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Disrupting the rhythm of a course...??

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Brian_Gracely:
After several days of thinking about Rustic Canyon, reading the "what would you change?" thread, and considering the aspects I enjoyed and disliked, I got to thinking about a prior thread started by my good friend Tom Ross..."The story a course tells the player...".  One of the aspects I disliked about Rustic Canyon was stretch from #4-#8, which contained four par 3s (granted #7 is usually a par4, but could be just a 4-5i off the tee) and a par5 that required a lay-up off the team.

The round begins will three holes that not only allowed you to hit driver, but also played downwind.  For a player like me that enjoys the challenge of hitting the driver, this type of start allows me to find a certain rhythm to the round.  But then RC basically takes the driver out of your hands for almost an hour, and the next time the driver presents itself is #9, which played into the wind.  At this point, the rhythm required to make an effortless swing with a long club is potentially lost.  And then throw in the need for a driver on #10 and #11, and this can potentially cause havoc on your round.  

I initially disliked this aspect of RC, but the more I thought about it, it offers an interesting twist in a stretch of holes that otherwise all run in the same direction and into the same wind.  

I stated thinking about other courses that employed this same rhythm-breaking strategy and a few came to mind:

4-8 at MPCC (Dunes)
7-9 at CPC.....depending on what you hit off the tee on #8-9

Can you think of other examples where a similar stretch of holes exists, or do you believe this type of rhythm-changing aspect is good or bad from a design/routing perspective?



 

Pete Buczkowski:
How about Southern Pines, holes 8-11?  I suppose some could hit driver on 8 or 10, but I can't see the advantage.

Bob_Huntley:
Hey Brian, I know you are a long knocker but I can hit driver off the par 3 4th,238 yards, the par 4 5th 335 yds, the par 4 6th 428 yards, a seven wood off the par three 7th, 176 yards and a driver off the par four 8th 400 yards.

I am not disrupted at all.


This in regard to MPCC.

ed_getka:
Brian,
  Driving being the weakest part of my game, I am NEVER disrupted by lack of driver holes. And at Rustic, even if you haven't touched the driver in an hour #9 is not exactly US Open width. However, I do understand your point and am just happy it doesn't affect me. :)

Tommy_Naccarato:
Brian, A player of your capacity should be able to use a driver at the 7th, and I think its a satisfying drive for those who do.

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