Bald Mountain

Whoever set par for the amateur layout is a little sadistic for the stretch from 10 to 12 specifically (the rest is tough but fair). I grant that it's a championship level course (and maybe the Am lay ... show more ›

Whoever set par for the amateur layout is a little sadistic for the stretch from 10 to 12 specifically (the rest is tough but fair). I grant that it's a championship level course (and maybe the Am layout would be the FPO layout for a pro tour event --- and this course absolutely deserves consideration for one). But I'd like to posit (with the best of intentions, an open mind, and a good-natured tone) that at least two of these three holes should be par 4s for the Am layout under PDGA guidelines even assuming the par is set to the MA1 level.

First issue is which method you're using to set par. I would argue that the best method for this course takes effective hole length and foliage into account due to the elevation changes and, well, foliage.

Hole 10: 387' UDisc/415' official length. I don't think there's a major elevation change on this hole but I can't remember for sure. Admittedly if MA1 is the target for par this is a tough but fair par 3. If this tee is intended for FPO/MA2, however, the narrow line through heavy foliage could dictate a par 4. In a vacuum this hole is fine as a par 3 but given that it's between a devilish 666' par 5 and the next two holes, par 3 is a bit brutal.

Hole 11: 451' UDisc/436' official length. The main reason this one feels off is that the Am and Pro layouts share a teepad and par. That's perfectly fine for short or simple par 3s but this one is tougher than that. It's on the borderline between par 3 and 4 and really depends on the real effective length of the hole. Maybe the real issue here is that another teepad would be nice on this hole (monkey's paw: there's some space for a Pro pad back on that alternate pathway from hole 10...).

Hole 12: 445' UDisc/408' official length. This is the one. The eye is understandably drawn to the twin par 5s closing out the front and back 9, but hole 12 is the truly brutal climb up the Mountain. The major issue here is that the Pro layout is a par 4 while being only a bit farther and a bit more uphill. The official lengths are 408' and 505' but it sure looks like much less than 100' between the two. Regardless, even if the true length from the Am pad is 408', the effective length must be at least 450'.

According to the PDGA guidelines, the effective length adds three times the elevation change to the actual length. I'm not sure what the actual elevation change is but it feels like at least 15' (as an extremely conservative estimate). That means the effective length is at least 408+(3*15)=408+45=453. Given the trees, the climb, and the slight dogleg, this is insane as a par 3. I have a suspicion this hole (again, the Am layout) would be tough for the field at an Elite Series event let alone MA1/FPO.

I hope this post comes across as good-natured because I love this course and really want the best for it. I'm open to correction and discussion; I'm nowhere near an expert nor am I even close to MA1 level. I don't expect anyone to read this whole comment let alone actually agree or make any changes but I thought it would be interesting to start a discussion.

Tl;dr: Make hole 12 a par 4.