help re Windsong farm (John Fought) in MN

[mark chalfant]

A Minnesota friend told me theres a lot of excitement about this course near Minneapolis. has anyone played it ?

Is it an exceptional piece of land and rich in character or strategy.. thanks

similar to Hazeltine or Wyzata ?

[Jason Topp]

I've played it once and in the context of the rave reviews I had heard was a bit disappointed.  Many others disagree so I would definitely recommend you try it and form your own opinion.  My opinions are definitely first impressions and could evolve with more exposure.

The course is very different from others in the area.  I do not recall a single tree that comes into play.  It has very wide fairways and is exposed to the wind.  There is a long string of long par fours that are wide open.  I like wide fairways if there are corresponding choices to make as to where to hit it off the tee.  I do not recall much about those holes that caused one to make such a decision.

I cannot recall the green complexes being particularly interesting.  Instead they were rather flat and built to handle high green speeds.

The par threes are quite good and have some variety.  One interesting part of the course that I hope works is that they were trying to create thin long grass around the fairways that, similar to links courses, provide an opportunity for a recovery shot.   I do not know how successful they have been.

The land is nice with relatively small rolling hills.  If there are many strategic options on the course, I failed to appreciate it playing it only once.  

I consider the course somewhat similar to Hazeltine in feel but the resemblance is faint at best.  While Hazeltine generally presents long rough around the greens, there are a lot more chipping options around the greens at Windsong.

The club is struggling a bit to find members.  I think that is primarily due to location and economy, rather than any complaints about the course.  Many good players in the area have joined.

[Dan Kelly]

Mark --

Treehouse member Jeff Shelman is a big fan of Windsong Farm. Use the "Search" feature to find his comments.

I have played there once -- and, on the basis of one play, would not begin to offer an architectural judgment -- even if I were qualified to do so! (A qualified critic would remember every hole, and I don't.)

I can only give you my first impression, which was: I thought the front nine (except for the short par-4 No. 3 [I think], over water, with water left and short [and maybe long, too] of a small green -- a hole that I butchered) was uninspiring. Nothing wrong with it; it was competently engineered; I just found nothing inspiring about it. Lots of straight holes with no special interest to me. It seemed as though I knew, at first glance at each hole (except for the short par-4) exactly where I should hit the ball; I tend to like courses that put doubts in my head.

I remember liking the back 9 considerably more -- but, overall, it's not a place I'm jonesing to return to.

[Jeff Shelman]

Tried to do this once, but it didn't work. Trying again.

Dan is right, I am a big fan of Windsong. Much of it is the golf course. Some of it is the attitude of the membership.

While Jason thought the green complexes were boring, I disagree. My personal opinion is that too many modern courses are overbunkered around greens. What I like about Windsong are the areas around the greens. There are collection areas, there are chipping areas, there's a great false front on (I think) No. 8. The green complexes allow for shots to be played in a number of different ways. Golfers can throw the ball up in the air, they can run it along the ground. The green complexes, to me, have the feeling of a modernized classic course.

The par 3s are extremely strong. They run in different directions, they are of varying distances, three of the four have a pretty good pucker factor. The other thing I like about the course (especially the back nine) is that there are very few straight holes on the course. There are angles and doglegs that require thinking and knowledge to figure out. How close do you want to hit to the corner? How much is the wind going to impact it? etc.

The other thing I like is that golf is really all that matters. The members don't seem to be impressed with how much money people have or who a CEO of a big company. They do care a lot, however, if you don't rake a bunker or fix a ball mark. It's a place where walking -- either with a caddy or carrying your own bag -- is encouraged. So is practicing. The range has ProV1s and they just hired one of the best (if not the best) teacher in the state.

In the new GD state rankings, it's fifth behind Interlachen, Hazeltine, Jeff Brauer's Quarry at Giants Ridge and Spring Hill. It's directly ahead of classics White Bear Yacht Club and Northland. I don't know if that's the order I'd put them in, but I can't quibble about it too much.

What's it comparible to? It probably gets compared with Spring Hill (Fazio) more than anything because of geography and price tag. I don't think they're the same at all. Spring Hill is a place where money is very, very important. It's comparable with Hazeltine in the sense that golf is all that matters and that they want to host tournaments. Windsong has made it very clear that they want to host USGA events and they're trying to get a World Golf Championships event.

That's probably enough of a rant, send me a message if you have any other questions.

One more thing: The pro is a great, great guy.