57 much. The highest portion is just half a metre high and the edges each descend down to nothing. The concept at New Moon requires the golfer to carefully plan a short wedge, avoiding the crescent ‘shelf’ at whatever cost. With the pin set immediately in front of the drop, one needs to throttle back, yet get close enough that this very short hole does not ‘get away with murder’, so to speak. After all, how can one accept a longish putt for birdie after such a short tee shot? So, off you go, hitting a wedge close enough, yet withholding the opportunity for the ball to drop over that ledge and become a near stymie. That friends, would be an awful place to find yourself! Then, there is left or right – two options where a pin can be set, offering yet another dimension to the strategy of the tee shot. Perhaps our favourite is that spot directly below – and within – the heart of the crescent. It is here that a hole cut by the grounds crew will be most discussed, cursed and contemplated. This particular hole location demands a trifecta tee shot of distance, aim and breaks to stop a rolloff. The shot must not venture too far, or it will find the bunker at the back, nor can it be allowed to fall short of the ledge, leaving a putt that will have to fall over the edge, either straight over, or at an awkward angle to the hole. We’re very proud of New Moon. While we’re not at all looking for it to be replicated over and over, we do hope that it may stimulate some thinking about how we can add innovation to green designs. Whether its thinking about the ‘z’ axis more – as we did here – or finding new ways to get players to think and solve a puzzle. If we continue to only think about traditional surface contouring – working with the smooth surface of greens – we will be preventing ideas that are outside the box from seeing the light of day. Some may find that comforting, but we should all allow new ideas to surface, especially ones that bring smiles and challenge. The palette of colours we use to paint the game needs expanding. We hope this helps that cause. GCA NEW MOON The eighteen-hole routing for Promontory Club features Richardson’s New Moon hole, the ninth, an 80-yard par three with a 15-foot elevation drop from tee to green
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