Tim:
Me too - he sounds like a fun guy. I particularly like how he tells you not to be a wimp on your second shot on #10. He is apparently very outspoken. I have several friends who are members at Druid Hills who have told me that a number of members were upset at all the tree removal during the renovation. He told them very directly - "To play golf you need grass. To grow grass you need sun. You can't grow grass under trees, so if you want to play golf on grass we're going to cut down trees."
AG:
I have a friend who belongs to a couple of other clubs, but maintains his membership at Ansley because it's open on Monday. I had never heard the story about the clubhouse location - I'm not so sure about 13, but I think 14 or particularly 15 would be good finishing holes.
Great story from Tuesday's stroke play round on #15. I was scoring one of the late afternoon groups that included Marlowe Boukis - she had been on the cut line bubble all day. She came to #15 at +10, which had her in a playoff for match play. She smoked her drive over the right bunkers well down the fairway. With 170ish left she hit a 5 iron into the hole for an eagle, bringing her 2 shots inside the cut line. She parred in to make the cut for match play, but unfortunately lost in her first match today.
I've only played it once, but got a good chance to look it over during the 2 days of stroke play (5+ hour rounds
). For an Atlanta course, I love how easy it is to walk.
I think it has a great balance of par 5's. There are 2 reachable par 5's - 4 and 16, and two that are clearly 3 shot holes (1 & 10). Two that are mostly straight, one that bends left and one that bends right. I particularly like #16, with a downhill tee shot, with a second shot over the pond back up the hill.
It also has a great balance of par 3's. Two moderate length (5 and 17), one short (7) and one long (12). The shortest hole on the course (#7) is one of the most difficult, with a really nasty pot bunker. Five has water as it's primary hazard, while 17 has a tough hourglass shaped greens defended by bunkers. Twelve has no bunkers at all.
While many might not think #18 is an ideal finishing hole, it sure provided lots of drama this week. This hole provides a lot of pressure if you need to make 3 or 4 at the end. On the last day of stroke play they put the hole to the left of the ridge in the green close to the water. Even though most players were hitting short irons, the threat of the pond on the left caused many to aim at the middle or right of the green. Missing right left a very difficult chip right at the water. A ball on the green, but in the middle or right left a very slick putt down the ridge - a 3 putt a definite possibility.
The 2 players I scored for on Tuesday came to #18 a shot or 2 inside the cut line, and there was a lot of pressure on this hole. Both of them parred it, but I saw another player in a later group also needing par - hooked her drive into the trees, punched out into the fairway, pulled her wedge just slightly which ran over the left side of the green into the water, dropped, flubbed her chip, then 3 putted for an 8. She then threw her ball into the pond - not a very classy finish.
AD