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Do course architects take the sun into consideration?

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  • Do course architects take the sun into consideration?

    A question for our course design experts and commentators.

    When designing a course, do the architects take the position of the sun into consideration?

    I was wondering because this weekend in the afternoon I played a course where on the front 9 there were 2 holes looking directly east which would 'blind' a player in the morning.
    And only 1 hole that looked directly west on the front 9.

    However there were 5 holes out of the last 10 that were looking directly west and therefore would 'blind' players in the late afternoon/evening. We experienced this.
    Yet there was only 1 hole on the back 9 that looked directly east.

    And the course designer was one of the most well known of the current big name Canadian designers.

    So is this a flaw? Should these 9's be reversed to reduce the number of times that players are playing directly into the sun? Or might this have been done on purpose?

  • #2
    Golf architects definitely consider the sun in most of their designs. I know of one course in particular where a prominent Canadian Architect was involved and the owner dictated where the club house was to be located. This location pointed the first hole east and the eighteenth west, not ideal. The architect had no choice but wasn’t happy.

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    • #3
      First hole at Hidden Lake New can be blinding for a morning tee time.

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      • #4
        I would imagine that the position of the sun may be a consideration in the design/orientation of some holes and layouts.

        That said, I would think that the position of the sun would be a meaningful consideration only near sunrise or sunset. However, because the position of the sunrise/sunset changes every day, it would not affect the same holes in the same way every day.

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        • #5
          Good thread AD.
          What about taking prevailing wind into consideration ?

          There are 2 courses I play that have holes that IMO are generally “too long” in consideration of the other 17 holes, specifically already long holes, then made even longer with a frequent head wind. They are #2 at Rebel Creek, and #4 at Doon Valley, both in Kitchener.
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          • #6
            Originally posted by Benz View Post
            I would imagine that the position of the sun may be a consideration in the design/orientation of some holes and layouts.

            That said, I would think that the position of the sun would be a meaningful consideration only near sunrise or sunset. However, because the position of the sunrise/sunset changes every day, it would not affect the same holes in the same way every day.
            I was thinking along the same lines. You can "try" to take the sun into consideration, but it moves around during the season. You've also got (as Arl67 mentioned) the wind. And you've got a million other considerations, including the clubhouse location and its views onto the course, routing concerns, balancing par 3s/4s/5s, the natural terrain you are given, the difficulty or easiness you want to present to your players....

            My guess is it's taken into consideration, but probably after quite a few other more important factors.
            "Confusion" will be my epitaph
            ...Iggy

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Ignatius Reilly View Post

              My guess is it's taken into consideration, but probably after quite a few other more important factors.
              True enough. After all, they're golf courses, not Stonehenge...

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Benz View Post

                True enough. After all, they're golf courses, not Stonehenge...
                Did you mean to say Stoke Penge? (look it up)
                "Confusion" will be my epitaph
                ...Iggy

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                • #9
                  Interesting question also for Driving Ranges. Years ago we had two open almost opposite each other on the same road.
                  One facing East the other West, the one facing West would get all the morning traffic, however the one facing East had the last laugh as they got 90% of the after work and evening golfers.
                  Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and wrong, because sometime in your life, you will have been all of these. Dr. Robert H. Goddard




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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Arthur Dailey View Post
                    A question for our course design experts and commentators.

                    When designing a course, do the architects take the position of the sun into consideration?

                    I was wondering because this weekend in the afternoon I played a course where on the front 9 there were 2 holes looking directly east which would 'blind' a player in the morning.
                    And only 1 hole that looked directly west on the front 9.

                    However there were 5 holes out of the last 10 that were looking directly west and therefore would 'blind' players in the late afternoon/evening. We experienced this.
                    Yet there was only 1 hole on the back 9 that looked directly east.

                    And the course designer was one of the most well known of the current big name Canadian designers.

                    So is this a flaw? Should these 9's be reversed to reduce the number of times that players are playing directly into the sun? Or might this have been done on purpose?
                    Excerpt from "Ten principles guided Stanley Thompson in his golf course design":
                    • Finishing holes not into setting sun
                    https://www.stanleythompson.com/abou...ign-principles

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by QuentinJJ View Post

                      Excerpt from "Ten principles guided Stanley Thompson in his golf course design":
                      • Finishing holes not into setting sun
                      https://www.stanleythompson.com/abou...ign-principles
                      Excellent point. To take one of many examples, Thornhill (last part of) 17 and (all of) 18 run due East.

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                      • #12
                        Whereas Rosedale (Donald Ross) 17 and 18 are dead west. In both cases this may just be necessity though, as the clubhouses are at one end of the property in each case. Sort of hard to imagine how the architect could do otherwise.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by 4underthru9 View Post
                          Interesting question also for Driving Ranges. Years ago we had two open almost opposite each other on the same road.
                          One facing East the other West, the one facing West would get all the morning traffic, however the one facing East had the last laugh as they got 90% of the after work and evening golfers.
                          Definitely a factor to consider when deciding which driving range I'd go to in my Clublink days. Rattlesnake had you hitting in to the sun, while Glancairn was the opposite (in the evening).

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by strugglin View Post

                            Definitely a factor to consider when deciding which driving range I'd go to in my Clublink days. Rattlesnake had you hitting in to the sun, while Glancairn was the opposite (in the evening).
                            Whistlebear range - dead into the rising sun in the morning.
                            MEMBER OF THE 2012 AND 2015 RYDER CUP CHAMPS!

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by QuentinJJ View Post

                              Excerpt from "Ten principles guided Stanley Thompson in his golf course design":
                              • Finishing holes not into setting sun
                              https://www.stanleythompson.com/abou...ign-principles
                              Cannot disagree with Stanley Thompson.

                              Although is long par 3's really punish me.

                              Comment

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