Tom Doak-- New Courses in 2006

[Mark Brown]

Tom

How does Ballyneal compare to your other new course, particularly Pacific Dunes, Barnboughle, Cape Kidnappers -- both in terrain and great golf. How do you get to Ballyneal.

What type of sites are Bay of Dreams on the Baja and Rock Creek in Montana. Is every great site a thrill or is it been there done that?

[Tom_Doak]

Mark:  It is tough to compare all these courses when I have only been able to play many of them once or twice, but it is not getting old to work on them.  In fact it's enough of a thrill that I'm not playing much golf anywhere, just working.  

I believe they will all stand on their own merits and deserve to be compared against the wider world, instead of knocking off each other.  However, I fear I am reaching my limit of top-50 courses in the world [no one has more than four], and that any new entries will probably push another off the list.

Ballyneal is almost exactly halfway from the Denver airport to Sand Hills.  You exit I-76 at Sterling and go east to Holyoke, then south a few miles to the site.  Their official opening will be in June.  There are clearly some spectacular holes there, though it is a long way from an ocean view which the three you mentioned all enjoy.  Hopefully it will get more notoriety than St. Andrews Beach, which is also among my best work but relatively overlooked (except here) because of the success of its sisters.

The Bay of Dreams is about 100 miles up the east coast of Baja from Cabo.  Typical desert-meets-sea, although we only get to put greens and tees on the waterfront, not fairways.  (Most of the waterfront is reserved for $2 million beachfront lots.)  The holes at the high end of the property may be the most photographed of the bunch, except for the 18th green which has a cool site overlooking the beach.  It sounds like we are only going to build nine holes there this spring and the other nine the following year, since the resort hotel won't come on line before 2008 and there are only a few homes on property today.

Rock Creek is another world entirely.  We have a few holes shaped already and I can't wait to get back to work on it:  the course is the same scale as Cape Kidnappers (huge!) and the variety of scenery is tremendous.  They are already half done with the fishing lodge/clubhouse and the first few cabins, and from what I've seen they will be right there with the coolest hangouts on any of our courses.

[John Kirk]

How do you get to Ballyneal?  Head northeast out of Denver on I-76 for about 125 miles, until you arrive in the town of Sterling.  Take a right on US Highway 6, and drive east 48 miles to Holyoke, CO, just short of the Nebrsaka border.  Make sure to slow down while driving through Haxtun, CO, a no tolerance speed trap.

Ballyneal is about 12-14 miles southeast of Holyoke, and though it requires only a couple of unmarked turns to get there, I would call the club and let them give you final directions.

I'd prefer that Tom offers his opinion here.  I will tell you two really great things about Ballyneal.  First, it is a very enjoyable course to walk, pretty easy for slightly crippled people like myself (I have an osteoarthritic knee and bad feet).  Second, the course has a few unique holes, which look and play different than anything I've seen before.

A lot now depends on the guys growing the grass.  If they can develop a dense, dry stand of grass which enables "ground game" options, Ballyneal will be a blast, especially in the wind.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Take a look:

www.ballyneal.com

[John Kirk]

Tom,

My understanding is the official opening will be in September, though members and a few others will be allowed to play the course as early as June.

You're making me jealous raving about the Rock Creek project!  I wish I could keep joining great new clubs as they appear, but I'm afraid I've reached my limit.  Well, at least until they start offering memberships and build private housing at Bandon Dunes.

[John Kirk]

Also, Mark, there should be a flattering article on Ballyneal soon in an upcoming issue of Links magazine.

[Mark Brown]

Links magazine? Is that the one that doesn't have any instruction?

The movement in the land is incredible. It's like TOC on steroids. I'd love to photograph it.

[Chris Munoz]

Hey Tom what kind of greens construction method are you going to use at Bahia De Los Suenos, push up or USGA specs.  Also I was thinking, if you would ever consider designing a golf course in Florida, and have been approached?