Redesigned Torrey Pines North

[iacas]

5 hours ago, mvmac said:

The holes are all basically the same, greens are in great shape, more slope to them than before.

So… what was redesigned?

[mvmac]

On 7/28/2018 at 4:24 AM, iacas said:

So… what was redesigned?

Other than the added contour and size of the greens I didn't notice much. The holes are very much the same except the nines have been flipped. Greens are completely new, from poa to bent, obviously played firmer.

Biggest change to a hole was they made the old par-4 #8 (17), into a par-5 and the old par-5 #9 (18) into a par-4. I like this, adds a little more risk/reward to a closing par 5 and 18 is a solid finishing hole. Also the 12th hole plays more over the ravine than before.

Here's a list of the changes.

 http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/golf/sd-sp-torrey-1129-story.html

Quote

Here are some of the most noticeable changes on the $12.6 million redesign by Tom Weiskopf of the North Course:

The front nine and back nine have been reversed so that the most scenic holes are at the second half of the round.

All tee boxes were replaced and a fifth set of tees were introduced to accommodate more skill levels.

Bunkers were reduced from 60 to 42 (21 on each nine) and repositioned in more strategic locations.

Greens were enlarged by 20-30 percent, from an average of 4,500 square feet to 6,000 square feet, and bent grass has replaced poa annua.

The seventh hole (old No. 16) has been shortened to 322 (274 from the middle tees), making it a “potentially” driveable hole under the right circumstances. Weiskopf said it’s an idea he borrowed after playing in the British Open at St. Andrews.

The cart path has been removed from the 15th hole (old No. 6), the course’s par-3 signature hole, eliminating those unfortunate cart-path bounces while improving the aesthetics of the hole.

The 16th hole (old No. 7), which features a steep uphill climb, had been difficult for players to reach in two shots, so Weiskopf lowered the green by nearly a dozen feet to make it more inviting.

Most of the extra length on the course came at the 17th hole (old No. 8), which includes another 150 yards, turning a 370-yard par-4 into a 520-yard par-5.

The 18th hole (old No. 9) is now a long par-4, measuring 486 yards, that includes the longest complex green on the course and is guarded by three strategically-placed bunkers.

 

[PraiseKek]

I regged just to rant about this. I have over 100 rounds on the North course, and can remember all strategy even not having played it for 10 years.

1) Flipping nines is smart, but not because of the view. It is because of the risk reward. The back nine was always much easier than the front. Getting around in 32-33 (or sometimes better) was not a rare occurrence, but that's a heck of a score on the front, even with the easy first three holes. The old back also had little trouble to get into for sprayers, which is probably a more significant factor than birdie opportunities.

2) The tee boxes and bunkers always needed a refresh. I'll have to judge for myself the lack of bunkers next time I'm there, but it was always lacking thought on some of them. Less could be more.

3) Opening up the course to make it easier sounds like a bad idea. It was already disproportionately too easy, even before Rees Jones' butchering of the South. When they redid the South, and jacked up the rates for a mostly inferior playing experience, the courses that had consistent greens between them all of a sudden felt like they were in different states. The back nine became much less charming, and was made to be more difficult for the sake of being more difficult, which I hope hasn't happened on the North the other way.

4) I hope they match the greens on the South. That should be their primary focus. The greens pre Rees Jones gave a huge edge to local talent. There was something charming about the slow graininess as well.  Of course this will take a decade since they did it asynchronously.

Edit: And the communists there seemed to have decided the canyons are now OB instead of lateral. It was always fun looking for your ball while dodging rattlesnakes.  I'm against internal OB on straight away holes.

Edited August 2, 2018 by PraiseKek

[Epopt]

the greens do not hold and it plays inconsistently as a result. They say it will take another ten years before it will be more like what it should be. That said, it is fun to play. Not the beast that South is. I think South plays 8 strokes tougher, for me. I hope to par north this year but South, no way.