Wednesday
Shell's Wonderful World of Golf at Skibo Castle
This fantastic golf course is ranked the 34th best course in Scotland by top100golfcourses.co.uk; not bad considering the stout competition. Enjoy the trip around Skibo Castle Golf Club.
Monday
Turf Conditions
Let's face it, the majority of golfers want nice, vibrant green grass on the course. That is why golf courses flood the turf with water and fertilizer during the growing season and then overseed with a winter turf where possible. However, most golfers also like to see tee shots roll out an additional 15-20 yards. The problem comes when clubs attempt to mix those two. It is possible to maintain a vibrant green golf course on top of it playing firm and fast. But it takes significant money to do so. This is not ideal for the golfer or the club.
Wanting firm and fast at all times also fails to take into consideration both weather and geographic factors. Courses in the southeastern United States with their bermuda turf and typical afternoon rain storms are simply not going to be firm and fast for much of the year. Just the same with courses in Seattle or other rainy areas. Bermuda turf (not seen in Seattle, obviously) is simply not a firm and fast turf normally. It takes significant work to keep bermuda firm due to thatch build-up and such. It simply will not run as firm as a bent grass or fescue turf. Trying to do so is a fools errand and will cost a great amount.
No the key for all golf courses is to find that balance that maintains the green conditions that golfers want while cutting back on maintenance expense (water use, chemicals, labor). Green conditions are what golfers want, regardless of what pockets of golfers on certain Golf Architecture websites (where I frequent) want to say. The vast majority of golfers simply will not pay money to play a browned out golf course regardless of the quality of design or how much yardage they gain on tee shots.
The crowd that insists on firm and fast under all circumstances fails to understand the nature of the business nationwide and worldwide. Sure, Bandon Dunes could get 15 inches of rain overnight and the fairways still play firm. The sandy soil there runs water through it like a collander. But a great course like Pebble Beach does not have that luxurious soil. If it rains heavily at Pebble Beach, the course will be wet, simple as that. Sure, they could possibly install millions of dollars of subsurface drainage or dig out the fairways and cap them with a foot or two of sand, but who would pay for that? Eventually that cost will be filtered down to the consumer. And in truth, nothing would be gained.
The quest for firm and fast conditions all over, as said before, is simply a fools errand. There is frankly no reason to expect ANY course to maintain firm and fast conditions all the time. Doing so causes nothing more than an arms race of courses trying to keep up with each other and raising the price of golf for the average golfer. Hopefully those that try to preach about firm and fast at all times will wake up and realize the cost of doing so. Firm and fast simply does not work at all times.
Wanting firm and fast at all times also fails to take into consideration both weather and geographic factors. Courses in the southeastern United States with their bermuda turf and typical afternoon rain storms are simply not going to be firm and fast for much of the year. Just the same with courses in Seattle or other rainy areas. Bermuda turf (not seen in Seattle, obviously) is simply not a firm and fast turf normally. It takes significant work to keep bermuda firm due to thatch build-up and such. It simply will not run as firm as a bent grass or fescue turf. Trying to do so is a fools errand and will cost a great amount.
No the key for all golf courses is to find that balance that maintains the green conditions that golfers want while cutting back on maintenance expense (water use, chemicals, labor). Green conditions are what golfers want, regardless of what pockets of golfers on certain Golf Architecture websites (where I frequent) want to say. The vast majority of golfers simply will not pay money to play a browned out golf course regardless of the quality of design or how much yardage they gain on tee shots.
The crowd that insists on firm and fast under all circumstances fails to understand the nature of the business nationwide and worldwide. Sure, Bandon Dunes could get 15 inches of rain overnight and the fairways still play firm. The sandy soil there runs water through it like a collander. But a great course like Pebble Beach does not have that luxurious soil. If it rains heavily at Pebble Beach, the course will be wet, simple as that. Sure, they could possibly install millions of dollars of subsurface drainage or dig out the fairways and cap them with a foot or two of sand, but who would pay for that? Eventually that cost will be filtered down to the consumer. And in truth, nothing would be gained.
The quest for firm and fast conditions all over, as said before, is simply a fools errand. There is frankly no reason to expect ANY course to maintain firm and fast conditions all the time. Doing so causes nothing more than an arms race of courses trying to keep up with each other and raising the price of golf for the average golfer. Hopefully those that try to preach about firm and fast at all times will wake up and realize the cost of doing so. Firm and fast simply does not work at all times.
Thursday
PGA.com Top 9 Courses in Alabama
Here is a link to the article:
http://www.pga.com/golf-courses/quick-nine/best-golf-courses-in-alabama#comment-5451
1. RTJ @ Silver Lakes
2. RTJ @ Grand National (Links)
3. RTJ @ Ross Bridge
4. RTJ @ Capitol Hill (Senator)
5. Limestone Springs
6. FarmLinks
7. Capstone Club
8. Azalea City
9. Timberlane
Well, I haven't played all of those. And of course this is a compilation of Facebook votes, not from the PGA directly. But having Azalea City at 8 when it is probably closer 58, is just a head scratcher. Oh well. All for fun I suppose.
http://www.pga.com/golf-courses/quick-nine/best-golf-courses-in-alabama#comment-5451
1. RTJ @ Silver Lakes
2. RTJ @ Grand National (Links)
3. RTJ @ Ross Bridge
4. RTJ @ Capitol Hill (Senator)
5. Limestone Springs
6. FarmLinks
7. Capstone Club
8. Azalea City
9. Timberlane
Well, I haven't played all of those. And of course this is a compilation of Facebook votes, not from the PGA directly. But having Azalea City at 8 when it is probably closer 58, is just a head scratcher. Oh well. All for fun I suppose.
Sunday
Maryland National Golf Club-Middletown, MD
This course is both very good and very bad. Part of the course is routed over higher ground and those holes are quite good. The other part of the course is routed beside, over, and around a creek that bisects the property and those are generally quite poor. This course has the potential to be very good. The first five holes start the golfer off with high quality golf. 6 is a fair par 3 by itself, but it is a virtual twin to the 17th and rather similar to the 14th. This is a Jekyll and Hyde golf course, some holes are outstanding, 6 or 7 quality, and others are terrible, 1 and 2 quality.
Variety of Design: Not exceptional, but not bad. 3 of the 5 par 3's play significantly downhill and there is limited variety in yardage. The par 4's have significant ranges in yardage, but the two shortest ones are quite poor. The par 5's are a real highlight of the course and have very quality designs. But oddly, there are no holes that play uphill, and many that play downhill. The uphill spots are traveled by cart. Hole directions are also out of balance. 5
Flow of the Course: The course does flow, but not due to hole features. It flows due to having good and poor holes. But in general, the flow is only moderate. 4 1/2
Course Conditioning: Top quality. The greens and fairways are both well maintained and the course runs firm. 7 1/2
Ease of Walking: This would be a difficult course to walk. The routing is not exceptional, having some large distances between holes, many of those being uphill. If you try to walk here, you'd better be in very good shape. 2
Atmosphere: Very little. Course has no tournament history. The designer, Arthur Hills, is not likely to bring in a large number of people. And the course has no other known history. 1
Total: 46.5
Holes to Note
Hole #2: Par 5, 585 yards
This is a very picturesque downhill par 5. The play from the tee is to play the shot down the left side, over the bunkers, and then let the ball run out down the fairway. The green might be reachable in two shots for the longer players if they can get the ball to run out and not be blocked out by the tree in the middle of the fairway. This can be a birdie hole if the player hits 2 or 3 solid shots.
Variety of Design: Not exceptional, but not bad. 3 of the 5 par 3's play significantly downhill and there is limited variety in yardage. The par 4's have significant ranges in yardage, but the two shortest ones are quite poor. The par 5's are a real highlight of the course and have very quality designs. But oddly, there are no holes that play uphill, and many that play downhill. The uphill spots are traveled by cart. Hole directions are also out of balance. 5
Flow of the Course: The course does flow, but not due to hole features. It flows due to having good and poor holes. But in general, the flow is only moderate. 4 1/2
Course Conditioning: Top quality. The greens and fairways are both well maintained and the course runs firm. 7 1/2
Ease of Walking: This would be a difficult course to walk. The routing is not exceptional, having some large distances between holes, many of those being uphill. If you try to walk here, you'd better be in very good shape. 2
Atmosphere: Very little. Course has no tournament history. The designer, Arthur Hills, is not likely to bring in a large number of people. And the course has no other known history. 1
Total: 46.5
Holes to Note
Hole #2: Par 5, 585 yards
This is a very picturesque downhill par 5. The play from the tee is to play the shot down the left side, over the bunkers, and then let the ball run out down the fairway. The green might be reachable in two shots for the longer players if they can get the ball to run out and not be blocked out by the tree in the middle of the fairway. This can be a birdie hole if the player hits 2 or 3 solid shots.
From the tee, the hole spreads out nicely. The best play is towards the peak of the small mountain in the distance.
This shot from the tee ran through the fairway and to the right side. This is not the shortest approach, but has a good angle, being able to avoid the tree. This may be the best hole on the course.
Hole #7: Par 5, 542 yards
The second in a fantastic set of par 5's. This hole plays over flat ground but is shaped in such a way as to provide good interest on all shots. The tee shot is influenced by a large bunker cutting deeply into the right side of fairway at 285 yards from the tee. Longer players may have to play less than driver from the tee in order to avoid this bunker. There is also the option for them to attempt to hit a drive into the fairway that is to the left of the bunker, though it is only 20 yards wide. And of course, if the player is tremendously long off the tee, he can attempt to carry the bunker, a hit of about 325 yards in the air. The second shot is then influenced by a very large mound, again on the right side of the hole. Players who do not navigate this mound very well will have a difficult shot into the green over bunkers. Players finding the top of the mound or past is on the right side will have an easy approach.
The second in a fantastic set of par 5's. This hole plays over flat ground but is shaped in such a way as to provide good interest on all shots. The tee shot is influenced by a large bunker cutting deeply into the right side of fairway at 285 yards from the tee. Longer players may have to play less than driver from the tee in order to avoid this bunker. There is also the option for them to attempt to hit a drive into the fairway that is to the left of the bunker, though it is only 20 yards wide. And of course, if the player is tremendously long off the tee, he can attempt to carry the bunker, a hit of about 325 yards in the air. The second shot is then influenced by a very large mound, again on the right side of the hole. Players who do not navigate this mound very well will have a difficult shot into the green over bunkers. Players finding the top of the mound or past is on the right side will have an easy approach.
From the tee, the bunkers is visible as two small bunkers; the majority of the bunker being blind.
The mound visible in the center of the image must be navigated on the second shot.
No easy approach awaits for this player who failed to successfully navigate his way around the mound.
Hole #12: Par 3, 246 yards
This is a solid, long par 3 playing downhill from the tee. The hole allows the player to run the ball onto the green, as would be expected for a hole this long. This is certainly the best par 3 on the golf course.
The green is slightly left of the center of the picture. This is likely the highest point on the course and gives the player a stunning view of the surrounding area.
The flat approach leading to the green slopes off to the left for shots that are pulled or hooked. This hole would be a solid addition to nearly any golf course.
Hole #16: Par 4, 336 yards
This may be the worst hole this writer has ever played. There is so much going on here that it's a virtual car wreck. The hole plays pinched between a hill on the right and the creek on the left. The problem is that the hole is so narrow that anything more than an iron is not a smart play. Couple that with the fact that the creek crosses the fairway at about 220 yards off the tee, and requires roughly a 240 yard carry to make it across. And the cart path crosses directly across the fairway and then is pushed hard against the fairway down the left side. If Arthur Hills has ever designed a hole worse than this, that course needs to be shut down.
From the back tee, it is easy to see how tight the hole plays. The bunker visible in the center is green side.
From closer, the creek crossing the fairway is visible and all the other gruesome features of the hole are more visible as well.
From the lay-up area short of the creek, the hole gets no better. Any shot hit left will be lost in the creek and anything right will likely be lost up the hill. The only good thing about this hole is that it ends.
This course had potential to be very good. Instead it comes out as something just average due to some very poor holes coupled with the very good ones. 4 out of 10.
Friday
Course Rating Methodology
So obviously there is a full page of this site dedicated to rating individual courses on a 1-10 scale, with the special designator of 0 also in place. But what methodology is used to determine the ranking for each individual course? There are numerous factors that are considered in determining the final number. Variety of design, of course, is one. Course conditioning. Ease of walking. How well a course "flows." Atmosphere. On and off course scenery. Finally, and hopefully not much, personal bias. But in order to understand those words, perhaps some more definition is in order.
Variety of Design: The best courses prompt golfers to hit all manner of different shots. Variety in the course design will always produce a variety of different shots played. Here, the key things to look for are the balance of straight, left, and right moving holes. That number will almost never be 6-6-6 simply because par 3's are almost always straight, but the closer the numbers are together, generally, the better the course you will find. Another key feature of design variety comes in variety of approach distances. How much difference in effective yardage is seen in the par 3's? Do the par 4's and 5's mandate thought from the tee or is the player merely able to "fire away?" How varied are the effective approach yardages to those holes? On the par 5's, are they all long irons to the green or is at least one of them long enough to prompt the player to hit 3 solid full shots? This is really the key metric to determine course greatness.
Course Conditioning: This really just looks at the condition of the fairways and greens. Bunker sand typically will not considered unless is greatly effects play (i.e. the sand is so deep and fluffy that balls plug two inches deep on every shot that winds up in the bunker or something similar) The rough and beyond will also not be considered often because, well, rough is meant to be rough and not friendly. The first thing to look at in the fairway is frankly whether or not the entire fairway is grass and has no significant bare spots. Second, how dense and smooth is the playing surface in the fairway. The same conditions go for the green. The speed of the greens in relation to putting surface contours will also be considered. And finally how firm the golf course plays will be strongly considered.
Ease of Walking: Flat out, a course that cannot be walked with relative ease will not be ranked highly. Typically it will not be viewed as a negative if a large hill is navigated during the play of the hole and is integrated as a solid design feature. But a course that plays a hole over flat ground then requires the player hike up or down a large/steep hill to get to the next holes that also plays on flat ground will certainly have that considered a negative. Excessive green to tee walks or long detours around ravines, creeks or the like will also be considered negatives.
The "Flow" of the Course: The best golf courses, same as the best movies, build up and cool down multiple times over the span of the course/show. How well the course does this is crucial in making a determination of the quality of the course. This takes into consideration use of scenery, hole difficulty, use of natural features and how the use of those ebb and flow through the round.
Atmosphere: This is more the club features. Clubhouse, the feel on the first tee, history of the club and so forth. While these things should not skew how the course itself it viewed, the truth is, in most people, it does. Might as well be honest and have it in the open from the start.
Personal Bias: This is obviously another one of those things that shouldn't matter but almost always does. Anything from favoring or disliking a certain designer, to certain design features, even something as simple as pace of play can have an affect on the rating assigned to a course. Same as with Atmosphere, best to just admit this can be the case and move on with it.
Specific Course Examples:
Pebble Beach
Variety of Design: Outstanding. Play clubs from the tee (on par 4's and 5's) can/will range from Driver down to hybrids or long irons; that is about as much as can be expected without trying to force something odd onto the course. The par 3's range from sand wedge (on 7) to 3 iron or more depending on wind (on 12), again, that is as good as one will likely see. Same with approach clubs to the greens, they can range from a very short club on 2 or 4 to long irons or a fairway wood on 13, with 14 certainly being a 3 shot par 5. The course also plays uphill, downhill, with and against the wind but does have a slight imbalance in the play of holes, having only two holes play to the left with 8 holes playing each straight and right. There is, of course, a great reason for that, the course still lacks balance and indeed that may be the only negative about the design variety. Not perfect, but 9 1/4 is certainly a reasonable number.
Flow of the Course: Easiest way to say this is that if there is a course that flows better than this one, it has not yet been seen by this writer. When he finds one, he'll change the rating. 10
Course Conditioning: Bottom line, neither the fairways nor greens have a single blade of grass out of place. If the course were slightly firmer, it would be pushing very close to 10 here, but 9 1/2 is not bad.
Ease of Walking: This is certainly not the easiest course to walk. Having to cross a road between 2 and 3 is certainly not a great positive. Same with the walk to get to the 6th tee. Other than that, the walk is not bad. The hills are crossed during the play of the hole and the average green to tee distance is not great. Overall, 9 on the walking, perhaps even a touch better than that for those not playing the blue tees (less than 9 for those playing the US Open tees...which is likely no one reading this).
Atmosphere: Very high. Outstanding tournament history. Great feel on the first tee. Incredible scale. The walk up 18 is simply incredible. Anytime you play a course having as high of expectations as one likely has with Pebble, and then the course exceedes those expectations, it's something special. 9 3/4 here.
Personal Bias: Well, that's all ready included in the numbers you see above.
Total: Variety of Design and Flow of the Course will be weighted 3 times, Course Conditioning weighted twice, with Ease of Walking and Atmosphere weighted once to come up with a final total of 100 possible points. Final Score- 95.5
Ross Bridge
Variety of Design: The player will likely never hit less than driver on a non-par 3 hole from the tee. At least from the back markers that is the case. The par 3's have slight variety, but none will be approached with less than a long iron. The par 4's will all involve mid to long iron approaches and the par 5's are all 3 shot holes with wedge approaches. As far as variety in directions, the course does very well, having 6 holes play to the left, 5 going right, and 7 playing straight. It also manages to play uphill and downhill rather well. 7 for variety
Flow of the Course: This course flows as well as it can given it's extreme length and limited variety. But the difficulty in holes and scenery make for the variety. The course moves from easy, to moderate, to heroic, to easy and does it quite well. Also the scenery on some of the holes around water and looking over the valley and onto the ridge line is quite nice. This course does well to not overload the players with too much visual information. Great variety here, 8 overall.
Course Conditioning: This course does very well being located in the deep south and having bent grass greens. While not keep up with Pebble Beach, this course have very good conditioning over all, though it could handle being a bit firmer in general. 7 1/2
Ease of Walking: This is tough to evaluate because the course is carts only. However, if they were to allow walking, it would be very difficult. Some of the largest hills on the course are traveled between holes and there are several significant green to tee distances. Sadly, this course is a 2 for walking, but they all ready knew that.
Atmosphere: This course was impressive in the way it maintained quality given it's length. There was an expectation and anticipation coming into the round given the length and notariety of the course, and it did not disappoint. 5 out of 10
Total: 67
RTJ Golf Trail @ Magnolia Grove (Crossings)
Variety of Design: Not exceptional. Par 3's all play as medium to long holes. Par 4's all require mid-iron approaches, par 5's are all approached with short wedges. Virtually all approaches have no option for a rolling approach. The directional variety is just fair, having 10 straight holes, and 4 each playing left and right. 4 3/4
Flow of the Course: The flow is somewhat flatlined until the end of the round. The first has little to get the golfer really excited or really difficult, yet it has no breaks in the action either. The course does pick up for a strong finish on 16-17-18, but the perceived quality of that might actually be skewed by the fact that there is little to get the blood flowing in the rest of the round. 4 1/2
Course Conditioning: This course is generally wetter than would be favorable. Area rainfall is not the only factor in that, the course lays down plenty of water on it's own. As such, the fairways as almost always rather soft. They are full with no bare spots, same as the greens. The greens are generally rather nice, better than the fairways. But this course is certainly not one where you will be wowed by the turf. 5
Ease of Walking: The course is easier than Ross Bridge, listed above, but that is not saying much. This is a very difficult course to walk, having numerous long walks, several of 250 yards or more. At least the course travels over most of the largest hills during the play of holes. 4
Atmosphere: There is decent atmosphere here. The scale of the clubhouse, the service provided by the club, and the quality of the practice facilities are all top notch. There will also likely be some type of anticipation to play here by all. Also, the course has good tournament history, currently hosting an LPGA Tour event. 4 1/4
Total: 46
Duplin Country Club (note: the name of this course may have been changed to Majestic Pines, information is unclear)
Variety of Design: Very little. 16 holes are virtually straight and two holes dogleg right within 100 yards of the green. Greens have little interest and most approach clubs are short irons. 1 1/2
Flow of the Course: Flatlined. Virtually no ups or downs. No changes in scenery and so forth. 2
Course Conditioning: Fair, greens were bumpy, fairways had some bare spots. 2
Ease of Walking: Actually quite good. The transitions are easy, with only a long walk from 9 to 10 and 18 back to the clubhouse. 9
Atmosphere: None. 1
Total: 24.5
The number for Pebble Beach is nearly as high as possible. No course is perfect and even among the handful of courses that might surpass Pebble Beach at #1 on the list here, those will likely not score 100. It is also unlikely that a course will score as low as 10, which is as low as the scoring can go.
All new course reviews posted will have this matrix added in.
Variety of Design: The best courses prompt golfers to hit all manner of different shots. Variety in the course design will always produce a variety of different shots played. Here, the key things to look for are the balance of straight, left, and right moving holes. That number will almost never be 6-6-6 simply because par 3's are almost always straight, but the closer the numbers are together, generally, the better the course you will find. Another key feature of design variety comes in variety of approach distances. How much difference in effective yardage is seen in the par 3's? Do the par 4's and 5's mandate thought from the tee or is the player merely able to "fire away?" How varied are the effective approach yardages to those holes? On the par 5's, are they all long irons to the green or is at least one of them long enough to prompt the player to hit 3 solid full shots? This is really the key metric to determine course greatness.
Course Conditioning: This really just looks at the condition of the fairways and greens. Bunker sand typically will not considered unless is greatly effects play (i.e. the sand is so deep and fluffy that balls plug two inches deep on every shot that winds up in the bunker or something similar) The rough and beyond will also not be considered often because, well, rough is meant to be rough and not friendly. The first thing to look at in the fairway is frankly whether or not the entire fairway is grass and has no significant bare spots. Second, how dense and smooth is the playing surface in the fairway. The same conditions go for the green. The speed of the greens in relation to putting surface contours will also be considered. And finally how firm the golf course plays will be strongly considered.
Ease of Walking: Flat out, a course that cannot be walked with relative ease will not be ranked highly. Typically it will not be viewed as a negative if a large hill is navigated during the play of the hole and is integrated as a solid design feature. But a course that plays a hole over flat ground then requires the player hike up or down a large/steep hill to get to the next holes that also plays on flat ground will certainly have that considered a negative. Excessive green to tee walks or long detours around ravines, creeks or the like will also be considered negatives.
The "Flow" of the Course: The best golf courses, same as the best movies, build up and cool down multiple times over the span of the course/show. How well the course does this is crucial in making a determination of the quality of the course. This takes into consideration use of scenery, hole difficulty, use of natural features and how the use of those ebb and flow through the round.
Atmosphere: This is more the club features. Clubhouse, the feel on the first tee, history of the club and so forth. While these things should not skew how the course itself it viewed, the truth is, in most people, it does. Might as well be honest and have it in the open from the start.
Personal Bias: This is obviously another one of those things that shouldn't matter but almost always does. Anything from favoring or disliking a certain designer, to certain design features, even something as simple as pace of play can have an affect on the rating assigned to a course. Same as with Atmosphere, best to just admit this can be the case and move on with it.
Specific Course Examples:
Pebble Beach
Variety of Design: Outstanding. Play clubs from the tee (on par 4's and 5's) can/will range from Driver down to hybrids or long irons; that is about as much as can be expected without trying to force something odd onto the course. The par 3's range from sand wedge (on 7) to 3 iron or more depending on wind (on 12), again, that is as good as one will likely see. Same with approach clubs to the greens, they can range from a very short club on 2 or 4 to long irons or a fairway wood on 13, with 14 certainly being a 3 shot par 5. The course also plays uphill, downhill, with and against the wind but does have a slight imbalance in the play of holes, having only two holes play to the left with 8 holes playing each straight and right. There is, of course, a great reason for that, the course still lacks balance and indeed that may be the only negative about the design variety. Not perfect, but 9 1/4 is certainly a reasonable number.
Flow of the Course: Easiest way to say this is that if there is a course that flows better than this one, it has not yet been seen by this writer. When he finds one, he'll change the rating. 10
Course Conditioning: Bottom line, neither the fairways nor greens have a single blade of grass out of place. If the course were slightly firmer, it would be pushing very close to 10 here, but 9 1/2 is not bad.
Ease of Walking: This is certainly not the easiest course to walk. Having to cross a road between 2 and 3 is certainly not a great positive. Same with the walk to get to the 6th tee. Other than that, the walk is not bad. The hills are crossed during the play of the hole and the average green to tee distance is not great. Overall, 9 on the walking, perhaps even a touch better than that for those not playing the blue tees (less than 9 for those playing the US Open tees...which is likely no one reading this).
Atmosphere: Very high. Outstanding tournament history. Great feel on the first tee. Incredible scale. The walk up 18 is simply incredible. Anytime you play a course having as high of expectations as one likely has with Pebble, and then the course exceedes those expectations, it's something special. 9 3/4 here.
Personal Bias: Well, that's all ready included in the numbers you see above.
Total: Variety of Design and Flow of the Course will be weighted 3 times, Course Conditioning weighted twice, with Ease of Walking and Atmosphere weighted once to come up with a final total of 100 possible points. Final Score- 95.5
Ross Bridge
Variety of Design: The player will likely never hit less than driver on a non-par 3 hole from the tee. At least from the back markers that is the case. The par 3's have slight variety, but none will be approached with less than a long iron. The par 4's will all involve mid to long iron approaches and the par 5's are all 3 shot holes with wedge approaches. As far as variety in directions, the course does very well, having 6 holes play to the left, 5 going right, and 7 playing straight. It also manages to play uphill and downhill rather well. 7 for variety
Flow of the Course: This course flows as well as it can given it's extreme length and limited variety. But the difficulty in holes and scenery make for the variety. The course moves from easy, to moderate, to heroic, to easy and does it quite well. Also the scenery on some of the holes around water and looking over the valley and onto the ridge line is quite nice. This course does well to not overload the players with too much visual information. Great variety here, 8 overall.
Course Conditioning: This course does very well being located in the deep south and having bent grass greens. While not keep up with Pebble Beach, this course have very good conditioning over all, though it could handle being a bit firmer in general. 7 1/2
Ease of Walking: This is tough to evaluate because the course is carts only. However, if they were to allow walking, it would be very difficult. Some of the largest hills on the course are traveled between holes and there are several significant green to tee distances. Sadly, this course is a 2 for walking, but they all ready knew that.
Atmosphere: This course was impressive in the way it maintained quality given it's length. There was an expectation and anticipation coming into the round given the length and notariety of the course, and it did not disappoint. 5 out of 10
Total: 67
RTJ Golf Trail @ Magnolia Grove (Crossings)
Variety of Design: Not exceptional. Par 3's all play as medium to long holes. Par 4's all require mid-iron approaches, par 5's are all approached with short wedges. Virtually all approaches have no option for a rolling approach. The directional variety is just fair, having 10 straight holes, and 4 each playing left and right. 4 3/4
Flow of the Course: The flow is somewhat flatlined until the end of the round. The first has little to get the golfer really excited or really difficult, yet it has no breaks in the action either. The course does pick up for a strong finish on 16-17-18, but the perceived quality of that might actually be skewed by the fact that there is little to get the blood flowing in the rest of the round. 4 1/2
Course Conditioning: This course is generally wetter than would be favorable. Area rainfall is not the only factor in that, the course lays down plenty of water on it's own. As such, the fairways as almost always rather soft. They are full with no bare spots, same as the greens. The greens are generally rather nice, better than the fairways. But this course is certainly not one where you will be wowed by the turf. 5
Ease of Walking: The course is easier than Ross Bridge, listed above, but that is not saying much. This is a very difficult course to walk, having numerous long walks, several of 250 yards or more. At least the course travels over most of the largest hills during the play of holes. 4
Atmosphere: There is decent atmosphere here. The scale of the clubhouse, the service provided by the club, and the quality of the practice facilities are all top notch. There will also likely be some type of anticipation to play here by all. Also, the course has good tournament history, currently hosting an LPGA Tour event. 4 1/4
Total: 46
Duplin Country Club (note: the name of this course may have been changed to Majestic Pines, information is unclear)
Variety of Design: Very little. 16 holes are virtually straight and two holes dogleg right within 100 yards of the green. Greens have little interest and most approach clubs are short irons. 1 1/2
Flow of the Course: Flatlined. Virtually no ups or downs. No changes in scenery and so forth. 2
Course Conditioning: Fair, greens were bumpy, fairways had some bare spots. 2
Ease of Walking: Actually quite good. The transitions are easy, with only a long walk from 9 to 10 and 18 back to the clubhouse. 9
Atmosphere: None. 1
Total: 24.5
The number for Pebble Beach is nearly as high as possible. No course is perfect and even among the handful of courses that might surpass Pebble Beach at #1 on the list here, those will likely not score 100. It is also unlikely that a course will score as low as 10, which is as low as the scoring can go.
All new course reviews posted will have this matrix added in.
Monday
Ryder Cup- Wrap up
8 1/2 to 3 1/2 on the final day.
That ties the record for the worst final day defeat in the Ryder Cup since the current format was adopted in 1981.
That level of collapse is unbelievable. It has been written here before this writers thoughts on "pressure" in athletics. Sitting here this morning, writing or reading, it occurs to me that if I messed up that bad at my job, and make no mistake about it, golf is a job, nothing less for these guys, I would go to jail.
Some people have tried to pin the loss on the poor play of Jim Furyk or Steve Stricker, the captain's picks. Yes, Steve Stricker went 0-4 in this Ryder Cup. Furyk was 1-2 in the Cup. But the fact is, the team had a four point lead going into Sunday. They only needed win four of the twelve matches and tie one to win the Ryder Cup. So that allows for seven match losses. Even with Stricker and Furyk losing on the final day, that still leaves five losses to spare. No, this is not the fault of those two golfers.
This burden lies with the whole team. Every golfer on the American side went out on Sunday and played sub-standard golf. A quick look down the list will show that nearly every player on the American side shot rounds of one or two under par. That simply will not cut it in match play. Brandt Snedeker has taken some heat for his loss to Paul Lawrie, which makes sense on the surface until you notice that Lawrie was six under par in 15 holes.
No, this was an entire team failure for the Americans. From top to bottom, the team played terrible.
But what does this mean for the US side going forward? One obvious thought is that veteran players are not exceptionally valueable for the US team. Looking back at the 2008 Ryder Cup team, the team was populated with six Ryder Cup rookies. That statistic should be noted by all given the generally terrible play of veteran golfers; even in 2008, Phil Mickelson went 1-2-2 in the competition. No, the truth is, these veteran golfers have such mental demons due to having been beaten so many times.
Whatever happens, this team will have plenty of time to think about their terrible play on the final day. No way around it, the US team truly pulled defeat from the tight jaws of victory and has let Europe retain the Cup for another two years when it had no business doing so. Obviously the Europeans got no sleep last night, nor should they have. Hopefully the Americans got no sleep either, for the opposite reasons.
That ties the record for the worst final day defeat in the Ryder Cup since the current format was adopted in 1981.
That level of collapse is unbelievable. It has been written here before this writers thoughts on "pressure" in athletics. Sitting here this morning, writing or reading, it occurs to me that if I messed up that bad at my job, and make no mistake about it, golf is a job, nothing less for these guys, I would go to jail.
Some people have tried to pin the loss on the poor play of Jim Furyk or Steve Stricker, the captain's picks. Yes, Steve Stricker went 0-4 in this Ryder Cup. Furyk was 1-2 in the Cup. But the fact is, the team had a four point lead going into Sunday. They only needed win four of the twelve matches and tie one to win the Ryder Cup. So that allows for seven match losses. Even with Stricker and Furyk losing on the final day, that still leaves five losses to spare. No, this is not the fault of those two golfers.
This burden lies with the whole team. Every golfer on the American side went out on Sunday and played sub-standard golf. A quick look down the list will show that nearly every player on the American side shot rounds of one or two under par. That simply will not cut it in match play. Brandt Snedeker has taken some heat for his loss to Paul Lawrie, which makes sense on the surface until you notice that Lawrie was six under par in 15 holes.
No, this was an entire team failure for the Americans. From top to bottom, the team played terrible.
But what does this mean for the US side going forward? One obvious thought is that veteran players are not exceptionally valueable for the US team. Looking back at the 2008 Ryder Cup team, the team was populated with six Ryder Cup rookies. That statistic should be noted by all given the generally terrible play of veteran golfers; even in 2008, Phil Mickelson went 1-2-2 in the competition. No, the truth is, these veteran golfers have such mental demons due to having been beaten so many times.
Whatever happens, this team will have plenty of time to think about their terrible play on the final day. No way around it, the US team truly pulled defeat from the tight jaws of victory and has let Europe retain the Cup for another two years when it had no business doing so. Obviously the Europeans got no sleep last night, nor should they have. Hopefully the Americans got no sleep either, for the opposite reasons.
Sunday
Ryder Cup- Day 3 Preview
Well, those are the pairings for tomorrow. A quick rundown says that Tiger will get his win in what will most likely be a meaningless match and that the Cup will likely be decided by the Furyk match.
In the first match, there is really no way to determine how it will end. If the Bubba that won the Masters shows up tomorrow, or the one that played in Four-Ball matches this week, and the match might be over early. However, Donald is a recent World #1, so count on him to put up a strong match. This match could go either way and depending on how fast one golfer or the other starts off will determine how the momentum goes early in the day.
Europe will need to win 8 points on the day to retain the Cup. Since the current format was adopted in 1981, only 4 times in 15 Ryder Cup matches has a team scored that many points on the final day, two of those by teams trailing going into that final day (1997 and 1999) So obviously history is on the side of the Americans but it would not be unthinkable for the Europeans to score the 8 points needed to retain the Cup. In the event that Tiger Woods is needed for the win, we can know that he's going against the man he defeated in singles competition in 2010 at Celtic Manor. The Americans are certainly hoping the final match of the event is not needed to determine whether or not they win the Cup.
Ryder Cup Day 2- Afternoon Session Results
The afternoon session went fairly well for the Americans. Better than was predicted here, in fact. The Americans came out of Saturday with a 4 point lead in the overall standings, a deficit that has only overcome once, by the United States in 1999. That bodes well for the American team tomorrow.
Matches:
J. Rose & F. Molinari vs. B. Watson & W. Simpson
This match went as expected. The American juggernaut of Simpson and Watson simply would not be denied and beat this team of Euros in much the same way they beat Lawrie and Hanson yesterday. These two Americans obviously play well together in Four-Ball competition.
D. Johnson & M. Kuchar vs. N. Colsaerts & P. Lawrie
This was a back and forth match with the Americans not wrapping up victory until taking a lead on the 17th hole with Dustin Johnson's key birdie and then halving the 18th hole.
T. Woods & S. Stricker vs. S. Garcia & L. Donald
This may be giving the match more credit than it really deserves, but to me, this match was about the face of modern American golf facing off against the modern face of Spanish golf. These two have squared off numerous times over the years in the Ryder Cup with Gracia taking the win all but once. Woods has been the great individual golfer who wins majors and Garcia has been the top notch team golfer. This match seemed to be one for the ages. The US was down 3 after 4 holes and 4 down after 9 before Woods came alive and made 5 birdies in 8 holes on the back nine including a spectacular birdie on the 17th hole. Steve Stricker missed a putt on the final hole that would have given the US a half point in the match; Stricker makes about 6 of 10 putts from between 5 and 10 feet, sadly for him one of the 4 had to come on the 18th hole of the match with 8 or 10 million people watching. But if ever one wants to see quality golf played in team competition, this is the match for it. Two titans of their generation paired with two great workmen gave us one of the finest matches I can remember seeing.
J. Dufner & Z. Johnson vs. R. McIlroy & I. Poulter
The US team got off to a strong start winning the first two holes and seemed to be going strong prior to the 13th hole. From there it was almost as though the European team flipped a switch, Poulter especially. McIlroy birdied the 13th hole to put the Euro's one down in the match and Poulter birdied the final 5 holes in what must be one of the best closing stretches in the history of the Ryder Cup. This one could have easily gone to the American side, but Poulter found the magic when it mattered the most and the Europeans pulled out a victory.
This all leads to a split in the matches in the afternoon. Tiger lost, as was expected, sadly. This leads to what should be a solid day on Sunday.
Matches:
J. Rose & F. Molinari vs. B. Watson & W. Simpson
This match went as expected. The American juggernaut of Simpson and Watson simply would not be denied and beat this team of Euros in much the same way they beat Lawrie and Hanson yesterday. These two Americans obviously play well together in Four-Ball competition.
D. Johnson & M. Kuchar vs. N. Colsaerts & P. Lawrie
This was a back and forth match with the Americans not wrapping up victory until taking a lead on the 17th hole with Dustin Johnson's key birdie and then halving the 18th hole.
T. Woods & S. Stricker vs. S. Garcia & L. Donald
This may be giving the match more credit than it really deserves, but to me, this match was about the face of modern American golf facing off against the modern face of Spanish golf. These two have squared off numerous times over the years in the Ryder Cup with Gracia taking the win all but once. Woods has been the great individual golfer who wins majors and Garcia has been the top notch team golfer. This match seemed to be one for the ages. The US was down 3 after 4 holes and 4 down after 9 before Woods came alive and made 5 birdies in 8 holes on the back nine including a spectacular birdie on the 17th hole. Steve Stricker missed a putt on the final hole that would have given the US a half point in the match; Stricker makes about 6 of 10 putts from between 5 and 10 feet, sadly for him one of the 4 had to come on the 18th hole of the match with 8 or 10 million people watching. But if ever one wants to see quality golf played in team competition, this is the match for it. Two titans of their generation paired with two great workmen gave us one of the finest matches I can remember seeing.
J. Dufner & Z. Johnson vs. R. McIlroy & I. Poulter
The US team got off to a strong start winning the first two holes and seemed to be going strong prior to the 13th hole. From there it was almost as though the European team flipped a switch, Poulter especially. McIlroy birdied the 13th hole to put the Euro's one down in the match and Poulter birdied the final 5 holes in what must be one of the best closing stretches in the history of the Ryder Cup. This one could have easily gone to the American side, but Poulter found the magic when it mattered the most and the Europeans pulled out a victory.
This all leads to a split in the matches in the afternoon. Tiger lost, as was expected, sadly. This leads to what should be a solid day on Sunday.
Saturday
Ryder Cup Day 2- Morning Results and Afternoon Pairings
So a bit late in this given that the afternoon matches have started, but he comes a slight preview nonetheless.
The morning session went better than the American side likely thought it would. Yesterday's stellar team of Webb Simpson & Bubba Watson suffered a down to the wire defeat in the first match of the day; it would appear this team is slightly better suited to play Four-Ball over Foursomes, which was mentioned in the preview here last night. Sometimes Johnny B knows what he's talking about.
The final score of the Mickelson & Bradley vs. Westwood & Donald match says more than a paragraph worth of words: 7 & 6. That's just a beating, no other way to spin it. How this American team has been left out of the Afternoon matches is simply unbelievable.
Jason Dufner & Zach Johnson defeated the Euro buzz saw Nicolas Colsaerts and his partner Sergio Garcia. Same as in the first match of the day, Colsaerts play in Four-Ball yesterday afternoon did not translate over to Foursomes this morning.
In the final match of the morning, Jim Furyk & Brandt Snedeker got revenge over the the Euro team of Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. This had to be a victory the US side was not expecting.
So winning the morning session 3-1 and going up 8-4 overall is most certainly as good a result as could have been expected.
For the afternoon:
N. Colsaerts & P. Lawrie vs. D. Johnson & M. Kuchar
This match will likely hinge on how well Colsaerts plays. Another round like Friday afternoon and a blue flag will be on the board, almost certainly. Otherwise, this match is a toss-up with no real way to predict a winner.
J. Rose & F. Molinari vs. B. Watson & W. Simpson
This match should go to the Americans given the play of the American team yesterday. One would expect Rose to put up a solid fight but that young Molinari will be the key to that team. Ring this one up for the Americans.
S. Garcia & L. Donald vs. T. Woods & S. Stricker
Through all their struggles, Woods and Gracia are still, for the most part, the faces of golf in their respective nations. It's been 13 years now since these two squared off at the 1999 PGA Championship on this very golf course. We can only hope for this match to provide the same level of entertainment that their duel provided back then. But, sadly, safe money would be on Woods continuing his typical gruesome play in Ryder Cup team matches. A US loss is likely and a half point should certainly be considered a win here.
R. McIlroy & I. Poulter vs. J. Dufner & Z. Johnson
Hopefully Dufner can continue to channel his inner Curly and play 'dumb' in this match as well. He has performed better than expected thus far in the Ryder Cup. This will be the match that defines Rory's year in this Ryder Cup. He is currently 1-2 in team play. A win here will allow him to take it upon himself to have a winning record in the Cup. Don't forget that McIlroy is the #1 player in the world. Expect him to rise to the occasion here. Euro victory is likely.
Certainly we will all be watching to see how it turns out, but the projection here is for the Euro's to win the afternoon session 2 1/2 to 1 1/2.
Overall projection: 9 1/2 to 6 1/2 USA leading.
The morning session went better than the American side likely thought it would. Yesterday's stellar team of Webb Simpson & Bubba Watson suffered a down to the wire defeat in the first match of the day; it would appear this team is slightly better suited to play Four-Ball over Foursomes, which was mentioned in the preview here last night. Sometimes Johnny B knows what he's talking about.
The final score of the Mickelson & Bradley vs. Westwood & Donald match says more than a paragraph worth of words: 7 & 6. That's just a beating, no other way to spin it. How this American team has been left out of the Afternoon matches is simply unbelievable.
Jason Dufner & Zach Johnson defeated the Euro buzz saw Nicolas Colsaerts and his partner Sergio Garcia. Same as in the first match of the day, Colsaerts play in Four-Ball yesterday afternoon did not translate over to Foursomes this morning.
In the final match of the morning, Jim Furyk & Brandt Snedeker got revenge over the the Euro team of Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. This had to be a victory the US side was not expecting.
So winning the morning session 3-1 and going up 8-4 overall is most certainly as good a result as could have been expected.
For the afternoon:
N. Colsaerts & P. Lawrie vs. D. Johnson & M. Kuchar
This match will likely hinge on how well Colsaerts plays. Another round like Friday afternoon and a blue flag will be on the board, almost certainly. Otherwise, this match is a toss-up with no real way to predict a winner.
J. Rose & F. Molinari vs. B. Watson & W. Simpson
This match should go to the Americans given the play of the American team yesterday. One would expect Rose to put up a solid fight but that young Molinari will be the key to that team. Ring this one up for the Americans.
S. Garcia & L. Donald vs. T. Woods & S. Stricker
Through all their struggles, Woods and Gracia are still, for the most part, the faces of golf in their respective nations. It's been 13 years now since these two squared off at the 1999 PGA Championship on this very golf course. We can only hope for this match to provide the same level of entertainment that their duel provided back then. But, sadly, safe money would be on Woods continuing his typical gruesome play in Ryder Cup team matches. A US loss is likely and a half point should certainly be considered a win here.
R. McIlroy & I. Poulter vs. J. Dufner & Z. Johnson
Hopefully Dufner can continue to channel his inner Curly and play 'dumb' in this match as well. He has performed better than expected thus far in the Ryder Cup. This will be the match that defines Rory's year in this Ryder Cup. He is currently 1-2 in team play. A win here will allow him to take it upon himself to have a winning record in the Cup. Don't forget that McIlroy is the #1 player in the world. Expect him to rise to the occasion here. Euro victory is likely.
Certainly we will all be watching to see how it turns out, but the projection here is for the Euro's to win the afternoon session 2 1/2 to 1 1/2.
Overall projection: 9 1/2 to 6 1/2 USA leading.
Friday
Cahoon Plantation Golf Club-Chesapeake, VA
This course is a very unique golf course. Being located in the Virginia Tidewater region typically means the course will have bermuda fairways. But this course was built with bent grass fairways. It is the farthest south non-mountain course that this writer knows of with such fairways. The course has also seen some substantial evolution since it's opening. Originally this facility had 27 regulation holes and a par 3 course. It is unknown why the course owners elected to close some of the holes, but the lure of money from housing almost certainly played into the decision.
On top of having bent grass fairways, the course also has very few trees, at this time anyway, to obscure the views of the hole and impede recovery shots. One thing that it would seem that the course has dropped from it's promotional material is comparing itself to the great links of Scotland. While the course is fun to play, it is most certainly not a links course, nor does it play firm and fast like links courses. But this is still a fun course and the bent grass fairways certainly makes it worth a little more effort to play.
Holes to Note
Hole #1: Par 4, 393 yards
The day starts off nicely with a reasonably short par 4. The hole features an anti-strategic bunker on the left side of the fairway that is opposite the best line into the green. This hole functions as a perfect start to the round and really describes the entire course. Very good conditioning. Wide open looks. Little strategic interest. Modest greens.
From this location, the green is located on a line extending from the third teeing area. The bunker on the far left is the anti-strategic fairway bunker and the next bunker visibile is a greenside bunker. The best play is to keep the ball away from that bunker and into the right side of the fairway.
Even though this tee shot nearly found the rough, it provides the player with a perfect line to the green. From here, the green is accessible at it's longest part. The green is shaped and angled like a Redan, but as you can see in this image, the run-up nature of the Redan is not allowed here.
This substantial par 5 must be played over water twice for those players playing from the back tees. From the tee the player should play his tee shot as far right as he can in order to allow for even a slight chance at going for the green. On the second shot, the player is left to determine if he feels like he can carry the second hazard on his shot or not. In order to carry the hazard on the second shot, the player will likely be looking at a carry of 260 yards or more.
From the tee the player is confronted with this view. The safe line is to play on a line towards the point where the tallest trees fall down to the shorter ones in the distance. The more aggressive line is to play over the taller of the scrub trees in the foreground.
The second shot has little of interest. The player either chooses to go for the green in two shots or he picks his lay-up yardage. This player laid back to around 100 yards, leaving a relatively easy shot to the green.
This hole is of note for all the wrong reasons. This is one of the holes added to the property when it was decided to turn part of the old course into housing. From the tee the player is faced with a forced lay-up shot. There is a hazard that is blind in the first image, though barely visible from the far left portion of the tee, that takes driver out of the player's hands. There is also another pond running down the entire left side of the fairway with a long beach bunker running right into the water. The fairway is then squeezed further by a row of houses down the right side. Once in the fairway the player is left facing a virtual forced carry (it is possible to bunt the ball around the hazard, but not a likely choice for most players) to the green that is not only fronted by a pond, but also fronted by a bunker. And on top of all this, the cart path, perfectly maintained portland concrete by the way, goes directly across the fairway. This hole is just a train wreck.
The tee shot should be played towards the bunker that can be seen in the center of the image. There simply is no bailout area here. If the player hits a shot more than sightly off line, he's looking at a drop in the bunker by the pond or a re-tee. Not the best situation.
This is the tornado-in-a-trailerpark approach shot that awaits the player. Just look at it and ponder.
This short par 3 over water might be the best par 3 on the course. The hole is simple and understated. The pond is a necessity given the low-lying nature of the course but with the short shot it should not come into play. The green is well defended, having the run-off to the pond short and the three bunkers to the rear. Even with all the defenses, the player is given a solid opportunity to make a birdie before a difficult closing stretch.
Hole #17: Par 4, 411 yards
This dogleg left is complicated somewhat by the fact that it typically plays with a helping breeze. Long players must be careful as they may well run out of fairway beyond the dogleg. Being off the fairway here is no bargain as this fairway has more containment mounding than most on the course. The player will certainly have nothing close to a level lie.
From the tee the player should aim for the tree that is nearest the fairway on the left. This will leave the longer player with plenty of room to hit the fairway. The shorter the player is off the tee, the further right he should aim.
From around 125 yards, the large and deep grass bunker that directly fronts the green is an imposing hazard to the player. This used to be a sand bunker and it is not known why the configuration was changed, though it is not the only one that has been changed.
Hole #18: Par 5, 561 yards
It is never ideal when a tee shot is played over a street of any kind. This one plays directly over one of the major streets coming into the neighborhood. Certainly the view from the tee is very 'busy' because of that. This is also a very difficult tee shot. Though it is not evident in the below image, the fairway plays as a peninsula from the tee. The inlet can be seen just above the cross-walk and the pond runs significantly down the fairway on the right. The entire left side is pond. The bunkers that are visible work in two ways. First they are saving bunkers, keeping the player from hitting into the water, ideally. Second, they are strategic targets because any player wishing to go for the green in two shots must play close to them. The second shot is merely a number and target shot because there are no bunkers or other hazards of that nature, beyond the fronting pond, on the second shot. To the green, the player looks at a shot over water to a green heavily defended by bunkers. This is certainly a solid closing hole due to the risk/reward nature of the hole.
From the tee, a very busy sight confronts the player. Water must be carried off the tee, then avoided both left and right. On top of that, bunkers must be avoided if the player wishes to go to the green in two.
From around 260 yards, the player is confronted by this. Pond running down the entire left side and then crossing over in front of the green. If going to the green in two from here, the line is between the two trees in the left-center foreground, just beyond the fairway. Players laying up should aim between the clubhouse and condo's more to the right.
If the player chose to lay-up, this is the approach that he must play. No easy shot here.
Overall, this is not a bad course. Some of the holes are good, some are fair, and, of course, as noted, at least one is just an absolute train wreck. But this course is certainly worth the rate they charge, especially for the oddity of being able to play a wall-to-wall bent grass course this far south near the coast. For equal parts architectural quality and novelty, 4 out of 10.
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