Paul,
Could the same advice be given to Beverly? Personally, I had no problems in the 1970s with the hardwoods. The spruces with their ground hugging branches were the main culprits. The crab apple and willows were not much good either.
Tom,
I never said that I prefer the "glitzy new designs" to the classic courses. As a rule, I do find that the average modern course is better than the one from the classical era.
Personally, I play classical courses better because they're typically shorter, often tighter, and require more imagination on and around the greens. I also think that the bottom of the market today is far superior than in earlier times, and that there is a greater concentration of very good to excellent courses built in the last 40 to 50 years. As to the top 10 or 20 courses, I suspect that classical era courses may win out.
You are right about Inverness and the three holes in the valley created by the Fazios. I disagree with your characterization of Scioto, at least at the time I played it back in the 1970s.
As to the old #17 green, I don't share your affection for the tiered steep slope. In 1978, as the defending first flight champion, I three-putted from 20' below the hole during the final round against Carroll Burton, my second putt barely two feet past and with a 2"+ break R to L, downhill. I didn't even think about missing it and my not so valiant, half-hearted effort slid just a bit more across the edge on the chicken side. Carroll made an expectacular four from under the wire boundary fence, and he won the 18th hole when I buried my 2nd near the lip of the left greeside bunker to tie the match. Carroll then disposed of me in SD on #1 when I shanked my First-Flight Monster sand wedge on my approach shot into the spruces on the right of the green. Amazing how I remember these boring details so vividly 25 years later, yet today I sometimes can't recall what I scored on a hole in the round played earlier that week.
I always liked the fourth hole as it was. It required a good tee shot, a well thought out second, and a delicate third, specially when the hole was cut just below the bunker on the right side. I can probably count the number of times I've hit the green on two in one hand over several hundred rounds, and never when the cup was placed right of center. When they set up the tees on #14 just to the back right of #13 green, I thought that Scarlet had a very strong set of par 5s. No doubt that today the kids are hitting #6 and #12 on two. Back when I was there, they had to use the ladies tees on 12 to entice the NCAA competitors to go for the green on two. Now they can probably reach it with an iron from the back, something I've only done with a 3-wood (as in persimon) but a handful of times.
I have so many great memories of the place. It is such a good course with a bunch of nice people (okay, the Colonel and Brown excluded). Do you know if Mr. Stillwagon passed on? How about Joe Kish and Carroll Burton? What great guys. I've seen Ralph Guaracci a couple of times down here in Texas visiting his uncle Bob. Is Ralph's father, Frank, still playing? I am starting to get homesick, too personal, and a bit melancholy, so I better stop. If you respond, perhaps it is better that you do so by E-Mail.