After taking a cart around SHGC to get the pictures in my last two posts, I headed over to The Dismal River Club. DRC is located about 8 miles west of SHGC as the crow flies, but getting there by car is more like 30 miles (and about 45-50 minutes). The last 19 miles used to be a gravel road, but most of that has now been paved (but is mostly one lane...but as you can imagine, not a ton of traffic even in "rush hour"). I arrived at a rather empty DRC around 4:30pm, registered and went to my room, which was very nice. A good shower and a nap were much appreciated.
DRC first course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened for play in 2006 and stretches to about 7400 yards. It is Jack's first design in this type of geography, and many have said it is far too extreme. Word is he went fro hating blind shots to going overboard with them. Who knows, but based on this input (which was remarkably consistent) and a tight schedule for this trip, I decided not to play the Nicklaus course. It should also be noted that the Nicklaus course never cracked any of the Top 100 lists.
Last year, the second course at DRC opened. It is known as the Red Course or also the Doak course, since it was designed by Tom Doak. As the club sits on about 3,000 acres, they were able to squeeze in the second course. It was highly anticipated and opened last summer. Rating wise, only one Top 100 listing has been released since its opening, the Golf Week USA 2014 list, and DR-Doak came in at #86 on the merged list (#39 on Modern list). Course has no rating (neither does SHGC), and no tee markers, just posts for the back, regular, and front tee areas. Stretches to 6994 yards (par 71) and I played from 6334 yards. All yardages below are from back (except where noted)
While having dinner Sunday night, I met Chris Johnston ("CJ"), who runs DRC and is one of several investors who purchased DRC prior to completion of the Doak course. This group is the third owner of DRC...not surprising given the downs (and slow ups) of the US economy since DRC first opened. I did not realize it when I was at DRC but one of the investors is Charlie Mechem, former LPGA commissioner who I had the pleasure of playing two round with at Bandon Dunes in 2003. Small world once again. In any case, CJ is an interesting guy who seems to be devoted to making Dismal River a success...and, for what it is worth, I think the Red or Doak course is a major step forward in that process. Quite simply...it is superb...and I think as it gets tweaked over the next 5 years or so (as happens with all new courses in their early years) it will get even better. I do not think it is in Sand Hills' category, but that is hardly an insult. To my mind, there are less than one handful of tracks in the USA that are.
One of the first things I noticed at DRC, is how different the terrain and sand Dunes were compared with the area around SHGC (just 8 miles east of DRC). DRC sits in a valley with huge (400') dunes around it, and its final three holes are close to the Dismal River (which also runs through SHGC...but near the clubhouse and cabins...which are over a mile from the layout). You may notice the difference in some of the photos below. During dinner, CJ and I of course discussed golf architecture, etc and mostly agreed on things (especially on our mutual love of Camargo, outside of Cincinnati...his love benign much longer standing as he was a member there, whereas i have only played it once). He did give me some hints regarding what i would see the next day. First, Doak insisted (and CJ acquiesced) on having the 18th green some 500 yards from the 1st tee. Actually, given that the 1st tee is about a mile from the clubhouse, it really make no difference (except in a match play if you need to go extra holes). Also, with only one road going trough the property, Doak insisted on having the 9th hole cross over the road. Again, no big deal, and think about the number of fabulous tracks with a roads crossing one of more holes (e. g., Cypress Pt, Old Course, Shinnecock, The Country Club)...and remember the tee shot from the back tee on SHGC #5 goes right over the 4th green...and SHGC has even more land!! CJ also asked if he could join me (just walking) for part of my round. I of course enthusiastically said yes.
After a good nights sleep, breakfast, and packing up my stuff, it was off to the range to hit a few (trips like these i spend little time on the range...hitting too many balls already), and then to the first tee. I needed to play DRC to complete all three USA Top 100 lists and knock off another bucket list.
#1--535 yard par 5, starts flat then slightly uphill for last 150 yds and turning slightly right. Good starting hole. Big wide fairway...strategic track of course. No obvious problem for opening drive. Bunker in center of fairway 115-125 from center green needs to be negotiated for any layup second, and bunkers and dune right of green must be carefully avoided by anyone going for it in 2. Green sits in natural amphitheater and angles LF-->BR, slopes to front and has two tiers...upper tier to back right. Excellent opening hole. Pics from tee and about 140 from middle green (note bunker and dune right). CJ joined me for third shot in (got up & down from right dune)
#2--472 yard par 4...slightly uphill and turns left...to green on top of crest with deceptively string false front. Blowout bunker on left of fairway to be avoided off tee (230 to reach and 310 to carry) and a any layup must avoid left bunker 50-75 yds from middle green. That's CJ's Bernese (spelling??) in the picture...you will also note the winterkill damage in the fairways. Remember, this was very young grass last winter going up against some of the worst global warming in history. Very tough hole and tough green to hit.
#3--195 yd par 3--slightly downhill. Pic from back tee...regular tee is to left and has easier angle. Obviously, best to avoid deep deep bunker on left front. Tee shot requires fade but green slopes slightly L-->R
#4--388 yrd par 4--uphill and straight. Fairway split by bunker in middle, leaving player with important strategic choice. Narrow part of fairway to to the left of bunker, and leaves open shot to green. Lots of room to right of bunker but two problems with that choice. First, you MUST hit tee short far enough to carry big hollow on right...or your drive will roll back 20-40 yards. Second, that angle forces your second shot to clear two bunkers carefully guarding right front of green. In strategic sense, hole very similar to #1 at Rock Creek Cattle Co. (also a Doak). Unfortunately, the picture is worthless!!
#5--261 yard par 3 (no typo)...and 239 from regular tee...into prevailing wind. And look at this bunker built (by nature) into the dune protecting the right side of the green. Frankly, I think this hole is unfair for all but the best golfers. It goes down into a valley and then moves up to the green, with only 5-8 yards of relatively flat land before the green (remember the length and prevailing wind), so almost impossible to run it up. One of only two holes I didn't like. In any case, put tee shot into bunker and got out and onto green...2 putt for heroic bogey.
#6--326 drivable par 4. Slightly downhill and turns left. Very good risk reward hole. Bunker protects front right corner of green and large bunkers protects whole left side of green. Several fairway bunkers and exposure tom wind makes player think carefully about how to play any layup off the tee.
#7--442 yd par 4...straight, downhill off elevated tee then uphill sharply to crested, 2-tiered green. Tee shot protected by two bunkers (255 to carry), and send shot must carry large bunker right and short of green.
#8--554 downhill par 5 with green angled LF-->BR an sloping sharply L-->R. Tee shot must avoid fairway bunkers down right side and approach must carry bunkers built into dune 80 yds out from green. Dune also makes any third shot from right side blind to entire right side of green. 2 tiered green with upper tier on left and hollow to back right. You do not want putt from upper tier to hollow. Wonderful green setting.
#9--374 yard par 4... turning slightly right to small angled green (angle from LF-->BR with large bunker protecting right and small bunker protecting left side. This is hole where drive goes over the entrance road. Excellent "sleeper" hole...looks very easy, and player must concentrate to maintain focus, and avoid a "stupid" bogey. Overall hole is flat but important to hit drive about 250 to reach crest of fairway. Green is "infinity"and small...and look at that dune which is way in the background...that is on the other side of the Dismal River and is about 500-600 yards past the 9th green. Nothing like it at SHGC 8 miles away.
#10--546 yard par 5. Elevated tee, then downhill and uphill to green (from 150 short of green next shot is totally blind). Three sets of bunkers along right side. First set not in play, second set 300 to 335 off back tee, and third set 75 -100 from center of green. Two bunkers and dune protected left side of green. Green is deep and narrow (20 yd wide and 40 yd deep) and spores sharply L-->R and back of green slopes toward back. See pics from tee and left front of green. Superb hole and the start of a magnificent back nine.
#11--174 yd par 3...flat to narrow deep green (but front of green angled to back right...making for much longer carry over junk to right side of green). 3 bunkers protect front and right side. Green is tiered and has 3 sections...back left (highest point of green), back right, and front (lowest section). Pin was in back left, hit ok 5 iron that ended up about 3' and got my birdie. Despite this bit of good fortune, a super hole.
#12--430 yard par 4. Blind tee shot uphill and then downhill to green...something I have seen very little of on this trip, and really enjoy (think #4 at Pine Valley). Deep, narrow green protected on left and in back.
#13--Very tough, spectacular and even fun 496 yd par 4. Uphill off the tee then downhill to green and doglegs right. Two sets of fairway bunkers guide right side First is 300-300 off tee and second is about 60 from green. Large dune at corner of dogleg Approach shot is spectacular...with "bison run" over dune about 500 yards behind green as aim point...see pics first from tee and second of approach shot:
#14--419 par 4---turning left, and slightly uphill to raised green. This is the second hole that i think needs some changes (other one was par 3 #5). Dune on left side of fairway and bunker on right side (both about 155-165 to green) leave a gap between them which is only 20 yards wide....a gap which is too narrow (in my always humble opinion). Especially from at least 160 yards out, to a raided green protected by a bunker on left front of the green.
One side note...I had trouble figuring out where 14th green was (lack to tee markers contributes to this) and saw what i at first assumed as the 14th hole...and thought it was the best looking hole on the course from the tee...but it turned out to be the par 3 16th green that I was looking at...see below
#15---start of a fabulous finish...315 yard drivable par 4...downhill and straight. Two fairway bunkers on left (carry leaves you 200 to green) force you to think a little about layup (as you would prefer to layup on the left side of the fairway). Large dune with 4 bunkers carved out protected right side of shallow green (21 yards deep)...and there is a very sharp drop off on the left side if the green, and getting up and down from the bottom of that drop off is a tough chore (trust me anything left will run off at least 30 years from the green)...but probably easier than going for the green and putting it in the fescue on the right hand dune or one of the 4 bunkers there. Great strategic hole with lots and lots of choices/options. Think your way around this one.
#16---166 yard par 3 to seemingly large green divided into 3 sections...like a three leaf clover. Front left of green protected by a bunker. Two bunkers on front right, two other back left and one back right..total of 6 bunkers around this sucker. Lowest portion of green is front of it (to right of for mentioned bunker), highest portion is back right, and missile height portion is behind front left bunker...three very small greens. Behind green (but not close to in play) is the Dismal River and behind river is a towering (400' I would guess) sand dune...see picture below. 2nd pic from back of green. Spectacular and wonderful golf hole.
#17--454 par 4...blind drive to top of huge dune (probably 50-60 in height) and then tumbling downhill and from left to right to green sitting near Dismal River, same huge dune mentioned on 16 to right across river. Very simply, the most fun hole on the entire trip (perhaps because i played two spectacular shots to about 15'...but you guessed it, missed the putt). Seriously, just loved this one!! At first had trouble figuring out what line to hit my drive, but them spotted the cattle's skull on top of the hill. See pic below..line is to left of big bush middle left (click on picture and zoom it out...line is just right of left tee post (there are two...one is far right) just over rough just ahead of this back tee...that is where i played from...411 yards).
In any case, I guessed right and was in perfect position on top of the dune. Fairway is very very wide up here, but too far left and hole much longer...to far right and go back to the tee and reload. Wind was behind me and I had 215 to pin. Hit 3 hybrid...planning (to be honest...hoping) to run it in. Hit career short and put it 15' behind back pin. Green is narrow (26 yd) and deep (39 yards)...20' further and I am in junk. So so much fun watching this shot tumble down and onto green and come to rest so close. See these pictures from various spots on top of the dune. BTW...that is the clubhouse on top of the hill in the distance.
#18...447 yard par 4, downhill slightly and dogleg right. Tee shot has to carry some marsh (I played from 420 and no problem carrying it...but had following wind)...and if the wind is against, you can play tee shot further left for a shorter carry, but of course this leaves a longer approach. Here is tee shot from back tee (green is directly below 4 cabins on hill to left of long clubhouse:
If you choose to lay up, you need to negotiate patches of marsh and one fairway bunker in middle of fairway. Green angles from back left to front right and slopes strongly in that direction. Spectacular and tough but playable (and fun) finishing hole. I put my approach back left and had an 85' long putt for my birdie...missed it but sunk a 6 footer for par and a 40-37-77 to complete all the current USA top 100's!! See pictures of approach shot and green along line of my 85' putt. Trees beyond green in last picture show where Dismal River runs, and clubhouse is behind the photographer in the last pic...about a mile behind.
Summary of DRC--I was surprised by the greens...very tough but much tamer than early Doak tracks (e.g...Ballyneal and Barnbougle Dunes). Don't know if he is becoming more conservative, or if owners (like CJ) are successfully putting a "leash" on him. Whatever, it is working. Greens are very tough but on average I overplayed the breaks...how often does that happen on early Doak greens.
Layout has a wonderful flow. You always know where you are, and the finishing holes are simply great. Who cares about the distance between 18 and 1...and the road that the tee shoot on #9 crosses doesn't exactly have much traffic. Besides...that is the insurance carrier's problem.
No question these eras conditioning issues due to this past winter. As i wrote earlier...this had to happen with young grass (course opened about 13 months ago) and the winter. I am fully confident that these problems will be easily fixed which will also enable the fairways to be cut lower and become even faster.
am also sure the course will evolve over time (see my comments on #5 and #14) as it gets more play...and with proper management (I think that is in place) should be able to rise to a top 20 USA track with ease. It is really really good!
One last thought...Sunday night as I made my way back to my cabin, the sun had set but the sky above the huge dune was still 'warm" with light. As I looked up on the sand dune, I saw a solitary tree at the peak..on the horizon. Incredibly beautiful. There was not enough light to get a picture with my iPhone...but here is that tree as it looked Monday afternoon:
To Next Stop; The Prairie Club--after lunch, drove about 75 miles (18 miles east to state road, then 60 miles north) to The Prairie Club outside of Valentine, NE, just south of the South Dakota state line. Prairie Club is back in the Central zone. Arrived around 4pm. Prairie has two 18 hole layouts (Dunes course by Tom Lehman and Pines designed by Graham Marsh), and a 9 hole par 3 course. Located at the northern end of the Nebraska Sand Hills region, its terrain is again different than that of SHGC and DRC. Less dramatic dunes, and much thicker fescue (very much like Muirfield in Sclotland after a wet spring season...mote like hay).
I was scheduled to play Dunes at 7:20 on Tuesday morning, but figured I would be better off playing the back nine Monday afternoon and the front nine early on Tuesday. So, feeling pretty good after a 10 minute rest, took a few swings with my trusty orange whip, and drove on cart about 3 miles out to 10th tee. It was 5pm and sunset was at 9pm.
Course is 7583 from tips (par 73)...I played from 6838 yards. In terms of ratings, Dunes is currently rated #86 on Modern course list by GW...comes out as #169 on the merged GW list so not really a top 100...Pines never made any list.
Course winds its way throughout the fescue (hay)...over fairways which roll in every direction. Very natural in feel, but not compared to SHGC and DRC (Doak). Best holes on back are 15 and 17 (602 yd par 5 uphill left dogleg...and 457 yard par 4 uphill right dogleg respectively. Pics below are 10, 11 and 15.
Played front nines early Tuesday morning. Best holes are 2, 4, 5, 8 and 9. Course is beautiful but suffered severe damage from winterkill. Many greens and fairways with major damage...do believe it will come back but will be a tough road....they have already started but so much work to do...
I found the course fun to play but tough...lots of choices on shots but certainly not in the class of DRC Doak much less SHGC. But, it is tough to have them as you "neighbors" and stand out in the crowd. And the real truth is that I was anxious to complete the trip and get to Omaha for my flight. Would like to return in about 2 years (assuming conditioning improves and my game does not deteriorate too badly). In any case, had a 79...so finished trip strongly!
Left Prairie Club at about 10:30am leaving what I thought was tons of time for drive to Omaha. Turns out drive took longer than shown on Google Maps (construction along the way). Caught my plane (Omaha-Chicago-Boston) but it was touch and go. Flight from Chicago a little late...and it was so so wonderful to get home!!
Trip in Retrospect
Some thoughts on this journey:
1. It was exhausting. Actually tougher than the world wide trip in May, because of all the driving and different hotels. Drove about 1900 miles in 9 days...and stayed in a different hotel for the eight nights of the trip. Me is getting too old for this type of schedule. Or did I use the wrong tense here, perhaps it should be: Me is too old for this type of schedule.
2. Incredibly beautiful sights along the way. Had never been to ID, MT or WY and this is a big country. But big means long distances.
3. Interesting how golf architecture has changed in last 30 years. In the first third of the 20th century ("Golden Age" of golf architecture in USA), there was wonderful land available for golf courses near large cities...and having wonderful land is critical to creating (either by building or discovering) a great track. Then after WW II, when golf course building restarted in the 1950's, there was a paucity of good land near urban centers...so a lot of courses were built from 1950-1990 on bad land (for example...the CA and AZ desert, the swamps of FL, etc.). Starting probably with SHGC, developers stopped worrying about location (based on the unheard of assumption that if you build...or discover...a great course, they will come) and the likes of SHGC, Bandon Dunes, DRC, Prairie Club, and dozens of others were (mostly) discovered and the new "Golden Age" led the by the likes of Coore/Crenshaw and Doak was underway. This meant, for folks like me...some fabulous new tracks to discover, but some very remote places to get to.
4. It is great to get my three bucket lists under my belt. There are many other potential ones, and I need to be judicious in selecting them and which to go after.
5. OK...now for comparisons of the layouts on this trip:
Best 18 hole courses: 1. Sand Hills 2. Old Macdonald 3. DRC--Doak 4. tie--Gozzer Ranch & Rock Creek (note...when DRC Doak recovers from conditioning damage caused by this past winter...it may move ahead of Old Mac)
Most Fun: 1. Bandon Preserve 2. Sand Hills 3. Old Macdonald
Biggest disappointments: 1. Sanctuary 2. Black Rock...so so over watered 3. Shooting Star
Biggest positive surprise: Gozzer Ranch by far
Next???
1. Rest
2. Some local tracks in New England
3. Figure out next bucket lists
4. Get my short game back
5. Rest
