124. Pinehurst #4 and Chechessee Creek

124.  Pinehurst #4 and Chechessee Creek

Pinehurst Resort-Course #4, November 20, 2018:  I first played Pinehurst #4 in 1974 during my second visit to Pinehurst.  As an architectural know nothing (or at best “know not much”) in those days, I thought it was really special.  I played it a number of times in the 1970’s, but since joining CCNC in 1998, had only played it once (in 2013). 

It first opened in 1919 and was originally designed by Donald Ross.  After World War II (and probably after Ross passed away in 1948), Peter Tufts started tinkering with its design.  In 1973, Robert Trent Jones, Sr. completed a redesign of #4, which was modified by his son Rees in 1982.  Then in 1999 Tom Fazio added his touches and completed its conversion to a lush, tree lined parkland course…marked by numerous small pot bunkers.

Over the past 10 years, the Pinehurst Resort embarked on a bold plan to upgrade its offerings and the following facilities have been upgraded, developed, or refurbished:

o  Pinehurst #2 was restored to its original design principles (appropriately adjusted for todays equipment and distances) and reopened in 2010 to rave reviews;  Coore-Crenshaw led the restoration and in 2014 the US Open returned to Pinehurst #2 for the third time and is returning again in 2024 (see my Post #104 regarding Pinehurst #2);

o   Thistle Dhu, an 18 hole 15,000 sq. ft. putting green opened in 2012 and incorporating the word “fun” into Pinehurst’s lexicon; this is named after a large practice putting green built by Mr. James Barber of Barber Steamship Lines in the backyard of his Pinehurst home.  Legend has it that upon inspecting the completed green, Barber exclaimed “This’ll do!”, which became Thistle Dhu and now is the name of the Resorts’ practice green.

o  Pinehurst Cradle, a 9-hole 780 yard par 3 course opened for play just over a year ago, and I played it October 19, 2017 as my 1,000^thgolf course; it has been a real attraction for young golfers, elders, families, and scratch players since…many of whom have been enjoying Thistle Dhu  (see my Posts #102 regarding The Cradle and #122 regarding short courses);

o  Pinehurst Brewing Co., installed in Pinehurst’s old steam power plant that once supplied electricity and stream heat to the Village; it is now a brewery and restaurant incorporating many of the architectural features of the original steam house, and adds “fun” to the agenda after the sun sets;

o  Pinehurst #4, which has now reopened after completion of a massive redesign by Gil Hanse, perhaps the game’s hottest architect.

I played it with Steve Smith, a friend from CCNC and Toronto.  Steve is also a Panelist for Golf Digest, and was at the Ohoopee outing the prior week (Post #124).

I had a number of reactions to the redesign. It is very bold…opening up sweeping vistas by removing or thinning tree stands ands replacing many small pot bunkers with bold and large waste and regular bunkers…akin to those installed on #2 by Coore and Crenshaw.  However, this is in no way a copy of #2…the greens generally sit low against the ground (as opposed to #2’s famous crowned greens)…and while Pinehurst #2 is relatively flat (with the exception of #5, #13 and #18), #4 has always been blessed by more dramatic land movement.

The basic routing of #4 is essentially the same as before…but the greens are very different.  Prior to Hanse’s efforts, they were fairly flat…today they are bold and feature strong slopes, mounds, and ridges.  I thought the best holes were #2, #5, #7-10, #16 and #18.  

On the negative side, I thought some of the greens might be too extreme, and while the drainage is much improved from before (when it was not good), there were a good number of very soft wet areas.  It is true that Pinehurst had received a lot of rain over the prior month, but I had played CCNC-Dogwood two rain-free days earlier and it was much firmer and faster than #4 (the courses lie about 1 mile apart).  I plan to play #4 again in the coming months to give it a second look.  In the meantime…I think it belongs just outside of a USA Top 100…but look forward to seeing it again.  In any case, I had a 43 – 40 = 83.

Chechessee Creek Club, November 21-23, 2018:  Pat and I first played Chechessee Creek in March 2011 during a drive back from a golf trip to the Palm Beach Jupiter and Vero Beach areas of FL.  We returned to Chechessee in mid-November that year and have returned every Thanksgiving from 2012 -18.  In total, I have played Chechessee 26.3 times and Pat has played it 20.5 times in our nine visits.

We stayed this year in Beaufort, SC at the new home of our friends Dolly and Richard Brown.  John Hill and his wife and Cathy Carter joined us for Thanksgiving dinner, and the weather held with no rain.

As I have covered Chechessee on Posts #65 and #104, I shall be brief.  CCC opened in 2000 and was designed by Coore-Crenshaw.  Put simply Chechessee has the best clubhouse built in the last 75 years, and it has the subtlest slopes on its greens, near the greens, and near its bunkers and other hazards/trouble spots that I have ever seen…with the possible exception of The Old Course.  Miss the top of what appears to be a mild slope…and watch your ball start moving back about 10’-40’.  You really have to know this course and think around it.  Played three rounds...had 85, 93 (ugly), and 78 (same guy??? as wifey says...same guy just a little older and a little wiser).

As many of you who live on the USA’s east coast (or from reading my last few posts) know, over the past two months the rainfall here has been at historic highs.  While its greens were simply perfect, Chechessee’s fairways showed the effects of these rains…probably because they had been overseeded with rye grass several weeks ago.  I am not a fan of overseeding except in unusual circumstances…and Chechessee does not, into my mind, meet those circumstances.  Hope they go back to dormant Bermuda grass in 2019.  Still love the place!

123. Quick Trip South to Much Anticipated Ohoopee Match Club

123.  Quick Trip South to Much Anticipated Ohoopee Match Club

In August 2018 I received via email an invitation to play in the Inaugural Bernard Darwin Matches at Ohoopee Match Club. Ohoopee has been much anticipated by golf aficionados for some time now.  Founded by internet entrepreneur Michael Walrath (sold his company to Yahoo! for $850 million in 2007), Ohoopee’s official opening was in October 2018. The course was designed by Gil Hanse, his “partner in crime” Jim Wagner, and his team of “Cavemen”.  Over the next couple of months I learned of some of the other participants (40 in all, and I knew about 15 before the event).   The Matches were scheduled for November 14 and 15, and after a careful study of my to do list, I decided to tack on Greystone Golf & CC-Founders Course on Friday November 16, since it was almost next door to Ohoopee (a mere 5 hour drive west near Birmingham, AL…and it would only take me 7:45 to get back to Pinehurst assuming no traffic in Atlanta…once again proving the meaning of the first three letters of assuming).

In any case, I departed at 4:58am the morning on Wednesday November 14 on a 5-hour drive to the thriving metropolis of Cobbtown, GA, in southeastern Georgia.  BTW, have zero idea the genesis of that name but doubt it is Ty Cobb, who was born in northeastern Georgia.

Ohoopee Match Club-Championship Course, November 14, 2018:  Back about eleven years ago three young men with a passion for golf and golf architecture were in search of land (and $$) to build a “classic” golf course. Fortunately for them, they failed to do so prior to the collapse of many financial markets starting in the second half of 2008. 

Instead in 2010 they founded The Outpost Club…a “virtual” club or golf  “society”. I joined in early 2011 but resigned a year later due to a medical condition which happily subsided thereafter (knock on wood).  Today The Outpost Club seems to be thriving and some two of its founders helped pull together The Ohoopee Match Club on a former onion farm encompassing some 3500 acres. Ohoopee is controlled by Michael Walrath, a serial entrepreneur who sold his first major company to Yahoo! in 2007 for $850 million and has a handicap index of 0.9 these days (was as low as 0.1 earlier this year)…in other words, he can play. 

The Championship course encompasses 18 of the club’s 22 holes (very confusing but I promise to explain later) and from the back tees stretches to 7319 yards. Before I get into the course description, you need to understand that the club is firmly focused on promoting match play (as opposed to stroke play) golf.  For non-golfers, when you are watching the PGA Tour on TV…you are watching stroke play…the objective is to have the lowest total number of strokes over a round of 18 holes, or of a tournament (usually 4 rounds or 72 holes).  But most golf in the USA and elsewhere is played in match play format.  In match play…it is you against a single opponent (or your team of two against a single team of two) as opposed to you against a large field.  In a match play tournament, the winner plays a series of matches and must win them all (similar to the winner of the NCAA basketball championship winning six straight games).  Once you lose, you are eliminated and either go home, go drinking, to go into the consolation bracket (otherwise known as “kissing your sister”).  

In match play, the player who wins the most holes wins the match.  It does not matter if you win a hole by one stroke or 5 strokes…it still counts as one hole won.  Hence the playing strategy is very different and players are much more inclined to take risks…as the penalty for failure can be no more than one hole (in stroke play a risky shot can easily cost 2-4 strokes while attempting to extradite oneself from trouble).  

Finally, some courses/holes are better suited for match play and some better suited for stroke play.  Courses designed for stroke play will often “build to a crescendo” toward the end of the round to increase pressure, and risk/reward situations will be more muted.  In match play, many matches are concluded before the last couple of holes so an architect may not want to hold best their best holes until the end of the round. And, if the risk of catastrophe is too great, players will be more conservative.  For example, some question the difficulty of Royal Liverpool’s very first hole…dogleg right with out of bounds all along the right side…but this makes for a wonderful first playoff hole when a match is all square (“tied”) after 18.  In the stroke play Open Championship it is now played as the third hole.  

Another example is #4 at Brookline.  The 2013 US Amateur was conducted at Brookline;  during stroke play qualifying rounds players shied away from trying to drive the short par four 4^thbecause the shot is blind, the green is extremely small, and the trouble left and long is ghastly…and right is no picnic.  But facing these same challenges during match play many gave it a “go” as the worst thing that could happen if they were left or long was loss of a hole…as opposed to dropping 2-4+ strokes.  In part because of this (as well as some other factors), Brookline’s Composite Course for the 2022 US Open may drop #4 and bring in the short downhill par 3 12^thinstead.  Risk-reward is a trade off, and stroke play can tend to magnify the risk, thereby leading to more conservative play.

OK, enough of this HHS (Happy Horse Sxxx). Now to the golf course.  It is brilliantly strategic in design and reminded me of The Old Course at St. Andrews and Kingston Heath in the Melbourne Sandbelt in this way.  The fairways (with one exception) are overly wide and extremely generous.  But almost without fail, if you want a playable safe approach shot, you had to flirt with real trouble (generally difficult bunkers or scrub bushes and random high grass…there is no “manicured rough) off the tee.  Trade offs abound at Ohoopee, and the golfer is left to make the decisions.  And that is (1) exactly as it should be, and (2) superb architectural design.  The greens are large and resemble “mergers” of several bowls…with the bowls separated by reasonably high ridges within the green.  And trust me there are places on these greens you do not want to be (depending on that day’s pin position).  In many ways the greens reminded me of Hanse’s work at Streamsong-Black (Post #106). 

One of the great things about this course is it has 18 superb holes…and they “weave” together into an outstanding routing. The “ebb and flow” of the course is brilliant, and with the exception of from #1 green to #2 tee, the walks from green to tee are short.  The property has about five different “looks/feels” and the transition from one to another is seamless (a la Cypress Point).  Those looks/feels include:

o  Pine Valley (especially #11 with its version of Hell’s Half Acre on PVGC’s #7 and #17 which reminded me of PVGC’s #17);

o  Tobacco Road (NC) on the Par 3 165 yard #5;

o  Royal Melbourne’s bunkering;

o  the wetlands alongside Yeamans Hall GC…no wetlands here but the high grass sure reminded me of them; and

o  bush country in South Africa…Bill Schulz had mentioned this at lunch when I first arrived and I scratched my head…but then noticed the same look that afternoon.

The conditioning here is excellent.  I do not know how deep the sand goes here before one hits clay or rock, but this place had been inundated with rain before our arrival…and when I teed off on #1, I literally had to press hard to get the tee in the ground.  I was pleasantly shocked.  

The clubhouse was designed by the same architectural firm that designed the clubhouse at Chechessee Creek GC…and it shows. Comfortable, functional, simple, and inviting are words that immediately come to mind.  And the cook whips up wonderful food.  There are dormitory buildings that sleep 42 in single rooms that are excellent without any hint of being over the top (have zero idea how far one must travel to find a hotel room in these parts).

Favorite holes…probably #4, #5, #11 and #13…but given the choices, that is too hard a question:

--#4 is 342 downhill drivable straight par 4…with wide fairway if you lay back off the tee that just keeps narrowing the further you hit your tee shot (see pic), and the green had a very wicked pin position deep right;

 

Ohoopee #4, 342 yards...wide off tee unless you go for it.

--#5 is a 165 yard uphill par 3 that “feels” like Tobacco Road…and whose large green boomerangs in front around a very deep bunker…and slopes heavily from left to right;

--#11 is 562 yard par 5, downhill off tee, then across the Hell’s XX Acre mentioned earlier, then uphill to a green sitting on a crest and surrounded by bunkers…not sure this would work on a stroke play course but should work great for match play; and

--#13 is a 256 yard par 3, down hill off the tee and then a sharp slope uphill fronting a green with a false front and then Biarritz dip just behind the false front…very cool green and hole.

On Wednesday we played a four-ball match and I partnered with Andy Troeger of NM (I had played with Andy at Brookline about 6 years ago), beating the team of Bob McCoy and Jay Bingham.  I had hosted Jay at Brookline several years ago and Bob is one of the pioneers amongst golf aficionados and has been a friend for about 4-5 years

Weatherwise we lucked out….the forecast had been for rain every minute were were there.  But at least for this first day, it held off.  We were dry for 15 holes, then played about 1 ½ holes in light rain and the last 1 ½ in medium rain…but no complaints (the last fourball teed off 50 minutes behind us and was not so fortunate).  After a good shower, drinks and dinner, I was happy to get some sleep. Thursday was scheduled for 18 holes of the Whiskey, or short course and a singles match against Will Smith (one of the founders of The Outpost Club).  It poured heavily through the night!!

Ohoopee Match Club-Whiskey Course, November 15, 2018:  Consistent with the forecast from the previous night, it stopped raining about 6:30am.  Tee times were scheduled from 8:00 to 9:30 and the “strainer” on which Ohoopee’s 23 holes sits did its thing once again.  But it was definitely colder…about 45°F when we teed off.

For the Whiskey Course, holes 2-5 drop out…and are replaced by four new holes (“A” through “D”).  Additionally, the 525 yard par 5 6^thbecomes the 2^ndplaying as a 375 yard par 4, the 562 par 5 11^thbecomes a par 4 of 298 yards, and the long par 3 13^thand short par 4 14^threverse roles…becoming a short par 4 followed by a long par 3.  The other 10 holes are played from forward tees resulting in a 5610 yards par 69 compared with a 7319 yard par 72 for the Championship.  Hard to explain…or I did a lousy job of explaining it…or both.

The Whiskey Course was somewhat of an afterthought, but definitely flows and plays wonderfully.  And interestingly, hole #7 on Whiskey (“A” hole…I saw you smile and you have a filthy mind), a 499 yard par 5, might be the best hole of all 22. It is fairly straight and flat, with the wildest green I can recall playing or seeing.  Jim Wagner designed it creating a punchbowl protected by bunkers and mounding, and including a small section of the green that wraps around (from the left side) behind a large mound behind the center of the green…truly crazy but it actually works.

Will Smith beat my butt this day; I was four down through 4, and closed out on 13…one of those matches where the word “if” cannot even be attempted.  Which brings up a question for you English or Linguistic majors…did the word “if” exist in the English language before the game of golf was created? 

The other match in our foursome was Andy Johnson (creator of “The Fried Egg” blog) against his buddy Peter Korbakes (founder of Sugarloaf Social Club), both good guys and  from Chicago.  Today, we escaped the rain and stayed dry.  

All in all, a very special two day event at a magnificent new club and course.  Only a question of how high this one goes on upcoming lists and in the years following (as many lists require a minimum number of panelist evaluations, and Ohoopee is very exclusive, it may take a while for it to qualify for some lists). Glad I played it, met new friends, and renewed old friendships.  Now it was time to get back into the car.

The drive to Birmingham AL took the forecast 5 hours as I somehow avoided rush hour in Atlanta (which generally runs continuously except between 2:00am and 3:01am).  Strangely though, the area near Hoover, AL had some of the worst traffic in every direction when I arrived (around 7:30pm)…in all directions (and there was no football game nearby).

Greystone Golf & Country Club-Founders Course, November 16, 2018:  I was playing here because from 2016-19 it has hosted and will host the Senior Tour Tradition, a Champions Tour Major event.  Previously, Greystone had hosted the Bruno’s Memorial Classic from 1992-2005. The course opened in 1991 and was designed by Bob Cupp and Hubert Green.  It has never been included on any Top 100 list.  From the tips it plays to 7293 yards (par 72).  

I thought the best hole was the long par 4 3^rd(453 yards) but frankly found the course to be fairly pedestrian, especially after playing Ohoopee for two days.  It was in very good condition and is difficult to score well on…but very little thinking is required.  Finally the aesthetics are not exactly enhanced by the homes that line every fairway…they are beautiful homes, but they do not add to the golf experience. I had a 43 – 39 = 82.

The good news was that I was the first player off after a one-hour frost delay, and was able to leave by noon (Central Time). The drive home was supposed to take eight hours but ended up taking nine…making for a long day.  Atlanta traffic got its revenge!  I pulled into our driveway just before 10pm and certainly slept late on Saturday!

122. Drive from Milton, MA to Pinehurst, NC (Part II) and comments regarding short courses

122.  Drive from Milton, MA to Pinehurst, NC (Part II) and comments regarding short courses

Sunnybrook Country Club, November 2, 2018:  I awoke around 6:30 and much to my surprise found a weather forecast that showed clouds all day but no rain expected until around 5pm.  I went to Sunnybrook CC first and arrived at 8:00 but the pro shop was locked up tight.  A staff member brought me to the GM who explained that this time of the years, the proshop opens at 9am…but he got me going so I was able to tee off by 8:45.

Now for some background on Sunnybrook.  In 1913 four members of Philadelphia Cricket Club defected and set out to form a new club.  They purchased a farm in Flourtown, secured a charter, and in 2015 their Donald Ross designed course opening, using an old farmhouse as a clubhouse. A new clubhouse was completed 13 years later.  

Then in 1954 a search for a new location was started…forced upon the club by the impending new Route 309.  A 135-acre site was purchased in December 1954 and 18 months later a new 18 holes course designed by William Gordon and his son David (Saucon Valley CC—Grace and Weyhill courses in PA; Stanwich Club in CT). The clubhouse was finished in February 1956 and the course and clubhouse were renovated and refurbished in 2007. In 1971 Sunnybrook hosted the US Senior Men’s Amateur Championship and in 1978 the US Women’s Amateur Championship. It has never been on a USA Top 100 listing.

The course is very very good, and was in very good condition.  About 13 of the 18 holes run along a SSW---NNE axis and run down from the clubhouse area (or up to it) through a valley.  Three holes run along an E---W axis to the west of the clubhouse.  The course has a very open feel to it, the greens are superbly bunkered and overall the course is beautifully simple in its architecture.  Nothing screams very loudly here but the downhill and uphill holes play more uphill and downhill than they look.  And the overall slopes of the greens are essentially defined by the slope down to and up from the valley.  Very quiet but very tough track…7027 yards (par 72) with a Rating of 74.8 and slope of 144…fairly strong for a relative unknown.  But at the same time very playable.  I had a 43 – 40 = 83.  After the round introduced myself to the head pro, said thanks, and was off to Aronimink.

Aronimink Golf Club, November 2, 2018:  Aronimink GC was founded in 1896, and has been at its current (and 3^rd) location (designed by Donald Ross) since 1926.  It is a big course, playing 7267 yards (par 70) for amateurs (Keegan Bradley’s win this year was at 20 under par!) on a superb piece of land.  In its history it has hosted/will host multiple important championships including the following:

            --1962 PGA Championship (won by Gary Player)

            --1977 US Amateur Championship (John Fought)

            --1997 US Junior Amateur Championship (Jason Allred)

            --2003 Senior PGA Championship (John Jacobs)

            --2010/11 AT&T National Championship Justin Rose and Nick Watney)

            --2015 BMW Championship (Keegan Bradley)

            --2020 Women’s PGA Championship

            --2027 PGA Championship

I had played Aronimink once before in September 2012.  It had been renovated by Ron Prichard in 2003, and more recently, Gil Hanse commenced a restoration in 2016.  I found it to be vastly improved and far more exciting today compared with my memories of my round in 2012.  Best holes…#8, 9, 10, 11, and 18…with #11 being the most memorable.  Only 425 yards, but protected by 20 (yup 20!) bunkers uphill to a very difficult green.  

 

Aronimink Par 4 11th hole with 20 bunkers

Aronimink Green #10 in foreground and Green #8 behind it

Both the 9^thand 18^thgreens sit on top of a hill and in front of the club’s majestic clubhouse.  These are outstanding holes (9 being a par 5 of 605 yards and 18 a par 4 of 463 yards) and the clubhouse reminded me of similar structures at Detroit GC (MI), CC of Detroit (MI), CC of Buffalo (NY), The Park CC (NY), Winged Foot GC (NY), and Mountain Ridge CC (NJ).

I played it less than eight weeks after the 2018 BMW Championship concluded and there remained signed of the huge crowds; additionally, the greens had just been lightly punched and top-dressed.  On spite of these factors, the course was in magnificent condition.  I had a good round, 40 – 40 = 80.  Finished strong with a BTS (OK, I’ll give you a clue…The BT stands for Better Than…now you go figure out the “S”) 3-wood up the hill to about 10 feet on 18, but missed the birdie putt (but did hole out from the front bunker on 13 for a birdie). 

In terms of prior Top 100 listings, Aronomink has never appeared in a World Top 100, but has appeared in 54 of the 71 USA Top 100 lists I have on my spreadsheet.   Its highest current list is in Golf Digest at #78, and its highest ever was #49 on Golf Digest in 1987.  I have a suspicion that it will be moving upwards after more panelists see it post Hanse’s restoration.  I did not walk away from Aronimink six years ago with strong positive thoughts…I thought it was a very good course that failed to get one’s juices flowing…that has definitely changed for the better.

After the round, I met my nephew Sam in downtown Philadelphia to catch up on his life, and then headed south around 5pm for Charlottesville, VA.  The drive would take almost 5 hours due to blinding thunderstorms about 90 minutes short of Charlottesville.  Happily, I was just playing 18 Saturday and my tee time was noon.

Full Cry at Keswick Golf Club, November 3, 2018: Originally designed in 1949 by Fred Findlay (a prolific architect whose works are concentrated in Virginia), Keswick had been renovated by Arnold Palmer in 1991.  The golf course sits just below the Keswick Hall Hotel, a historic property that has been undergoing an extensive renovation since late 2017.  

In late 2012. Pete Dye started working on a new renovation of Keswick and it was finished by late 2014.  The resulting course is fun, and requires thinking and precision.  Filled with lots of Dye’s small bunkers (total of 81 bunkers on the course), one often faces bunker shots with awkward stances (one foot in the other out, ball in feet our…o vice versa, etc.).  Similar bunker shapes and sizes are found at Brookline.  After 10 years dealing with such stances, I have concluded that courses with bunkers with high ratios of bunker perimeters to bunker areas are tougher to play.  Think about it…when you can settle into a bunker with a normal stance, it ain’t so hard…not the case when you stance is half in-half out, etc etc.

On most holes, the tee shot offers strategic alternatives…play a safe tee shot and face a difficult approach, or hit a tee shot to an area with trouble nearby and if successful you are rewarded with a generous approach.  This requires you to know your game and think through the alternatives.  Best holes are:

 

Keswick #2 green and hole from behind---see Keswick Hall in distance

 #2 (609 yard uphill par 5 that is gorgeous to look back from—see pic), #5 (471 yard flat par 4 turning left to green angles from front left to back right and well protected on right…and I hit a “BTS” 3 wood into the green!), 

#9 (328 yard par 4 that looks simple, until one sees the angle—front right to back left--and shaping of the green), 

#11 (203 yard downhill par 3 to angled green well protected on left by bunkers which are to be avoided,

#12 (588 yard par 5 circling left with a bunker 70 yards short of the green smack in the center of the fairway…I love center cut bunkers as they make you think!),

#15 (461 yard par 4 turning right to raised angled green, and 

#18 (467 yard dogleg left par 4 downhill off tee and up to raised green with a pond and large bunker on the left waiting for your tee shot.

Course plays to 7134 yards par 72.  I had a 43 – 43 = 86.

Interesting how Dye has gone back to his original style of courses at the twilight of his career.  And what a career it has been…always at the edge, and the tutor of some of the greatest architects designing today (e.g., Coore, Doak, Urbina, and Whitman).  Member of Golf’s Hall of Fame…simply a genius with the guts to try something new. Sadly, today the genius’ mind is crippled by dementia…but what a gift he has been to the game.

Farmington Country Club-Main Course, November 4, 2018:  I have been attempting to schedule a trip to Charlottesville to play Keswick and Farmington since last April.  It did not work for my trip from Pinehurst to Milton in late April as both courses said they were in questionable condition after the difficult winter.  Then I tried to combine these two with my trip to WV in September, but again, there were issues with course conditioning.  For this trip, I approached golfers I knew from VA…and they found me members to sponsor or accompany me.

Farmington was my first objective because its Main Course has hosted a US Senior Amateur in 1993 and hence was on one of my secondary bucket lists.  Additionally, I had heard superb reports about its new East Course, a short 10-hole track by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw.  

A couple of weeks before my visit my game at Farmington was firmed up with Michael Moore (no…not the commie film producer) who is a business school professor at Northwestern (formerly taught at UVA and lives in Charlottesville).  As Mike testified as an expert witness in the Tom Brady Deflategate trial, I knew it would be any interesting day.

The property where the club is located was known as the estate of Farmington as far back as 1735 (the club’s website says the estate was “patented” that year…so how do you patent an estate??...maybe this explains what happened to the British Empire!).    In 1780, a house was first constructed on the estate and then in 1803 Thomas Jefferson drew up plans for an addition to the house.   That building is now the club’s main clubhouse after painstaking restoration work to bring it back to conform to Jefferson’s plans in stages from 1927 to 1976.  The club was formerly founded in 1927.

We were scheduled to play the 18-hole Main Course first but were held up by a frost delay and teed off at 10:30.  Mike and I played as a twosome.  The property is VERY hilly…there literally is not anything close to a flat hole amongst the 28 holes, and only three of the fourteen par 4’s and 5’s are straight.  Best holes are: 

#3—uphill then downhill sharp dogleg right par 4 of 443 yards;

#4---downhill par 4 of 375 yards turning left with creek and heavy rough along left side and fairways sloping steeply right to left;

#5---dogleg par 4 of 453 yards, flat off tee and uphill to raided green…fairway slopes to right toward creek along right side

#10—uphill par 3 or 249 yards to green sloping heavily back to front

#11—sharp dogleg left uphill off tee then downhill to green (good poke to the turn)

#16---580 yard par 5 uphill all the way and turning left around trees all the way

The course’s condition was OK but not great. It also has a good number of isolated trees that I would take down…which would open up even more spectacular vista’s of the mountains.  Overall, IMO a very good course that is in need of a restoration.

Scorewise, I had a 42 – 42 = 84.  AND…course count wise this brought me to a even 1100, about one year and two weeks after hitting #1000.

Comments Regarding Short Courses:  Before I delve into the East course, I would like to make some observations regarding par3/short/executive courses today.  

Thinking back 30-40 years or so, there were very few short courses in existence.  Without really researching, I can think of only three:  Augusta National’s par 3, Turnberry’s Pitch ‘n Putt (located at the bottom of the hill leading up to the hotel), and North Berwick’s Children’s Course (adults allowed…but only when accompanied by a child).  ANGC’s is certainly the best know especially since the Par 3 event that precedes the Masters started being televised.  North Berwick’s is certainly the oldest, having been established in 1888 (no typo there) as a Ladies Links. 

The recent proliferation is amazing.  I can think of the following that have opened in the last 20-30 years:

                        

                        Pine Valley Short Course (NJ)-10 holes

                        Hamilton Farms Hickory (NJ)-18 holes

                        Bandon Dunes- Preserve (OR)-13 holes

                        Sand Valley-Sandbox (WI)-17 holes

                        Farmington-East (VA)-10 holes

                        Treetops-Threetops (MI)-9 holes*

                        Big Cedar Lodge-Top of the Rock (MO)-9 holes*

                        Big Cedar Lodge-Mountain Top (MO)-13 holes*

                        Pinehurst Resort-The Cradle (NC)-9 holes

                        Bluejack National-The Playgrounds (TX)-10 holes*

                        Streamsong Resort-The Roundabout (FL)-9 holes*

                        Whispering Pines-Needler (TX)-9 holes*

* I have not played this short course.

You may note that Sweetens Cove in TN and Royal Worlington in England are not included above.  Both are brilliant 9 holers…but both are “standard length” 9 holers…so they are not included above.  Same of course holds for Honesdale Golf Club (PA), the first course I ever played (in 1955) and a none holer.

In the “old days” par three courses were always exclusively par 3’s, and the courses were always 9 holes.  Now, there are no rules and there is no single model. Note the following:

Pine Valley’s is not only 10 holes, but only two of the ten are original holes (not adaptations of big course holes).  Of the eight adaptations, three are from par 3’s, 4 from par 4’s and one from the par 5 15^th.  On the five adaptations of approaches on par 4’s and 5’s you are not supposed to “tee it up” on these…any more than you would use a tee on an approach shot on the main course.  Very different and brilliant concept!

Hamilton Farm’s Hickory is a full 18 holes…all par 3’s.

Of the 12 courses listed above, only 5 are 9 holes

The longest hole at Bluejack National’s Playground is about 95 yards.

Farmington’s East incorporates six par 3’s, three short par 4’s, and a short par 5.

As I said…no rules and no single model.  But in today’s hurried world, perhaps a short course option is what is needed to expand the game.  One thing is consistent about these short courses…they are FUN!!!

Finally, the following may be heretical to put in writing, but IMO Augusta’s par 3 is beginning to feel a little bit out of date and in need to some freshening.

Farmington Country Club-East Course, November 4, 2018:  Over the years, the members at Farmington lost interest in playing their third nine (East).  Someone at the club knew Bill Coore and asked him to look at the East (Coore was in Charlottesville developing plans for a new course on the Kluge estate for the Trump Organization).  Coore concluded the property couldn’t work for a standard 9 holes, but then realized it could work well for a “short” or “executive” nine.  I am guessing that the issue was the hilly terrain, which made it difficult to find long enough corridors for standard par 4’s and 5’s…but might work very well for shorter holes.  So back to Farmington he went with a proposal not for a third nine…but a “short” course…and that short course today is simply brilliant and so much fun…I smile just thinking about it.

Due to the recent rains (about 56 inches ytd), no carts were allowed, so we walked and this course is hillier than the main course.  There are 10 holes…one of which was “inserted” by Coore to fill a gap of about 90 yards between the 3^rdgreen and 5^thtee.  The other nine holes (1-3 and 5-10) are considered to be the nine hole course, with a par of 32…including the 4^thmakes it a ten hole course with a par of 35.

The course is fun and fair, challenging but very playable.  And, since you did ask, I had an even par 32 for the nine hole course and a one over 35 for the 10 hole course.  Hit it very well and did it without sinking a putt of over 6 feet.  None nice way to end the trip!  Thinking about all the short courses listed above, my number one would is Pine Valley and #2 would have to be Farnington-East.

Thanked the staff in the pro shop for a wonderful day and gave big thanks to Bill for hosting me.  Hope to have him at Brookline in 2019. 

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While I did make some progress with the trip from Milton to Pinehurst, I did have an “add back”.  My spreadsheet (I am deeply embarrassed to say) included Treetop’s Resort’s R T Jones Masterpiece course in the 1997-2000 Golf Week USA Top 100 Modern list (and given a high rating in 1997, in the 1997 Golf Week Merged Top 100). Another spreadsheet guy (Paul R. formerly of Chicago, now Austin, TX) advised that he thought the Treetops course was the Rick Smith Signature Course.  I could not resolve this until we returned to Pinehurst where I have my original copies of Top 100 lists…and when I reviewed the originals I saw that the other Paul was correct.  The nutty thing is that this past June I returned to Treetops to play the last 6y holes of the Jones course!  Alas, another trip necessary but I probably will to get back to Northern Michigan to play Arcadia Bluffs-South.

Sooo, after my trip south, and after fixing the Treetops issue…here is where I stand today:

TOP 100 EVER Lists

World 100 EVER—    Austin GC, Texas

                                    Huntercombe GC, England

USA 100 EVER--       Austin GC, Texas

                                    Bonita Bay-Marsh Course, Florida

                                    Treetops Resort—Rick Smith Signature

GW 100 Classic & 100 Modern EVER—(25 courses, excluding 2 duplicates)

                                    

                                    Chenal, Arkansas

                                    Bluffs-Thompson Creek, Louisiana

                                    Austin GC, Texas

                                    Barton Creek-Canyons, Texas

                                    Crown Colony, Texas

                                    Spanish Oaks, Texas

                                    Vaquero, Texas

Orchards, Michigan

Treetops Resort-Rick Smith Signature

Virtues (was Longaberger), Ohio

Ravenna, Colorado

Iron Horse, Wyoming

Powder Horn-Mount/Stag, Montana

Apache Stronghold, Arizona

The Gallery-North, Arizona

Mirabel, Arizona

Seven Canyons, Arizona

Whisper Rock-Lower, Arizona

Granite Bay, California

Madison Club, California

Winchester, California

Astoria, Oregon

Broken Top, Oregon

Oregon GC, Oregon

Pronghorn-Nicklaus, Oregon

San Pines, Oregon

Desert Canyon, Washington

Total (net of duplicates)—29 courses            

Event EVER Lists

Current Men’s Majors EVER:           DONE

Current Senior Majors EVER:            Reserve Vineyards-South (OR)

                                                            Superstition Mtn-Prospector (AZ)    

                                                            Ft Lauderdale CC (FL)

                                                            Port St Lucie CC (FL)

                                                            Turnberry Isle-Souffer (FL)

                                                            Bobby Jones—Sarasota CC (FL)

                                                            Dunedin CC—PGA Nat’l (FL)

                                                            Ft Myers CC (FL)

                                                            Dearborn CC (MI)

                                                            TPC of Michigan (MI)

                                                            Greystone-Founders (AL)

Current Women’s Majors EVER:       Kalispel G&CC—Spokane CC (WA)

                                                            Rolling Hills CC (KS)

                                                            Muskogee CC (OK)

                                                            Forest Lake CC (MI)

                                                            Las Vegas Nat’l—Stardust Hotel (NV)

                                                            Mission Hills CC (CA)

                                                            Evian Resort (France)

Six Cups* EVER:                                Denver Country Club (CO)

*Walker, Curtis, Ryder, Presidents, Solheim Cups; International Crown.

                                                            

US Amateur Championship EVER:   DONE

Amateur Championship EVER:         DONE

US Mid-Amateur Champ. EVER:      DONE

All 50 States                                       DONE

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US Senior Amateur Champ. EVER:   Belle Meade CC (TN)

                                                            Keane Trace GC—Champions Trace Course (KY)

                                                            Tuscon CC (AZ)

                                                            Tuscon National GC (AZ)

                                                            Lochivar GC (TX)

                                                            Big Canyon CC (CA)

                                                            Timuquana CC (FL)

                                                            Sea Island (9 from Plantation) (GA)

World Golf Championships EVER:   Gallery GC-South (AZ)

                                                            GC at Dove Mountain-Sag/Tort (AZ)

                                                            Austin CC (TX)

                                                            Mt. Juliet Conrad (Ireland)

                                                            Mission Hills-Shenzhen-Olazabal (China)

                                                            Club de Golf Chapultepec (Mexico)

Players Championship EVER:           DONE

Federal Express Playoffs EVER:        TPC Southwind (TN)

Tour Championship EVER:               Oak Hills CC (TX)                 

My primary bucket lists are the first eight listed above---19 course left

My secondary bucket lists are the next five listed above---16 course left

Summary:                   USA    Mexico      GB&I   Europe    Asia     TOTAL

Top 100World/USA     3                                1                                      4

GW 100&100             25                                                                      25

Primary Event             18                                            1                        19

Secondary Event         13        1                      1                      1            16

Total                           59        1                      2          1          1           64

Total courses played to date: 1101

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Next trip is a three-day swing next week through the south.  Going to spend two days at the Gil Hanse designed and highly acclaimed Ohoopee Match Club in southeastern GA next week, followed by a day in Birmingham AL playing Greystone G &CC’s Founders Course.