Midwest Trip to
meet Australian Friend August 29-September 4, 2015
In early 2012, Pat and visited New Zealand and Australia for
five weeks. Was a very special trip from
both a golf and sightseeing standpoint.
I had been to both in the 1970’s (including a 4 week trip to both and
New Guinea) and it was wonderful to return with my bride.
Melbourne probably has the finest collection of world-class
courses of any city in the world. In
terms of a 30-50 mile radius, only New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and
Columbus, OH compare in any way. During
our visit we of course played Kingston Heath GC in Melbourne’s Sandbelt (about
15-20 miles SE of downtown), a superb design (originally by Dan Soutar with bunkering revised by Alister Mackenzie in 1926) that I consider
one of the two best examples of simple, brilliant strategic architecture in the
world (the other being The Old Course in St. Andrews). We played KHGC with a member we had been introduced
to virtually before our arrival (again, names not revealed) and became fast
friends. He visited us in Boston the
summer of 2012, and also was there when I finished the Golf Magazine 2013 World
100 in May 2014. But I will warn you, he
had horrible taste in Vietnam restaurants.
Therefore, if you are in Melbourne, play KHGC with an Aussie named John
(probably more than one member with that first name) and he suggests going to a
Vietnamese restaurant with him, finish the round at KHGC and then duck out of
dinner in any way possible.
John started talking (mostly emailing) about a trip to the
Midwest (US, not AUS…the Midwest in AUS is the Outback…firm and fast but not
much else positive for golf) about 5-6 months ago. His trip is to Chicago Golf, Medinah,
Shoreacres, Crystal Downs, The Dunes Club, Oakland Hills, Inverness, The Golf
Club, Muirfield Village, Oakmont, and Fox Chapel (Chicago/SW and N
Michigan/Detroit/Toledo/Columbus/Pittsburgh for you uneducated). I was able to help setting up a couple of
clubs, and others helped John with the rest.
I decided to tag along for The Golf Club, Oakmont, and Fox Chapel after
research showed a lack of cheap Vietnamese restaurants in Columbus and
Pittsburgh. I ended up scheduling a
seven-day trip to Detroit/Dayton/Cincinnati/Columbus/Cleveland-Canton/Pittsburgh
encompassing 11 courses in those 7 days.
Eight of the 11 are new to me…so progress will be made on bucket
lists. Plus I can see John several days
and play some great ones with him (and I’ll pick the restaurants). Only issues might be weather and surviving
another of these nutty journeys (golf carts will get a serious workout).
Saturday August 29—Franklin Hills: A Donald Ross design (1927) renovated by Ron
Prichard in 2004. Listed in last Links
Magazine USA Top 100 as #100 which is its only entry on my USA Top 100
spreadsheet. It has been a regular on
Golf Week’s USA Top 100 Classic lists since GW started these lists in
1997///starting off with a strong #52, falling lower and then getting to #62 in
2007 and 2011…the improvement after 2004 coming as a result of Prichard’s
renovation (currently #77). Course in
superb shape even though too green for my taste…but even as green as it is, the
turf is very firm, healthy, as reasonably fast with good run out. Wonderful use of land to reward is taking
tee shots with clear views of greens and punish layups unless they are very
accurate and well thought out. For
example, on #1, a 451 yard down hill par 4, there is a rise in the fairway out
about 260 yards…with two fairway bunkers beyond the rise. If you layup and are in center of fairway,
you have a clear view of the green…but if you are left or right…your view is
blocked by the rise and your 2nd is blind. If you take your chances and go over the
rise, you are rewarded with a clean view of the putting surface. Greens are typical Ross efforts are
superb…unless you are above the hole, and then your are dead!!
Hole #13 is a fabulous short par 4..uphill to small green
perched on top of a hill fronted by a deep bunker.
Course’s one real weak point is its par 5’s which from tips
are 535/521/477/460 yards…should be a par 70 instead of 72.
Sunday Aug. 30—Indianwood—Old: Up early and drive about 15 miles north to
Pontiac area. Designed by Wilfred Reid
and completed in 1925, Ironwood was a first class resort and then a private
club in 1942 and a gathering place for Detroit’s elite until a long slide
commenced in the 1950’s. Under new
ownership starting in 1981, it commenced its rebound and hosted two US Woman’s
Opens in 1989 and 1994 and the US Senior Open in 2012. Had the pleasure of playing it with another
Golf Digest rater, Clif Haka from Lansing, MI.
We had traded emails two years back and this proved to be a good
opportunity to get together. Clif had
played Indianwood once before about 7-8 years ago.. It made the Golf Magazine USA Top 100
consistently from 1991-2003 peaking at #64 in 1997, and my merged Golf Week Top
100 in 1999 and 2000 with a highest ranking of #89.
I loved it. Wide open
with very few trees, it is built on a glorious piece of property and was in
excellent condition. We were the “dew
sweepers” with a 7:18am tee time and it had rained the evening before, so
course was very wet, but played firm.
Greens are very tough with big time slopes from back to front and often
with even greater slopes (from back to front and out of the rough) over the
greens, so best not too be long on your approaches. Best holes are punch bowls #4 and #9, 201
yard par 3 4th to smallish green with major back to front slope,
short but well designed #10, long tough par 4 #12, and #16. In summary, a true hidden gem very much
worthy of a visit…could use some “refreshening” but absolutely great bones.
Sunday afternoon Aug. 30—NCR Country Club--South: This was to be a very long day. Left Indianwood around 10:45am for a long
(255 mile) drive to Dayton, OH and NCR Country Club. The club has a long and rich history, including
the 1969 PGA Championship, won by Ray Floyd by one stroke over Gary Player, the
target of anti-Apartheid protests during the event), the 1986 US Woman’s Open,
and the 2005 US Senior Open. NCR opened
its doors in 1954 with two courses, North and South, both designed by Dick
Wilson (with the South being the tougher Championship venue). It was started as
a benefit for NCR employees owned by NCR Corporation until it was spun off in
later years and is now open to non NCR folks.
NCR was a regular on the USA Top 100 lists until about 10
years ago. It was on Golf Digest’s Top
100’s from 1969-2003 (except for 1985 and ’87) peaking at #70 in 1991, but did
not fare as well on Golf Week (one appearance at #99 on my merged list in
initial 1997 listing) or Golf Magazine (included in first two USA lists in 1991
and ’93 at #79 and #81 respectively).
I arrived around 3:15pm and was able to get off on #10
shortly thereafter. However, after
playing #16, the warning siren went off, and we went back to the clubhouse for
a delay that lasted almost two hours.
Faced with 11 holes to play with just 90 minutes before sunset, it was a
made dash with a cart, playing those 11 holes in 70 minutes. Don’t ask me what those holes were like
(actually I do semi-remember them).
Course is not among my favorites.
Had been punched about 9 days earlier and I was surprised at how soft it
still was. Mud all over the ball after
every shot. Hard to really tell about
the course given condition, but also no question that the trees lining both
sides of every fairway had a lot to do with the time required for the fairways
to heal from aerification.
Monday afternoon Aug 31—Coldstream CC, Cincinnati: Few things as enjoyable as sleeping late,
especially after a day as long as yesterday!
Monday’s are tough on these trips as most clubs are closed for outings
or maintenance. After many phone calls
hit pay dirt and was able to arrange a game at Coldstream for Monday 8/31. Setting up these trips requires lots of
favors, and it is always a pleasure to be able to reciprocate, or help another
“bucket-lister” so long as their request is reasonable and doable.
Played with a member and two other guests of his (they all
work in the same office). Coldstream
opened in 1960, was designed by Dick Wilson and Joe Lee and remodeled by Robert
von Hagge in 2005. Was on Golf Digest
Top 100 from 1969 through 1989, a total of 11 consecutive lists, with a peak of
inclusion in the #51-60 grouping in 1969 and then peaking again as #70 in 1987
(note that from 1971-1983, a total of 7 consecutive lists, it was in the
#51-100 grouping, so who knows where it actually stood?). On my GW merged list, it just made the top
100 on GW’s initial list in 1997 (#88…due to its #44 rating on GW’s Modern
list).
This is a very tough course with very large greens (at least
three that are over 50 yards deep) but not one that I would want to play every
day. The trees lining every fairway cut
off angles on many holes, leaving few options for playing the holes, and of
course, they cut off air circulation.
Interestingly, the club experienced a loss of many ash trees on the back
nine due to a beetle known as the emerald ash beetle (EAB), and the greens that
had been surrounded by the now dead ash trees are now the healthiest on the
course.
After the round, drove up to Columbus, and met “Aussie John”
for dinner…great to catch up with him.
Will be playing with him at The Golf Club, Oakmont, and Fox Chapel on
9/1, 3, and 4 respectively.
Tuesday morning Sept 1—The Golf Club, New Albany, OH: Designed by Pete & Alice Dye, TGC,
located about 10-12 miles west of Columbus, opened in 1967 (one of their
earlier courses), fulfilling the dream of its owner, Fred Jones. It has been on every USA Top 100 list
starting in 1969 with only two listings at #40 or higher and as high as #6 in
Golf Week in 1999. On Worldwide Top 100
lists, TGC has been a “regular” since 1983 (missing only the first two Golf
Magazine Top 50’s in 1979 and 1981 and the Architects Society survey). Highest rating was #32 on Golf Magazine in
1993. Simply put, this is a true Top 100
track.
I had the privilege of playing TGC for the first time in
1980 and have wanted to return ever since.
I remember it having the feel of a golf course just plucked down in the
middle of farmland. I also remember the
locker room being similar to Seminole’s famous men’s locker room, with lockers
on the perimeter and seating in the center.
A fabulous design, but one that necessitates a small membership. In fact, apparently membership at TGC is
limited to 150 members (equal to the number of lockers).
The course was recently renovated extensively, adding a
couple of hundred yards (now 7439 from the tips) and changing a couple of
greens. Pete Dye, now 89 years old, led
the renovation efforts. I don’t think
any architect in history has as much experience in “making something from
nothing” as Pete Dye. Think about some
of his creations that arose out of swamps, flat deserts, and in this case, very
flat farmland (as evidenced by the land surrounding TGC). He built a 13th hole here that
looks more like a hole at Harbor Town than one in Ohio, yet somehow it fits in
beautifully (as is followed by one of the best par 5’s I have played).
Best holes are #6 (dogleg left 470 yards, with creek angling
in front of green, and a very tricky angled setting of the green itself…making
it shallower than it appears), and #12-15.
However, for unknown reasons, the course was very very wet when we
played it. While there was some rain
that eek, not enough to account for the softness. My sense is that the
renovation included a regressing of the fairways etc. and this newer grass must
ne kept cool in the heat.
In summary, a fabulous club, but time will tell if the
course retains its historical greatness.
Hope so!
Tuesday Sept 1--Ohio State-Scarlet: Renovated nine years ago by Jack Nicklaus,
this former Alister Mackensie masterpiece now stretches to 7455 yards and does
not exactly remind one of the Mackensie’s work at the Melbourne Sunbelt,
Cypress Point, ANGC, Crystal Downs, and Lahinch to name just a few. Yes is it very very tough, retains some
excellent holes (particularly #13 and #16), and would be a fine place for
members of OSU’s varsity to hone their games…but for my tastes, no thank
you. Back when it was a Mackensie,
Scarlet was on the GM USA Top 100 (1991-95, with a peak of #69 in 1991). Them days is gonezo. Time to drive on to Cleveland.
Wednesday Sept 2—Mayfield Sand Ridge Club—Sand Ridge: Located about 25 miles east of downtown
Cleveland, The Sand Ridge Golf Club opened for play in 1998, featuring a Tom
Fazio course built on top of a natural sand ridge about 10 miles from the
shores of Lake Erie. From a
business/financial standpoint, the club never reached cruising speed, and in
2006 merged with (or more accurately, was absorbed by Mayfield CC to become
Mayfield Sand Ridge with two separate campuses. Sand Ridge was on the Golf Digest 100 in 2001,
’05, and ’07 (highest being #52 in 2005).
Fazio as usual created a beautiful setting foe the course, and this time
provided some good width and alternative angles. Really likes homes #6 and #16. Played well till last three holes. Might be getting tired.
Wednesday Sept 2—Brookside CC: Located in Canton Ohio, and founded in 1922,
Brookside was designed by Donald Ross and built on a fabulous piece of land and
pitches and rolls in many direction and reminded me of Minneapolis GC and White
Bear Yacht Club. Club was very active
and seemed to be first rate. Brookside
was rated #97 in the USAon Links Magazine’s final 12/31/14 USA Top 100.
Played with three members, one of whom is active in the
Donald Ross Society. The greens, I was
told, have never been reconfigured since the course was first built. As a result, they are sloped to the
extreme…probably designed for speeds of about 7-8 max on the Stimp, and now
playing to about a 10 or 11 speed. Yes,
one needed to stay below the hole, but his was taken to too great an extreme. I really did love the course, but the greens
are too extreme and several of them (particularly #16) are unfair at these
speeds. While it is exciting to boast
that your greens are original Donald Ross designs, they can become unplayable
(and really slow down play) at today’s conditioning standards.
Rest of Trip
September 3 and 4 was spent at Oakmont CC and Fox Chapel CC
in Pittsburgh, PA. And then played Yale
(CT) on September 9. Going to publish
what I have now, and catch up on those three great tracks in a few days. Plus, the Golf Magazine Top 100 World and USA
lists are out this week. Stay tuned.
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