Glen Oaks Club

Posted on February 21, 2024 by moegolf

Glen Oaks is a delightful collection of 27 holes in Old Westbury, New York along the way to Long Island. It is a private club with a relatively small membership that fosters a hamish atmosphere making for a warm welcome to all who visit. Since the volume of play is delimited by the membership size, there are no tee times which makes access very convenient if you are lucky enough to get a member to host you to play.

The original three nines were done in 1972 by Joe Finger. A master plan for renovating the place was begun in 2011 by Joel Weiman to be done over a four year period. In 2012 Hurricane Sandy did extensive damage to the course which forced them to retool the master plan on the fly. With the help of the Greens Super Craig Currier who had previously been involved at Bethpage Black, Joel did the work that you see presented today.

As the pictures indicate the removal of enormous swaths of trees taken down by the storm allowed them to present a marvelous array of holes with requisite width to encourage strategic play and wide visibility of the entirety of the property during play. The greens have plenty of internal slope and segmentation and the bunkers have tall white faces and sharp edges which when set in the hillier terrain give the place a bit of an Augusta feel.

A PGA Tour playoff event was played here in 2017 where Dustin Johnson beat Jordan Spieth in a riveting playoff. No matter which of the nines you get to play I am sure you will find it a delightful experience of tactical golf. Don’t miss two highlights during your visit, the men’s locker room and adjacent card room/man-cave and the amazing brunch they serve every day in the main dining room. Both will knock your socks off.

Hole-By-Hole Analysis (Red/White):

Red Nine

#1 Par 4 402/340 yards

GO Red 1 Par 4

Fairly simple opening hole, this driving area leans right to left toward the fairway bunker. Drive it up the right edge of the rough line and let it drift to center. Green slightly raised is accessible between flanking bunkers short right and middle left.

#2 Par 4 370/350

Similar in length to the first but this one is flatter with no fairway bunkering to consider. Drive to center and the approach is to a green slightly below you. Front left bunker is pretty deep so aiming to the right side on the approach where the right bunker is set back in the middle of the green is sensible.

#3 Par 3 160/150

GO Red 3 Par 3

First of the eye candy holes that express the expansive and clean presentation of the character of these courses. Significantly downhill, requires a one club adjustment into a green flanked by deep sharp edged bunkers. Green tilts back to front and left to right with a significant transition ridge from 9 to 3.

#4 Par 5 550/520

GO Red 4 Par 5 Tee

The confectionary look continues on a spectacular visual five par off a high perched tee into the valley below. The hole turns to the left around a horseshoe fairway bunker that is probably within reach. Best drive is center just off the bunker-don’t bail right off the tee as the rough and tree line on that side will cause problems for your second.

GO Red 4 Par 5 Green

The green is a true fortress-rings of bunkers protect the full surrounds-a few trolls with boiling oil may be prowling the top edge as well. Lay up is left center to about 110 which leaves an intimidating looking approach into a green that is very generous. Lots of slope here back to front so challenge the pin yardage of the day.

#5 Par 4 400/370

For a relatively flat hole this one has great visual impact created by the alcove driving area and the hill framing the back of the green. Drive to left center to leave a mid-iron approach into an accessible green. One greenside bunker on the left and a second framing bunker behind the green on the right, so the error on approach is short and right. Green leans 11 to 5 so from the front right you can be aggressive on a pitch.

#6 Par 4 405/355

One of the truly splendific looking holes of the day. This is a graceful uphill par four with a perched green framed on the horizon by a lone oak tree 40 yards right of the green. Drive right center of a landing area adjacent to the fairway bunker on the right. The hole climbs after that so the approach plays a full club and a half longer into a green with one bunker left and plenty of open grass on the right. They did a great job of letting the topography give this hole it’s character.

#7 Par 4 360/350

A shortish par four that leans left to right around a pair of bunkers that flank the driving area. The temptation is to aim well left off the tee but this can give you a perch side hill lie in the rough into the green that sits above you. Take on the left edge of the bunkers on the right as the fairway widens just beyond and you can have a short club in your hand making the approach much easier. Green sits on a 7 to 1 diagonal with fierce bunkers protecting the right and plenty of short grass surrounds left and behind the green. The green climbs on the same 7 to 1 line so putts and pitches up this line need the requisite intent to reach the hole.

#8 Par 3 130/120

GO Red 8 Par 3

A delightful short pitch Par 3 that is their homage to the Postage Stamp. Pitch is on level to the tee but the narrow green set on a 6:30 to 12:30 angle is tightly surrounded by massive bunkers. This gives you little choice but to hit an articulate lawn dart just below the hole position of the day. There are steps in the green along it’s setting angle and the pins to the right are much harder to get at. Middle of the green to any pin to the right is proper discretion.

#9 Par 5 550/500

GO Red 9 Par 5

This nine finishes with a three-shot five par with plenty of topographical interest. Drive to left center to avoid the fairway bunker on the right and the drop off of the fairway into the rough and trees on that side. The lay-up is down the left into the valley that will give you a view back up the hill toward the foot of the dining room patio where the green resides a bit to the right. Green has lots of sand surrounds but note that the first bunker on the right is set 50 yards way from the bunker creating a friendly miss area if you don’t want to take on the pin of the day. Green is stepped from 7 to 1 with a ridge across the center so getting an approach to the proper level is essential to avoid the three-putt opportunity.

White Nine

#1 Par 4 515/480 yards

The first of the White Nine is a very user friendly dogear left Par 5 that gently climbs from the landing area to a green perched up on top of the rise. From the tee the hole appears to lean to the right so a right-to-left drive just right of the two fairway bunkers on the corner is called for. Depending on what you have left this could be reachable in two, but if not the lay up is to about 100 yards short of the first bunker on the right which is set well back from the putting surface. The kidney shaped green wraps around a deep bunker on the front right and has an open short grass area to the left for a safer approach.

#2 Par 3 205/190

GO White 2 Par 3

The second is feisty longer sister to the downhill Par 3 third on the Red. A stunning view from the perched tee box, it ambles down the same sttep hill as it’s sister playing a full club and a half less then the distance. A quasi-reverse Redan arrangement the green curves around to the right behind a yawning bunker set into the right slope of the hill. The difference from a Redan is that the first part of the green is not banked to match the curve of the green so you do not get the benefit of the ground directing your ball toward the back right pin locations. There is also a pesky ridge that cuts across the center of the green creating two distinct levels. For the front level an approach landing right of the flag will feed to the left. For the back level you have to settle for a shot in the center of the green and then putt up and over the ridge because anything landing on the top level takes a downslope off the back of the green.

#3 Par 4 410/375

GO White 3 Par 4

This next Par 4 has lots of visual interest but lacks strategic continuity for me. From the elevated tee you see a sharp dogleg left working around a bank of trees, but there is this pesky water hazard gathering your attention straight through the right center driving line. For big hitters the penalty area is definitely within reach. If you manage to hit the drive to center between the bunkers on the left corner and the water you now have a slightly ramped up approach to a green sitting below the Halfway House. It is set 7 to 1 behind big face bunker on the right and a pinching bunker behind the green on the right. The bunker on the left is set back so there is a bit of breathing room on that side if you don’t want to take on a pin set behind the right bunker. This is another green with serious lean from back to front.

#4 Par 4 415/380

The next four holes present an interesting run of holes played in distinct corridors of the trees where ball position matters. This is a straight away par four-you drive to left center into a downhill landing area that will feed the ball a little right. The green complex sits below framed by trees and bunkers providing a very appetizing open access approach for a middle iron to hybrid. There is a short grass area back and left of the green if you overcook a draw. This green is deep so pay close attention to your actual shot yardage to reach the day’s pin or you can have a very long first putt over some challenging contour.

#5 Par 4 295/270

GO White 5 Par 4

This one falls into the drivable Par 4 category for some but should provide a good scoring chance for anyone who can hit a couple of articulate shots. For most of us the choice off the tee is not more then 200 yards aimed at the bunker on the left. This leaves a short wedge into a diagonally set narrow green that is squeezed by bunkers on both sides. This hole can only help your scorecard as long as you don’t do anything silly.

#6 Par 3 165/140

GO White 6 Par 3

More eye candy this shortish three par has a slightly downhill approach worth a half a club less to a tiered green setting protected by a pond across two-thirds of the green. The sharp top edge of the stone wall accent of the pond gives it a clean look that also clearly defines for your eye the required carry to pins center and right. There is a back right bunker that further frames the challenge of a pin on the section. Pins on the left allow you to skip one up the throat between the pond and the left greenside bunker and should provide a birdie opportunity.

#7 Par 5 520/470

This is a very technical four and a half Par 5 that takes real discipline if you want to take advantage. From a slightly perched tee drive it to center using the slope from the left tree line to help you. If the green is out of reach, as it is for most mortals, there is a receptive lay up area beyond the right fairway bunker at about 160. This shot will feed down to the right and gives a you a good look at the coffee table green set back to the left. The green is very deep and sharply inclined from back to front with a bunker front left and another two-thirds of the way back on the right so you need to take careful measure on your approach to give yourself a reasonable putting chance.

#8 Par 4 360/320

GO White 8 Par 4

One of the most unusual challenges you will get all day this is a short drive and pitch Par 4 that turns around a fierce constellation of five bunkers set into the topographical rise on the left. It is likely there was once a grove of trees in this spot that were lost to the hurricane that delineated and separated this hole from an adjacent hole on the Blue Nine so they needed to find a hazard penal enough to replicate the interference of the trees. Tee ball needs to be well right of the fairway hazard which will leave a short iron pitch up a very steep grade to a generous green surface you cannot see perched behind a very deep bunker on the right. On the approach long is the miss since a 50 foot putt is much better then the 3-story pitch you would have to play out of the front bunker.

#9 Par 4 400/370

This nine finishes with a very strong roller coaster Par 4. Drive strong to left center and you should be looking at a steep uphill shot into a green complex sitting at the foot of the clubhouse with full bunkering on either side. You are going to have to carry this approach all the way to the putting surface or the front bunker is going to get some action. Another deep green with very significant slope back to front makes you want to hit an approach with release to work up the hill.

Old Westbury, New York

Architect: Joe Finger (1972), Joel Weiman (2014)

(Red/White) Par Rating Slope Yardage

Blue 72 72.4 132 6610

White 72 69.1 129 6050

White 70 67.4 128 5609

Red 70 65.2 120 5142

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Mountain Lake

Posted on January 7, 2024 by moegolf

Of all the Golden Age architects Seth Raynor, a man who never took up the game of golf himself, seems an unlikely candidate as one of the game’s most prolific and impactful designers. Trained as a land surveyor and civil engineer Raynor was lucky enough to be employed by the small town of Southampton on Long Island when C.B. Macdonald was considering the plot of land next to Shinnecock Hills for his visionary development of The National Golf Links in 1907. Raynor surveyed the rugged and untamed piece property on horseback with C.B. and together they conceived and produced one of the seminal American golf courses in history.

Macdonald’s concept was to incorporate the characteristics of the most famous holes from the British Isles as template holes for new courses in the United States. Hole names like Redan, Alps, Biarritz, Short, Eden, Road, Double Plateau, Leven, and Cape became part of the American golf lexicon overnight and signature elements of Macdonald/Raynor designs.

Raynor’s gift was his ability to recognize how to seamlessly fit the design features of Macdonald’s template holes into the existing topography of the land in front of him. As a pair they went on to employ Macdonald’s unique approach to golf course design to build Piping Rock, Greenbrier Old White, Sleepy Hollow, Mid-Ocean, and The Lido and establish Raynor’s reputation as a first rate surveyor, engineer, and construction manager.

By 1915 Macdonald decided he had enough of course design and channeled all the new work over to Raynor. Over a ten-year period, starting in 1915 to his untimely death in 1925, Raynor produced over 30 first-rate golf courses under his own name and was one of the most sought after course designers of his era.

One of those opportunities arose because of a relationship Raynor had with Fredrick Law Olmsted Jr., the son of the world famous landscape designer who created Central Park in New York and the Boston Commons, who had been tapped by a wealthy Baltimore lawyer named Frederick Ruth to develop a private gated community in Florida. The Ruth family had 3,000 acres of ground in Lake Wales, Florida and wanted to develop a winter get-a-way for him and his friends. Olmstead was familiar with Raynor’s work at the Country Club of Fairfield and it resulted in Raynor being hired to develop his first golf course in Florida.

The forested backdrop on The Alps #3 accents the width off the tee and bunkering offset to allow a ground approach into a raised green with consequential movement.

Raynor had in front of him at Mountain Lake a heavily forested piece of subtly rolling terrain and very deep pockets in the owner to allow him to choreograph a routing of template and original holes to suit his fancy. What he delivered was a vintage Raynor track with tons of short grass off the tee, signature geometric shaped greens and bunkers, and green complexes with template characteristics to maximize the strategic thinking required to be successful.

Two things to keep in mind when you look at Raynor’s work here and elsewhere. First, this was still the age of hickory shafted clubs and the Haskell ball which meant even the best players could not carry and spin the ball effectively from the middle of the fairway so the architect had to provide ground routes into most holes to give the players any chance at getting to the pins. Gene Sarazen did not invent the sand iron until twenty years later, so all those pesky bunkers were real hazards and avoiding them on approach was a premium.

Second, the notion of Macdonald and Raynor using template holes from course to course was in no way a redundant exercise. They were not creating carbon copies of the great holes of the British Isles but rather were blending the strategic characteristics of these template holes into the existing topography they had in front of them. No two Redan or Road holes on different courses were very much alike at all so, even though the hole monikers were the same, the challenges presented were new and unique.

Mountain Lake has had two recent restoration/renovations under the watchful eyes of Brian Silva and Gil Hanse. I think both men were careful to adhere to the original intent of Seth Raynor’s design. This descriptive is off the Blue Tees at 6,156 yards.

Take heed on your way to the first tee that your hosts expect you to enjoy this experience and respect it accordingly.

The inventory of template holes at Mountain Lake described below exemplify this and a discriminating eye will find a delightful collection of golf challenges which require thoughtful consideration of position off the tee into the pin positions of the day on these complex green canvases.

Approach into #1, Double Plateau, is wide open but be wary of ground movement once the ball touches down.

The opening hole is typical of what Raynor shows you all day-lots of width off the tee, open access to the Double Plateau green complex, but mind where the flag is so you can work you approach up from the correct angle into that section of the green. What I noticed throughout the course is that the ball transitioning from one level to the next will often have significant side movement as well so often you have to aim here to get the ball there.

The 5th Biarritz Par 3 green is full short grass in both sectors of the green protected by rectangular shaped sleeper bunkers flanking both sides.

Biarritz holes are generally long par threes with a sizeable downhill transition from tee to green so you can see the two sections of the green on either side of the Biarritz divide. The 5^th at Mountain Lake has a little twist. At 184 yards you are hitting a long club as you would expect but it is into a green on level to the tee which makes the depth perception of the back section of the green hard to reconcile. For a back pin it still requires a running shot into the back section through the divide, visualizing the shot is quite a challenge.

This version of the Road Hole can have you scratching your head. It is 125 yards shorter than the 17th at The Old Course but is by no means a pushover.

The Road Hole at St. Andrews is the penultimate long and narrow par 4 in the round which requires a pressure blind tee shot over the old railroad sheds adjacent to the OB of the Old Course Hotel. One then has to negotiate a 200 yard fairway club into a long narrow green pinched by the macadam road on the right and the nefarious Road Hole pot bunker on the left.

Raynor’s version here comes much earlier in the round at #6 but is still a blind drive over a yawning cross bunker instead of the sheds with OB harrowing the right. What is left is a short iron pitch into a long and narrow green similar to the original with a cordoning bunker flanking the right to replicate the road and a severe bunker short left which has double bogey written all over it. Strategy is the same as the original but the parameters are much different.

The island tee box on the Lagoon 8th can make you a little woozy as you contemplate the forced carry across the water into the landing area.

What is not often acknowledged is that Macdonald and Raynor created an original template hole at The National that did not exist in Britain which appears over and over through their collective creations. The Cape Hole, 14^th at The National, is a longish par four with a drive over water into a fairway landing area that turns to the right around bunkering and marsh. A bold second is required into a peninsula green tucked in a corner with trouble on three sides that strikes fear in the hearts of players contemplating an aggressive approach line to the flag. This peninsula green arrangement was an original and gives the Cape Hole it’s moniker.

The 8th is a three-shot five par that replicates a Cape Hole green setting with a lagoon playing up the right and a severe walled bunker diagonally set to the approach line of play.

The Par 5 8^th at Mountain Lake begins with a narrow catwalk out to a tee pad in the middle of a lagoon ensconced by trees with hanging moss. A sense of isolation on this tee box can inject a bit of wobble into your confidence as you drive over the water’s edge into a wide fairway landing area on the hill. With the presence of the lagoon up the right, the Cape green is wedged to the right between a cordoning bunker on the left and a Jai Alai walled bunker on the right that makes a bail out line to the pitched fairway left an obvious choice. Truth is a layup to the right side of the fairway well short of the bunker gives a level stance pitch across the trouble into a receptive green that leans towards you. The genius of template Cape Hole is that the considered measure of risk and reward is present on all shots.

Traditionally the Short is a forced carry short three par with steep fall offs to trouble on all sides.

The outward nine finishes with a classic version of the Short hole, only a 113-yard pitch across a hazard into a raised, almost moated, green complex that falls off to trouble on all sides. The false front will reject balls hit without requisite resolve so the middle of the green is a good intention for all pins. It is not obvious from the tee but there is a bail out area left of the green over the front left bunker that would leave an on-level pitch back at the flag. Somehow bailing out on a short hole like this seems the ultimate rationale of cowardice.

Marion’s Halfway House offers congenial attitude and tasty treats at just the right time of your day.

When you walk off the 10^th green don’t fail to take a moment to visit the halfway house next to the 11^th tee. Fresh sandwiches, a stellar hot dog, deep fried chips, and some very special cookies are just the boost you need before facing the rest of the day.

The Redan 11th does not appear like your typical Redan hole but it sure plays like it.

When you step on the tee of the slightly downhill 160 yard Par 3 11^th you may be scratching your head wondering how this can be a Redan hole. The flat bunker short right of the green seems out of place, the green looks far too circular to resemble any Redan you have played before, but the dramatic tilt of the green offers a clue. From the high edge back right the green surface is almost a saucer shape that feeds dramatically to the far left side behind the yawning bunker. Prepare to be amazed at how dramatically your ball magnetically moves in that direction once it lands on the green. Pins on the right are impossible to get near and anything center to left has to start at the back right corner and let the ground do it’s thing. Raynor has succeeded once again to capture the theme of a Redan without replicating the original in any obvious form.

From the tee the Punch Bowl 15th looks innocuous enough.

A look from the teeing round over the 15^th hole does not reveal the drama of the Punch Bowl green that defines this quasi-drivable Par 4. Your drive will traverse the penalty area jutting from the right and try to skirt the high lipped bunker on the left that is actually well short of the green.

From the edge of the landing area you can see the drama of the punch bowl that surrounds a flag half obscured by the edge of the short grass approach.

Because of the punch bowl shape it is hard to miss the green on approach since everything feeds to the center of the bowl. But getting even a spinning pitch landing short of the flag to stay close is a tall task and you will often see balls roll past the flag leaving a slick downhill 10-footer. It may make sense to consider a lower pitch with no spin into the back slope behind the flag and let gravity feed it back more gently to the flag position.

What would a Raynor Course be without an Eden Par 3?

Eden is the last template hole of the day as it replicates the feel of the 11^th at St. Andrews. Eden holes will share some or all of four characteristics of the original, the Hill bunker on the left front of the green, the Strath’s bunker on the front, a shelled bunker short of the green, and the Eden River behind the raised diagonal green that pitches steeply from back right to front left.

The 17^th at Mountain Lake is an on level 163 carry into a diagonal green arrangement leaning toward the front left behind a deep pot bunker front right. The bunker in front of that is mostly visual intimidation. There is bail room to the left since there is no bunker on that side and this green is not raised dramatically like the original. Water meandering well behind the green gives this hole a halo feeling of the Eden River from St. Andrews.

What a finishing look!

The finishing hole is a very dramatic dogleg left 389-yard Par 4 that works its way up a steep incline to a blind putting surface set below the foot of the clubhouse. The green on this hole has some of the most dramatic contour you will see all day so full attention is required for a happy ending to your experience of Seth Raynor’s creative design at Mountain Lake.

Lake Wales, Florida

Architect: Seth Raynor (1916), Brian Silva (2002) Gil Hanse (2020)

Par Rating Slope Yardage

Black 70 72.7 135 6685

Blue 70 69.9 132 6156

White 70 67.4 128 5609

Red 70 65.2 120 5142

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(Click to see the Mountain Lake Scorecard)

U.S. Naval Academy Golf Club

Posted on October 22, 2023 by moegolf

The symbiotic relationship of golf and the military is well documented and is evidenced by the fact that there are golf courses at almost every major military facility in the country. Best part is the courses are there to serve the individuals and families of those in uniform no matter their rank. The low key and humble presentation of this classic and challenging old school golf course makes for a memorable golf experience for everyone who steps on the first tee.

The Par 4 14th is typical of the day’s challenge-somewhat blind off the tee with a significant elevation adjustment required on approach.

The U.S. Naval Academy Golf Club dates back to the 1940’s and was created late in the distinguished career of the Golden Age architect William Flynn on a flowing piece of terrain close to the Naval Academy in Annapolis. The original course, having had a couple of holes added in the mid-50’s, remained as it was until Andrew Green did a thorough cosmetic renovation in 2021. He pruned back trees to open up the playing areas, relocated and rebuilt bunkering throughout to add some punitive expense to your misses, rebuilt the tees to modern standard, and reconfigured the greens to recapture lost angles and pin placements. But on balance he respectfully maintained the strategic playability of the original Flynn design.

The course is very typical of what was built in the Mid-Atlantic region in the 1940’s and 50’s. The macho formula of the day was find a high spot for the teeing ground, a low valley to receive the tee shot, and a higher spot to bench the green complex and complicate the approach. The course plays very uphill into the greens which makes a 6200 yard course play over 6500 even without any wind effect.

The 170 yard Par 3 7th has two forced carries-one over the water and one over the false front. Picking the right wrench is crucial on these short holes.

Besides all the uphill approach shots the most obvious characteristic is the complexity of the green areas. Flynn loved table top green settings and this one has more high tops then a singles bar. As a result meek approach shots are often repelled and you can wear out your 60 degree wedge on recovery shots. One thing you will find that is not original design are the moated short grass surrounds on a number of the holes with long approach shots. Green left a user friendly, close-to-the-ground option for recovery if you are a bit too aggressive into these greens.

Andrew Green expanded the putting surfaces to reclaim their original size and shape that typically wither over time. He left severe internal slopes and undulations creating segmentation to greens already steep back-to-front. This puts a premium on approach shots getting to the proper section given the pin of the day to avoid defensive putting.

Par 4 1st hole requires carry off the tee and a hoisted extra carry up the hill into the blind green.

The first hole is a template for what you will have to cope with through the day. Drive off a perched tee across the edge of a water element cordoning the right side of the fairway to an expansive landing area beyond. Now you are looking straight up a massive slope requiring a club and a half more then the distance to a blind putting surface perched behind a false front and deep bunkers. Green created a low collection area in the front left of the green behind the bunker that is a magnet for any ball aimed at a back pin without sufficient resolve. The new greens have plenty of pace in them so navigating undulations like you see on the first requires the right balance of confidence and resolve to play a game close to your index.

Memorable courses present a variety of challenges that keep the player off balance. The short, on level second, at just over 300 yards, tempts you to take a direct line to the flag but there is a sentinel oak tree in the right rough about 50 yards short of the putting surface that should dissuade you from such heroics. Lesser club played on a line well left of center gives leaves a manageable short pitch into your first coffee table of the day. From the rough or over a 60 foot oak your chances of holding this piece of furniture are slim and none.

#3 the first Par 5 seems simple from the tee but controlling the side roll on the first two shots is essential to having a birdie opportunity.

The first par five of the day is a stunning view from the tee and once again you get the formula of high tee to low landing area to high green setting, but this time the added complication of a fairway that cants sharply left-to-right on the first two shots is thrown into the mix. This last 50 yards of approach and the green are set on a plateau so there is none of that false front, sharp shoulder roll off, but the surface itself has plenty of turbulence so two-putts are not guaranteed.

One of the few truly downhill holes, the short Par 4 6th gives you an idea of how Andrew Green used variegated spacing of the bunkering to force strategic decisions off the tee.

The rest of the outward nine is open, hilly, and full of optics and challenge with your best scoring opportunities from four through seven. Eight and nine are brutally difficult long four pars so you need spending pars in the bank before you get there.

The 425 yard 8th is just plain hard but the green tucked behind the trees makes position on the left off the tee essential.

Eight may be the hardest hole of the day requiring a long carry tee shot not dissimilar to the adjacent first hole, but the approach this time is on level to a high top green arrangement tucked to the right behind a stand of trees and protected by some of the most viscous bunkers you will see all day. Take the “Pit of Death” moniker of the front right bunker seriously.

Once you traverse the long ninth make sure to stop in to the bar/restaurant under the blue awning at the base of the Naval Academy Primary School, their elementary school, on the way to the tenth tee. The cup of chicken salad, tuna sandwich, or dog at the turn you can get are delectable, cheap, and necessary, as the cloistered corridors of the inward nine take on an entirely different tone then what you have experienced so far.

Now amongst the trees on the back nine precision driving on the 10th becomes important to having an unobstructed look at the green complex.

The first three holes on the back nine are probably the most interesting variety you will face all day. As you turn the corner to the 10^th tee the same hilly terrain you saw on the front nine is now encapsulated in tree lined corridors of play. The drive on the tenth has to be hit far enough right to avoid the severe camber of the fairway that can abruptly drag a timid effort back towards you into the rough forty yards to the left leaving no visual of the green. From the middle of the fairway the approach is a half a club more to a half blind green setting on top of a hill.

The short 11^th switches gears suddenly with a twisting dogear left that is defined by OB right and trees left. I like the long club off the tee here that you are confident will not wander to leave the shortest approach into another blind green complex way up the hill. The bunker you can make out on the left is a good 50 yards short of the putting surface so adjust your club selection accordingly.

At 225 yards the 12th is not your grand dad’s typical Redan three-par…you don’t see one like this in a typical Seth Raynor collection.

What comes next is Andrew Green’s new hole, the most visual offering of the day. Best described as a driver/fairway wood reverse Redan par three with serious elevation parameters….now there is a mouthful. Matching left-to-right ball flight to the angle of the green setting is obvious, negotiating the downhill adjustment and the roll out of a driving club is a different kettle of fish. My conclusion is, that if in doubt, take the longer club and hit it through the green since the pitch back is a routine uphill bump and run to all pin settings.

As was true on the front side, the best scoring opportunities are in the middle holes of the back nine so control your tee ball on the next two and be aggressive on approach if you have a stock club in hand.

A solemn tribute to those who gave their lives in our effort to expand man’s knowledge through space exploration.

Walking from the 14^th green to the 15th tee take a moment to engage with the tribute memorial, a reminder of the bravery of seven space explorers who lost their lives in 2003 in the Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster when the orbiter disintegrated upon reentry over Texas and Louisiana just 16 minutes from their intended touchdown. The stars in the pavers around this monument commemorate the lives of Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Laurel Clark, and llan Ramon who were lost in this tragedy. Solidarity with the brave always has a place in a military facility.

Interesting anecdote about the monument shared by a club member. William McCool, the pilot of the Columbia, was a Navy pilot who, when he attended the Naval Academy was the captain of their cross country team. The placement of this memorial was 16 minutes from the course finish line!

The Par 4 15th just tumbles below your feet from the elevated tee box. Position of this tee will determine whether to take on the carry over a wall of bunkers in front or lay-up right for an up-and-down effort.

The finishing holes will test your discipline as they are all about controlled shot making to avoid blowing up your scorecard. 16 is a short par four with a blind landing area off the tee leaving a dicey approach into another bar stool green sloped back-to-front with nothing but trouble around it.

Another uphill approach into this severely sloped green on the short 16th.

The signature hole in this run is the pitch n putt 17^th, a steeply downhill Par 3 which simulates landing a short iron on the hood of a VW Beetle. The view from the tee is disarming in that this is literally a lawn dart hole, there are no good misses here. If you miss the green playing for four is just smart.

17th green does not present much safe harbor so figure the downhill and the wind and commit to the middle of the putting surface.

The 18^th is the modest twin sister of the 9th just across the entrance drive, but you must drive the ball in play to have any hope of hitting this green and walking off the hole with a gratifying par. If you are out of position off the tee lay up in front of the putting surface for a little elevation pitch to today’s pin.

As I said at the beginning, there is nothing flamboyant or tricky about the presentation of this old school course. Having to hit a club or more extra into many of these Par 4’s will tax your patience and strategic discipline. I am pretty sure that walking off the 18^th green the first thought you will have is that you need another crack at this one. That is the sure sign of a course worth going out of your way to play.

Annapolis, Maryland

Architect: William Flynn (1944) and Andrew Green (2021)

Par Rating Slope Yardage

Blue 70 71.2 126 6610

White 70 69.6 121 6200

Red 72 69.0 120 4935

(Click to review the printable Naval Academy Course hole-by-hole descriptions)

Pasatiempo Golf Club

Posted on July 10, 2023 by moegolf

It is impossible to separate the character of this course from the reputations of entrepreneur Marion Hollins and renowned architect Alister MacKenzie, two seminal characters in the introduction and development of west coast Golden Age golf courses of the 1920’s. The two joined hands at Cypress Point setting a standard for what this area of the country could produce and their relationship was solidified with the development of what would become MacKenzie’s home course-Pasatiempo.

Dedicating the loos is an odd way of honoring the memory of these two larger then life characters who made this place possible

Marion was also responsible for introducing him to Bobby Jones, who would eventually tap Mackenzie to build his most famous creation of all in Augusta, Georgia. But seeing that MacKenzie lived here and tweaked the course right up until his passing one has to look at Pasatiempo as his swan song to the use of perception and deception in making so many great courses over his career.

Plenty of history grace the walls and showcases through the clubhouse

Many of the great California courses like Riviera, Bel Aire, LACC, Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, and the Cal Club used the unique rolling terrain, prevalent arid conditions, and sandy soil to present a strategic version of golf where the movement of the ball initiated by the ground would determine success or failure in their play. We rarely hear the use of the term barranca in relation to golf architecture outside of this region, but in many ways these deep recessions created by nature of scrub, rock, and sand-often just dry bed streams, are the unique challenge that make California golf what it is.

For over 75 years they have held the Western Intercollegiate and you can see individual champions include Ken Venturi, Johnny Miller, Mark O’Meara, and Scotty Scheffler among others.

MacKenzie combined the use of barrancas with bold fairway undulations, slopy segmentation on the putting surfaces, and wildly diverse flash bunkering to make Pasatiempo the ultimate strategic test of golf. Power and length alone are no match for careful strategic planning and shot articulation when going around this place. Set against the stunning backdrops of the California coastal topography, the back nine presents the most varied array of holes that wed these parameters to challenge players of all caliber to be on their best game.

You can see the segmentation in this 2nd green makes you work the approach on the ground to get into the right section for the day’s pin position

Looking down the first two holes you get the sense that position off the tee relative to the segmentation of the green propagating varied pin positions is going to matter all day. When you see how MacKenzie works the slopes within the segmentation of the putting surface it becomes clear that it is not only approach angle that matters but use of the putting surface itself to move the ball into the most advantageous place to putt from. Three putts are in your day, delimiting them is important to keeping the bogie monster at bay.

#3 is a Par 3 where your hybrid or long iron must carry the narrow entrance and a false front into a sloped green benched into the side hill

Two par threes in the next three holes that are the 2^nd and 6th handicap holes tells you something about how challenging this day is going to be. The 3^rd is a long uphill shot into a precipice green complex saddled by deep bunkers on both sides. Standing on the tee there is a enigmatic cross bunker that is 75 yards short of the green that will have you scratching your head as to why it is there. One needs to remember this hole was created in 1929 when hickory clubs were still around and elevating a Cleek on a long par three was not given.

The array of bunkers off the tee and surrounding the green on #4 are emblematic of the MacKenzie style

The 5th is an even longer one-shotter then the 3^rd and once again the uphill shot to the green will demand a solid club and a half more to cover the false front and bypass the massive bunker that dominates the left side approach to the green. The green is a four leaf clover so there are many corners when they can hide the pin.

Drive off the 7th has to split the uprights to negotiate this narrow landing corridor.

The 7^th and 8^th are two really old school holes you just would not see built today which makes them a treat. The 7^th is an appetizing uphill corridor short four which calls for a well positioned tee shot on the left side of the fairway to have a look up a narrow putting surface set on a 7 to 1 angle to the approach area. The green is segmented with countering slopes so it takes a really articulate short club to leave a birdie putt.

What a look down the hill at the 8th green wedged between steep slide slopes and bunkers to boot. The Par 5 9th is climbing the hill in the distance to the back of the clubhouse deck

As you step on the tee of the Par 3 8^th your jaw will drop as you try to take in the parameters of the 45-yard long wildly contoured putting surface that sits at the bottom of the hill in front of you. If the wind is blowing all bets are off picking the right wrench. There is a line drawing of this green above the urinal in the MacKenzie men’s room in the clubhouse that depicts all the slopes and counter slopes he designed into this one. You might wish they handed them out on the tee for reference. Once your shot alights on the green it will work up the slope and feed toward the back left. This makes any front pin or back right pin extremely difficult to negotiate.

As you approach the ninth tee make sure to order a sandwich from the call box for the back nine……the barrancas are coming and you will need the protein shot in short order to cope.

Undoubtedly you have played courses where the front nine and the back nine look like brothers from a different mother, like Tralee where you go from banal flat seaside links to the vertical turbulent land of trolls once you step on the 11^th tee. The stark transition here is similar but the distinguishing characteristic is not the topography itself but instead the use of nature’s singular feature, the barrancas which were intended to capture and move surface water during heavy rains but in their dryer form provide inherent surface movement and magnetic attraction to a ball struck with insufficient intent. What makes MacKenzie’s work so unique is that he fashioned countless iterations of this design element to influence your perception of strategic choices in subtle and not so subtle ways.

Looking at the required carry off the 10th tee you realize this barranca thing is about to become real and it is going to be unrelenting

Stepping on to the 10^th tee the gaping rocky gorge at your feet is actually the simplest of the three interactions you will have with the barrancas on this hole alone. Once you drive it to the top the hill you feel the pull of the barranca well off the fairway to the left but then MacKenzie ingeniously integrates it into a cleaved array of bunkers and grass you must deal with the last sixty yards to the green.

The back end of the 10th the barranca takes on a tamer appearance but the magnetic attraction to roll out is undeniable

The most in your face barranca experience of the day is on the bifurcated fairway arrangement on the shortish par 4 11^th. The rocky gorge haunts the left of the driving area forcing you to lay up at the end of the driving area just off the entrance to the steel bridge that traverses the chasm. The hole is now truncated to the left leaving the barranca on the right as you try to carry your approach up a significant incline to a green complex set into the back part of the abyss. Another narrow, stepped green awaits a long iron or hybrid approach earning this the 3^rd handicap designation of the day.

This is the harrowing look of the second shot approach to #11 that has to traverse the gaping gorge and find a safe landing spot of a steeply banked green precariously perched above the abyss

The switchback downhill par 4 that follows has the wooded barranca haunting a bad hook off the tee. From the center of the fairway the approach is into a triangular green wedged between bunkers and a fronting dry grassed shallow version of the barranca that will gather a ball with insufficient carry. You have already experienced six different iterations of the barranca effect in just three holes.

The Par 5 13th is probably the tamest hole on the inward half but once again MacKenzie emphasizes the contour of the barranca by lining it with sand as the pathway to a counter sloping green surface

White knuckle time over the next three holes begins on the par 4 14^th as MacKenzie ups the barranca effect another notch by presenting it as fairway the left half of driving area. It is playable from down there but there is a good chance the depression is so deep you will not be able to see the flagstick from your approach position. A drive in the right half of the fairway at about 140 yards out puts you on a flat stance but the diagonal setting of this long and narrow green means you have to carry the fronting bunkers to get to the flag.

A close look at the Par 3 15th shows a footprint very similar to the 12th at Augusta…just a barranca to traverse rather then a piece of Ray’s Creek

The short pitch 15^th is a dry bed version of the 12^th at Augusta. The shallow green sits on the diagonal requiring a delicate forced carry with a series of deep bunkers and grass emanating out of the barranca. The entire back side of the green is cordoned by a bunker that will contain a long shot but the recovery shot from there is tricky as the green slopes away. Three here gains a shot on the field.

From over 150 yards out this approach into 16 is the most harrowing task of the day. Three steep tiers in this anvil shaped green with bunkers you will need a tow line to get in and out of

MacKenzie was particularly pleased with the challenge he presents on the #1 handicap hole in the next one. You drive from a low tee up a steep hill with a large mound dominating the right side of the landing area. The barranca flanks the driving area on the left so anything with too much draw can end up in the hazard. The conundrum is that the best drive is at the left edge of the large mound which feeds the ball left to a flat area with a good look up the green. This is the craziest green out of a collection of truly crazy greens in that it is a full 50 yards long with three distinct tiers, the first of which is impossible to keep your ball on. A humongous bunker will that covers the entire right side of the green will collect any approach with a hint of wandering fade and an up and down from there is highly unlikely. Good news is the green fans out in the second and third tier which gives a bit of wiggle room for an approach on the long side.

A look back up from the green on the final hole emphasizes the extreme elevation drop your ball will have to negotiate

One of the most memorable things about Pasatiempo is that it ends on a par 3 that is fully engaged with the deep gorge you had to traverse off the tee on #10. It is no more than a short to middle iron across but the green is a three clove shape that straddles the abyss and each section has drastic ground movement that makes keeping the ball in the desired section a task. Getting it on the green is half the battle…putting out in 3 putts or less is equally challenging.

The segmentation of the green itself makes it like three greens. There is so much back-to-front lean to the front barranca that matching speed and break is a three-putt possibility waiting to happen

A bit of an author’s disclaimer, this course is every bit as wonderful as I have described but it is in dire need of a total facelift. Tom Doak and Jim Urbina did a restoration of the course in 2007 and brought back a number of the MacKenzie parameters that had been dulled over the years. Urbina will be back starting in the Spring of 2023 to redo all the greens, bunkers, and fairways in an effort to bring this course’s condition and related golf amenities in line with it’s historical expectation.

One last thought is that the Pasatiempo logo may be the coolest golf logo ever…..it looks fabulous on everything. Make sure to give the golf shop a visit and find something cool to take home to savor your Pasa memories.

Santa Cruz, California

Architect: Alister MacKenzie (1929) and Tom Doak/Jim Urbina (2007/2023)

Par Rating Slope Yardage

Gold 70 72.5 141 6495

White 70 70.8 134 6093

White/Green 72 69.5 133 5780

Green 72 68.5 132 5595

Hollins 72 67.0 118 4438

(Click here to review the printable Pasatiempo Golf Club hole-by-hole descriptions)

California Golf Club

Posted on October 25, 2022 by moegolf

The Golden Age of Golf Architecture left it’s imprint in San Francisco in the 1920’s and one of it’s finest contributions was the California Golf Club. The Cal Club is located at the southern end of the city in the hilly topography at the foot of San Bruno Mountain State Park. From the many high vistas throughout the property you can see the splendor of the city set against the mountain backdrop.

The approach view of the first green juxtaposes the green complex to the near in city and the mountain backdrop behind

As we see on many of these layouts in California the early architects used the movement of the ground coupled with clever routing and imaginative green complexes to present challenging and entertaining golf with virtually no water hazards or forced carries.

Locke routed the wide open Par 4 14th to follow the flow of the land…Macon created the landing areas and the green complex….MacKenzie added elaborate bunkering throughout to define the strategic alternative off the tee and into the green.

The original design was actually the compilation of the work of three distinct architects over a three-year period. Scot Willie Locke, who later designed Lake Merced, was the first to the plate in 1924 and is responsible for the design of the overall routing. Before the construction began they replaced him with an Irishman, A. Vernon Macon, who built the tees, green complexes, and original bunkering.

The 6th is an example of a bold Macon’s green complex design.. With fall offs front, left, and back it is hard to keep a mid-iron approach on the putting surface. Deep face bunkering can punish a timid approach shot.

Macon designed the green complexes with bold contours that caught the attention of the golfing community when it opened in 1926. The fairway bunkering was left for later on purpose, so the architect could analyze from actual play the best positioning based on the divot patterns left by players.

In 1927 the task for creating the fairway bunkering was given out to a third architect, a young Alister MacKenzie, who had recently finished the 9 hole track at the Meadow Club north of San Francisco. MacKenzie redid the 10^th and 18^th green, all the greenside bunkers, as well as adding the fairway bunkers. His flair for the dramatic took this track to a whole new level in the minds of the golfing public.

This 5th hole would feel right at home at Pine Valley. At 300ish yards a big bopper is tempted to go for the green but the green side bunkers are punishing and can turn a birdie opportunity into a bogie in a heartbeat.

By 1960 the course was in dire need of a attention due to the state’s rerouting of a road adjacent to the property. The club hired the biggest gun of the times, Robert Trent Jones Sr. to do the update. As was his habit when approaching renovation of U.S. Open Course of the era, Jones could not resist putting his entire footprint on the course. He re-routed holes, changed things dramatically and pretty much redefined the character of the Cal Club.

In 2005 the course was suffering from major maintenance issues due to turf disease and inappropriate grasses so they solicited proposals for a complete shutdown and renovation of the course. Kyle Phillips submitted a bold proposal to undo the previous rerouting by relocating the practice area and creating new holes on the front nine and was chosen to do the job. The results supported that choice.

One of the base principles of Phillip’s renovation was to add about 6 inches of sand across the entire layout-this improved the drainage and facilitated the introduction of fescue to replace the rye and poa anna in the fairways and eradicate the poa from the greens. Kyle undid the mess Trent Jones had done to the front nine by introducing three new holes and, at the same time, went back to aerial images of the course to reclaim many of the parameters and features MacKenzie had put in the original work.

This downhill dogleg 3rd was one of Kyle Phillip’s old style new holes that seamlessly fits into the character of this age old design. This original bunkering mimics the detail of MacKenzie’s work.

He made sure that width was king, the rough was not significant reducing the search for balls, and let the strategic MacKenzie bunker positioning steal the show. What emerged was turf that would support hard and fast playing conditions to force the players to respect the topography as a strategic element of play. The presentation of fairway width, no rough to speak of, complimented by generous bunkering in the green complexes puts the premium of positioning on every hole.

On the downhill Par 3 8th begs for a bit of a soft draw…they added a barely visible kicker mound front right that will propel an approach onto the center of the green following the right-to-left movement of the ground

In reading the Hole-By-Hole Analysis below you will see that Phillips gave them a seamless combination of the outward and inward nines that once again emphasized the design thinking of the Golden Age.

Looking down from the top of the hill at MacKenzie’s 18th green surrounded by sprawling bunkers wedged into the hill under the clubhouse is testimony to their choice of Kyle Phillips to bring this amazing track back to full grandeur.

San Francisco, California

Architect: Willie Lock, A. Vernon Macon, Alister MacKenzie (1927)

Kyle Phillips Restoration (2007)

Par Rating Slope Yardage

Venturi 72 74.6 139 7215

Back 72 72.7 135 6794

Middle 72 70.5 130 6293

Forward 72 66.5 122 5401

(Click here to review the printable California Golf Club hole-by-hole descriptions)

Whistling Straits Course-Flyover

Posted on September 22, 2021 by moegolf

With Whistling Straits playing host to the Ryder Cup this week, Andy Johnson of The Fried Egg has dispatched his drone to put together a timely video exposition of the course and paired it with his thoughtful and knowledgeable analysis of how the Pete and Alice Dye’s architecture will provide strategic challenges in this match play competition.

There are two things that are startling about The Straits. First it is essentially a links style course in the middle of America and second, everything you see that makes this a links style course, except for the ocean sized Lake Michigan over your shoulder, was manufactured by man (and woman).

Besides the engineering feat of importing and placing a bazillion truckloads of dirt from Indiana to sculpt the land, they had to conceive of a routing to expose as many of the holes as possible to the lake winds to create the real look and feel of links golf in Wisconsin.

As Andy points out, it is a figure eight routing with the front nine going south along the lake shore and then looping back upon itself to catch more shoreline on the way back in. The back side does the same thing going north along the shoreline and looping back for more shore on the way back to the clubhouse. This puts 8 of the 18 holes with direct interface to the lake and another six within eye view. The influence of the wind off the lake can be profound and since the holes go in both directions on both sides you rarely get but a couple of holes in a row with the same wind effect.

Seventh Hole Par 3 green presents pure intimidation-especially the right pin

The par threes on this course are all stunners-forced carries over huge waste areas to precipice greens with the backdrop of the lake behind. This lack of topological backdrop can make frame of reference of the shots hard to discern. The wind influence on the three pars is at it’s max because they are the most exposed holes on the course.

The harsh reality of Number 17 will challenge the world’s best players

Andy goes through the full Dye collection and from his analysis you will have a much better appreciation of how these pros will negotiate their way around this unique layout under the intense competitive heat that only a Ryder Cup can provide.

Set aside ten minutes to watch this on a PC screen so you can truly appreciate the artistry of this video and it’s subject as well.

The Fried Egg Podcasts (2021)

(Click to see Andy Johnson’s video analysis of Whistling Straits)

We-Ko-Pa Golf Club-Saguaro Course

Posted on January 15, 2020 by moegolf

In my experience when you venture out to play a Coore-Crenshaw course you are not likely to be bowled over by the dramatics of the design, rather you are going to be nudged and tugged by the subtlety of the presentation. Guys like this from what is now coined the “Minimalist School” impress you with their eyes not their shovels. It is the composition of the holes, what they saw in the ground and chose to draw out and emphasize, not manufactured features to stun your senses and distract your attention from the real task at hand.

The Saguaro Course at We-Ko-Pa is about flow and feel and how it engages your golf decision making while allowing you to appreciate the marvelous setting within which it lies. Driving up to this location from the flats of Scottsdale you realize that you are engaging the mountains not just seeing them as a backdrop canvas. Taking in the surroundings as you pull up to the clubhouse you sense that the topography will have influence on how the ball responds once on the ground, the minimalists will make sure of that, and so your strategic choices will require proper weight to consequence of one position or one route over another in playing each hole. As Ben said, “This old boney ground has some ‘sting’ to it” and they found it without having to produce a swarm to prove it.

The approach to the first melds a dry bed creek into the challenge

The width of the long Par 4 opening hole sets a tone for the day-you think you can hit it just about anywhere and have a look at the green. Yet as you can read in the hole-by-hole detail in the link below the shape of your tee ball can determine how to get up the fairway and give yourself the best approach line to a perched green complex still a ways away. Oh, did I mention they drew in a dry creek bed traversing the fairway which may put some doubt in your mind whether you can reach at all if you don’t hit the drive with enough intent.

The full flavor of Saguaro is revealed on the second tee-you figure out where to hit it!

Step on the tee of the quasi-drivable second and it is full desert static with scrub to carry off the tee and sand and more wilderness encroaching your playing path. Throw in a dramatic backdrop of an entire mountain range in the near distance and it becomes pretty hard just to sort out your choices for proper play. The course they present defies playing script or sequential rhythm. Each hole presents choices and requires your reaction. How you choose to react on one challenge drastically changes the next one.

A bit of superstition imposed upon the view of the Par 4 6th.

As you get into the middle of the outward half the topography gets more severe and the ground influence on your shot making grows accordingly. Now you feel the mountains start to hover above the course rather than just frame the target. The sixth is a good example of this, you drive from teeing pods set in the hill over a high ridge in the fairway that completely masks the landing area. Standing next to your tee ball in the fairway the influence of the promontory peak of Superstition Mountain just beyond the green complex is firmly in your mind before hitting the approach or making your first putt. The coolest part about this minimalist thing is that everything matters. If it comes into your minds eye then it is worth considering.

The roller coast ride on the Par 5 8th ends in this station

A fine sandwich with kettle chips awaits behind the 9th green.

Coming off the long and serpentine Par 5 eighth, the front side finishes with a short uphill pitch into a green with the playing width of a two-lane country road. The contrast in shots required in a two-hole stretch is not lost on those with proper awareness. Don’t miss the tuna or turkey sandwich with the home made kettle chips at the turn. It will refill the tank and make the challenges that come next all the more manageable.

The Par 3 15th, at well over 200 yards, adds to the challenge of the next stretch.

With only one five par on the inward half, three Par 4’s over 400 yards, and a one-shotter well over 200 yards the scoring opportunities will be few and far between. The stretch of big holes from twelve to fifteen give this side it’s distinct character.

The drive area on the 13th looks confined but it is really quite generous but precision is required to set up an aggressive approach to a minimalist green complex.

The back-to-back long Par 4’s at twelve and thirteen give you wide scale driving areas with greens with minimal bunker coverage. Yet both require precise driving to get the best angle to manage the long approach beyond the single greenside bunker. Good news is they provided wide expanses of short grass around these greens so recovery with a crafty short game can still keep par in play.

For architecture aficionados their tribute to the Lido Hole will feel quite familiar.

The closest thing to design shock is the view off the tee on Bill and Ben’s risk-and-reward testimony to the Lido Hole on the long Par 5 fourteenth. You are offered two different fairways to which to impart your drive-the narrow one on the right shortens the hole considerably so for the long baller this will be tempting. The more sensible play is a wide berth on the left fairway which will still leave you with two kitchy plays as the hole doglegs sharply to the right. Even a well place lay-up into the narrowing area at about 100 yards out leaves a very challenging pitch into a long and narrow putting surface perched in a corner to the right. Your plays on this hole will revisit you in bed at night between sheep counts.

As you wend your way back to the house the short sixteenth will tempt your boldness off the tee but the best scores here are likely with a wedge and a putt. Seventeen is a serene tumbling affair, very soothing to the eye after all the mishugas of the last five holes. The home hole is a monstrously long Par 4 with a full desert buffet yet kindly it somehow plays much shorter and less harrowing than it appears from the tee.

My guess is you will agree agree with Ben’s sentiment when you are done.

As you settle in for an Arnold Palmer in the clubhouse bar after play you are going to be struck by how fatigued you are from the day’s golf decisions. There were no single challenges that seemed overwhelming but the relentless requirement to think two shots ahead has a way of wearing on you. Coore and Crenshaw’s design approach got this one right-they made a bold statement without raising their voices.

Fountain Hills, Arizona

Architects: Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw ( 2006)

Par   Rating   Slope   Yardage
Saguaro     71       72       137       6966
Purple        71      70.2     132       6603
White         71      68.8     125       6252
Comp. (L) 71      72.0     128       5786

(Click to see the hole-by-hole detail of the We-Ko-Pa Saguaro Course)

Grayhawk Golf Club-Talon Course

Posted on January 13, 2020 by moegolf

Grayhawk Golf Club has been the home many prestigious events including the PGA’s Waste Management Open and the Anderson Consulting Match Play and will be the site of the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Championships from 2020 through 2022. The Raptor and the Talon Courses, laid out in the flat terrain of the Sonoran Desert with the stunning backdrop of the McDowell Mountains in the distance, are the epitome of desert golf in the American Southwest.

The McDowell Mountains stand in stark contrast to the flat contour of the Sonoran Desert but it is breathtaking to behold.

The Talon Course, a Gary Panks/David Graham creation from the 1990’s, gives you are particular narrow driving theater on almost every hole. Many drives are over sand and scrub which mask the landing area of your tee balls and the adjacent desert in it’s natural state obviates the need for rough at all. Get yourself a yardage book in the golf shop, you are going to need some corroborating visuals to find you way around here. (You can get a printable PDF of the hole-by-hole descriptions through the link at the end of this posting).

The first hole, named in memory of LPGA Pro Heather Farr, shows the demanding driving required right out of the gate.

“Bogle”, the short Par 4 2nd hole, gives you the full array of desert scrub, sand, and trees.

To me this makes for corridor golf so you must control your driving and approach lines to stay out of the snake and scorpion retreats. The tightness of the track and the unrelenting penalty of the desert’s encroachment make a good medal score hard to come by. Make sure you set up a match with your buds if you want to enjoy this golf experience.

The “Three Sisters” bunkers that give the Par 5 3rd hole it’s name a feature you don’t want to contend with.

“Sentinel”, the first of the three pars, uses an ocean of desert sand to create a forced carry.

The back nine in particular wends around and through a series of canyons making for unexpected elevation changes and severe drop-offs into sand wilderness for wayward shots. The sprawling fairway and greenside bunkering works well with the desert scrub helping to define the strategic lines of the holes. These bunkers present some intimidating challenges but with careful planning it is possible to negotiate your way about relatively unfettered. The bunkers are deep with ash tray sand but very playable to a normal escape if you avoid the bad thoughts.

The short 13th is called “Heaven or Hell”….you get to choose which after you see the result of the dicey tee shot you chose to play.

Green complexes throughout the course are very varied and make for some significant tactical choices on approach lines. Many of them are large, multi-tiered surfaces set in a dell depression for effect. There are considerable short grass scapes adjacent to these putting surfaces so your pitch and run save game will get a good workout today. The scale of the green complexes puts an onus on making approaches into the flag section of the day or you will be constantly battling to avoid the three putts.

The “Deception” on the Par 4 16th is enhanced by the ethereal backdrop of the mountains.

Talon’s most memorable feature is the combination of the natural desert floral set against the backdrop of the towering grey mountains in the distance. Often times through the round you will find it hard to concentrate on a target dwarfed by the scale of the back drop. Bring your camera for the Kodak moments-some of your most lasting memories of the day will be in those landscapes.

Not all the flora is happy about the presence of golfers…this seems like it is giving them the bird.

Scottsdale, Arizona

Architects: Gary Panks/David Graham ( 1994)

Par Rating Slope Yardage

Talon 72 73.3 146 6973

Palo Verde 72 70.8 134 6430

Terra Cotta 72 68.3 122 5867

Heather 72 69.3 118 5143

(Click here to review the hole-by-hole detail of the Talon Course)

Click if you want to read more about Phil’s Grill at the Grayhawk Golf Club Resort

North Berwick Golf Club

Posted on December 29, 2019 by moegolf

When knowledgeable people discuss the true gems of links golf in the British Isles North Berwick always gets hearty mention. Much like Cruden Bay or Prestwick it is the hamish atmosphere at Berwick as much as the course itself that shape people’s opinion of the place. This one has real history, A.J. Balfour, a prominent member of parliament, was one of the original patrons in the late 1800s. The place was frequented by prime ministers, members of parliament, church elders, military brass, and eminent educators from surrounding universities.

Ben Sayers was the pro at that time and represented the club in the Open Championship for thirty years starting in 1884-he was runner up in the 1888 championship. Sayers was well known as a club maker and teacher and his students included members of the Royal Family. In many ways he was responsible for the growth of the fame of North Berwick in the day.

From the 18th tee you can see the quaint club house and the town nestled behind it

As with so many links in Scotland North Berwick is an endemic piece of the small town from which it gets it’s name. The distinguished old club house sits wedged between the edge of town and the first tee box. Make sure to take the time to poke around the building, it is full of amazing memorabilia and a real sense of history.

The folkloric wood paneled board room doubles as the members locker room.

The paneled board room in particular is a real period piece-walls enamored with photos and lists of club captains, men’s and ladies past champions, and wood members lockers with really famous names adorning them blend into the décor. You can just smell the history of this place in the room.

The course has no designated architect, but much of what we see today was the result of the efforts of David Strath, the greens keeper in 1876 who took the original 9 and stretched it to a full length 18-hole links layout.

The influence of the Firth of Forth becomes quite evident as early as the 2nd tee box. The criss-cross in and out routing brings the sea winds into play on both sides

The course sits close to sea level of the Firth of Forth and offers an unpredictable routing plan with some very unusual design features that include the full links repertoire of blind shots, long grass, burns, sod wall bunkers, and even some stone walls. An out-and-back arrangement includes hole sequences that criss-cross in each nine, so it presents seaside holes on both sides and full wind influence throughout. Needless to say trajectory control and using the ground as your friend is necessary if you are going to win your match around these dodgy old links holes.

The look off the tee on “Pit” the short Par 4 13th. You can just make out the putting surface tucked beyond the traps on the left and the stone knee wall that crosses the fairway.

This is the ultimate target on #13 wedged between the wall and the dune on the left. It takes the utmost dexterity to play this approach successfully and set up a par opportuntiy.

As you can read in the link below to the Hole-By-Hole Analysis there are a number of unique holes on this links. The famous Redan Par 3 is #15 and it is probably the most copied architectural design for a short hole in history. There are holes where stone walls that separate farm plots in Scotland are an intrinsic part of the design making for an equestrian challenge on some lay-up and approach shots. The most memorable of these is the short, quasi-drivable Par 4 13^th where a three-foot knee wall cordons off the green complex a mere pace from the putting surface. Needless to say there are no pitch and run approaches into this one.

Blind shots are not uncommon on links courses. Here is the view from the driving area on “Perfection” the Par 4 14th hole. The green complex sits over the hill beyond the two bunkers.

The 14th green that you could not see feeds off the bottom of the hill and sits between low mounds on the right and the beach on the left. That is Fidra Rock just beyond the aiming pole.

When you ask people who have played the famous courses like Royal Dornoch, The Old Course, or Carnoustie what there favorite track was in Scotland it is surprising how often North Berwick is at the top of that list. The holes are quirky, the challenges are often existential, and the elements are definitely a major factor in the outcome of your golfing day.

The Biarattz green complex on the Par 4 1th is truly severe. This pin is on the back lobe. There is another you can make out just across the deep gully that bisects the putting surface.

But there is something truly magical about this collection of holes-the experience never fails to challenge the player but very often finds a way to please at the same time. This place is a must stop for any Scottish golf itinerary for golfers of all abilities and it will leave a lasting impression guaranteed.

East Lothian, Scotland

Architect: Unspecified (1832)

Tees Par Yardage

White 71 6506

Blue 71 6140

Red 74 5737

(Click here to review the complete North Berwick Golf Club hole-by-hole descriptions)

For more pictures click to review Postcard From North Berwick

Casa de Campo-Teeth of the Dog

Posted on January 23, 2019 by moegolf

Early in his career Pete Dye established a beachhead in the Dominican Republic with the creation of this course at Casa de Campo. He was so enamored with the place he bought a residence next to the 7^th green and spent his lifetime tinkering with this beautiful seaside course. What resulted is a distinctive seaside layout that has been chosen as the site of the prestigious Latin American Amateur Championship twice in the last five years. Because of the success of his first design Pete’s fingerprints can be found on a plethora of resort and private courses on the island and as a result the Dominican presents a full treatise of the Dye design expertise.

The picket trim accent on the dry hazard along the 2nd is pure Pete Dye

Looking at an aerial view of the jagged coastline Pete must have noticed that it resembled the snarl of a German Shepard guard dog from a WWII prisoner of war camp. This is where the course gets it’s moniker and Pete staked his reputation on the difficulty that represented. If the wind is up at 20 mph plus the reputation is well earned and all bets are off on the medal score. As I suggest to people when they play wind swept capricious links lay outs, make sure you have a match going, it is a hedge against a medal score train wreck and will insure that you have a good time no matter what transpires.

It is worth noting that with so many greens set against the seaside backdrop it gives you little depth perception which makes calculating approach carry distance a major challenge. An experienced caddie with an accurate range finder can instill some needed confidence in solving the riddle of picking approach clubs.

Having said that, in spite of the reputation as Pete’s most punitive design, I think the course has a bark that is far worse then it’s bite. This is very much a positional driving course where success on the approach depends on the angle of attack you are left with off the tee. If the wind is not debilitating, a player who thoughtfully positions their tee ball can, for the most part, control their own destiny.

The call of the rocks and the surf is the obvious psychological battle you must negotiate. But, as you see with Pete’s most challenging tracks like TPC Sawgrass and the Ocean Course at Kiawah, it is the innovative green complexes that present the stiffest challenges and make the value of position off the tee so pivotal to scoring well. This is a relatively flat seaside piece of ground so Pete created topographical interest by raising many table top greens to create shoulders that will spill a shot without the requisite intention into low hollows or fierce collection bunkers from which full Phil antics are required for recovery. The green surfaces are often narrow irregular shapes which accentuate the difficulty in keeping an approach on the dance floor-the proper attack angle makes that much more plausible.

The greens and surrounds have Paspalum grass which is a hearty plant that survives well in hot, seaside conditions. The stuff is very grainy and affects putting pace and, equally problematic, chipping off the sticky surface of greenside surrounds. Both of these factor into your play so, in anticipation of the Paspalum effect, you should probably prepare by hitting a dozen pitches and chips in the designated short game practice area next to the driving range.

Once on the greens take notice of the angle of the shadows which will reveal the direction of the setting sun and help you anticipate the effect of the grain on all putts. This is a place where you should read the pace of the putt first and then consider the line to match up. There is sufficient swerve in the surfaces themselves that makes picking the accurate line difficult enough, but controlling the speed of your putts will have more to do with avoiding a knee-knocker above the hole or a six-footers coming back.

The bottom line is that you better carefully consider your preferred drive position on every tee and expect that a short game with a wide variety of creative recovery shots will be required if you are to shoot something within your handicap range.

As is detailed in the Hole-By-Hole descriptive below, both sides have a similar rhythm-they start with mellow inland holes before tossing your fate to the call of the Sirens on the rocky coast line. Standing on the first tee a wide fairway fans out in all directions but it is a solitary palm through the left rough that is your shot line. With a short club in your hand, a coffee table green complex that repels shots in three directions awaits your approach so it is evident early on that dexterity will matter.

The Par 3 5th looks so manageable but the wind and that one tree will wreak havoc on your ball

The next three holes slowly ramp up the challenge before you reach the first toothy stretch of The Dog. From the fifth to the eighth it features a pair of rocky par threes and a couple of tough par fours mixed in for good measure. At only 125 yards an on-level pitch into a tiny green of the fifth seems very doable, but wind, fear, and one tree with long reach off the front right make this anything but a pushover.

#6-Surf, rocks, and the great beyond lurk ominously on the left

This is followed by the #1 handicap hole on the course, a mid-range four par where the prevailing wind pushes your Titleist toward the rocks that snuggle the coastline. The further right you play off the tee to play safe from the sea the harder the angle into the green tucked back to the left.

The 7th-Pete’s backyard bar-b-que and you are the main course

Next is a signature par three that sits adjacent to the backyard of Pete’s Dominican residence. This green is a much more generous target then the fifth but the sweeping contour of the putting surface can lead to serious head scratching as your ball separates from the hole and you think you can make out an audible chortle from just over the fence to your right.

Much like the sixth, the eighth profiles right-to-left around the coastline but it actually plays a half a stroke harder to me because the green complex has much more immediate peril associated with it. This puts a premium on the distance control and accuracy of the second shot.

Here is a unique Pete Dye accent….he just had to get the old international airport to comply

The outward half ends with a three-shot par 5 where you drive it over remnant of the runway of the old Casa airport. In the old days you had to sequence your drive with arrival and departure of jets servicing the resort. Once in the fairway show sine restraint on the layup to get into position for a short pitch to get one more birdie chance on this side.

The inland start of the 10th is tame to the eye but it has it’s challenges

Relatively tame inland holes start out the second nine but the wake up calls begins at a very kitchy Par 3 at the 13^th hole. The descriptive below tells the story, this is a tough par if you miss the elusive putting surface. The sobering Par 5 that follows brings you back to the sea and it is definitely a hole where you must keep your wits about you. Pete sets you up for a sucker punch baiting you to go for the green in two but you have to resist that temptation because the green is set on a tight angle to the hazard and it is very shallow to your approach. There are bad results lurking on missing in any direction.

A fang in the mouth of this dog-the Par 4 15th green sticks out into the sea

From 15 through 17 you are back in the jowls of the dog and it takes sound strategy and great shot making to get through this sequence without serious scorecard carnage. Both par fours have green complexes hanging over the Atlantic so the wind influence is at it’s maximum. The par three in between is probably the hardest hole you will play all day. Pay close attention to the pin position which will dictate the proper intended flight line for your approach.

Biggest of the three par challenges of the day-the 16th will treat all indecision with disdain

Turning back inland the day ends with a solid four par which once again calls for articulate shot placement off the tee and conservative line on the approach since a watery grave is hovering below the left front of the green. There is plenty of room right of the green complex and, with the right shot shape, the contours in that landing area can feed your ball onto the putting surface.

When you are done make sure to enjoy a post game buffet lunch in the Lago Restaurant that overlooks the finishing hole of the Dog and a long view of the shoreline. The food is excellent and the atmosphere is perfect for decompression after the round.

Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic

Architect: Pete Dye (1971)

Par Rating Slope Yardage

Black 72 76 135 7263

Gold 72 74.4 134 6969

Blue 72 71.2 132 6429

White 72 68.8 126 5954

Red 72 68.0 118 4827

(Click here to review the Teeth of the Dog hole-by-hole descriptions)

For more on the Casa de Campo resort click to see Postcard From Casa de Campo

moegolf

………………………………………………………………….golf unplugged

Category Archives: Road Trips

Glen Oaks Club

Mountain Lake

U.S. Naval Academy Golf Club

Pasatiempo Golf Club

California Golf Club

Whistling Straits Course-Flyover

We-Ko-Pa Golf Club-Saguaro Course

Grayhawk Golf Club-Talon Course

North Berwick Golf Club

Casa de Campo-Teeth of the Dog

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