Hole 3 – Eden

193 yards

The Eden concept is most famously represented by the 11th at the Old Course at St Andrews—a medium-length par 3 with fierce bunkers protecting the front. The flanking bunkers there are known as Hill (left), Cockleshell (front right approach) and Strath (deep right front), with the original hole framed by the Eden Estuary behind, a feature Raynor and C.B. Macdonald echoed with deep rear bunkers on many of their Eden greens.

Forward tees have been pushed up and the back tees extended, stretching the hole’s range. The foreground Cockleshell bunker and all greenside bunkers, including Hill and Strath, have been restored to their original scale and depth. The mid-line ridge that once ran from the back of the green toward the center has been nudged slightly right to allow for a subtle swale feeding into a notch at the rear of the green—as can be seen in early aerials. The right side of this green sits high above a bunker that wraps the front, right and rear surround. Club selection and precise distance into this green are once again at a premium.