Modern Day Template Holes: The Island

The Island green hole is one of the most used modern 'Template' holes. These holes are not all identical, or very close, like the Macdonald School holes, but the concept is certainly the same for each hole. The nature of the green, being surrounded by water, makes the hole somewhat uniquely capable of bringing drama and a high point to the round. 

While not the first Island green built, that distinction is generally thought to belong to Ponte Vedra Country Club just a short ways away, the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass (PLAYERS Stadium) is the hole that started the trend of island greens. The positioning in the round and the length of the hole, combined with the water-surrounded green, give players in match or stroke play opportunity for any score from 1, which we have seen during the PLAYERS Championship numerous times, to the 66 that Angelo Spagnolo made during the Golf Digest Worst Avid Golfer contest. That is the kind of drama and build-up that other courses have attempted when building the Island hole.

The 17th hole at PGA West (Stadium). This one was designed by Pete Dye a few years after the one at Sawgrass. In the same way, it provides the unique drama to the round, but this hole is over 20 yards longer than the hole at Sawgrass, making it much more difficult. 

This is the 16th at Golden Horseshoe (Gold) in Williamsburg, Virginia. This is a much older Island hole, dating to 1964. Obviously the concept is the same, but this hole has more room for the player to miss the green, being surrounded by 5 bunkers and significant rough space.

 This one, from Stone Harbor in New Jersey, is one of the holes that went beyond a normal Island concept and into foolishness. This green has since been rebuilt, likely at significant cost, into something more normal. This hole, and the one below, represent what the Island has become to many places, a gimmick to draw attention to the course.

 The 14th hole at Coeur d'Alene Resort in Idaho is a true island green, requiring the player to take a boat ride in order to reach the green. The green is located on a barge and the yardage can be changed day to day by allowing the green to float out farther from land. Again, a bit of a gimmick to draw attention.

The Island template is a solid hole. There are those out there who believe that holes with forced water carries are generally unfair. Perhaps they are. After all, there are virtually no options for the player when playing an Island hole. However, there do not always need to be numerous options for the play of a hole. The problem with the Island template or concept of that it has become somewhat overused and that has tarnished the quality of drama and flow to a round this type of hole can provide. But when executed well, this hole provides a high point to a round not matched by many other holes or especially hole types.

Spring Hill Golf Course-Mobile, AL

This is a simple, modest golf course in Mobile, AL. The course does not try to be anything that it is not and that is quite refreshing in this day and age. The course as a whole occupies a very interesting site. Several holes are located down on perfectly flat land near a large concrete drainage canal. Those holes are not exceptionally interesting. The rest of the course plays up and down a significant hill that makes some holes play severely up or down hill. But overall, the course is simply an average golf course for an average rate, and I think that is exactly what the course tries to be.

Ranking
Variety of Design: Fair. The par 3's have reasonable variety in yardage, but the two longest holes are not very good. One plays directly uphill to a green with a 10 ft fall off in front and the other plays to a 2 ft elevated green. Not the finest set up for 210 yard holes. Par 4's have reasonable variety, but lack a really long hole and the par 5's are all roughly the same. Directionally the course has 10 holes playing straight, 4 holes playing left and 4 holes playing right. 4 1/2 out of 10

Flow of the Course: In general, the course does little to build up. Holes 7, 8 and 9 provide the best three hole stretch on the course and the overall flow would be better if those were the finishing holes. The front nine overall is rather solid but the back nine comes through not quite as good. The flow and build to a "big finish" would be better if the nines were reversed. 3 3/4 out of 10

Course Conditioning: Conditions were average, a few bare spots, few issues with drainage, but overall the conditions were fair, especially considering the price. 4 1/4 out of 10

Ease of Walking: The course is routed well. Transitions from green to tee are generally easy, the only exception being to and from hole 8 and then to and from hole 15. Both have rather large distances from the previous green to the tee and then long, uphill walks to the next tee. The hilly nature of the site also makes it no bargain. But it is certainly not the most difficult walk, not even the most difficult in town. 6 1/2 out of 10

Atmosphere: None. No significant tournament or rankings history. 1 out of 10

Total: 40 3/4 out of 100

Holes to Note
Hole #2: Par 4, 360 yards
This hole plays significantly downhill which obviously shortens the hole even more. The pond in the distance is most certainly reachable from the tee, being 275 yards from the back markers and that downhill. Players wishing to play short of the pond must contend with the fairway bunker guarding the right side of the fairway, roughly 235 yards off the tee. Playing close to the bunker gives a better angle to the green which is angled from right to left away from the player.

 The pond is visible in the distance as is the bunker. Playing close to either hazard will give benefit to the player, either a better angle or a much shorter shot.

 This is the play to the green from around 125 yards

 This shot gives an up close view of the green that is a double plateau or biarritz green, depending on your naming preference

Hole #7: Par 5, 560 yards

This is the longest par 5 on the course, but it plays significantly downhill from the tee. A bunker guards the left side of the fairway, and farther left from there is a road that is out of bounds. The bunker is roughly 280 yards from the tee and certainly reachable for longer players. Longer players may wish to play a fairway wood off the tee, unless the are able to shape a fade around the corner or have confidence enough to play the tee shot over the trees on the right. From the fairway, the hole plays over a drainage canal that begins 65 yards short of the green. This canal dictates whether or not the player will try to go for the green in two or lay back to 80 or 100 yards short of the green.

 The bunker on the left is visible and certainly reachable. The ideal and semi-aggressive line off the tee would be to play towards the peak of the roof on the hospital in the distance.

 This view is from the fairway, perhaps 275 yards from the green. The fairway bunker on the left side is just short of the drainage canal.

 This look is from the right side of the fairway, 100 yards short of the green. The canal is marked by the tall grasses that run across the entire hole.

Hole #13: Par 4, 275 yards

This is a perfect example of a reachable par 4. The hole is very tight, having out of bounds down the left side and long of the green. Due to the shadows, many of the features are not visible, but a bunker defends the right side of the fairway for those players attempting to play safe off the tee, a fairway bunker down the left side protects the open side of the green and two deep bunkers defend the front of the green. This hole can be easy or quite difficult, a perfect combination for a short par 4.

 The bunkers are not visible here due to the shadows, but the green lies out in the distance on direct line with the left side of the large oak tree.

 These deep greenside bunkers protect the front of the green

Hole #15: Par 3, 210 yards

This hole is the longest par 3 on the course, but also the worst. The hole plays significantly uphill to a green that is elevated perhaps 8 feet above the front approach area. The hole is simply not meant to be played this long. The dark green area in the center of the image indicated the front approaches and the rise can be seen.

Hole #16: Par 4, 390 yards
This mid length par 4 plays quite a bit down hill from one of the highest points on the course; the 13th green is directly behind this tee and is slightly higher, but this is the highest elevated tee. A pond down the right side provides a heavy penalty for shots hit too far right and there is a drainage creek that crosses the fairway around 50 yards short of the green. Long hitters are certainly able to reach the creek given how far downhill the hole plays. The shot to the green must be played with precision because the green falls off sharply beyond the hole and to the left. This hole gives the player a chance for birdie before two rather difficult closing holes.

 From the tee, the City of Mobile can be seen in the distance and give the player a quality view. Any shot starting right of the edge of the trees down the right will either need to hook left or get a luck break in order to stay out of the pond.

From the bottom of the hill, near the drainage creek, the green sits in front of the player, significantly elevated above the fairway.

Overall, this is a fair golf course. It's not a great course, but the operators do not try to pretend so. This is just a fair golf course for a fair price. More courses like this are needed today. 3 out of 10

Template Holes of the Macdonald School: The Biarritz

The Biarritz is one of the four standard par three holes used by the designers in the Macdonald School of design, Charles Blair Macdonald, Seth Raynor, and Charles Banks. This hole was typically intended to be the longest par three on the course, sometimes out to 220 yards, a significant distance today much less in the 1920's and 1930's. The idea of the hole is that the green has a large front tier and a large back tier with a fairly deep depression between them.

The idea with this hole is that the player should be face with a long enough shot that he must land the shot at the front of the green and run it through the depression in order to reach the back of the green. Like many of the holes built by Macdonald, this hole style is not used very often in modern days due to the shift of golf from a running shot game to an aerial shot game.

There are two basic types of the biarritz, seen in the images below:

This one pictured above is from St. Louis Country Club and is maintained with the front plateau as part of the green. This allows the club to cut the pin on the front portion of the green and mandate the player land short of the green in the approach if he desires to roll the ball onto the green.

This one, from Chicago Golf Club, only maintains the the rear plateau as green. The front plateau and the depression are all maintained at fairway height. This mandates the player land the shot short of the depression on the fairway cut in order to run the ball back to the hole.

The newest Biarritz built, the 8th hole at Old Macdonald in Bandon, OR, is much shorter than the old standard and is meant to be approached with low running shots using mid-irons. Hardly the hole of year's past. The hole is a solid hole in it's own right, but not the long yardage hole with very long green and deep depression like many might have expected.

Overall, this is a superb hole type. If a hole of this nature were to be built today, however, it would need to be built out to 250+ yards in order to challenge the best players with fairway woods or drivers. Indeed, a Biarritz hole is in play on the PGA Tour, at The Old White TPC at The Greenbrier, and those golfers are approaching the hole with high lofted shots from middle irons, rather than low, running shots from long irons and fairway woods. Perhaps one day designers will take the risk and build another of these holes as it was meant to be played.