Bok Tower looms over the fairway trees, and can be used as a driving marker on #10. During the renovation, the hole was converted to a Par 4 from a Par 5. The strategy off the tee calls for a Buczkowski ('heroic shot') over the right bunkers to cut the distance on this long par 4. Too far left and safe and bunkers loom there too. The Up green is one of the few greens that was left as is by Silva. The raised green on an uphill hole once again give pause to the concept of Mountain Lake being 'short'. Any and all pars here are welcome.

The Big Buczkowski at #10

This new men’s room was built to replace the old men’s facilities that were in need of updating. In the tradition of Mountain Lake where history and heritage is valued by the membership, the original door was salvaged and was then used in building this new structure!

Blending Old and New at Mountain Lake

Hole #11 – Redan – 181 yards

The word 'Redan' was coined to describe the 15th at North Berwick and Raynor outfitted his examples with exaggerated 'kick-back' slopes as in the approach and front section of Mountain Lake’s Redan. The 4th at The National and the 6th at Yeaman’s Hall are wonderful examples.

Mountain Lake’s Redan

The golfer standing on the front right corner of the green gives some
perspective of just how steep Mountain Lake’s Redan plays.

Back left view shows the updated contours of the Redan green.

The view of the Redan green from the bunker.

With a Blind shot off the tee and framed by two bunkers, the 12^th hole at Mountain Lake reminds the golfer of the 17^th hole at Yale. Once again, the modern golfer is tested on this 'short’ course.

New Haven, Connecticut or Lake Wales, Florida?

Walter Hagen on #12 tee

The approach at the 12th shows off the two tier nature of the green.

Though original photos show this green to be as radically altered as any on the course –
the photos showed a high green that fell off precipitously and surrounded by bunkers save
for narrow walk paths – the green was left largely as it was due to its
standing in the esteem of Mountain Lake members.

Vintage holes were often named for a shape of shot required during their play and Fade is the perfect tee shot on this hole. The picture below shows the landing area. A drive down the right side of the hole takes the approach bunker out of play and allows a bump and run shot to the green to catch the downslope in the approach and roll onto the Redan-like green.

The landing area at #13 looking towards the green.

To complete this perfect pacing of holes and shots, the golfer finishes on Draw, thus a sequence of Blind, Fade, Draw. The player is tempted to cut the corner, but risk being blocked out by trees on the left on the approach to the green. The putting surface is a hogback, another Raynor favorite as in the 17^th at Fishers Island. Players may well want to position their tee shot depending on whether or not the pin is left or right of the hogback in the green.

Once again, position off the tee determines aerial versus ground options at #14.

The approach at the 14th.

At 324 yards, Mountain Lake’s 15^th is probably the shortest of any Macdonald/Raynor/Banks Punchbowl green. On the author’s first season of play at Mountain Lake, an iron and a wedge was all that was needed to navigate Mountain Lake’s Punchbowl. However, between the recent Hurricanes and tree clearing, the hole has a more open and forgiving feel to it, and the left side has opened up. However, the creek on the right will still gobble up balls from the golfer seeking the preferred right side of the fairway where the green is less blind. In a recent club scramble from the 307 yard Blue tee on a downwind day the author played a driver and put it pin high left of the green, where there was a very interesting 'bank shot' against the Punchbowl. Thus, under the right conditions, it becomes a very interesting Par 3 ˝ with today’s technology.

#15 is a beautiful walk in the park!

Below you can see some of the extreme Punchbowl features in this green on #15. Raynor’s variations on this theme relate to the amount of fairway/approach area incorporated into the punchbowl. The Fox Chapel, Westhampton, and Chicago varieties feature mainly punchbowl 'green' areas while the National’s encompasses a significant amount of fairway and approach. Vintage photography shows the original 15th at Mountain Lake to have been a punchbowl. It is difficult for any architectural fan to walk away from Mountain Lake’s Punchbowl without an opinion of how it could be adapted to varying playing conditions. The author would suggest playing all club tournaments from the Blue tee.

Punchbowl green from the fairway.

No question - this is a Punchbowl!

With only 11,000 rounds a year and a season from mid-October to April at Mountain Lake,
the maintenance issues are smaller than they would be at Yale.

Vintage aerials showed bite off bunkers left in the drive zone, a bunker 'through' the fairway on the right and a Carry bunker in the approach. The green retains its original slope down from front to back, showing Raynor’s appreciation, if not requirement, for of playing the game on the ground. The fairway has also been widened to its more original size.

Silva has some questions as to if the 17^th was Raynor’s version of The Eden, and like many restorations, the data was not complete. However, there was enough information to assume that it was indeed The Eden hole. The 17th green was moved because of two huge live oaks that were to the rear of the previous green. The old green had real problems growing grass and no one thought good grass could be grown on it in its current location. Moving the green left required cutting down a few smaller trees for good sun and as an added bonus, it set up the proper positioning of the bunkers against the background of Mountain Lake. Mountain Lake’s Eden has a raised green with a steep slope down from back to front, guarded by Hill, Strath and Shell bunkers and framed to the rear by Mountain Lake instead of the Eden River. The 11th at Fishers Island may be the most well known of the Raynor Eden’s as it features Long Island Sound in the background.

The balance of Mountain Lake’s Par 3’s is classic Raynor:

• 5th Biarritz - 211 yards
• 9th Short -146 yards (Blue tee 110 yards)
• 11th Redan - 181 yards
• 17th Eden 177 yards

Silva's Eden

The 18^th at Mountain Lake is a hole that combines great vistas, water, sand, fairway width, trees, and an interesting green into a spectacular finish. The original tee on eighteen played the hole as a dogleg left Par 5. Today, framed by the spectacular Colony House, the home hole features a tee shot over Mountain Lake to a generous fairway. However the width of Raynor fairways can often be deceiving as is the case at #18. Too far left IN THE FAIRWAY, and the golfer risk being blocked out by a tree in the left rough. Too far right IN THE FAIRWAY and the golfer brings the front right bunker of the uphill 18^th green into play, thus forcing a difficult aerial shot.

The golfer is lined up perfectly here on Mountain Lake #18.

This golfer played the original #18 tee as a Par 5 near the current #17 green.

The vistas on 18 of Mountain Lake and Bok Tower distract the member’s
guest giving the advantage to members on the finishing hole.

While some may mistake the 18^th green for a Double Plateau, the closing green is actually an adaptation of The Maiden, another Raynor mainstay. When the pin is on the left, a running shot can be played. However, when it is tucked behind the front right bunker, an aerial shot is required for birdie opportunities.

Left side view of Maiden green.

One of 18 interesting greens at Mountain Lake.

Playing at 6264 yards and a Par of 71 in 1972, Mountain Lake now plays at 6621 yards, a Par 70. Mountain Lake is clearly not a long course. However similar to Yale, Raynor used the natural terrain where many of the par fours play uphill adding yardage to the scorecard on this 'short course'. As with any 'renovation' there will always be conversations and questions about the old versus the new. Is it correct? Does it adapt to the modern player? Why did they take out this tree? However, the key to any restoration, interpretive or functional, is the architect and committee need to do the research to understand what was there and why it was changed over the years? Silva and the Mountain Lake committee clearly did the research prior to the restoration. Silva then added yardage to key holes and reduced the Par, allowing the restored Mountain Lake to play as it was originally intended by the founders of Mountain Lake – a classic members course, now in the modern era.

The End

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