Bogey, Not only did Ed Getka give the course a Doak 8, but Tom H. did as well. Whose ass his he kissing?
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Aside from disagreeing with TH, I havent really given my take on the course yet, so here goes. My opinion is based on playing the course under much better conditions than we faced at KP V . . .
What I liked about SE is that it still felt like a golf course despite the incredibly difficult site. Some of the highlights for me were the beauty, the integration of the movement of the landscape into the course, the use of groundslope and visibility as a strategic factor, the width and playability, the potential for recovery, the interconnectedness of the playing corridors, shaping of the surfaces of the bunkers, and the movement in the fairways. Most significantly, the course seemed to present one interesting and fun shot opportunity after another. Without a doubt, the course completely blows away any other design I have seen that until now has passed for a quality mountain design (Black Rock, Yellowstone Club, Lost Canyons, etc.) Hopefully, Stone Eagle will force raters and designers alike to take another look at this genre of course design and raise their standards significantly.
My favorite hole is 10 without question. A terrific example of how designers should use ground slope and visibility in fairways to challenge the golfer without unduly punishing him. As for the approach, just for fun I putted one on Monday from the 76 yard marker, and it rolled the entired distance of the green, up the bank behind the back level, and eventually settled about 8 to 10 feet from the cup. Possible evidence that even the toughest pin on the course is accessible to the high handicapper who is willing to swallow his pride and be creative.
I didnt really have a least favorite hole, but a few least favorite segments of holes. Didnt like the cart ride up to the 7th tee, but loved the 7th greensite, especially the bunker left and short. Didnt like the drive on the third hole (felt sloggy and a little forced) but liked the approach. Didnt like how some of the downhill holes looked similar in panorama but didnt particularly think they played the same. I am still undecided about the drive on 4, but a really enjoyed the approach. As for walkability, I'd love to try it under better conditions, and have a feeling that it will not be nearly has difficult as many predict.
All that being said, I would not want Stone Eagle as my home course. I dont particularly like mountain golf or desert golf and Stone Eagle is both. My analysis comes down to something I heard Doak say about four or five years ago: You cannot build a World Class golf course without a World Class site. While Doak's crew may have gotten the most out of what they had to work with, Stone Eagle is nowhere near a World Class site. As is the site, so goes the course.