NORTON, Mass. Opinions have ranged from simply bad to downright awful this week as players have gotten a look at the redesigned 12th hole at TPC Boston.From Dustin Johnson to Paul Casey, players have questioned why officials had Gil Hanse redesign the 12th and 13th holes. In specific, they have taken issue with a collection of fairway bunkers on 12 that first force players to carry the ball more than 260 yards but no further than 300 yards, where a pair of principals nose-like bunkers await.On Thursday at the Dell Technologies Championship, Hanse explained the need for the tinkering and the philosophy behind the changes.Part of what we didnt like about the two holes was the distance from 12 to 13 tee. It was a big jigsaw puzzle, he said. What we came up with is connecting that ridge, and looking at where that landform fell and how it made sense naturally.It would be right where the longest hitters that, if we kept that all fairway, would be catching that downslope and going all the way down and have a 70-, 80-yard advantage over guys who couldnt hit it that far. The concept was just stop the fairway.Hanse and his team originally shaped a wide fairway that he said felt too spacious, which led to the bunker complex that is now in the middle of the fairway at around 300 yards off the tee.
Dell Technologies Championship: Articles, video and photosCurrent FedExCup Playoff points standings
The expectation was it would take several rounds for these guys to learn how to play it and how they wanted to tackle it, he said. Unfortunately, some of the early reaction came after one practice round.The conversation weve had with three or four players is, 'Listen, just give it three or four rounds. Try to figure it out.' If we build a golf hole that the players can figure out after one round, then we probably havent done our job challenging them.Hanse also adheres to the philosophy of pacing a round, with difficult stretches of holes followed by scoring opportunities. Under this concept, the idea was to create a more demanding hole at No. 12, which played the 12th-hardest last year during the Dell Technologies Championship, that put players in position to hit a long- to mid-iron approach shot.Hanse also pointed out that while the fairway is relatively generous from 250 to 290 yards off the tee, it narrows to about 31 yards wide from 300 to 339 yards, which is where the fairway drops dramatically into a wild area thats dotted with rocks.This golf course, rightfully or wrongly, has always been characterized as a bombers golf course, said Hanse, who lengthened the 12th by 50 yards. So when youre making alterations, you have that in the back of your mind, and you dont want to be seen increasing that advantage. We felt like the positioning of these hazards gives the average guy room to hit the ball. But as you want to push around 330, it gets more narrow.Hanse, who received widespread praise last year for his work on the Olympic Golf Course in Rio, is no stranger to player pushback. In 2012, Luke Donald inadvertently tweeted a criticism of Hanses work at TPC Boston before deleting the tweet; he later apologized.If you are going to put your work on this stage, there are going to be opportunities for guys to criticize. We want to build holes that are interesting and require thought and learning to figure it out, Hanse said.
1. More Hanse fingerprints: Like the first two stops in this year's FedExCup Playoffs — Ridgewood Country Club and TPC Boston — Aronimink will showcase the restoration talents of architect Gil Hanse and his assistant Jim Wagner. They were hired in 2015 to "restore what (Donald) Ross had intended" at Aronimink, Hanse said.
Golf Course Architecture: The Great Divide - Golf Fever
golffever.org/2017/09/05/golf-course-architecture-the-great-divide/
The rugged 12th hole at TPC Boston—imaginatively re-designed by Gil Hanse to the consternation of many competitors at the Dell Technologies Championship—consolidated a hard truth. Being a course architect, especially one who designs holes to be played by the best golfers in the world, is getting increasingly more difficult.
Still critical of No. 18, Donald apologizes | Boston.com
NORTON — Gil Hanse isn't oblivious to the chatter surrounding the changes he's made to the 18th green at TPC Boston. A number of players don't like it, even though low scores at the par 5
Facing criticism, Hanse defends TPC Boston changes | Golf Channel . golfchannel.com Players have already taken issue with Gil Hanse's redesign the 12th and 13th holes at TPC Boston, but the architect is defending his changes to the course.
Golf Course Architecture: The Great Divide - Golf Digest
Players have already taken issue with Gil Hanse's redesign the 12th and 13th holes at TPC Boston, but the architect is defending his changes to the course. Facing player criticism, Gil Hanse
Facing criticism, Hanse defends TPC Boston changes
The rugged 12th hole at TPC Boston—imaginatively re-designed by Gil Hanse to the consternation of many competitors at the Dell Technologies Championship—consolidated a hard truth. Being a course architect, especially one who designs holes to be played by the best golfers in the world, is getting increasingly more difficult.
Five things to know about Aronimink Golf Club - Hanse Golf
Facing criticism, Hanse defends TPC Boston changes
The rugged 12th hole at TPC Boston—imaginatively re-designed by Gil Hanse to the consternation of many competitors at the Dell Technologies Championship—consolidated a hard truth. Being a course architect, especially one who designs holes to be played by the best golfers in the world, is getting increasingly more difficult.
The Great Divide: The clash between modern tour pros and golf
NORTON, Mass. - Opinions have ranged from simply bad to downright awful this week as players have gotten a look at the redesigned 12th hole at TPC Boston. From Dustin Johnson to Paul Casey, players have questioned why officials had Gil Hanse redesign the 12th and 13th holes.
Tiger Woods, Gil Hanse to design courses for new Hawaii
Tiger Woods and Gil Hanse have each been chosen to design a course at a new resort on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Woods' TGR Design company has been named lead architect for the North Course at
GolfSteady, Inc., 10599 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 212, Los
The rugged 12th hole at TPC Boston—imaginatively re-designed by Gil Hanse to the consternation of many competitors at the Dell Technologies Championship—consolidated a hard truth. Being a
Golf Course Architecture: The Great Divide | Your Golf Digest
0 Comments