What are some of the common hole designs?

FRIDAY, JAN. 6: Redan holes, Cape holes, the Biarritz, the Punchbowl—Seth Raynor and Charles Banks spent the 1920s reinterpreting a hit parade of classic British hole designs.

Modern architects are often criticized for repeating themselves, yet Charles Blair MacDonald, Seth Raynor and Charles Banks — design genius’—laid out all their courses according to a predictable formula. They repeated themselves continually.

Raynor and Banks’ mentor, Charles Blair MacDonald, were like composers turning out subtle variations on a musical theme.

In designing their courses, they purposely replicated famous holes from cherished British layouts.

“The courses in Great Britain abound in classic and notable holes,” wrote MacDonald a century ago. “One only has to study these and adopt their best and boldest features.”

 And adopt these gentlemen did, unabashedly reproducing versions of such classic holes as Redan, Biarritz, Eden and Alps.

They weren’t building pure replicas, such as we find today at novelty courses like Tour 18 in Houston and Royal Links in Las Vegas — instead they were seizing on a concept and adapting it to the varying conditions and topographies of their sites.

Raynor took several of MacDonald’s favourites—including the Cape hole and the Double Plateau green — and installed them in his permanent repertoire.

Raynor is not alone in his sincere flattery.

Other architects have seen the value in adapting and reproducing the strategic building blocks of the classic holes.

If not actively, they have done so unconsciously, falling in line with my firmly held belief that there are only 50 original golf holes in the world — the other 500,000 or so are mere variations on established themes.

 So what makes a Redan, a Redan?

Is it just an angled green fronted by a hazard?

Egad, no!

Like the other “Raynor standards,” versions of which he faithfully included in every course he laid out, the Redan begins with an idea.

And that idea has to do with a particular shotmaking challenge and the emotions that challenge invokes.

Indeed, these standards are good enough that contemporary architects and golfers would do well to continue learning from their examples.

In next week’s column we’ll examine them one at a time.

Paul Adams is the PGA director of golf at Rosewood Tucker’s Point. He can be reached at 298-6930 or via e-mail at [email protected].