| Championship |
404 |
| Maroon |
379 |
| Teal |
349 |
| Orange |
349 |
| Green |
329 |
| Ocean |
283 |
| Khaki |
283 |
| D. Muirhead |
200 |
Par
(Mens/Ladies) |
4/4 |
Handicap
(Mens/Ladies) |
9/13
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This is a home hole which returns to the clubhouse. The serpentine shape is the symbol for a man's wandering nature, his temporary fall from grace and his attempted progress in the Garden of Eden.
The snake dominates the hole in a lashing curve and you must negotiate its folds which have four inches of rough grass on them to distinguish them from the fairways. The tee is in the tail and the landing area rests securely between the massive loops from the 200-300 yard mark. The snake's neck envelops the green in a crushing python-like embrace and his head has two traps for eyes as he glares balefuly down at the approaching golfer.
The snake as idea rises out of the plain rather than being mantled into the ground. It gradually formed itself out of the moving earth. Much like the little boy who asked the sculptor how he had know that the lion was in the shapeless block of marble, I found the snake there lurking under the ground, waiting for me.
When the head was built, the green looked too big, as oftern happens when plans are transferred from paper to reality, so I divided it into two parts which brought the "eye" traps better into play. One area of the green is easy and the other much more difficult, a theme I have tried to keep going for the range of different golfers we expect on the course.
The left-handed trap is placed to prevent a golfer with a poorly hit second shot from sneaking a birdie by careening off the coils of the snake, although this is possible if he hits it behind the hole.
Groups of palms on both sides of the tee and beside the green augment the Eden theme. The southwest crosswind counterpoints the serpentine flow and brings back the doubt into Paradise, which makes this hole a resolute consummation to a formidable but, I hope, fair and absorbing nine holes of golf.
Desmond Muirhead |