Been saving this one because it might be one of the most golf course architecture nerd significant holes at Hillcrest/Kansas City/nationally because it is a rare example of Donald Ross utilizing a template hole.
If you read the description from the 1916 KC Star article, the 4th at Hillcrest is specifically called out as a template Alps hole. This is significant because unlike MacDonald, Raynor, and other golden age architects, Donald Ross was not know to utilize template holes. When reading through the other hole descriptions from the 1916 KC Star article, there may be others (7 sounds a lot like an Eden, 11 has a lot of Redan like characteristics, 17 might be a bunkers instead of water Cape, and the green on 18 (not the tee shot) could have been a Road Hole), but 4 is the only one specifically called out.
Alps template description from the shooters over at the Fried Egg:
“The Alps par-4 design typically ranges from 400-430 yards in length and is defined by its blind second shot, typically over a hill. Cross bunkers guard the front of the green, hazards the player is unable to see from the fairway. Relief comes int the form of the punchbowl green complex that allows offline shots to funnel back to the green. Over the years, many of the front bunkers were filled in by uneducated greens committees who felt the bunkers were too unfair and penal.”
This hole lost a ton of bunkers over the years. Looking at old aerials (shout out historicaerials.com) there used to be what looks like 7 deep bunkers around the green (3 on the right side and 4 on the left), an additional fairway bunker on the right about 100 yards away from the hole, and a fairway bunker 130 yards on the left off the tee.
1916 KC Star Article:
“From the rear tee 445 yards; from the front tee 433 yards; from the ladies tee 295 yards. Bogey 5, par 5. An Alps hole with many features. The ground in front of the putting green rise rapidly to the edge of the green and a deep trap, 119 yards from the rear tee must be carried on the drive which is directly into the prevailing wind. The second shot should be played to the left of the fairway in order that the approach may be properly pitched onto the green which slopes sharply to the left and is flanked on that side by difficult sand traps. A second shot played in this way has an easy carry over a deep sand trap, while a ball played straight toward the green must carry a deeper and more difficult trap closer to the green.”
1922 Western Am Article
“Par 5, distance 454 yards. A good drive and an iron shot. On the drive, about 130 yards, are sand pits. On the second are sand pits in the middle of fairway. Diagonally to the left of the green are sand pits and mounds. To the right are more mounds and sand pit.”
2000s Tripp remodel
reshape the fairway to get rid of the massive run off on the left of the fairway, adds a new fairway bunker 250ish yards off the tee, and created a big run off/chipping area long of the green. None of these proposals were done.
Personal opinion, this hole should be shortened and turned into a long par 4 if they turn 8 back into a par 5. Utilize the middle tee box, get rid of the back tee box, play the hole as a 440 par 4 from the tips, and restore the original bunkering. This would break up the back to back par 5 issue and would make this one of the harder par 4s in the area.
