Trip from MA to NC October
13-16, 2017
On Thursday October 12, both
Pat and I finished our packing and I stuffed my car with all that would
fit. Our plan, which seemed impossible
two weeks ago just might work. I would
leave Friday morning early and drive to Philadelphia, play a little golf, visit
my brother and his family, and Pat would fly to North Carolina on Saturday. I planned to drive to Pinehurst from Maryland
Monday afternoon 10/16. Weather looked
iffy in Philly but one never knows.
Rolling Green Country Club,
October 13, 2017: Last year I was supposed to play Rolling
Green on my way south, but Hurricane Matthew had other thoughts. I played Llarench CC on the morning of
10/9/16 and was able to walk and play 18, but could not play Rolling Green as
no carts were allowed that afternoon and there was no way I could go another 18
on a soaking, hilly track. So this was
my “rain-check”.
Rolling Green was designed by
William Flynn (Shinnecock-NY, The Country Club-MA, Cherry Hills-CO, Burning
Tree-MD, The Homestead-VA, Indian Creek-FL, and too many in eastern PA to list)
and opened for play in 1926. In 1976 Jo
Ann Carner won the US Woman’s Open at Rolling Green shooting 8 over for 72
holes, and 40 years later in 2016 Eun Jeong Seong of South Korea won the US
Woman’s Amateur at Rolling Green. From
1997 through 2014, Rolling Green was on the GW USA Classic Top 100 for 18
straight years…although never high enough to make my Merged GW list.
The club name is perfect…or
perhaps it should be “Sloping Green CC”.
You better be on the correct side of the pin here, and the greenside
bunkers are as difficult to negotiate as any I have ever seen…built into the
hills leading up to raised greens. Back
tees total 6941 yards par 71. Unfortunately,
the course was not in good condition and the Club had released their greens
superintendent that morning. After a
slow start it really gets going starting on about #4 and hardly lets up after
than point. I do hope they get a good
new superintendent but no question the club will need to spend some real $$ to
get playing conditions back…but also no question that this course has “great
bones.”
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| Simply brutal 235 yard uphill par 3 14th on Rolling Green...hit driver on and parred |
Play was very slow (I think
they pushed groups off the first tee every 7-8 minutes and the entire course
was backed up) and it took our threesome 4:45 to finish but we did beat
sunset. I had a 42 – 39 = 81 for my
round and was pleased.
Saturday morning I had
breakfast with my brother Dave, his wife Rosemary, my niece Jean, nephew Sam,
and grandnephew Quinn. Good talk for
about 90 minutes and then Sam and Jean started asking me about President Trump. Suffice it to say that we all need gold stars
as no punches were thrown, or weapons brandished…sure sign of our growing
maturity.
Manufacturers Golf and
Country Club, October 14, 2017: Then it was off to
Manufacturers G&CC, designed by Flynn as well and opened in 1925. Plays 6722 yards from back tees (par 72) and
many of the holes are routed across a valley and have elevated tees and/or
elevated greens….plus there is an interesting creek that winds through the
valley affecting play on about 5 holes.
Like Rolling Green, Manufacturers had a long run on the GW Classic Top
100, 10 straight years from 1998-2007 but never high enough to make a Merged GW
100.
The clubs’ unusual name comes
from an eating club in downtown Philadelphia, founded in 1887. Most of the members were executives from
large textile manufacturers, hence the name.
In the early 1920’s the club purchased a large farm in suburban
Philadelphia and retained William Flynn to build an 18-hole course…and shortly
thereafter the club moved to this suburban site.
I thought the best hole on
the course was its shortest hole, #8, a 117 yard par three protected by a
quarry…which reminded me of the 4th hole at nearby Gulph Mills.
The course is very good but
not outstanding and after a while I tired a bit of raised greens and tees. Also, Philadelphia had been inundated with rain
that week and with Sandy Run Creek running though the valley, conditions were
very wet.
Much better conditions than
Rolling Green, but from a “bones” perspective, I liked Rolling Hills much more.
Huntingdon Valley Golf Club,
October 14, 2017: Founded in 1897, HVCC started with nine holes
and eventually expanded to 18 holes before building 27 holes at its present
location under the direction of William Flynn.
With the onset of the Depression, the club was forced into receivership
but later saved by a small group of members…but the third nine could not be
fully maintained and was just rough cut.
With gas rationing during WWII, even this rough cutting was halted. When the club decided to recover the third
nine, 50 years of growth had to be cleared, and wetland and other environmental
laws/regulations meant that the entire design had to change. By 1998 the third nine was completed, and
over the past 20-30 years the original Flynn/Toomey 18 has been restored and
updated for today’s longer distances.
I played the original 18, and
to put it simply, it is nothing short of fabulous…a true hidden gem. The front nine circles the back nine and is
laid out along the banks of the hills surrounding the main valley of the
property, with the back nine in the center.
Think of a NASCAR track…the front nine is built on the banked track
while the back nine is in the flatter (but nor flat) infield. From back tees it totals 7042 yards (par
70). The conditioning is simply superb
(it was a little but soft given all the rain, but compared with the other 5
courses I played on this short trip, it was bone dry). I went off the back and had a 3-over 38. Then on the front I fired a 2-over 37. When rating a course I make extensive notes
on my scorecard including multiple check marks to note excellent, great, and
nearly perfect holes…I almost ran out of room on the card. Favorite holes:
o #3, a 233 yard downhill par
three to a narrow but deep green with a sharp falloff on its left side
o #8, a 413 yard par 4 doglegging
left, uphill off the tee and then sharply uphill to the well protected green
o #14, a 471-yard slightly
uphill par 4…green has a false front that must extend 15 yards into the green (I
remember every one of those yards as my second shot almost reached the crest
and trickled back off the front);
o #15, a 575 yard par 5 with a
cross bunker covering the entire right half of the fairway and the left side of
the fairway sloped sharply toward that bunker…and to make it tougher, the
landing area for you drive is sloped to the right, making it hard to draw your
second shot; in summary, better be sure you can fly that bunker on your second
shot, or lay up further back—this is the best cross bunker I have ever seen;
and
o #18, a 448 yard par 4 that
bends right and is sharply sharply uphill; I played it from 355 and killed both
my drive and 3-wood and barely made the front edge (and then 3 putted).
This is a course with wide
corridors, sharp slopes, almost no flat lies, and difficult, fast greens. Above all, the golfer must think carefully
and be committed.
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| Huntingdon 9th hole...downhill par a and obvious all carry on approach (I failed to carry) |
HVCC has never made a USA Top
100 other than the GW Top 100 Classic list from 1997-2014. How it could have dropped off and how it
never made a top 100 is a true mystery to me.
This is a great golf course. Enough
said. Must get back there in 2018!
Bala Golf Club, October 15,
2017: Founded in 1900, the club started with a
9-hole course in Philadelphia and eventually expanded to 18 holes. In 1952, Bala hosted the US Woman’s Open won
by Louise Suggs. At that time it played
to a par of 69 and was 5460 yards long.
Today it plays to 5306 yards.
It is tight and fun, and the
longest 5306 yards I have ever played. I
played well on the front and faded on the back finishing with double bogies on
16, 17, and 18…38-44 = 82. Somehow, this
place fits 18 holes into about 80 acres…a throwback to say the least. Would not want to play there every day, but
great fun to play every once in a while.
After thanking my playing
partners and the head pro, it was time to start moving a little south, and I
headed actually west-southwest to Inniscrone Golf Club (PA) located northwest
of Wilmington, DE.
Inniscrone Golf Club, October
15, 2017: Inniscrone was planned as a high-end private
club. Several owners later and finally
purchased by the local township, it is in a fairly steady (and rapid) rate of
decline. Originally opened in 1999 and
designed by Gil Hanse it was either his first or second original design. What was that expression in that ad: “You’ve
come a long way, baby!”? Totaling 6611
yards (par 70), Inniscrone debuted on Golf Week’s Top 100 USA Modern Course
list in 2001 as #60 which made it #120 on my Merged GW list for that year…and
then disappeared forever. That means it
earns the crown as the fastest and steepest fall from grace in the history of
all the Top 100’s I track…remember its rating for 2002 had to be at best #201
(as GW’s Merged list has 200 positions even if I only recognize the first 100),
so after shooting up to #120, it fell at least 81 spots. That being said, Gil is a first class guy and
still lists it on his website.
Simply put, this course is
literally falling apart. The bunkers
were washed out and the roughs hardly groomed at all. I bounced around to get it done and could
hardly wait to leave. Enough said?
After the round, I got to my
car and found that someone had backed into its trunk. With some 198,000 miles my plans are to sell
it after it hits 200,000 (milestones are obviously of some import to me), so
this is not a major loss…and the good news was that the trunk stayed locked and
it could still be opened and closed (it was stuffed with our clothing, papers,
etc etc etc).
I was happy to leave
Inniscrone, and headed further south to Havre de Grace, MD where I planned to
play Bulle Rock the next morning.
Bulle Rock, October 16, 2017: I had known that Bulle Rock had hosted the
LPGA Championship from 2006-09 but knew nothing else about the course, despite
having passed within 5-7 miles of the course whenever I travelled through
Maryland on I-95 since it opened in 1998.
Didn’t even know it was designed by Pete Dye!!
The name Bulle Rock comes
from the first thoroughbred horse brought to the USA. It sits on an expansive 235 acres and has
most of Pete Dye’s “signatures”…sharp angles, railway ties, and of course an 18th
hole with water extending all along one side (in this case the left). As an upscale daily fee track, for the last
20 years it has been a perennial on different magazine “best courses you can
play” lists. From 1999-2007 it was a
staple on GW’s Top 100 Modern Courses list, peaking at #64 in 2002 but never
strong enough to make the Merged Golf Week list.
Like all the courses in this
area (or at least all of the six I played), recent rains had soaked the property
and firm/fast was just a pipe dream. It
had rained hard the prior night and standing water remained in many
fairways…but otherwise the course was in superb condition.
Dye made excellent use of
natural contouring in designing this one.
I was the first person to tee off this morning (off the back as the
front nine was wetter than the back).
Best holes were:
o #13, a 476 yard par 4
doglegging right around a ravine; blind tee shot with lots of trouble right
makes for a tough hole…but at least today the ball would not run hard thru the
fairway;
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| Bulle Rock approach shot on par 4 13th |
o #15, uphill 529 yard par 5
that turns left and then right as it snakes its way around and through wetlands
left and then a stream running along the right side to a deep but narrow green;
and
o #6, downhill 413 yard par 4
with wetlands left and right off the tee and green angled left front to back
right and very well protected by massive bunker front right…tee shot must flirt
with fall off to wetlands on left side of fairway for any proper angle into the
green.
With no roll, this was a long
course (7375 yards from back). Had a 44
– 43 = 87 and was anxious to get in my car, get through Washington DC traffic
and get back home. I would classify this
as a very good Dye course and probably properly rated.
Fortunately, I zipped thru DC
and hit no traffic anywhere on the drive, and was home around 7:30pm and most
happy to be there.
And I stood at a lifetime
total of 999 courses! During the drive I
thought about alternatives for my 1000th. Streamsong Black had received great initial
reviews but I wanted to go there with Pat this winter as she loves
Streamsong. As you know, I eventually
settled on The Cradle, the new Gil Hanse 9 hole par 3 course at Pinehurst, and
knocked that off October 19, 2017.
Interesting that #998 and #1000 were both by Hanse, one his first or
second original design and the other his latest…sandwiching a Pete Dye
creation.
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| Cradle after two 9 hole loops and birdieing #9 second time |
What is Next? I am leaving for a five-day trip tonight to
Atlanta, Chattanooga, and St. Louis and am scheduled to play 8 or 9
courses. Here is where the bucket lists
stand and possible impacts from this upcoming trip:
1. Play all 50 states…DONE
2. Play all Men’s Major Venues
ever…two left…one of which scheduled for 11/3.
3. Play all US Senior Open
Venues…semi DONE…2018 site not played
4. All CUPS (Ryder, Pres.,
Walker, Solheim, and Curtis) ever…two left
5. Play all US Amateur sites
ever…DONE
6. Play all US Mid-Amateur sires
ever…two left…one of which scheduled for 10/30
7. Golf Mag USA Top 100
ever…DONE
8. Golf Digest USA Top 100
ever…three left
9. Golf Week Merged List Top 100
ever…two left…one of which scheduled for 11/1
10. Golf Week 2016 and 2017 all
200 Modern and Classic…2016 DONE and one left for 2017…scheduled for 10/30
11. Play 1000 courses…DONE
In total…14 left of which 4
are scheduled for this trip.
Obviously the above excludes
my completing the World Top 100 EVER from 10 Sources, and the British
Championships Venues EVER (Open Championship, Senior Open Championship, and
Amateur Championship) a while ago.
On the horizon (possibly)…US
Woman’s Open Venues…only 14 to go and this coming trip is scheduled to reduce
that to 13.
One thing I can say, it is
good to be caught up on my blog!! That
should last just about 24 hours! 😟😟
