembering that the golfer would have been able to see the green surface from the tee but maybe not as they play their approach shot (depending where they drove to). The green has three bunker at the front set into the steep face that will be intimidating on the approach and will foreshorten the approach. The bunker back right will flare up the side of the slope and in intended to be visiblt on the approach visiually tightening the target area.

I anticipate using this hole as my detail hole.

Hole 4

DD : Hole 4 ; The hole is flanked on the left by native woodland and crossed perpendicular to the line of play toward the approach area. The hole is characterised by a large swale that runs across the fairway in the landing area that gives the player a sloping lie on their approach. The green is framed by a collection of large specimen trees that provide an great setting for the green. The green falls away stepply at the front and is flanked by bunkers both left and right that visually squeezes the entrance to the green.

The player may try and carry the swale in the fairway by hitting 250yds over the first left bunker, however anything short will hit into the face of that swale and run back into a uncertain lie and a longer approach shot. Too far right and the player will kick into the longer rough down the slope and their line may become blocked out to the green by trees.

The green slopes towards the player and is two tiered and when the pin is at the back it will prove difficult to get the ball all the way back to the hole, this effect will be exagerrated by the false front on the green.

Hole 3

DD : Hole 3 ; This par 3 is guarded by water on the left, the green itself sits high above the water and slopes severly off towards the water on the left side. The tee is backed by a continuation of the native woodland we saw on the 2nd hole and plays over the stone wall that enclosed the second green from the back group of tees. The hole is slightly downhill and has a native tree backdrop on the right hand side that runs along the existing burn. The player cross a burn twice when entering and exiting the teeing area.

The green is heavily undulating and as stated slopes severly off on the left side. There is a mound that runs alongside the right side of the green that wil kick shots off to the right if people bail out too much or their shot is caught on the prevailling wind, which would leave a difficult recovery chip. There is a solitary bunker short right of the green that forshortens the hole and is carved into the face of the mound. The green is particularly long so pin posistion will effect club selection.

Hole 2

DD : Hole 2 ; The 2nd is a downhill par 4 that incorporates a small burn that runs down the left side of the hole then cuts across the fairway on the approach to the green. There is a stone wall that runs in front and round the back of the green enclosing the putting surface. There is native woodland of Pine, Rowan, Birch and Ash sneaking into the left side of the approach.

There is a sloping fairway on the hole that kicks the ball left if it drifts down the left side of the fairway. This is constantly making the approach to the green tougher as the further left the ball the tougher the angle is to the green. The collection of bunker on the right appear further away than they are and actually present a good line over their left side off the tee. A player carrying these right bunkers will have the best approach to the green and avoid the trouble of water and rough.

The green is enclosed by walls and slopes from back left to front right. There is also a slope at the back of the green that acts as a punchbowl for the green surrounds. The green will shed off shots landing on the lower level that aren't well struck.

Monday 4 June 2007

Hole 1

Hole 1 : The first hole is a short par 4 climbing up the hill. The tree planting on the left is a mixture of Pine and Birch planting and give a good visual (native) backdrop to the opening hole as it climbs up the hill. The rough surrounding the hole will be red fescue with areas of the course overseeded with a native wildflower mix.

There is a large mound front right of the green that hides part of the green from the golfer. This mound protects the green from making it too easy, open and maybe drivable. Bounces of the mound will be unpredictable and the majority will kick hard left towards three bunkers of rough grass.

The play from the tee will be to play to play 210yds down the right half of the fairway maybe getting up the first main rise in the fairway avoiding the bunkers left leaving 100-70yds shot to the green that slopes away from you at the back and has a ridge running through it from back right toward front left.

The hole is designed to be a gentle opener with a potential birdie chance especially if the pin is on the upper level of the green.