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Pete Buczkowski

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Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« on: November 07, 2004, 11:19:36 PM »
After an unbelievably enjoyable weekend...I don't even know if we need a discussion...but just in case we do...here are the few thoughts I came up with on my drive home.  

- First impression: WOW!  

- Who couldn't like the first 6 holes - visually stunning, and each hole could yield a double as easily as a birdie.

- I'm struck by the absence of fairway bunkers in the tee shot landing areas (assuming you're a non-tiger).  By my count, they are absent from 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12 (if layup), 13, 14, 15, & 18.  Am I the only one who found these tee shots really difficult?

- Hole 7 really hits you in the face...its so different from 1-6.  

- The par 3's are a great set.  They almost pass Ward's compass test, and require different shots with different clubs.  Not to mention that they are very picturesque.

- The only trees I would remove are the ones behind the 10th and 11th greens.  Maybe these were left due to environmental issues???

- And, of course, the greens.  Enough said.  ;)

Bill - Thanks again for setting up the outing.  I feel safe in saying that all of us had a great time.  We are in your debt!

Any thoughts?

Pete
A Casual Poster

Brent Hutto

Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2004, 07:36:26 AM »
I agree with Pete's comments (although my memory isn't good enough to recall exactly which holes have fairway bunkers). The cool thing about the opening holes is how diverse they are. Short uphill two-shotter to a green on a ridge, downhill three-shotter to a green tucked into the trees, short hole over a pond that works right-to-left, two-shot hole with a left-to-right tee shot over water, the amazing fifth hole (with its amazingly pain in the butt green), wide open long two-shot sixth, then into the trees to the narrow seventh.

My favorite Par 3 is the eighth hole. Something about the shape of the hole (very gentle curve to the right with trees hard against the right side of the entire hole but plenty of open short grass to to left) and the backdrop of water behind the green is very pleasing. Even the houses in the line of sight between the green and the water don't completely spoil it. The hole is long enough and downhill enough to make precise placement of the tee shot challenging. The green is contoured enough and has sufficient elevation to the back and to the left side to make precise placement of the tee shot necessary.  As Pete says, the one-shotters as a set are solid holes.

As a left-handed player who slices the ball, I think Cuscowilla's routing is biased in my favor. Most of the hole have some curvature to them, if not actual doglegs, and the majority of those favor moving the ball from right to left. Among the Par 4's and Par 5's:

1) Tee shot
2) Tee shot
5) Tee shot
6) Tee shot, second shot
7) Tee shot
12) Tee shot
13) Tee shot, second shot
14) Tee shot
17) Second shot
18) Tee shot

The Par 3's are pretty well balanced:

3) Right to left
8) Left to right
11) Left to right (at least with the prevailing breeze off the lake, which we didn't get)
16) Right to left

So it's my assumption that the holes that work well for a lefty slicer would be similarly suited to a right-hander who draws the ball. Keep in mind that as a high-handicapper I can't work the ball to accomodate the contours in the greens, which is an important and difficult matter at Cuscowilla.

I'll probably think of more things to mention later. For now the only other thing I can add is to mention a couple of favorite holes. As I said, #8 is pleasing to me in a way that has more to do with its shape and appearance than with its playing strategy (although it does challenge me to hit a draw with my 3-wood which is a fun challenge unless I hook it like I did on Sunday). So I'll give the nod to the eighth among the one-shot holes. I'll bet most people consider the sixteenth to be the weakest of the four but the green there makes par anything but a given and coming where it does in the round it is an ideal hole IMO.

My favorite back-to-back holes would be either the first and second or the seventeenth and eighteenth. I'll give the nod to the closing holes. If your match makes it as far as the final two hole, seventeen is just long enough to avoid being easy while being short enough that everyone can reach it. Placing the approach shot in a reasonable place on the green makes birdie a very sporting proposition but at least with the two pin placements we saw a three-putt is possible from most anywhere if you don't get line and speed pretty close to perfect. And eighteen is a definite half-shot hole. A closing hole with some movement and semi-blind shot(s) is much more ideal for the nervous final hole of a match than the cliche reachable Par 5 over water, IMHO. The green on that hole is more reasonable than most at Cuscowilla in terms of big slopes so you can't count on your opponent making a big mistake once you're both on the green. BTW, I like the eighteenth at Athens Country Club (which we played at the ninth) for similar reasons. It's not a really hard hole but it's blind enough and awkward enough to be a great hole if your nerves are on edge.

Finally, what's my favorite hole at Cuscowilla? Late in the afternoon, the seventeenth looks very sexy with its shadowed contours and the green sitting up there hiding in the shade and looking inaccessible. However, in a quirky choice I'll go with the thirteenth hole as the most fun to play. It's a dogleg left off the tee and then (for me) a long, long way downhill to the green. But it's flat and firm enough in front of the green to run the ball in even hitting a low shot under tree limbs (which most people seemed to need in the two fivesomes I played in this weekend). Then a flat easy green with more subtle breaks than the big, scary ones on the hole before and after.

The one hole I'm most looking forward to playing is #14. What a brute. It isn't the length (well, it is the length but that's not the worst part) but rather than the constant trouble with long brown grass, swampy hazards, fairway bunkers and blind shots troubling every layup option and every stroke. And for a lefty slicer when the wind is right to left and hurting (west wind) as it was on Sunday the shot up the hill toward the green is brutal. I made eight on Saturday and picked up rather than attempting my 12-footer for an eight on Sunday. What a bitch, I hate that hole. It's so patently unfair to a left-handed high-handicapper that I can't wait to try it again.
« Last Edit: November 08, 2004, 07:41:19 AM by Brent Hutto »

Pete Buczkowski

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Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2004, 08:00:33 AM »
How could I forget the three whiskey loops and the hickory/scotch loop that start from the clubhouse?  And all of different length - 6 holes, 3 holes, 5 holes, 4 holes.

blasbe1

Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #3 on: November 08, 2004, 08:23:39 AM »
Many thanks again to Bill for organizing a great trip with a great group of guys.  

I thought Cuscowilla was seriously legit!  I played four rounds with my best round a 12 over 82 from the tips (I'm supposed to be a five) and I had a great time each round.  The first two were not with GCAers so it wasn't just the good company.  (The good company of course being my better half who left for NY on Fri. morning .)

If I get really beat up and walk of 18 with a smile I know I've played a great course.  

A couple of other thoughts:

Trees:  

Pete pointed out the trees behind 10 and 11 (which I hadn't focused on in prior rounds) and his point is dead on, both holes would play better (IMO) if they were removed.  I did learn while down there that Georgia Power owns all land around the water (10-20ft or something) so it could be that they were not permitted to cut those trees.  If they are allowed they should definitely go, it would make the slightly downhill approach to 10 more challenging if you've hit a long drive and going at it with a short iron because: 1) the wind would be more of a factor and 2) depth perception would  be more difficult (if you've taken a safer route further left off the tee and have a mid/long iron approach I don't think it will be as big a change).  On 11, same issues but everyone is hitting short irons and a back left pin would look like it was perched right on the water, much better shot IMO.  

I think the best use of trees on the course is on the 380 yd. 7th.  No fairway bunkers but you're forced to work it right to left with driver or a fairway wood to fit it between trees about 250 from the tips down the left side of the fairway and a group of trees about 30 yards short right of the green.  The other option for the longer hitter is to play a cut or straighter shot but lay back off the tee far enough to have a good angled approach avoiding the trees short right of the green.  As Pete noted, the hole also is a bit of a cold shower because it is much tighter than 1-6.  Of course the first time I played it I a cut driver into the right rought and drew an 8-iron over the trees right to a left pin (not how C&C wanted it to play) but one bad shot was saved by one great shot, that's always good design in my book.

Short 5 pars:

One criticism is the lack of reachable 5 pars.  Of course, there are only 2 chances (2 and 14) and the 530 yd #2 is the only reachable par five for all of those besides Tiger and Paulie (our large sized looper for day one) b/c 14 is over 600 yds up hill.  IMO, #2 comes too early in the round to rip driver  with a reachable hazard down the right side in firm fast conditions if you don't happen to turn it over enough from right to left.            

Long 4 pars:

I think at least one of the 4.5 pars could have been streched into a 500ish 5 far to add a little excitement, perhaps stretching out the 6th tee a bit and adding a bunker or two in the fairway about 130 yds short of the green, #9 seemed like another place to do it giving a long hitter the chance to hit a fade over the hill for a 200ish second shot.  I agree with Brent, however, that 18 is much better as a long 4 than a short 5.  

Orange/Red Bunkers:

I like them, but because many have little topsoil/topclay or whatever the red stuff is, it's very easy to hit hard ground and bouncing the flange into the belly of the ball and kissing even a bogey goodbye.  More so than any other bunkers I've played, you've got to feel the deepth of the sand with your feet and adjust accordingly.  I was told that C&C wanted the bunkers to cost you a shot 75% of the time (my average was well above that).  

Bermuda Grass:

I still struggle with the ground game off of bermuda fairways.  I like bermuda rough because rough is a form of hazard and when it's sitting down you take your medicine, but I really struggled with played a pitch and run or putting off the green from the bermuda fairways so I can't wait until the day when we can grow a bent or fescue type fairway grass in hot climates.    


Cheers,

JKB


David_Madison

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Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #4 on: November 08, 2004, 08:38:32 AM »
A wonderful weekend in all respects, and I especially want to thank everyone for making my son Alex feel so welcome. This was the first in what hopefully will be many, many father/son golf adventures. And for those who witnessed my terrible caddying for him on #3 on Sunday, I continue to pay the price.

How could you not love the course? I've never seen a course that was as much "found" as it was built. So much was done by doing so little, a course crafted with thought and imagination apaprently effortlessly rather than the brute force of dynamite and bulldozers. #7, for example, seems to always have been there. Just identify the right trees to pull out to create the shape of the hole, grow some grass, build a green complex, and tee it up. Besides all of the wonderful architecture, when do you ever get to play a course that looks like this one? The craggy orange bunkering and the tall browned out grasses surrounding the course were unique and spectacular. Looking out along the first six holes and seeing just the upper half of the bodies of players walking in the distance was really neat.

#8 was a favorite of mine in that the high area to the left short of the green helps the average golfer get the ball near the green, but the stronger player flying the ball green high on that same left line has his shot kicked left and away from the green. Wonderful design that makes a hole more playable for 90%+ of golfers if they can see the help that's there, while challenging stronger players.
 
At the risk of being permanently banned from this site, I'd like to throw out some routing modification ideas for discussion. Combine #'s 10 and 11 into a par-5. A great risk/reward tee shot, followed by another going to the green, assuming that you wanted to try it (versus laying up to the left). Better use of the lake, both for play and views. Regain the lost par 3 by going along the water and back towards #12 tee. But that assumes that the land is available and not a residential lot or two. And if the land wasn't available, then take the ever-popular #14 and make two holes out  of it. First, place a green into the corner of the fairway to the far left of the cross-bunkers. The second shot into the green would then fly over the corner of the inlet. Again, perhaps a better use of the lake, both in terms of views and shot use. Then run a par 3 from just over where that green would be up to the 14th green.

Thanks again to everyone, and especially to Bill for inspiring and coordinating a wonderful gathering.

Brad Swanson

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Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #5 on: November 08, 2004, 10:03:37 AM »
Kudos to Bill to organizing the event.  Perfect weather, great course, better company, what more can you ask for!

My critical thoughts on Cuscowilla.  

1.  Great greens, although the current softer, turf conditions (and my inexperience playing bermuda) made putting/low pitch and run shots from around the greens a tough alternative for me.  I personally liked the green speeds, although Saturday's pin on #14 was pretty silly (more on 14 later).  #5 green is a hoot!

2.  The greenside bunkering makes for difficult recovery, and that's not necessarily a negative in my book.  Not sure the Tour guys would be yelling "get in the bunker" after a poor approach to a green at Cuscowilla.

3.  The only hole I really didn't like was the par 5 14th.  I'm sure I'll be torn a new one here for criticizing Coore/Crenshaw here, but that is my least favorite of all Coore/Crenshaw holes I have played.  Ambiguous tee-shot, ambiguous layup, crazy green (at least Saturday's pin).  The spectacle-looking bunkers you hit over on your second are out of character compared to the bunkers on the rest of the course.  Cory L. thought that 14 may have served as a connector type hole to link 10-13 up with 15-18, which seems like a likely possibility.  The only problem I have with this is that 14 is one of only 2 par 5s on the course, and to be confined with this requirement limited the potential of this hole from the start.  IMHO <asbestos suit on>.

4.  I liked the par 3s alot.  I agree that #11 would be improved if the trees behind the green were removed, but overall, they are a very solid set.

5.  The set of par 4s had a tremebdous amount of variety, although 4 and 10 had a similar feel to me.  The 2 short par 4s required some time to decide what my strategy would be (considering the match play competition).  Deciding the shot and executing it are another thing altogether. ;)  

6.  I think something everyone at the event agreed on was that Cuscowilla is a great match play golf course.

Thanks again, Bill.

Cheers,
Brad Swanson

P.S. Thanks to the guys at my table for dinner on Saturday for some heads-up action (especially Pete B.) or I may have choked for the last time at a golf outing. ;)

Pete Buczkowski

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Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2004, 10:42:37 AM »
#5 green is a hoot!


Some evidence from my groups:  On Saturday with a brutal back pin, the hole was halved with bogeys.  On Sunday with a relatively benign middle pin, our group made 3 birdies and the fourth burned the edge for birdie.  The birdies came from very different tee shots - one from 115 out on the right side, one from 60 out on the right side, and one from 10 yards short of the green on the left side (what a drive Jason  :)).


2.  The greenside bunkering makes for difficult recovery, and that's not necessarily a negative in my book.  Not sure the Tour guys would be yelling "get in the bunker" after a poor approach to a green at Cuscowilla.

Excellent point.  Jason & I were in some very precarious positions in the edges of those bunkers...talk about requiring creativity!  You certainly do NOT want to trickle into those bunkers.


3.  The only hole I really didn't like was the par 5 14th.  I'm sure I'll be torn a new one here for criticizing Coore/Crenshaw here, but that is my least favorite of all Coore/Crenshaw holes I have played.  Ambiguous tee-shot, ambiguous layup, crazy green (at least Saturday's pin).  The spectacle-looking bunkers you hit over on your second are out of character compared to the bunkers on the rest of the course.  Cory L. thought that 14 may have served as a connector type hole to link 10-13 up with 15-18, which seems like a likely possibility.  The only problem I have with this is that 14 is one of only 2 par 5s on the course, and to be confined with this requirement limited the potential of this hole from the start.  IMHO <asbestos suit on>.


The 14th is really interesting - my opinion is it plays a lot differently for low and middle handicappers.  For the mid-handicapper it is absolutely crucial to hit a good tee shot there to avoid having a really narrow landing area for your second.  What other par 5 makes you hit two well thought out shots just to have a shot at the green?  I'd be interested to know if anybody went way left of the bunkers for their second shot.  I can't decide for sure that I like the hole, but it is refreshingly different and I give C&C a lot of credit for building this hole on a "resort" course.  For the record I made double both times.  :)

John_Cullum

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Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #7 on: November 08, 2004, 11:03:59 AM »
I call 14 a true 5 shot hole. The hole never lets up into your ball is in the cup.

Let me add that the Dixie Cup was a great event, and I am forever indebted to Bill McBride for conceiving and organizing this great experience.
« Last Edit: November 08, 2004, 11:17:24 AM by John Cullum »
"We finally beat Medicare. "

BCrosby

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Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #8 on: November 08, 2004, 11:55:21 AM »
Thanks to Bill McBride for his work in organizing a terrific outing. Everything was first rate. The golf, the food, the drinks, even the weather.

If you have not attened one of these ad hoc GCA outings, I urge you to do so. To a man, GCA people are delightful, bright and interesting. It was a great time.

Thanks again Bill.

Bob

Michael Whitaker

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Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #9 on: November 08, 2004, 07:05:45 PM »
Thanks, so much, to Bill for making this event happen. And, to Mike Young for the invitation to Athens CC.

It will be hard for the Yankees to top this event at next year's rematch!  ;D


"Solving the paradox of proportionality is the heart of golf architecture."  - Tom Doak (11/20/05)

Pete Lavallee

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Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #10 on: November 08, 2004, 09:05:38 PM »
Although it might be a hard place to find in the dark  ;) Cuscowilla was the ideal venue for an event of this type. The Golf Course pleased a crowd that ranged from +3 to 24, and had great match play strategy; should I try and hole this putt at the risk of rolling off the green? Thanks again to Bill for all the work he put in to making it such a great weekend. We sure got to see some Sun. pin placements on the Sat. round; I felt like I was playing in the US Open.

Thanks again to Mike Young for hosting us and getting a chance to see Ross's great work at Athens CC.
"...one inoculated with the virus must swing a golf-club or perish."  Robert Hunter

Jeff Goldman

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Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #11 on: November 08, 2004, 10:23:59 PM »
Let me add my thanks to Bill and all for a terrific weekend.  When I left to head for Atlanta for an early meeting Monday, I saw Lou Duran and Dick Daley headed back out to play a last few holes, and would have given a lot to chuck it and head out with them.

Hard for me to comment on the course without spending a lot more time on the greens, but at a minimum it was a ton of fun to play and had a lot of unique stuff.  Someone pointed out that far more holes favored a draw over a slice, and I noticed that on Sunday (reminded me a bit of a reverse Lawsonia where all the doglegs go right).  Also, as per a different thread, for the bogey golfer, a few of the carries off the tee were pretty intimidating (I confess to playing 14 over the water on Sunday, from 541, and it was really fun from there, having a chance to clear the bunkers on the 2nd shot, which of course I didn't do).

Thanks also to Mike Young, who inadvertently donated the tournament mascot (Mike, it is in the proshop at Cuscowilla, awaiting you to pick it up), for the great day at Athens, and to Will, Ralph, the Madisons, Brent, Jason, Jason and Jeff for the great games.

Finally, I don't know whether anyone has announced this, but the Dixie Cup belongs to the North!  The South couldn't handle the pressure and lost the beaver.  

You don't want to know.

Jeff Goldman
That was one hellacious beaver.

Brent Hutto

Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #12 on: November 09, 2004, 10:52:38 AM »
Shivas,

First let me say this...Oooh, yuck!

He said "beaver" not "possum", alright?

And I believe the item in question belongs to Mike Young.

One other comment. Charlie Rymer may have beaten Davis Love III by ten strokes once but boy does he stink!

John_Cullum

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #13 on: November 09, 2004, 12:57:24 PM »
So what were the final results?
"We finally beat Medicare. "

Brian_Gracely

Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #14 on: November 09, 2004, 04:09:05 PM »
Huge kudos to Bill McBride and Mike Young for organizing an outstanding event, and thanks to the good folks at Cuscowilla for letting us take over the place for a few days.  Hopefully this becomes an on-going GCA tradition.

It's very dark at Cuscowilla at night, but Sarah at the check-in desk is a welcome sight to weary travelers.

The course was alot of fun to play, but after 1-6, it seems to get a little choppy in terms of flow to the course.  15-17 fit back into the 1-6 mold (look, feel, challenge).

Many of the guys decided to play the course from the forward tees one of the two days, and most seemed to have more fun.  Maybe it resulted in more controlled shots into those sectored greens, and maybe it was because you didn't feel like you needed to be crushing drives on most holes.  

Somebody is going to need to start putting names on some of these minimalist holes, because the concepts are being used by many of the designers.  For example, #5 at Cuscowilla and #3 at Rustic Canyon are very similar (liked Cusco better).  #8 at Cuscowilla and #5 at Lost Dunes (like Lost Dunes better) are very similar.  

Was it just me, or did #4 and #10 play like similar holes?

Did anyone try hitting a shot from the tees to the right on #3?  It almost seemed like a more interesting angle.

Alfie Ward would have loved to be at the Hickory Match on Saturday afternoon.  Did anyone not have fun playing with the hickories?  And wasn't the course just as fun from the up tees?  I wish a few more guys would have also tried using those Gutty balls I brought.

Cuscowilla is a seven tree strategic course.  All of the other trees were irrelevant.  Can you guess which ones I'm talking about?

My favorite holes: #5, #11, #7, #15

Brent Hutto

Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #15 on: November 09, 2004, 04:33:26 PM »
Cuscowilla is a seven tree strategic course.  All of the other trees were irrelevant.  Can you guess which ones I'm talking about?

I'll take a shot:

1) The tree guarding the inside of the dogleg on #7, left of the fairway about 240 from the back tees.

2-3) The two trees right and maybe 50 yards short of the green on #7.

4) A tree on the right side of #12, about 200 yards from the tee and 200 yards from the green.

5) The aiming tree on the tee shot of #14.

6) The corner hardwood tree on the right side of #15, growing in the hazard. I found that hitting the ball right *through* that tree gives you a great line to a right hole location. There's all kinds of room past that tree on the right side of the fairway.

7) The tree guarding the inside of the dogleg-left on the the tee shot of #18, about 200 yards from the tee.

Honorable mentions to trees inside the dogleg-left on #13 just short and left of the green on that hole. Also, three trees guard the inside of the dogleg-left on #12. Hey, look at all the dogleg-lefts I've mentioned...

Bill_McBride

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Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #16 on: November 09, 2004, 07:38:49 PM »
I'm glad everyone had a good time, I did too and the weather and course were both fantastic.

Not knowing what happened to a couple of the early matches on Sunday (Brad Swanson vs Alex Chehansky? Cory Lewis vs Andrew Leach?), the North was definitely the winning team.  The Southern boys led after the Saturday fourballs, 6-1/2 to 5-1/2, but were thumped in the Sunday singles 12 to 7, with a final result of 17-1/2 to 13-1/2.

Thanks to Mike Young for setting up the great day at Athens CC, a really solid course on a nice day, and to Mike and Charlie Rymer for a fun evening program at Cuscowilla.  I will never forget the Donkey D*ck joke and have already told it twice, although not nearly as dirty as Charlie.

The committee will be looking at several options for 2005.  Cuscowilla certainly is the early favorite but there are other good Southeastern venues.  Let me know if you have any ideas and we can discuss with next year's chairman!

JakaB

Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #17 on: November 09, 2004, 07:44:42 PM »
Bill,

If you are near a TV Ken Jennings is in third place going into Double Jeopardy....that being said.   If Kinderlou Forrest has their cottages built by then it would be a great venue...

Bill_McBride

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Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #18 on: November 09, 2004, 07:50:12 PM »
Kinderlou Forest?  Where's that, John?  I'll have to Google it.  Thanks.

JakaB

Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #19 on: November 09, 2004, 07:53:38 PM »
Kinderlou Forrest is the new Davis Love in Valdosta GA...It is a truly superior layout of the highest quality...I would say of more architectural interest than Cuscowilla because of its Rossnor heritage...
« Last Edit: November 09, 2004, 08:09:44 PM by John B. Kavanaugh »

Brad Swanson

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Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #20 on: November 09, 2004, 08:05:58 PM »

Not knowing what happened to a couple of the early matches on Sunday (Brad Swanson vs Alex Chehansky? Cory Lewis vs Andrew Leach?), the North was definitely the winning team.  The Southern boys led after the Saturday fourballs, 6-1/2 to 5-1/2, but were thumped in the Sunday singles 12 to 7, with a final result of 17-1/2 to 13-1/2.


Bill,
   Make that final result 19-1/2 to 13-1/2. ;)  Cory and I both won 1-up on Sunday.

Cheers,
Brad Swanson

Mike Hendren

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Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #21 on: November 09, 2004, 09:41:56 PM »
FWIW,

John Also Known As Barney and yours truly have sold books rights to "Waisted Days And Waisted Nights - The True Story Behind The 2004 Hillbilly GYB Tour."  A cross between Tin Cup and O'Brother Where Art Thou? if you will.

Mike

Two Corinthians walk into a bar ....

Mike_Young

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Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #22 on: November 09, 2004, 09:48:23 PM »
Mike,
Did Charlie add any "fragrance" to your book.
"just standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona"

RJ_Daley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #23 on: November 10, 2004, 05:17:37 PM »
I haven't had a chance to post anything yet about my impressions.  I got back late last night and have spent a very unpleasant day trying to reconstruct my e-mail program that was apparently eaten alive by some sort of virus, worm, trojan, ghost, whatever...  I have a few decent pictures from the weekend that I wanted to send to the pathetic golfers I photographed when they were not ready with their best "baby look".  So, my e-mail pain is your loss or gain depending on how you look at it.

Thank you very much Bill (my sleep deprived roomie) for organizing the whole thing.  And, thank you a bunch Mike Young for offering us a crack at Athens CC.  I am going to throw in my two cents at the other thread about favorite holes at Cusco and Athens.  But, you saw me, and it is all about the chow when we all gather to blather about GCA.  That lunch buffet at Athens was right up there as part of the first class southern hospitality we all received.   I liked Athens so much, I went back there Monday night after a round with Luigi Duranti at Reynolds Plantation.  Athens and UW really have a great deal of the same atmosphere on campus, but the Athens University of Georgia co-ed Bulldogs got the Madison UW Badger Babes beat by a mile!!!  

You may have missed the call Mike on a the Italian restaurant.  While the De Palma was good, I did the Mia Madonna Monday and it was fabulous!

Since I probably kept Wild Bill up with stumbling in late after he tried to go to bed, he enlisted me to drive us over to Madison Lakes to see Mike's new course.  But, he had the wrong directions and we went miles and miles out of the way and got there too late to meet anyone for a tour.  So we were only able to see a wee bit of the develpment from the road.  Of course Bill used the long out of the way ride to catch a nap while I drove.  I think he purposely got the wrong directions as a rouse to catch a nap while the others played the hickory match. ::)

And, I loved the lesson on new coloquial expressions that I received from our southern brothers, where art thousts.  Now I know what it means to hit one with the a bit of "the red ass" thanks to the sound whuppin that Ralph Burton put on me... Every time he beat me on the previous hole, I managed to tee off with the red ass on the next.  And of course gettin it wrieight on gist the secundt queistchin that the UGA frat boy axed in the 20 questions game shows how advanced the learnin is that they receive.

Can any of you really imagine what a week on the road with Rymer and Feherty would be like between the accents, the home sod stories, and the after glow of rich cuisine, wine, and cigars as the steady diet?  That would truly be too much fun for any one human being to have!!! ;D :o 8) :P

One last observation in general.  I am still trying to figure out how to blame or praise a golf course where I shot 26 strokes better the second day than the first??? ::) :-\ :-[
« Last Edit: November 11, 2004, 10:43:40 AM by RJ_Daley »
No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Derek_Duncan

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Re:Thoughts on Cuscowilla
« Reply #24 on: November 10, 2004, 09:51:10 PM »
Having just played at Cuscowilla on Monday, I've been viewing this thread with interest. There's been a fair bit of commentary on #14, and certainly it is a unique hole compared to its company.

One explanation for the hole's peculiarity, if that is in fact what anyone thinks, is that the majority of all the earthmoving on site occurred there. In a previous discussion with the architect I was told it was the one difficult area of the property to construct because of the hills and the severe cross slope the hole encounters. The side slope (high right to low left) had to be graded, with the fill used to raise up the bottom of the driving landing area. There is a dam that shores up a finger of the lake on the left, which was previously present, but more fill was needed to raise the hole to make it work as it does.

If those who have played it perceived it as an anomaly in any way, at least there's a reason.

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