Rodeo Dunes

Link: https://youtu.be/AKyUiGfigp4?si=ZMicSmma3VshdU7R

Rodeo Dunes opened to their founding members, and had a press day recently.

I'm noticing a couple unique architectural features from the flyover. There are places where turfed rough acts as a divider/barrier on fairways. Sometimes it's functioning as a big partition between fairway; others it's a scarp slope from a high to lower section of fairway. I'll be curious how it affects longer hitters. Might there be landing areas where a driver gets stuck in some rough, and the prudent play is to club down to ensure a fairway lie for the approach? Spotted on holes 1, 3, 4, 5, 12, and 15.

Another feature is a lack of short grass surrounds on some of the green complexes. There are a good number of greens that are pocketed within dunes, with their surfaces set slightly below the peaks. On some of these, the only short grass is effectively the green itself. Anything else is rough, or native. A missed shot, if it doesn't trundle onto the putting surface, seems like it could get hung up in a downward sloping lie of rough. Examples might be the 2nd (on left and right), 4, 5, 6 (an example of all sides), and 16.

I'm pleasantly surprised that the course appears pretty different visually to Ballyneal, despite their relative proximity. One possible reason why is that there are also a few flourishes of built/geometric elements to some of the green complexes and bunker shaping. It seems like a deliberate choice, because I'm sure Coore and Crenshaw and their associates could've tied every feature more seamlessly into the natural choppiness of the site, but they seem comfortable contrasting against it on 9, backside of 12, 14, 17, and the left hollow beside 18 green.

Many exciting looking holes out there! Still wild for me to imagine there possibly being upwards of six courses on that site eventually.