The staff at Tallgrass Golf Course went back to the drawing board last season after a few too many errant drives irked neighbors alongside the course's short par-4 sixth. Though the plan was to keep the hole a par-4, there apparently wasn't enough room on that drawing board to allow it. The hole is now a par-3, with new tee boxes currently being prepared for action.
Golf On Long Island's Rob Dimino snapped photos of the redesigned teeing grounds (right) while at the course last week. The hole will measure approximately 180 to 190 yards from the back tees.
The future of the hole was "up in the air" last fall according to general manager Phil Tita, who said the preference was to modify the par-4 while alleviating the concerns of off-course neighbors who were pelted too often by overzealous players trying to reach a green less than 300 yards away. Limited space around the hole likely sunk those plans, however.
[See previous post: Redesign in the works for Tallgrass #6]
#6 is the second of three par-3s on Tallgrass's front nine. It is sandwiched between the sandy fourth and the reverse-redan eighth, which GOLI examined in detail earlier this year. The change means that Tallgrass drops from a par-71 to par-70.
The hole's main feature is now the steep downslope behind the green, which will turn any long tee shot into a nearly automatic bogey. With the change, the mammoth sand trap down the hole's left side has been relegated to spectator.
Horrible news. Went from one if the top three holes on the.course to one of the worst. Worst par 3 on the course, by a mile.
Posted by: Steve | May 06, 2013 at 03:23 PM
Disappointing. It cerainly drops the course a notch or two. Did they bother to consult with Gil Hanse, the original architect, before making the changes?
Posted by: Mike | May 07, 2013 at 08:05 AM
Unfortunately I don't think there was much Hanse could do if they did consult with him. They probably would have had to alter one or two other holes, at least, to keep it a par-4.
Posted by: Phil | May 07, 2013 at 09:03 AM