Hole 4: a water hazard

Patrick Hamilton, director of environmental and earth system sciences, shows visitors the spillway on hole 3. Golfers must putt across the turbulent area, or "hydraulic jump," at the base of the spillway. If they don't make it, the ball goes into a channel and is siphoned to the green in about half a minute.

The north slope, behind Hamilton, was designed and planted with dry prairie grasses by Barr Engineering, a vital contributor to the Big Back Yard.