Tom Doak's Stone Eagle

[Tommy_Naccarato]

I had an opportunity to tour of the site today, and from the looks of it, this maybe one of the more interesting Tom Doak courses ever built.

Now this may be a stretch for some considering he has built three actual links courses in the last four years, and is on his fourth (Sebonac) as we speak. (How many architects get that chance in a lifetime?)

What makes this interesting is that this will be the first, most hilliest course ever built by Doak. It's a massive site that exists due North west of Big Horn, just south of Highway 111 on Highway 74. The view is pretty spectacular, but the unique thing about the site, as reminded and mentioned by my cousin Joe, is very sloaped nature of the site, similar to Kapalua Plantation.  

The holes Tom has carved out already look to be full of strategy and challenge, and by the looks of some of the bunkering, very natural.

While I had my camera, I didn't take any shots because its still just too premature to see anything of interest that can be dictated by a camera. However, they will be coming on my next visit.

What I like most about this place so far?  Its going to be pretty cool seeing Doak build on a site like this. Even I am going to be looking forward to some of the carries! Hopefully by the time its open, I will be about 100 pounds lighter and killing the ball!

[cary lichtenstein]

topograghy looks great, perfect for Tom's minimialism

[Bill_McBride]

Tommy, that grand slam, and the entire 9th inning, ruined my day and baseball season.  I had just regained internet access, logged onto mlb.com and got the entire ugly story.

Now I know how you Bums felt in '51 and '62!  Of course that was all before your time......  

Now we need a win today and Colorado to beat Houston just to get into a playoff tomorrow!

[Mike Benham]

That was the longest bottom of the 9th inning in my life ... I think I owe somebody a batch of Margaritas (assuming there is any tequlia left in NorCal).

[Mike_Golden]

I was flipping channels and saw the bottom of the ninth as well-what amazed me was how pathetic the Giants bullpen is.  How the hell did they let Tim Worrell get away after last year?  For them to even be this close with so little shows me something.

As for the Dodgers, any team with Jeff Weaver at or near the top of the rotation isn't going anywhere in the playoffs-his arrival on the mound in game 5 last year was the best indicator the Yankees weren't going to win the Series than anything I've ever seen.  This year, though, it's going to be different-and you heard it here first.

[Don_Mahaffey]

Tommy,
I know the area well and besides the topography what gets my attention is the barren nature of the site. I mean outside of creosote(sp) bush I don't remember much in the way of vegitation growing in that area. It will be very interesting to me to see how the edges of the course transition into the native areas. I've seen 4 Doak courses and I don't believe there is a better architect at getting his courses to blend into the natural surroundings. Stone Eagle will be challenging, especially if they maintain it like every other course in the PS area where it's never green or lush enough.

[Mike Benham]

I was flipping channels and saw the bottom of the ninth as well-what amazed me was how pathetic the Giants bullpen is.  

There you go again Mike, making a comment without being fully informed

The Giants pen was shot, 3 or 4 of the guys are capable but are running on fumes.  Hermanson pitched in 5 straight game, Brower (the Worrell) replacement pitched in 9 straight and couldn't go yesterday.  Don't forget that they battle back from a 8 game deficit a month and a half ago to get to this point.

The Bums did not win this game, the Giants Giants lost it.  I was amazed that the Dodger batters could leave their bats on their shoulders throughout the 9th inning, there were some awfully close 2-strike pitches that would have changed the outcome if the ump wasn't blinded by the glare from centerfield

I was waiting for the immortal Jack Buck cry "I don't believe what I just saw" with the ghost of Kirk Gibson hobbling around the bases, pumping his arm ...

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Don,
Really good point!

I think the best way to describe that area is like the barren surface and slope of one of those mountains on Mars. Nary a tree on it, just mostly all creosote bushes. It also didn't seem to be a place that snakes would want to hang out either, unless it was in the shade of a cove of rocks.

From what I could tell of the holes that Tom is building there, they are going to be pretty outstanding as far as dramatics and strategy. This isn't going to be your typical Palm Desert course either. Much effort is being made to tie holes together with turfed-areas, meaning that many of the holes are going to be unlike other courses like it in the desert--where each hole is unto itself.

This site is interesting because we have never seen Tom Doak take on a site that is this severe--and many of us probably never wanted to see him do it.  But I thin kwhat will be seen here is Tom's diversity to work with a site like this and create some truely unique golf holes--at least for the Palm Desert.

Now about yesterdays events:

Mike Golden, I'll take one Jeff Weaver for three Kevin Brown's anyday!    P.S.--Thanks for Brahzoban! This maybe the best part of the trade!

Mike B's right though. The Giant's lost this one--although it plays out just how great baseball really is--the rivalries and intensity and fanfare--You football enthusiasts can talk all you want--baseball is still America's pastime as far as I'm concerned.

Panhandle Bill, I have a Dodger hat that going to fit your head perfectly!

[Bill_McBride]

Tommy, if I wore a Dodger cap, my hair would all fall out - what's left of it!

Is the Stone Eagle site that much more severe than Apache Stronghold?

I thought Crenshaw-Coore did a great job blending golf course into natural surroundings at Talking Stick.  But Doak's work at Apache and Pacific Dunes is really good in that regard.  As you mention, most desert courses (TPC Scottsdale, Gainey Ranch, some others) are irrigated islands in rough desert.  I would love to see a different, better integrated look.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Bill,
Where Apache Stronghold would be a GREAT site for Golf, Stone Eagle is as extreme, if not more. You'll never confuse the sites, trust me. They are that different. This is one big sloaping sidehill site with all sorts of movement, little peaks, valleys and ravines that run through it.

Its going to be a very deceptive course to play, more so then Apache Stronghold, and thats saying something!

Congratulations to the Giants on the tremendous season. You surely made it a memorable one.

[Thomas_Brown]

Tommy - When is Stone Eagle scheduled to open?
I look forward to playing it - Since there are so many So. Cal. GCA'ers, perhaps we could be notified of Tom Doak's opening of it and meet him?

Also, I know it will be hard for you to be impartial, but La Habra, Tierra Refunda and so many other recent gems have these extreme terrain conditions that you have criticized so much.  Sounds to me like Doak has his work cut out for him.

Tom

[Bill_McBride]

Tommy, pretty depressing losing both NL West and wild card by one game.  That Saturday loss after leading 3-0 going into bottom of the 9th was one memorable loss.  The Giants' pen was toast.

Your description of the sidehill mountain site is very evocative of the wonderful Capilano routing I just played in Vancouver.  Ran's profile, as usual, is absolutely spot on.  Capilano plunges downward from the 1st tee to 6th green what seems like 300' vertical, then tacks its way upward to the 15th tee at clubhouse level with only two fairly severe climbs, #9 and #10.  Man did I love that course!   The Banff/Jasper attendees know what I mean by the sheer joy which results from playing a Stanley Thompson classic that's been kept in mint condition like Capilano.

If Stone Eagle handles the site anything like Capilano, it is a great routing. I'd love to see the topo and cumulative elevation changes over the routing.

As if the Dodger loss wasn't bad enough, the 49ers are trailing the Rams 24-0 at the end of the 3rd.  

I prefer to think about Capilano and the Cal Bears rather than the Giants and 49ers.  

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Panhandle Bill,

I think you have just stated it perfectly for Mr. Brown to understand that its the architect that makes a shitty site great--and a hack to make a great site shitty.

My idea of hack architects on shitty land vs. great land that they have screwed-up concurrently:

Ted Robinson--Trilogy Golf Club (horrible)vs. Tustin Ranch Golf Club (interesting but not great)
Art Hills--Black Gold (horrible site/shitty golf) vs. Cross Creek (a GREAT site RUINED with a shitty golf course)
Bob Cupp--Spanish Hills or Cascades or Tierja Refunda(Horrible site with equally as shitty of a golf course) vs. Happy Camp Canyon (The same place he could have put Tierja Refunda but opted for the shitty land instead.)

[jg7236]

Tommy is indeed right, the site for Stoneagle is amazing.  I had the pleasure to tour the site over a month ago with Tom and Eric.  The site is very rugged, with extreme elevations changes.  I have never been so tired from a site visit as I was from walking Stoneagle. We were out on site for about 2.5 hours and we managed to only walk about 7 or so holes.  


Cheers,

John

[Bill_McBride]

John, will the course be walkable?

[Scott_Burroughs]

The club's web site is here (with routing rendering):

http://www.stoneeagleclub.com

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Panhandle Bill,
Talking to Tom, he says that he doesn't think anyone has actually walked the full site in it presence state-in one full walk. I wouldn't suggest it either. Its some pretty rugged terrain. However, once its done, I do think there is a possibility of it being walkable, very similar in the same way The Quarry of La Quinta is walkable only the holes are much closer in respect to green to next tee. At least by what I saw.

Will the majority of members do it? I don't think so, and I wouldn't blame them if they didn't--that just isn't the Palm Springs way of doing things.

I'll tell you this much this one bunker, it is going to be so, huge, so deep, I can hardly wait to take a shot at it!

[Tom_Doak]

Tommy:

We played three holes of dirt golf this afternoon, and wouldn't you know it, I drove right into your new favorite bunker from the eighth tee.  I made Kyle Franz go down and get it, and he promptly hit a wedge up and out ... although he teed it up a bit.

I believe the bunker is about 24 feet deep in its present natural state.  It is the bottom of an old wash that used to cut across the fairway before we filled it in.  I am sure we will have to fill the bottom at least a little bit more ... I'm going out with the client tomorrow morning to find out how much stomach he has for that sort of thing.

Seeing a golf ball in flight toward the tenth green is a thing of beauty.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Tom, Boy do I feel left out!

I can hardly wait to see this course evolve. Its a very interesting work.

The routing: (Tom, please correct me if I got any of this wrong.)

[Jason McNamara]

The club's web site is here (with routing rendering):

http://www.stoneeagleclub.com

That home page is missing the two best words on the Internet:

"Skip Intro"

Jason

[Jeff_Mingay]

The grassing looks really cool, Tom - with all the joined fairways. Unlike much else in the desert, I guess.

Good luck.

[Tom_Doak]

Tommy:

Where did you get that routing?

The holes are all there but the numbering is slightly off:  from 10 we go straight to the hole you've labeled 13, and what you've labeled 11 and 12 we are playing as 18 and 17, respectively.  The eighteenth green [our way] is much closer to the pavilion and to the nineteenth tee.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Tommy:

Where did you get that routing?

Tom D,

He grabbed it (somehow) off the Stone Eagle web site that I had linked above and supplied his own hole numbers.

Tommy,

How did you grab that rendering off the SE web site, since it's a Flash site/page?  Screen print?


Steve Finley, former light-hitting, speedy, southpaw
defensive whiz for Baltimore in the late 80's, turned power
hitter.  Like Brady Anderson.

That Giants collapse late in the game was reminiscent of the
Red Sox vs. Mets in Game 6, 1986, bad pitching set up the
drama.  Many people don't realize that, like the Dodgers, the
Red Sox were tied with the Mets when Billy Buck let it
slide through his legs.

[SPDB]

Scott - I think all that anybody pays attention to is
where the come-from-behind team stood when the
bottom of the inning started. The Mets were down
5-3 in the bottom of the 10th, and the Dodgers were
down 3-0.

I'm just surprised the final score was not 4-3, i.e. that
they let finley round the bases. one of my finest moments
(and there are not many as a Met fan) was watching
Robin Ventura's grand slam single leave the yard in the
15th inning, giving the mets a 4-3 victory over the braves
in the 1999 NLCS.  

[ed_getka]

Tommy,
  Sounds like an interesting project. Tom invited us out to take a look a couple of weeks ago, but I won't be down that way for a while. Sounds like it might be a potential KP V site if the owner is game for having a bunch of GCA'ers running around his course.

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