At the Houston Country Club, a major renovation is going on. The golf course, built in 1956, is on the banks of Buffalo Bayou. Over the years,there has been some subsistence along the sides, which cuts into part of the course. As you will see, the bayou like Mother Nature, has a mind of its own. The club decided to build a retaining wall (at great expense) to hold back the bayou. The bayou had other ideas.
The wall, unfortunately, was not engineered correctly and failed. Large chucks of land and golf sloughed off into the waters. So at even greater cost of time and money the project had to redone. It's now on track for Fall 2015 completion.
As a result, holes 8 and 10 have been closed and under construction for over 2 years. When I was here last summer, number 8 looked like a "bankrupt subdivision" according to Sean. A year later, it's shaping up as hole. When complete it will be a par 4 instead of a par 5. The second shot will feature a nice long carry over part of the bayou, which should make it difficult.
When I first started playing golf in 1978 at the Houston Country Club, "Old" number 8 was a par 5, nearly C shaped to the left. Off the tee, there was originally a large tree on the left that only the biggest hitters could attempt to carry. It also crept out to the right. So the tree, very Harry Potter-ish, caught or blocked many a drive on that hole. It was a significant landmark.
On the right and short off the tee, was a gully that I sliced into more than once growing up. So between the Harry Potter tree and the gully, it was a hard driving hole which encouraged a safer shot off the tee. Since it was a par 5, it made the hole that much longer.
The second shot was nearly always a layup, as the hole bent around so much that it was a blind shot. As with most blind shots, golfers hold the blind shot with a special contempt. The game is hard enough when you can see the ball. So that was a second strike against number 8 for many.
The third shot was a fairly straightforward wedge to a large flat green. While the bayou was always on the left, it did not come too much into play. No drama, somewhat anticlimactic. Strike 3 for number 8.
Over the years,the large tree died, a victim of growing so close to the living, breathing bayou. (Foreshadowing of 2012?). At about the same time, the course was remodeled somewhat in 1988 by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, some of their early work. They took the opportunity to modify the hole. Since the tree was no more, the tee box was move slightly back making the drive able to cut the corner a bit. There a large building in the background which is a good target. As Sean put it, "Some course have mountains, we have high rise buildings".
For a big driver it was possible to get closer to the green on a second shot but not practically able to hit it. The green was reworked considerably to make it smaller and more sloped, making the wedge shot in a more precise affair. An improvement to be sure, but it still didn't fit the mold of a reachable, risk/reward par 5. Always the bridesmaid, number 8. The Lady Edith of the Houston Country Club.
Now the third iteration is on its way. Number 8 has always been somewhat controversial and that will not change. You don't know what you've got, till its gone.
Get well soon Eight- we miss you!
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