North

A barranca is a ravine or gully that carries runoff, but on the North it also shapes strategy. It can front a green, run beside a fairway or cut across a route of play. The same natural drainage system therefore asks different questions from one hole to another.²

Thomas’s design offered alternative lines and flexible playing distances. Over time, growing trees restricted corridors, greens became smaller and bunkers lost their irregular shapes. The later restoration sought to recover the relationship between wide playing areas, distinctive hazards and varied hole locations.¹

Gil Hanse’s team drew on historical research by Geoff Shackelford, with Jim Wagner overseeing the 2009 and 2010 site work. Greens, tees and bunkers were reconstructed; tree removal reopened views and lines of play. Restored green edges reconnected putting surfaces with surrounding falls and low ground.¹

The eighth hole shows how closely the course’s strategy follows the barranca. The hazard runs beside the drive, crosses between landing areas and sends a branch toward the green. Negotiating it requires successive decisions, rather than simply clearing one obstacle from the tee.²