135. Short Trip to Knockoff Some Isolated Courses

135.  Short Trip to Knockoff Some Isolated Courses

Before I get into this trip, I need to add one comment to my last post, regarding Century CC.  When I arrived in the locker room, the attendant showed me to a locker for my use that morning.  I immediately notice the locker belonged to Michael Bloomberg.  Observant readers of this blog will recall that on November 1, 2018, I played St. Andrews GC on my journey from MA to NC (post #121).  At St. Andrews I also was assigned Bloomberg's locker.  Perhaps I should start a new bucket list...use Michael Bloomberg's locker at all of his clubs.

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Pat had two girl friends (friends from Pinehurst but one of them lives in NH during the summer months) coming to town for a couple of days, so she gently suggested I should get out of Dodge.  Given that Brookline has punched its fairways a week earlier that seemed like a great idea. 

My immediate thought was to see if I could schedule a short trip to the Rockies and Upper Plains to hit the courses that I could not schedule on my trip 5 weeks earlier (Post #132).  After a few emails the essence of a trip came together.  I would play just four courses in three days (one repeat course and three first timers for me) and be in three adjoining states.  If these states were in New England, this would be a no-brainer…problem was NE, CO, and UT, while being adjoining are a shxx load larger. But better to face the long drives on a single trip than have to knock them off on multiple journeys.   And the trip seemed to be very doable as originally planned.

I was scheduled to depart Boston for Denver around noon on Tuesday August 20 but at the last minute had to depart on a later flight at 6:36pm…that would put me into DEN at 9:19pm. Since I was not scheduled to play on 8/21, that would not ordinarily create an issue…except I had to drive some 258 miles after landing to get to North Platte, NE.  Careful readers of this blog as well as knowledgeable golf course geographers know that North Platte lies right on I-80 and at the southern base of the Nebraska Sandhills…reputed to be the largest contiguous area of sand dunes in the Western Hemisphere (20,000 sq. mi.).  Since the early 90’s the Sandhills has become spotted (hard to fill 20,000 sq. miles) with some brilliant new golf courses.  I first saw the Sandhiills in 2010 and this was to be my 5^thvisit to the Sandhills and my 6^thtrip to NE for golf.  I arrived at my hotel around 2:00am (all times for NE CO and UT on this trip are expressed in Mountain Time for simplicity) and was asleep by 2:30am.  Only problem was I had a 90 minute drive to the course the next morning for a 7am tee time. So my wake up alarm was for 4:45 afforded me a wonderful 2:15 of sleep!  Anyhow, the good news is that it was daylight for my last 15 miles or so driving to the Dismal River Club, as the last 15 miles or so are gravel roads!

Dismal River Club-White, August 21, 2019:  I had been to Dismal River in 2014 to play the Red course (designed by Tom Doak), and loved it (Post # 4).  The White course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 2006, about 7 years prior to the Red.  At that time the White had not appeared on a USA Top 100 (the Red has appeared on USA Top 100 lists published by GM, Top100golfcourses.com, and my Merged GW list). The White was ranked #199 on GD’s 2013 #101-200 listing, and since I am trying to finish off that list, I needed to return.

The site is visually stunning as are most sites in the Sandhills, but I thought both Dismal’s Red and the nearby Sandhills GC were both even more stunning.

When it opened, the White was generally criticized for being impossibly difficult given the windy conditions prevalent in this area.  I had heard that it had been softened considerably in the years since but my sense is “not quite enough.”  It’s 5^thhole plays 187 yards from the back, and is straight uphill (sort of like playing the par 3 6^that Augusta backwards) which means the ball’s trajectory upon landing is not very steep…but the green slopes shapely from front to back.  As a result, it is almost impossible to stop the ball on the green when the wind is behind the player.  Those were the conditions that morning (winds blowing about 15mph) and I hit a pitching wedge pretty high and nipped it well to a front pin (105 yards away). My ball mark was one yard into the green and the ball ended up 75 feet past the pin…and the greens were soft this day!!

While there are a good number of excellent holes here (#4 and #18 are superb par 5’s, #8 and #13 are 

Dismal Rive-White #18 from 18th tee...par 5, 500 yards.

outstanding par 4’s, and #15 a very very good par 3), the likes of  #5 and the par 3 10^th(190 yards with 55 yard deep green including a bunker surrounded by wild plants in the middle of the green...a la #6 at Riveira CC??... and at least a 5 foot drop in surface height from the front of the green to the low point about 35 yards deep) made me  wonder. 

Conditioning was not good, which is attributable to a very tough winter in the Upper Plains.  There was much winter-kill in the fairways and the greens were very soft.  From what I have heard this situation is very prevalent in the Upper Plains this year.

The facility has had four owners since it first opened in 2006…the latest incarnation is 

as an exclusive golfing/fishing/hunting club.  Overall it was much better than I expected, but I do not think it compares favorably to the Doak at Dismal and certainly not to nearby Sandhills GC by Coore/Crenshaw. IMO it will take some further softening and some luck with the weather and conditioning…and the green stuff known as money.  In summary, worth playing if you are in the neighborhood, but not worth a special trip to play just White.  

On the other hand, Ran Morrissett who has one of the best set of eyes in the business really liked it…so how do you account for taste? 

Oh…and I played real well, coming in with a 37 – 41 = 78, but must admit to getting about three hugely lucky breaks (for example, on #1…hit a 6 iron to the green for my third shot, without knowing where the cup was…as pin had been left beside the green…and ended up 5’ from the hole and sunk putt for a par).  Parred holes 1-5…and even parred #5 and birdied #10…the two holes I bitched about the most.

After the round it was time to hit the road again.  This time for a 3:40 drive to Hoylake, CO and Ballyneal.  I left Dismal around 10:45 and arrived at Ballyneal about 2:30.

Ballyneal Golf Club,  August 21, 2019:  Pat and I played Ballyneal for the first time in June 2010.  Given that it sits half way between Sandhills/Dismal River and Denver, this gave me an great opportunity to revisit...and I am very glad I did so!

Ballyneal sits on some unusual landforms known as the “Chop Hills”.  Part of the land was owned by the O’Neal family for decades and brothers Rupert and Jim saw their dream fulfilled with the building of the club. We played Ballyneal with Rupert back in 2010 (pre blogging so no post) the day after playing 36 holes at Sandhills GC, which is pretty tough competition.  I later met Jim who was and still is the head pro at The Meadow Club just north of San Francisco.  

Ballyneal was designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2006.  It sits beautifully on the natural landscape…best exemplified by the par 5 4^thand the par 4 16^th.  Both of these holes look like they were designed by the glaciers that covered this land thousands of years ago.  Ballyneal is a walking only club…and as you walk the fairways, one can feel the difference…the firmness underfoot.  One also notices it on tee shots…broken tees are normal here, a sure sign of proper maintenance.  The fescue greens are perfect for this place and the course is the very definition of fast/firm…in fact I hit my approach shots over on 3 of the first 4 greens…before getting back used to real firm/fast conditions.  Surely a sign of insufficient time in GB&I these past 12 months.

Few flat lies are available on Ballyneal’s very wide fairways, and one needs to think about wind direction, pin position, and ground movement before starting each hole…or your next shot will evoke two simple words: “no way”.  The “Chop Hills” are very much like the “Sandhills” with a simple natural beauty of their own.  

I teed off at 3pm…just me and my caddy.  Having played 18 at Dismal (in a cart) and completed two drives totaling about 5.5 hours (all after less than 2.5 hours of sleep) I wasn’t sure if I would make it…but I did so with no problem…even hitting a few pure shots on holes 15-18. However, after finishing 1the 18^thand walking up to the clubhouse, I knew I would have to forgo the 12-hole par 3…but the shower and nap certainly felt great.  Dinner was superb as was a good night’s sleep.  Good news was the toughest part of the trip was in the rear-view mirror.

Denver Country Club, August 22, 2019:  In the years I have been doing this, it is clear that some courses end up being easy to set up to play, and others just are very difficult.  In many cases there is no rhyme or reason for the pattern…yes Augusta National is tough to arrange for almost everyone…but with some other courses it seems like you are jinxed.  One of those for me had been Denver Country Club. Founded in 1887, DCC is near downtown Denver and goes back to the days when this was a “cow town”.  Through MIT alumni and golf activities I knew one of DCC’s most prominent members, Will Nicholson.  Will was a member of ANGC and president of the USGA 1980-81.  Several times when I was planning a trip to CO he asked me to play DCC, but I was too busy playing some top 100 courses in the state…some good (e.g. Ballyneal, Cherry Hills and Colorado GC) and some not so good (and unmentioned).  Will passed away at age 87 three years ago, and later that year I was closing in on completing a “self-created” bucket list…playing all the courses that have hosted one of the “Five Cups”:

            --Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup--Men/Professional

            --Walker Cup—Men/Amateur

            --Solheim Cup—Women/Professional

            --Curtis Cup—Women/Amateur

Through scheduled events in 2020, this totals 108 courses and 163 events (including the “unofficial” Ryder Cups at Gleneagles-Kings and Wentworth-West in 1921 and 1926 respectively, and the unofficial Walker Cup Match at Royal Liverpool in 1921, but excluding the 1939 Ryder Cup Match originally scheduled to be played at Ponte Vedra CC (FL) but cancelled after the start of WW II…please note for the official record that I have also played Ponte Vedra CC).

Since September 2017, I have had three games scheduled at DCC…only to have them cancelled due to bad serious bad weather or maintenance on the course, most recently in July 2019. This time it seemed to have worked…although I kept a close eye on the weather forecast!  I left Ballyneal around 7:40am on 8/22 for the 3:10 drive to DCC.  All looked good as I arrived and met my host, Gary P., a member for a mere 45 years or so. Also joining us were another member, Doug W. (who had hosted my good friend Fergal O’Leary at DCC a month prior), and two other guests of Gary.  After a wonderful lunch it was off to the practice area to warm up…and of course Nervous Nellie Paul could not help but notice a bunch of dark clouds moving in from the west.  Long story short…the clouds blew through, and no rain fell on our parade.

However…another dark cloud appeared just before we teed off as Southwest cancelled my flight that evening to Salt Lake City.  Thanks to text messaging, I was alerted but by the time I could reach SW and Delta, their alternative flights were fully booked…but I was able to get on a later flight with United.

The club was founded in 1887 (!!) making it the oldest US club west of the Mississippi River.  Like Brookline, it started as a club focused on equestrian sports, particularly horse racing…and then evolved over the following 13 decades.  Its first course was in Overland Park and the club moved to its present location alongside Cherry Creek in 1905.  This course was designed by James Foulis who also designed courses at Oswentsia Club (IL) and Glen Echo CC (MO)—a former host of golf at the Olympics.  In addition to Foulis, the following other golf architects and /or ar chitectural teams of note have worked on DCC: Donald Ross, William Flynn, A. W. Tillinghast, William Diddle, Arnold Palmer/Ed Seay, and Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw.  Many of these alterations were dictated by eminent domain property losses as the City of Denver grew from “cow town” to a major metropolitan area.  More recently Gil Hanse commenced a major restoration of the course that is entering its busiest stages.  A major objective of Hanse’s efforts is to bring Charry Creek more into play on many of the holes.

The round started birdie-par but then went downhill…but I finished with a decent 40 – 42 = 82. And, my “Cups Ever Bucket List” is now finally finished!!  

After drinks and a shower, Gary and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the club.  He is a first-class gentleman who I hope to host at TCC later this year or in 2020.  

At 8:00, I was back in the car for a short drive to Denver’s airport and my later flight to SLC, last stop on this trip!

Glenview Golf Club, August 23, 2019:  My flight landed at about 11:55pm and after disembarking I made a mad dash for Enterprise Car Rental to ensure they were still open and I would have a car.  That worked out fine and after collecting my clubs, I headed east of Salt Lake City into the Wasatch Mountain Range.  Located in Park City, UT, Glenwild is a mere 40 miles from SLC airport.  Park City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and is simply a gorgeous town.

Glenwild’s golf course was designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2001.  Today it stretches to a hefty 7564 yards (par 72) but plays a bit shorter due to its altitude.  It has not hosted any important pro or amateur event but has been included on all GD’s #101-200 USA listings since GD commenced publishing its second hundred in 2013.  Its highest position on the GD list was #125 in 2013 and it has slipped to #188 in the 2019 list.  

The course makes great use of the overall slopes inherent in its mountain setting…more so than it uses bunkering as a “hazard”.  The greens were in terrific condition…very fast, firm, smooth and true.  This year however, the fairways were attacked by some sort of wildlife pest and were not in equivalent condition.  I would be surprised if this lasts into next year. As many of you know, I am not a big fan of Tom Fazio’s work…but this is one of his better efforts IMO.  And the views are simply stunning.

The club itself appears to be very well run and the service level is outstanding.

In terms of my play, I had a 42 – 39 = 81, so no complaints.  After the round, had a good shower and lunch, and then back to SLC airport for a smooth flight home.  Even though Thursday and Friday were fairly easy going for a trip by moi, Tuesday night through Wednesday evening were a tough 24 hour spell. 

I had three guests at Brookline Saturday and was really tired…they can testify as to the effects of the trip!  But on the positive side…the trip knocked off three of my 37, and put the Cups Ever Bucket list to bed once and for all!

Next on the agenda, Pat and I are headed to France 8/26-9/7…I am in France right now as I type this (still the two finger method).

134. Duxbury Yacht Club (MA) and Two Greats in Westchester Cty (NY)

134.  Duxbury Yacht Club (MA) and Two Greats in Westchester Cty (NY)

Duxbury Yacht Club, August 9, 2019: The Town of Duxbury lies on Boston's South Shore between Boston and Cape Cod.  It is very upscale and almost 145 years ago the Duxbury Yacht Club was founded.  In 1901, a six hole golf course was constructed, and expanded to 9 holes by Wayne Stiles (think Gulph Mills GC-PA, Norwood Hills CC-MO, Prouts Neck CC-ME, and Taconic GC-MA) in  the 1920's.  Then in 1969 an additional nine holes designed by Geoff Cornish and Bill Robinson was added.  The course has never been included on a Top 100 listing or hosted a major event.

I had never played Duxbury before.  It is a very very low key club and a fun course.  On this day the club was hosting "Monster" Member-guest where the tees are set back to "beyond the tips"(as the back tees total 6466 yards we probably played it at 6550 yards) and the pins tucked in corners of greens and/or on slopes of greens. I was invited by member Dick N., an MIT graduate whose wife Beth is a good friend of Pat's.

Could have been much tougher, as only two of the pins were set in impossible spots (where the slope around the pin is so steep the ball will not come to rest near the pin).  Fortunately, the scoring was one best ball per hole for each foursome...and maximum scores were set at net bogey, otherwise we might have been there well past sunset.  I did not keep my own score but our team finished in the middle of the pack, thereby avoiding the dreaded DFL.

The golf course was in very good condition (and the club is removing a bunch off trees which should improve conditions further).  The original nine holes are quite good and lots of fun.  However, the second nine by Cornish/Robinson was build on land replete with wetlands and hence water comes into play on many of these holes...reducing to some degree the "fun" element on this nine.

Must say, the next day I played the Championship course at Brookline...and it was nice to see pins in more normal positions.

Century Country Club, August 15, 2019:  The week of August 11, Brookline underwent normal maintenance that requires 7-14 days for the course to generally recover.  So golf this first week had to on the road.  I emailed Winged Foot Golf Club in Westchester County just north of NYC and was able to secure a tee time for the West course on the afternoon of 8/15.  A few days later I decided to kill two birds with one stone and make it a 36 hole day by playing Century CC early that morning.

My day was to be a long one.  Awoke at 3:40am, and headed south in my car starting at 4:40.  Essentially no traffic so I made great time and arrived at Century at 7:30 (192 miles in 2:50 including pit stop for cheap gasoline near home...cannot afford gas in NY or CT!).

Century is one of the nation's great clubs and its course was designed by Harry Colt and Charles Alison...both giants in the field.  The club was founded in 1898 and initially leased a 60 acre tract in The Bronx on Long Island Sound (about where the northern end of the Throgs Neck Bridge is now located).  A nine hole course was created on this property.  Six years later the club moved north to a 100 acre site in Greenburgh, NY (Westchester County).  Finally, in 1922 the club acquired its present 175 acre site in Purchase (selling the Greenburgh course to Metropolis CC (Post #128)).  While the purchase of the current site was recommended by Walter Travis, the golf course was designed by Colt and Alison (primarily Alison as Colt never visited the site) and opened in 1926.  I could not find any explanation as to why Travis (who passed away in 1927 and was active until his passing) was not retained to design the course.

In 1938 Ben Hogan was hired as an assistant pro by Century.  The Club's website states that the letter recommending his hiring, written by a Century member, stated that Hogan "had a nice appearance." My guess is that member received an I (for "incomplete") many times in school!  In 1940 Hogan was promoted to Head Professional, and the next year accepted the head pro job at Hershey CC (PA).  Its current head pro, Nelson Long, has held that position for about 45 years.

The club is generally considered to be the world's premier predominantly Jewish country club and over the years its membership has included Arthur Levitt (former SEC Chairman), Alan Greenspan (former Federal Reserve Chairman), James Wolfensohn (former World Bank President), members of the Sulzberger family (who control the New York Times), Michael Bloomberg, and almost all of the Jewish titans of Wall Street.  Bloomberg resigned from the club in 2001just prior to campaigning for the mayorship of NYC, and rejoined in 2013 after his last term as mayor.  If you want to really understand the power of Century CC, think about this...it does NOT have a listing on Wikipedia!!

In 2017 Keith Foster completed a wonderful restoration of Century's course, removing many trees and restoring its very special bunkers.  Today it measures 7026 yards from the tips, and for decades has been a Section Qualifying site for the US Open.  It has hosted the Metropolitan Amateur four times, and in 1969 was included in the #81-90 bracket of Golf Digest's USA Best Tests listing.

I had played Century about 5-6 times previously, the first time having been in 1982.  From 1988 to 1995 I lived about 3 miles from Century and really like the golf course.  It is generally in superb condition, its bunkering and green are superb.  Most of all, it "fits" the land it sits on perfectly and has a wonderful "flow".

My favorite hole is #3, a 377 uphill par 4 that very much reminds me of the second hole at Pine Valley.  Other superb holes include #2, 5, 10, 12, and 17.

Approach shot on par 4 353 yard #12

I thought I had made my second hole in one on the short (152 yards) downhill par 3 13th...but it ended up about 12" just above the hole.  I am pleased to report that I made the birdie putt!

Green on #13 from right side---see ball above hole

The club was hosting a Senior Women's event that morning so I started off on #6, played through 18 and then played holes 1-5.  My score (based on the course's normal sequence) was 37 - 44 = 81 with back nine marred by dumb mental errors causing double bogeys on 11, 14, and 16.  No question IMO that "age" affects the mental parts of the game more than the physical aspects!

In any case...worth playing this one if you get the chance.  To tell a true story: a friend and old business associate of mine (who is a member of Augusta National and Cypress Point), once told me that if there was an afterlife, he hoped in his next life to be Jewish...as he wanted to join Century!  Enough said.

After the round said thanks to the staff and drove about 7 miles over to Quaker Ridge where I joined my old buddy Michael F. for lunch (and traded unexaggerated golfing tales) and saw old friend Steve S. thereafter.  

Then proceeded less than 2 miles to Winged Foot where I was scheduled to play the West Course at 2:30.

Winged Foot Golf Club-West, August 15, 2019:  Winged Foot was founded in 1921 by members of the New York Athletic Club (but there is no direct affiliation between these two clubs).  A.W. Tillinghast was hired to design two courses, which opened in 1923.  Six years later the US Open was scheduled to be played on WF's East Course, but heavy rains just prior to the event forced the USGA to move the event to the West which generally sits on higher land on the property.  Bobby Jones won his third US Open that year and the timing of those rains altered the history of Winged Foot forever.  The West has hosted four other US Opens (1959, 1974, 1986, and 2006) and will host its 6th next year.  During these last 60 years the course has been lengthened to its current 7435 yards (par 70).  By comparison, the East measures 6808 yards (par 72).  

In addition to six US Open's, Winged Foot will have hosted a PGA Championship, two US Amateur's, two US Women's Opens, one Walker Cup Match, and the inaugural US Senior Open.

Its record on USA and World Top 100 listings is just as impressive.  Both the West and East have appeared on all but one of the USA and World Top 100 listing I track (in both cases, the missing one is GCA's "147 Custodians").  The West's current GM World 100 ranking is #27 (but that predates Gil Hanse's recent restoration), while its highest current USA rating is #11 (GD).  The East Course's current GM World rating is #83 and its current high on USA lists is #41 (GM).  I expect future rankings to improve as more post restoration evaluations are completed.

Over the past five years Gil Hanse has completed a fabulous restoration of both courses with West reopening in May 2018.  I had played both in June 2013, and East in October 2016.  Now having played both over the past 3 years, I absolutely believe that WF has the finest set of 36 greens in the world.  They are mystifying.  None are ordinary.  They are all different...and yet they fit together...none feels out of place.  Second strongest aspect of this course is the bunkering...which is both beautiful and tough as nails.  Thousands of trees have been removed across the property and that opens top wonderful vistas and allows air to circulate and keep the course dry.  The difference in moisture between Century and WF on the same day was remarkable.  Yes, partly due to morning dew at Century...but this was more than just dew...it is a result of Sub Air technology and the complete rebuilding of West's greens two years ago.

The golf course itself is very very special.  Best holes IMO are #10 (Hogan called it "a 3 iron into someone's living room"), #6---a brilliant drivable par 4 so much better with the trees behind it gone, #2 with its wide wide fairway but heaven help you if you come into the green at the wrong angle, #15---ending in front of Fred Corcoran's old home, #3 playing about 50 yards longer than when Billy Casper laid up every day on this par 3 in 1959, and a group of brutal 470-510 yard holes that will challenge the world's best next year (5, 8, 16, and 17).  No let up...wide enough to not be unfair...but one of the world's great tests.  And did I mention the Tutor clubhouse designed by Charles Clifford Wendehack? (also did clubhouses at The Park (post #82), Mountain Ridge (post #46), Bethpage, Ridgewood (post #128) and Hackensack (post #128).

I must confess to making a major mistake at Winged Foot.  I picked up a scorecard and when I got to the first tee opened it to see that the shortest tees on that scorecard were the Whites...totaling 6522 yards...about 500-600 yards longer than my usual tees.  I chose to play them rather than walk back to secure a ladies card.  Anyhow...after sinking a 5 footer for par on #1 and a 25 footer for a par on #2 starting wondering if I had the appropriate card.  My ending score of 43 - 46 = 89 proved otherwise!  In any case, it was great fun and glad I got to see it again.  I assume you don't need to be told to take it if a round is offered.  Cannot wait to see next year's US Open.

Finished the round at 6:15 and by 6:30 I was on my way home.  The drive may have taken 2:50 in the wee small hours of the morning, but along home took 4:15...precisely 50% longer with no stop for gas!!  Arrive home at 10:45pm, and it was great to get some sleep.  Great day at three amazing clubs and some 395 miles of driving.

133. Chicago and Columbus...and GGCC Board Meeting, Plus Miscellaneous

133.  Chicago and Columbus...and GGCC Board Meeting, Plus Miscellaneous

After three days at home it was off on another mini trip.  I had a Board meeting of our newly formed club (I chose to be an advisor to the Board...figured it was time for the "kids" to take over) Global Golf Centurions Club in Columbus OH on July 24 and 25.  I was heading first to Chicago to knock off two courses and then to Columbus to knock off one followed by the Board meeting (which included rounds at two great tracks I had already played).  My flight to Chicago Monday night was uneventful as was my drive from ORD airport to Chicago's South Side.  Got to my hotel around midnight and to bed quickly as I had a tee off time at 7am the next morning.

Olympia Fields Country Club-South, July 23, 2019:  OFCC was founded in 1915 and its first course (Course #1) designed by Tom Bendelow opened in 1916.  Course #2 designed by William Watson Jr. opened in 1918 and then in 1920 Course #3 (a collaboration by Bendelow and Watson) opened for play.  Finally in 1925 Course #4 by Willie Park, Jr. was completed (blog readers will recall his work at Huntecombe, Sunningdale, and Maidstone).  So in the mid-1920's stood a complex of 72 holes, all designed by notable Scots, close to downtown Chicago.  All remained very bright until the Depression commenced in October 1929 followed by World War II...and by the end of the War, the club had been forced to sell off half of its land.  OFCC's remaining golf assets were comprised of two courses: 

• the North Course, which was comprised of all 18 holes of Park's Course #4, and
• the South Course, which contains holes from courses 1/2/3  (but predominantly Bendelow's Course #1).  

In October 2012 I played North (my only round there).  North is OFCC's "heavyweight course" and has hosted 2 US Opens, 1 PGA Championship, 1 US Senior Open, 1 US Amateur, 4 Western Opens, and 1 KMPG Women's PGA Championship.  Few courses in the USA can match that record.

In 2013, 2015 and 2017 OFCC's South Course was included in Golf Digest's USA 2nd 100 Greatest list peaking at #176 in 2013.  The South Course also hosted the US Girl's Junior Championship in 2011.  

The South is a solid golf course.  It totals 7106 yards (par 72), and its best hole is #6 a 375 yard par 4 with a narrow "volcano" green (which falls off sharply on all sides).  I also thought holes 11-14 represented a very strong stretch of golf...although they are followed by #15 which I thought was "cramped", tight and felt out of place.  The course is very well bunkered but its flow is interrupted by some long green to tee walks on the back nine.  Much of these issues are probably a function of South being a composite of three different courses.   Course was very green as a result of copious amounts of rain this spring and summer. 

I played OK on the front and very well on the back, shooting a 42 - 39 = 81, but the highlight of the morning was running into member Peter Korbakes (a strong figure in golf social media) in the pro shop before my round.  Peter and I played together for 18 holes at Ohoopee GC last November and he was nice enough to come out and watch me play a few holes on the front (including seeing me birdie the above mentioned 6th hole).

Overall OFCC's two courses make for an excellent 36 hole combination...but not in the same class as what I would consider to be the world's finest 36 holes facilities:

Barnbougle (Australia),
Royal Melbourne GC (Australia),
Sunningdale GC (England), and
Winged Foot GC (New York).

Close behind this group is Cabot Links & Cliffs in Nova Scotia, Canada, and Sand Valley (Wisconsin)...and excluded from consideration is Bandon Dunes since it has four world class courses (actually five including the 13 hole par 3 Bandon Preserve) 😆😆!!  Tough company to break into!!

After the round I joined good friend (from Pinehurst) Greg O. for lunch.  Greg had just returned from a wonderful trip to Scotland and it was good to catch up...we both had a good chuckle over each other's crazy golf exploits.  Greg was admitted into GGCC two months ago after completing a GM World 100 by finally playing Augusta National in late May.

Ridgemoor Country Club, July 23, 2019:  Since June 2018 I have been saying that I had finished playing all of the Men's Major Venues in history.  While this has been 100% true in terms of strict definition, I realized about two months ago that it was not accurate in spirit.

During World War II, the USGA suspended play of its National Championships, including of course, the US Open. In 1942 a "Hale America Open" was organized and played at Ridgemoor.  After an ordinary 72 the first round, Ben Hogan went on to win the event.  For details, I shall quote from Wikipedia:

"Many supporters of Hogan and some golf historians feel that his victory at the Hale America Open in 1942 should be counted as his fifth U. S. Open and 10th major championship, since the tournament was to be a substitute for the Open after its cancellation by the USGA. The Hale America Open was held in the same time slot and was run like the U.S. Open with more than 1,500 entries, local qualifying at 69 sites and sectional qualifying at most major cities. The top players, who were not away fighting in World War II, participated and the largest purse of the year was awarded."

So, two months ago, Ridgemoor CC, site of the 1942 Hale America Open was added to my to-do list, and I looked forward to closing this gap in my records.  I am glad I played it and would opine that the critics who say that Ridgemoor was not up to US Open course standards are certainly not wrong.  But being a big fan of Mr. Hogan (my biggest regret regarding the game is never having watched him hit balls in person), I did want to close this loop.  One Ridgemoor legend is no one wants to break Mr. Hogan's course record of 62 (although one person has has tied it).  I had the chance to do so, but complied with that tradition (in part because I had to play all 18 holes to check it off my list).

The club was founded in 1902 as Irving Golf Club.  By 1908 the facility had expanded to 18 holes, and by the next year the club had changed its name to Ridgemoor Golf Club (and then to Ridgemoor CC in in 1913).

Ridgemoor lies about 7 miles east of O'Hare airport so getting to my late flight to Columbus was easy.  I arrived at John Glenn Airport around 12:30am and at my hotel some 50 miles east of Columbus around 2:15am!!  Tee off time Wednesday was 8am.

Virtues Golf Club (formerly Longaberger Golf Club), July 24, 2019:  Located about 40 miles northeast of Columbus, this club was originally called the Longaberger GC (named after its parent company which manufactured wooded picnic weaving baskets).  I first heard of Longaberger in September 2015 when our friend John C. (from Kingston Heath in Melbourne) was in Pennsylvania and Ohio (I joined him for part of that trip) and inquired regarding this course.  Longaberger sold the club in 2013 for $4 million and its name was changed to Virtues GC

I was playing  because it was included on the GW USA Top 100 Modern list from 2001-2003, peaking at #106 on my Merged GW list in 2003.  The course was designed by Arthur Hills and opened in 1999.  The course is built on a lot of land...and is very hilly.  Overall it is a big course playing 7243 yards from the tips.  It played very soft and wet...yes, Ohio received a lot of rain but this track was much softer than the other two courses I would play over the following 30 hours.  

Overall for a public access course I thought this was an excellent course, but if you are looking for a great course to play (and have access), it would be better to stay closer to Columbus.  I think the best hole is #8, a 444 yard downhill, dogleg left par 4 to a peninsula green.  Almost any drive (unless you play way left to a risky spot) faces an approach with the ball well above your feet.  I had a 39 - 42 = 81. 

Finished playing before 11am leaving me time to get back to Columbus.

Double Eagle Club, July 24, 2019:  As you will recall, last May the first meeting of Global Golf Centurions Club (post #110...it was originally named Century Conquerors Club but the name was changed to "protect the innocent"...as they used to say on "Dragnet") was held in Westchester County north of New York City.  Our second gathering is planned for Los Angeles next April, and in the interim we held a Board meeting in Columbus, Ohio on 7/24 and 7/25...at Double Eagle Club and The Golf Club.  We started off with a working lunch at Double Eagle and then played its wonderful course.  I had played it once before in September 2012 (prior to blogging days).  Interestingly, back then the club was dealing with a mini drought, and just the opposite this year.

The course opened in 1992 and was designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish.  It is located north of Columbus, plays top about 7200 yards (par 72), and is built on relatively flat former farmland.  The front nine is situated in heavily wooded property and a creek/ravine plays an important role on several holes, most notably the par 4  #5 (long/tough) and #6 (short/tight).  The back nine is more open and I think the superior nine.  Best holes on back I think are #15 (Cape driving hole that doglegs left around a large lake) and #17 (Weiskopf's always present drivable par 4).  Hole #18 is a very good par 5 of 550 yards with a lake in front of the green, but I would have preferred it if the fairway leading to this water extended about 20 yards further thereby leaving a shorter approach for the average player who lays up...not a huge quibble.  The scorecard was misplaced but I think I ended up with a 42 - 43 = 85...and I can confirm that the greens are tough to read.

What is simply astounding is the condition of the course.  The efforts to keep poa annua off of the course are amazing.  When you arrive, your shoe bottoms are throughly washed to eliminate any trace of poa...and I have heard from multiple sources that tweezers are utilized to remove poa from the greens.  I saw exactly zero traces of poa anywhere.  And the greens have absolutely no grain.  I cannot think of any other modern greens I have played with no grain...except some that are predominantly poa.  The greens (as well as the rest of the course) were simply in perfect condition.  Yes it would have been better off if they were firmed and browner...but with the rains this summer that would be unrealistic to expect.

Rating wise:

GM World 100---Made 100 four straight times (1995-2001)...highest #74 in 1995
GD USA 100--On every year 1997 thru today...highest #56 in 2009 (now #92)
GW Merged 100--On from 1997-2017 (#10 in 1997 and then off in 2018 and '19)
GM USA 100--On 1993-2013 (highest #41 in 1995)
Top100golfcourses.com (USA)--On 2006-2010 and off since (highest #41 in 2006)

Overall, Double Eagle's rating have generally declined consistently over the past 20 years, I would think more due to the profusion of wonderful new courses built (and older classics restored) in this Second Golden Age, than to any signs of decline at Double Eagle.

Dinner at Double Eagle was superb as were the accommodations.  This one is really worth seeing...in a town with four outstanding world class tracks (Double Eagle, The Golf Club, Muirfield Village, and Scioto).

The following morning we had a very good Board meeting and then proceeded to The Golf Club which lies east of Columbus.

The Golf Club, July 25, 2019: Prior to 1961 Pete Dye was a very successful insurance salesman, and a very good golfer (won Indiana Amateur in 1958 after qualifying for the US Open in 1957).  With the support of his wife Alice (winner of 1968 North and South Women's Open as well as the 1978 and 1979 US Senior Women's Amateur) and disregarding the advice of other friends, Pete embarked on a career as a golf course architect in 1961/62, designing his first two courses in Indianapolis. 
Between 1964 and 1969, three great courses designed by Dye opened...Crooked Stick (1964, IN), The Golf Club (1967, OH), and Harbour Town (1969, SC)...and his career had been catapulted.

Many of the features of Dye's courses came from observations during his initial Scotland trip in 1963.  I distinctly remember playing the 3rd hole at Prestwick GC in Scotland in July 1981...and realizing that was where Dye had first seen the use of railway ties to hold bunkers.  TGC makes wonderful use of railways ties on two fabulous holes...the par 3 3rd and the par 4 13th.  Its wide fairways were for sure unusual...no, not unusual but very rare for a USA course built in the 1960's.  And it may have been the first use of "waste bunkers"in the USA.  Yes, some of Dye's later courses approached extreme...but that was Pete...always testing and trying new things.  That is what geniuses do!

I first played TGC in 1980, and revisited it in September 2015.  During 2015, Dye commenced his restoration of the course.  Today it plays to 7433 yards (par 72 like almost all of his courses).  My favorite holes are 6, 8, 13, and 17...but there are no weak holes.  Holes that look simple are deceptively complex (example is #1).  And the combination 18th green, practice green, and 1st tee make for a wonderful start.  I played well and had a 40 - 43 = 83.

Rankings are very high and consistent:

Overall...TGC has been on every USA Top 100 except GD's 1966 and 1967 200 Toughest and GCA's 2018 "147 Custodians"...and 42 of the 49 World Top 100's tracked on my spreadsheet.
World 100...highest on a current list is #59 (final Links Magazine list); highest ever is #32 (GM 1993)
USA 100...highest current list is #30 (final Links Mag); highest ever is #6 (GW Merged 1999)
  
The only thing at TGC that is comparable to the course is the locker room...clearly modeled after Seminole's.  The food, service etc., are outstanding, and the club has a "feeling" about it, like the country's great old clubs.

After the round, I had to change and head to the airport...unable to stay for dinner as I had to get back to Boston.  Good thing I was able to arrange a late tee time for Brookline's Club Championship qualifying round the next day (actually the same day since I got home at 1:30am)!

Miscellaneous, July 26-30, 2019:  Well, played a poor front nine Friday and a good back nine, so qualified for match play over the weekend (Super Senior).  Played really well Saturday in the semis, and won 8 and 7.  Felt good about my game.  That lasted less than 24 hours as the ugly twin showed up on Sunday in the finals and I lost 5 and 4 due both to my poor play and the fine play of my most worthy opponent, Sandy T.  As loyal Brooklyn Dodger fans used to proclaim (until 1955): "Wait till next year".

Whaling City Golf Course, July 30, 2019:  Formerly known as New Bedford (MA) Municipal Golf Course, Whaling City originally consisted of a 9 hole Donald Ross.  In 1964, Sam Mitchell added 9 holes.  Around the same time I-195 was constructed and that must have resulted in some of the course's holes being taken by eminent domain.  In 1967 Whaling City was included on Golf Digest's 200 Toughest Courses in the USA...so here I was.  How it got on that list I shall never understand...just as you probably cannot understand what I was doing there this day.  But I did get it the full 18 in, and checked it off my list.  No need to follow my footsteps!

Button Hole Golf Course, July 30, 2019:  This is a feel good story!  About 18 years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Eddie Mauro in Pinehurst.  Eddie is from Rhode Island, had a highly successful career as a businessman, and many moons ago (sorry Eddie) won the RI State Amateur.  In other words, he was a player!  

More importantly, Eddie is practically Mr. Golf in RI...and is simply a wonderful human being.  About 20 ago he raised some money and purchased a 26 acre run down abandoned sand/gravel pit in a tough neighborhood in Providence.  Since then it has been converted into a beautiful green facility including a 9 hole par 3 course, a good sized driving range, and a teaching facility for underprivileged kids.  The name of this OASIS is Button Hole.  The likes of PGA tour greats Brad Faxon and Billy Andrade have helped Eddie bring this puppy along, and now they were launching a Capital Fund Drive, and I wanted to attend.

This place is truly an OASIS in a tough part of Providence...and if you have the resources and want to support a well run place that is doing real good things to improve a small part of the world, give what you can to Button Hole  (https://buttonhole.org)

Status of my Quests

Golf courses played to date:1169.   Golf holes played to date: 20,627

States Played--all 50
Countries Played: 45
World Top 100 Ever (11 publications...49 lists...343* courses) COMPLETED
USA Top 100 Ever (6 publications...72 lists...371* courses) COMPLETED
Men's Current Major Venues EVER (4 majors, 123* venues) COMPLETED
Senior Current Major Venues EVER (5 majors, 83* venues) 2 to go 
Women's Current Major Venues EVER (6 majors, 85* venues) 5 to go 
Amateur Major Venues EVER (5 majors, 223* venues) 33 to go (28 US Jr and 5 US Sr)
Cups/Team Competition Venues EVER (5 Cups, 4 Team Comp; 117* venues) 2 to go
Players Championship/Tour Championship Venues EVER--COMPLETED
Federal Express Playoff Venues EVER--COMPLETED
World Golf Championship Venues EVER--3 to go
Golf Week USA Classic Top 100 EVER--1 to go
Golf Week USA Modern Top 100 EVER--10 to go
Golf Digest USA Top 101-200 EVER--12 to go
*all numbers of courses exclude courses that I have not played but "no longer exist".

132. Back to Rockies and Upper Plains

132.  Back to Rockies and Upper Plains

As noted at the end of my last post, in early July 2019 I had 45 courses left to finish my first priority bucket lists.  Some of these are grouped geographically within a relatively small area (10 of the 45 are located in the states of Oregon and Washington, and five are located in Texas), while others are dispersed over a much larger area.  This trip was to last for 6 days, and cover 6.5 courses (one club had 27 holes), but would cover two large sections of the USA, the Rockies (specifically Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana) and the Upper Plains (South Dakota and Nebraska, although I was not able to arrange play on this trip at the course in NE).  Six days for 6.5 courses looks like a virtual vacation compared to most of my other jaunts, but this would end up being more of a flying/driving journey than a golfing trip.

Ravenna Country Club, July 14, 2017:  I was at Boston’s Logan Airport bright and early this Sunday morning (left home at 5:40am) for a flight to Denver, CO.  Amazing how crowded Logan was at 6:00amon Sunday!  We arrived early at DEN and when awaiting my luggage, ran into a good friend from Pinehurst (CCNC member) and Toronto, Steve S.  Steve was also waiting for his luggage off his flight from Toronto and was headed to Ballyneal, one of the great courses built over the last 20 years and located in the northeast corner of CO (about 3 hours from DEN airport).  Pat and I played Ballyneal in 2010 one day after playing Sand Hills in NE (pre-blogging days so no post to refer you to).  Steve was headed for an Outpost Club event at Ballyneal.  Outpost Club is a “virtual” golf club that I belonged to about ten years ago…in fact Steve and I first met at an Outpost Club event at Palmetto GC in Aiken, SC in 2011…and we both think back often to that wonderful course and club.  Ballyneal was designed by Tom Doak and has generally been rated between #75 and #85 on Golf Magazine’s World listings and #45-#55 on top100golfcourses.com.

After a drive of about 50 miles (heading southwest) I arrived at Ravenna about 12:20. Ravenna was designed by Jay Morrish, who in earlier days partnered with Tom Weiskopf and had a strong hand in designing Loch Lomond (Scotland) and Double Eagle (Ohio)…this was Moorish’s last design (by plan).   It opened in 2007 with plans to sell lots of real estate.  Given the events of 2008, it is not surprising that the club was forced to declare bankruptcy in 2010.  It finally emerged from bankruptcy in 2014. Initially the course was a brute, with a course rating of 75.0 and a slope of 149, huge bunkers, sharply sloping fairways and wild greens.  Me thinks that after the financial crash in 2008, not many golfers were looking to get beat up on their home course.  In 2014, the new owner, Kevin Collins, started a major effort to “soften” the course.  It was shortened by 150 yards, bunkers covering over two acres of land were removed, and green/fairway contours were reduced.  As a result, the course rating dropped to 73.8 and the slope to 143…not a pushover but certainly more playable and fun.  A new clubhouse is now under construction after some 12 years in a “temporary” (but very well done) clubhouse.

I played with a Golf Week panelist from Kiawah Island, SC (Mac Frye) and we both had similar views of the course.  In essence, more softening seems to be in order…especially reducing the slope on the second fairway, opening up more options for the second shot on the par 5 14^thhole, and smoothing the contours on the 15^thgreen. The course is not walkable due to the mountainous terrain and long distances from green to tee…but correcting that would not be unfeasible given the terrain.  On the positive side, the course was in very good condition and despite being very green (lots of snow this past winter and rain over the last two months) played fast and firm…and most of the individual holes were quite good. My game was not great…42 – 46 = 88 in part because I was tired.

Ravenna #16, 240 yard downhill par 3...from a tilted camera!

Ravenna has never appeared on a USA true 100, but was on GW’s USA Top 100 Modern for six years between 2009 and 2016. It’s highest rating ever on my Merged GW Top 100 list was in was in 2010 (#153) with a position of #80 on GW’s Top 100 USA Modern that year.

My introduction to Ravenna was through J. J. Keegan, a business consultant to the golf industry and fellow Golf Magazine panelist.  JJ clearly has been advising Kevin Collins on his plans for Ravenna and both of them asked Mac and me for our candid reactions to the course and suggestions.  We both suggested softening the course more, especially 14 and 15…and that seemed to be in line with what they were thinking.  

I left Ravenna around 6:30 and headed west to Edwards, CO, just west of Vail on I-70.  Easy drive except to a pretty strong thunderstorm that lasted for about 10 minutes about 25 miles east of Vail.  

Red Sky Ranch-Norman, July 15, 2019:  Was up early for a 7:10 tee time at Red Sky Ranch’s course designed by Greg Norman. Red Sky sits at around 7500-8000’ above sea level and commands spectacular views of the Rockies.  The facility opened in 2003 with a Tom Fazio track and Norman’s course followed a year later.  I was playing the Norman because in 2013 Golf Digest listed it as #194 in its USA “Top 100”.  I know that makes little sense…but a number of listing have now expanded…sort of like golf’s version of multiple valedictorians.  This of course has nothingto do with the possibility of generating more advertising $$ because they are including more courses in their “top 100” listings.  In 2013 GD started publishing a listing of #101-200 in the USA.

As readers of this blog may be aware, I am not a huge fan of Greg Norman’s architectural efforts, but must admit to liking this puppy.  Greens are huge and have strong slopes that are difficult to discern in the mountainous setting…and very little in the way of interior mounding.  Fairways are generous and slope as well.  Course would be difficult to walk (somewhat more walkable than Ravenna but not much).  Overall it was in nearly perfect condition, if a little too green (to be fair, CO…and the Rockies in general…have received copious amounts of snow and rain this year).  I played with Patricia Peeples, whose job at Red Sky is to coordinate the scheduling of panelists and other “dignitaries” (note the bold typeface for those quotation marks). I was in a time crunch as my flight was scheduled to depart DEN at 1:50pm, and my drive back would be 2:15-2:30 (more on this in a minute).  I ended up with a 44 – 42 = 86.  For most of the back nine, Pat did not play so that we could finish the round before 10am…and I was off for DEN by 9:50.  

The start of the drive to DEN went well…then I hit a major delay just east of Vail where rock clearing was taking place…and sat in backed up traffic for over 45 minutes.  All looked fairly dire but I figured I might have a chance if I got lucky and hauled butt the rest of the trip. Problem was returning my rental car. Decided to drop my bag at curbside first as I knew it had to be checked at least 45 minutes before scheduled departure…or 1:05pm…and I got it checked at 1:02. Then made a mad dash to Hertz, and back to the terminal, through security and to the gate.   The rules say you need to be at the gate within 15 minutes of scheduled departure…I arrived at 1:38 (about 3 minutes late) just as they were making a last call for me…but I got on board, semi-exhausted, and knowing that my new heart valve had passed a major test.

Iron Horse Golf Club, July 16, 2019:  As I was planning this trip Iron Horse was the tough one in terms of gaining access. Eentually, I found a fellow Golf Digest Panelist who was a member…and though he was going to be out of town, he was able to set me up with two other members.  Iron Horse is located in Whitefish, MT in the northwest corner of MT. It is a spectacular location and the course sits above Whitefish Lake, about 25 miles from Glacier National Park.  Probably because of Glacier, there is a commercial airport within 15 miles of the course and this small town has become a haven for Texans looking to escape the summer heat of Dallas, Austin and Houston.

Car rental was very expensive so I planned on using taxis and Uber (if available) for this stop of about 26 hours.  However, when I arrived I was advised that UBER was highly unreliable, there were no taxis in sight, and calls to locals taxi companies yielded estimated waits of about 50 minutes and quotes of $65 for a 15 mile trip.  So online I went and found an UBER driver 3 minutes away!! Jessica came from upstate NY and claimed to be the only Jew is Whitefish…I responded that she was for the next 24 hours or so going to be one of two!  She became my chauffer for three trips (Airport to Hotel, Hotel to Iron Horse, and Iron Horse to Airport).  I was fairly tired at this point so just crashed at the hotel in order to catch up on missing sleep.  

On Tuesday morning I arrived at Iron Horse around 8am and met my hosts (both from Texas…Dallas and Austin) as well as a couple of other members.  Iron Horse is a very low key, quiet and comfortable club.  The course was designed by Tom Fazio, and opened in 2000. About 4-5 holes have spectacular views of Whitefish Lake, and the best holes IMO were two par 3’s  (7---a sharply downhill 188 yarder with a very tough green,  and 16---229 yards to a potato chip shaped green closely guarded by bunkers) and the par 4 dogleg right 8^th.  My very strong sense is that the basic bones of the course are really excellent...but that tree growth has started to tighten the course and reduced the options and fun quotient.  Paring back some of the fir trees would also do much to help this property recover from tough winter seasons (such as the last one), as well as enhance some of the already spectacular views.  

This is one that needs to be played and has even greater potential than it shows right now…with not a lot of effort!!

As much as I enjoyed my hosts and round here, the highlight was a conversation I had in the clubhouse with an older member who had introduced himself to me upon my arrival in the locker room.   He hailed from Pittsburgh, PA and had played at Oakmont.  After my round. the same gentleman was in the locker room again and I restarted our conversation.  Slowly it came out that he was a former President of Oakmont…after having served as the green chairman who initiated the tree removal program at Oakmont in the mid 1990’s: Jim M.  I told him how much I admired what he had done at Oakmont…and more importantly how it had commenced major efforts to reduce tree growth at hundreds of outstanding courses throughout the world…breathing new life into most of the classic tracks.

Anyhow, if you can find a way onto Iron Horse…it is very much worth playing and seeing.  And if they manage to clear out some of the tighter holes on the property and open up the course a bit, I believe this one would shoot up the rankings.  

Details wise, I played fairly well shooting a 40 – 42 = 82.  Iron Horse stretches to 7028 yards from the tips, and was included in GW’s Top 100 Modern list at spot #84 in 2002 (never on my Merged GW Top 100).

After a good shower, my UBER driver Jessica too me back to the airport.  While waiting for my flight, I spotted an older gentlemen at the airport wearing a Yarmulke (a Jewish skullcap)…I called Jessica to advise that she was now one of three…at least until the next flight departed!

Powder Horn Golf Club, July 17, 2019:  Leaving Whitefish MT and heading to Sheridan, WY meant either a drive of some 8-9 hours or two flights…I chose the latter, transferring in Salt Lake City and heading for Casper, WY.  Both Casper and Billings, MT are just over 2 hours from Sheridan WY, but my choice was always Casper.  One of my great buds and fraternity brother at MIT (Rick Lentz) was originally from Casper, and I always wanted to get there to see it.  Well, 50% completed…I got there, but being that it was just before 10pm, there was little to see…and no one seemed to remember Rick!

The drive north to Sheridan was uneventful but somewhat spectacular with major lightning strikes visible to the north, and I arrived at my hotel just past midnight.  

Early the next morning I was at Powder Horn, a 27-hole club featuring three nines by Dick Bailey.  Interestingly, Golf Week has included the combination of the Stag and Mountain nines on their Top 100 Modern listings in 2000 and 2002-2011 (peaking at #130 on my “Merged” GW list in 2003), while Golf Digest includes the combination of Stag and Eagle nines in its list of candidate courses.  As such I chose to play all 27 (not wanting to risk the need for a return visit to this rather remote location).  The three nines are very different from one another.  I played Mountain first, had a 39 but thought the nine was way too open and not very interesting.  Then I played Stag…which was quite the opposite, being fairly tight in spots and I thought had too much water (had another 39).  Finally I played Stag…fired a smooth 36…and thought it was a very good nine.  Overall, I would select the Eagle/Stag 18 as the best combination.  In terms of building sequence, Mountain came first in 1997, followed by Stag and then Eagle over the following 6-7 years.

Following the round, I had a quick lunch and hit the road…this time heading east to central South Dakota.

Sutton Bay Club, July 18, 2019:  Back in 2013 I was scheduled for a trip to South Dakota, Minneapolis, central IL, and Ft. Wayne IN.  The day before my scheduled departure, I was playing at Brookline with a member of Hazeltine National (MN) and we were discussing my first stop on my upcoming trip…Sutton Bay in SD.  The member of Hazeltine asked if I knew the history of the Old and New courses at Sutton Bay…and my reply was “I thought they only had one course”.  I then learned the history of Sutton Bay.  Its Old course, designed by Graham Marsh, opened in 2003, and in 2005 was rated #25 on GW’s Merged USA Top 100 and stayed on this Merged list through 2010.  In 2009 and 2011 it was rated #85 on Golf Magazine’s USA Top 100, and in 2012 it placed #95 on top100golfcourses.com.  However, starting around 2008 or 2009 sprinkler system pipes started breaking regularly as the land on which the course was constructed started to shift and literally fissure/split.  Before long, the Old course had become a safety hazard and had to be abandoned, and Marsh was brought back to build a replacement, higher up and further away from the Missouri River.  The New course opened in 2013 (just prior to my discussions)…but the ratings mentioned above were for the Old course, which had been on different land.  As it was described to me, the entire Old course had slid into the Missouri River. 

I notified Golf Digest of what I had learned and Sutton Bay was removed from their Best in State ratings. I also cancelled the first day of my trip…thereby saving myself from an arduous journey to central SD.  However, earlier this year, Sutton Bay’s New course was included on GW’s Top 100 USA Modern listing (but not the “Merged” list), thereby putting it back on my personal to-do list, ands requiring the same arduous journey…just six years later.  

So I headed east from Powder Horn mostly on Interstate 90 and then US-212 for a total of 410 miles and about 6 hours 10 minutes.  That was a long drive…but tomorrow’s would be worse (more later).

This is a spectacular setting…high above east bank of the Missouri.  Sutton Bay Club is beautifully done without being over the top. Activities include golf, fishing and hunting in their appropriate seasons, but my focus was to be golf…and some rest from the drive.  I inquired about the Old and whether it might be possible to play a few of the original holes.  The response was quick and clear…it would be a major safety risk (as the ground was filled with fissures) and the land was now infested in rattlesnakes.  Trust me, those warnings were enough for moi to keep the Old course in my “no longer exists” category.  

The next morning I was the first golfer off the tee.  Played with Cody, an assistant pro here and a fine, fine, young man.  I very much liked the course.  It has wide fairways, well placed bunkers that force the golfer to consider their options on almost every shot, and the greens are fairly large, filled with double breaking putts, and loaded up with mounds…there are some incredible putts on these greens, and to some extent they reminded me a little of Ohoopee Match Play (Post #123).  Best hole IMO is par 4 11^th…simply fits perfectly into the land forms.  The many views of The Missouri River and Lake Oahe are spectacular (reminding me of the views of the Missouri River from the Links of North Dakota (Post #85).  

As with about every course I have played over the past few months, Sutton Bay has received far more than its normal amount of rain (and/or snow) this year and is much greener than normal (so I was told…this being my first visit within 125 miles of here).  The course, which was in great condition, still played fairly firm and fast…but I would guess that under normal conditions it is really fast.  One other consequence of the rain was that the fescue lining the generous fairways was extremely thick and brutal.  Cody hit into it once or twice and I thought he might break a wrist getting out.  They are actively working to thin out the fescue.

Based on what I could discern from a distance, the Old course was much closer to the River/Lake, but the New course offers more expansive views from its higher perch.  I was told the Old course had more natural movement in its fairways, but the greens on the New are much tougher to play and understand. Additionally the Old was a much tougher walk.  Yardage wise New totals 7317 yards..  I came in with a 43 -42 = 85…not bad with 5 three putt greens.

Overall I came away very very impressed.  Let’s be clear, this place makes Bandon and Sandhills look convenient…but no question it is worth the effort.

Hiwan Golf Club, July 19, 2019:  After the round at Sutton Bay and saying thanks to the staff, I grabbed a box lunch and was back on my way…this time with a drive of almost 600 miles (9 hours) to Denver.  I had hoped to play Dismal River Club’s White Course on the way (I would be driving within 22 miles of it) but they now have a rule requiring all non-members to spend a night at the club in order to play either course (I played their Red Course in 2014, Post #4)…and they were booked solid that Thursday night.  This will mean another trip back to NE…not all bad as I will try to work in another round at Sandhills GC on that trip.  It also meant I had nothing to break up the trip.  Also tried a return to Ballyneal GC in northeastern CO, but they too were booked solid.  Good news for the game and its many clubs and businesses that depend on visiting players, full membership rosters, and strength of the economy.

The sights along the way were often spectacular…but few were better than the Rockies in the distance signaling that I was getting close to Denver.  I was heading to a town called Evergreen which is west of Denver (thereby extending the drive somewhat) and was scheduled to play Hiwan GC early Friday morning.  Mel H., who has completed at least one (and probably more) GM World list and is a fellow member of Global Golf Centurions Club had arranged for me to play Hiwan, his home club. No question in my mind that Mel is/has:

            - played more great golf courses than any other physicist who has ever lived; and

            - is the second best physicist/golfer to ever live (first would be Bryson DeChambeau).

Unfortunately, Mel was traveling on July 19 and could not join me, but he set up my game for which I am very grateful.  And I would be seeing him the following week.

Hiwan was included in GD’s 200 Toughest lists in 1996 and 1967, hosted the 1976 US Junior Championship. It also hosted the Colorado Open from 1964-1992.  It opened in 1965 with a Press Maxwell design and was remodeled by Dick Phelps in 1990.

Hiwan plays to 6932 yards from the tips (par 70), and is very hilly.  The first hole is straight up hill and is an indication of things to come. By my count eight holes are big time uphill or downhill, and I counted five major doglegs (all left to right). It was in excellent condition and played fairly firm/fast.  I finished this trip with a 39 – 39 = 78, showered and headed to the airport…quite tired. 

When I returned my car, I noted that I had driven my rental car (starting in Casper WY at about 10pm on 7/16 and returning at Denver Airport at 1:30pm on 7/19…a total of 63.5 hours) had logged 1217 miles.  My rental charges totaled $224.44 (18.4 cents/mile)…not too bad.  Total for the trip was 1612 miles (excluding miles in golf carts!).  Since you asked, my gas charges with the Casper-Denver car totaled $91.32.  This was more of a driving/flying trip than a golf trip (1612 miles plus 5 flights totaling almost 14 hours)…but I did knock off most of my hard to get to/isolated destinations.

Flight home was happily uneventful and I arrived home around 11:30PM.  Pat was fast asleep!