Cruden Bay, Scotland   

7th hole, 385 yards: One of golf's first great doglegs, this one remains as strategically interesting as ever because no silly trees or the like have diminished the bite-off-as-much-as-you-dare tee shot. A gamble is well worth it because the long narrow green is hard to hold with anything more than a short iron.

the classic dogleg to the left 7th

8^th hole, 225 yards: Whether considered  a par three or par four, it doesn't matter - either way, a three makes the climb to the next tee much easier. Holes of this type can be most unsettling - given the steep back to front pitch of the green, plenty of fives are taken here too. Out of frustration, the golfer then proceeds to make chop out of the next several holes as well. Every architect needs to get inside the player's mind and holes of this length do it most effectively.

13^th hole, 540 yards: A straight away hole, yet one that is better played in a zig-zag manner after the tee shot. The burn makes a good tee shot of importance, as an errant one might result in having to lay up short of the burn, leaving a third shot of over 230 yards. The dominant feature of this hole, however, is the large mound short-right of the green, providing a clear shot only to those who approach from the left. This hole is a prime example of the threat of a blind shot dictating play of a hole.

14^th hole, 360 yards: Even though the player may feel that this hole was 'forced' into the small area between the severe dune on the left and the sea on the right, the hole belongs. The right side of the fairway is not visible from the tee, making the player believe the hole is much tighter than it actually is and encouraging the player to play toward the gorse-covered hillside on the left. Isn't it interesting how players will play toward the trouble they can see rather than toward the safety they can't see? The approach is among the most fun on the course, requiring a short iron to a narrow, sunken green. The only debatable point is whether the slope down to the green should be cut to fairway height or rough height, as is the case now.

As with County Sligo, the least interesting holes are among the most scenic, with the 9^th and 10^th offering spectacular views down onto the rest of the course and out to the North Sea. The player keeps expecting a letdown after the glories of the 4^th through 8^th holes, but alas he never gets one.

The course does have distinct stretches of holes. The first three are all fine holes. The 4^th through 8^th are as good a stretch of links holes as you could ever hope to find. The 9^th through 12^th are rather standard (the 11^th is hampered by the danger of being near the landing area for the tee shots from the 10^th). The 13^th through 16^th are exhilarating. And finally, the last two are good, sturdy holes that make a player think to the very end. In fact, Simpson was particularly fond of the 18^th hole, which seems a bit curious to the authors.

What does Pete Dye, who has moved plenty of land in his day, think of all this? He loves it and puts Cruden Bay among his handful of favorite courses. In fact, he returned there for inspiration with Herbert Kohler when they were in the process of building Whistling Straits. The authors can't help but wonder: what would Dye have done given the same piece of property?

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