The process of writing Ive been lately working on an essay to bookend my earlier one titled Doglegs. This new one is called Sweet Blindness. In this essay Im again exploring early golf course designs in the U.S., and especially the concept of blind holes and shots. Since the early 1900s, golf aficienados have debated the merits of such hole designs. I personally do like them and consider them to be a fair test of golf--and especially if one is familiar with a course and knows the lay of the land. Today I played the 1929 Manitou Ridge golf course near my home. The 14th hole on this course is a 358 yard, par 4 with hilly terrain between the tee and green. Because of these undulations, one usually has to negotiate a blind second shot meaning that one cannot see the green from the point of ones shot. These two photos illustrate the concept of the blind hole and shot. They show a blind shot that I faced on hole #14 today. In the first picture, the fairway is viewed from my ball; note that one can only see the crest of a ridge and sky--no flag stick or green is visible. One is left guessing just where to aim his shot and how far to hit. The second photo shows the view after one has walked up the hill towards the ridge top. As one crests the ridge the flag stick suddenly becomes visible. Besides blind shots, the hole also challenges the golfer with an elevated, sloping green that is treacherous to putt. So its not hard to see why this hole is rated the most difficult one on the course. :-)
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 01:27:39 +0000
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