| Championship |
393 |
| Maroon |
376 |
| Teal |
363 |
| Orange |
337 |
| Green |
337 |
| Ocean |
261 |
| Khaki |
261 |
| D. Muirhead |
200 |
Par
(Mens/Ladies) |
4/4 |
Handicap
(Mens/Ladies) |
6/6
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|
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In contrast to number 10, water is very much in evidence on this hole. In fact, it is surrounded by water on both sides from tee to green and all kinds of the sea have found their way into the design. To avoid cuteness or affectation, I have tried to keep the symbolic forms as intelligent, plausible and subtle as possible, so that the golfer absorbs them gradually, attaining a mounting sense of empathy as each shot is played. An architect's job has to be to make the golfer feel at home so that he feels part of the hole. Without him the picture is incomplete.
The Mermaid may be boldly perceived from an airplane, and good luck to all airborne golfers. Yet that is hardly how it is meant to be seen or sensed. From the ground, the Mermaid is only hinted at. True, there is the water and a series of sinuous curves, starting at the tail, which is the tee, followed by fairway scales, a large convex mound with a navel, two breast like mounds futher up the fairway and two traps with shapes like fish nearer the green. These are all faintly symbolic from the ground, however obvious from the air.
The green is more hyperbolic with a large Botticellian head and wild white hair. It represents the beginning of the love affair between traps and green, which is another of the metaphors I have emphasized on this course and which reaches its climax in the following hole.
The fairway curves which are picked up by similar curves and spaces formed by the building masses which I have laid out on the nearby island's perimeter, will all emphasize the inherent beauty of the water; here shining, shimmering, glimmering and there with calm mirror-like reflections. At the same time, there is a hint of the sadness, gloom and nostalgic melancholy engendered by the sea, the idea of the mermaid as siren, and the future dark row of Norfolk Pines on the island. The small mounds at the edge of the fairways are protective devices guarding us from the darkness and death, which deep water symbolizes in so many ancient cultures. They also stop the ball from dribbling into the water.
These are some of the constant cues, which proclaim the innocence of the architect from the slanders cast his way by humiliated golfers. Too many of them are ready to blame him fro their looping swings, and accuse him of having buried elephants around the course both in green and fairway. On the contrary, this virtuous man is more often looking for ways to reduce the natural sense of despair, which seems to cloak all golfers. He is trying to provide them with aids to ward off some of the deep-seated grief of inherent in golf and life. Perhaps to catch the strange, sad melancholy of Scotland, and some of its wildness and joy, which I never fail to feel whenever I hear the wailing of the bagpipes, or see a mermaid! There is an ancient Celtic burial mound around the green, which will hold the errant shot from a watery grave. May there be rest from water on the next two holes!
Desmond Muirhead |