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Jeff_Brauer

How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« on: August 03, 2006, 01:41:57 PM »
Take off on another thread. Of course, the archies present should have probably played at least parts of the number of courses they have designed, and maybe a few more.

For most golfers, being on a course before offical opening is a great thrill.  How many times have you been able to experience that?  And, has anyone played a course after its officially (or temporarily) closed?
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Craig Van Egmond

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #1 on: August 03, 2006, 01:46:43 PM »
Its happened twice for me..

First time was the Kingsley Club, played 8 holes, the rest were still growing in. Got the complete tour with Mike Devries and Dan Lucas.

Second time was Pacific Dunes, 11 holes were open at the time. Played with Eric Johnson who takes care of one of the Bandon courses now.

« Last Edit: August 03, 2006, 01:47:01 PM by Craig Edgmand »
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Tom Huckaby

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #2 on: August 03, 2006, 01:50:17 PM »
Jeff - this is the right group to ask that question - in fact it's got to be one of the best questions to illustrate the difference between here and the "real world"... wouldn't you say 99.9% of all golfers NEVER get to do this, and the other .1 percent are participants here?

 ;)

So it shows what a geek I've become in that I can also think of two right off the top of my head:

1.  Wente Vineyards - thanks to Dan King for that - got to play it in pre-opening media event with Dan...

2. Shadow Lakes (Brentwood, CA) - one of my best friends works for the home developer involved in the course - we played it many times during the various stages of development.

I think there are others too... just can't recall right now.

BTW, are architects exempt from this question?  Good god the mind reels at how many you guys play pre-opening....

As for playing courses after they were officially closed, I do have one... the late great Fairway Glen - Santa Clara, CA.  Benham knows it well.  Some friends and I hopped the fence and played a few holes before it was totally ripped up.  It was bittersweet.
« Last Edit: August 03, 2006, 01:51:33 PM by Tom Huckaby »
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PjW

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #3 on: August 03, 2006, 02:21:21 PM »
Jeff:

Bear Creek, CA, Dozens of times as Grow-in Supt.
CC of the South, GA, Tens of times as Grow-in Supt.
Ko Olina, HI, tens of times as CM/PM Golf.
Sunriver, OR, once.
Langdon Farms, OR once.
Oregon Golf Association GC, 9 holes once.
Hualalai, Big Island, HI, once, 9 holes.
Hidden Valley, CA, 3 times.
Coyote Creek, CA, twice.
Cattail Course, Wild Horse Pass, once.

One of the benefits of being a Project Manager in golf is the availability to get out on a new course prior to opening and play around.  Most of the times its walking with 3 or 4 clubs and playing shots instead of holes.  For some reason I played more as a Supt. than I do now as a project manager.  Bear Creek was exceptional in that the course was completed and not opened until months later.  The whole crew had the opportunity to play every day after work.

Tom didnt you play Coyote?

Phil
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Tim Leahy

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #4 on: August 03, 2006, 03:08:35 PM »
Rancho Murieta South by Ted Robinson in Sacramento, Ca, I was working at the North course at the time the South was being built and was able to play it prior to opening. One of the greatest feelings ever in golf, playing fairways that noone other than the architects had ever hit balls on.
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Mark Arata

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #5 on: August 03, 2006, 03:14:13 PM »
Didnt nearly everyone on this board play Bandon Trails before it "officially" opened? ;D
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Kyle Harris

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #6 on: August 03, 2006, 03:17:41 PM »
Legally?  ;D
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Craig Van Egmond

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #7 on: August 03, 2006, 03:26:52 PM »
Sir Thomas of Huckaby,

             Actually I believe anyone could play the 11 holes at Pac Dunes before it opened. It was limited play but anyone could call.

I didn't play it, but I got a personal tour of Rustic Canyon before it opened.  
« Last Edit: August 03, 2006, 03:29:34 PM by Craig Edgmand »
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Craig_Rokke

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #8 on: August 03, 2006, 03:36:40 PM »
Zero.  I've toured 2 during land clearing or grow-in, but never played any.
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Cory Lewis

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #9 on: August 03, 2006, 03:50:19 PM »
One each for me.  Both in my hometown of Winchester, VA.  I played a course before it opened because we knew the owner/designer and he wanted to take us out and show it off.  The other was a very bad public course that finally was sold for housing, I played it with a buddy and only holes 1,2 12-18 were open because the others were being bulldozed quite literally as we played.
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peter_p

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #10 on: August 03, 2006, 04:30:23 PM »
A few holes at the Kingsley Club (carried 4 clubs) and all three courses at Bandon. Walked most of Pacific with Tom when only 10 & 11 were in the ground. Bandon Dunes was 36 with a caddy, no one else. Revised a number of yardages in the book in progress. I was playing bunt driver there before Grant Rogers was on the scene.
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cary lichtenstein

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #11 on: August 03, 2006, 04:34:07 PM »
Only a couple, I like to wait for the course to mature a bit.

I played the Ritz here a few weeks before it opened, but I didn't join until about 6 months later until I could get my game to join
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Scott Szabo

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #12 on: August 03, 2006, 04:37:37 PM »
Played Ballyneal back in May during the grow-in phase.  
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Jim_Coleman

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #13 on: August 03, 2006, 04:44:55 PM »
Dye Fore - Casa de Campo
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Jim Thompson

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #14 on: August 03, 2006, 05:29:42 PM »
In dirt or grass???

Probably played a good dozen on just shaped dirt before it was prepped for seed.  Some we played off the floor mats from our trucks, others with one roll of sod over our shoulder, a beer can was always the pin.

Never played on young turf before opening, just seems wrong, like a statutory offense.

Cheers!

JT
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Anthony Butler

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #15 on: August 03, 2006, 07:44:05 PM »

We played some holes on the Green Monkey (Fazio course) down in Barbados... This is a course connected to the Sandy Lane Resort where Tiger got married... we were down there a several months before Tiger officially hit the opening shot a few days before his wedding. Not sure it was exactly kosher, but a good friend of mine dropped about $100k on the resort for a marriage with all the fixins, so we figured there was grass on the field... play ball!

P.S. Crazy trade winds down there. And watch out for the green monkeys... they'll grab your balls!
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Tommy Williamsen

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #16 on: August 03, 2006, 08:35:40 PM »
I'm not sure this counts but I played Loch Lomond while it was in receivership.  It hadn't officially opened but everythiing was grown in.
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RJ_Daley

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #17 on: August 03, 2006, 08:38:50 PM »
Tobacco Rd with Del Ratcliffe, Ken Cotner, and Tony Stewart floated in and out of our group a few times.  It was about two or three months from opening, yet it was in remarkably good shape.

Kingsley with Craig, see above.  University Ridge, a few holes.  A few locally that none of you'd recognize.

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Daryl "Turboe" Boe

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #18 on: August 03, 2006, 08:45:30 PM »
Not counting hitting balls while the course is still in dirt stage, I would say 4 that initially come to mind.  

One of the unique experiences with that is playing to 18 greens that dont have any holes cut in them or flags to aim at in some instances.  Takes some getting used to at first, but you hit more greens that is for sure.

Oh yeah and the other fringe benefit of playing a course before it opens with our very own Paul Cowley is you sometimes are allowed to shoot the black powder gun when the round is over.  
« Last Edit: August 03, 2006, 08:46:06 PM by Turboe »
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Tom Huckaby

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #19 on: August 04, 2006, 10:15:41 AM »
Quote from: Craig Edgmand on August 03, 2006, 03:26:52 PM
Sir Thomas of Huckaby,

             Actually I believe anyone could play the 11 holes at Pac Dunes before it opened. It was limited play but anyone could call.

I know that.  I stand by my statement.  The only ones silly enough to want to go play an 11-hole course as a preview were the geeks on this site.

 ;)
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Brad Tufts

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #20 on: August 04, 2006, 10:39:31 AM »
The course at Middlebury.  But that was before it opened for the season..... ;)
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Jim_Coleman

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #21 on: August 04, 2006, 11:00:25 AM »
Mark:
   Love the course.  Spectaular views; wide fairways (but which side you're on makes big difference); very interesting angles to the greens; fun ground game; big greens with big penalties for misses; incredible par threes; spectacular views (oh, I already said that).  Lots of fun.
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Tom_Doak

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #22 on: August 04, 2006, 12:04:00 PM »
Jeff:

The first time I saw this was in northern Michigan when I first moved there.  The marketing guys for the resorts were taking out golf writers before opening day and letting them have the special privilege of playing the course early, and it was a huge success -- the writers enjoyed the experience, felt special, and wrote glowing reviews.  So it's been a staple of marketing ever since.

Tom H:

It wasn't just the geeks on this site who enjoyed the 11-hole Pacific Dunes layout.  The management of Pebble Beach resort was one of the first groups to play those holes.  And Urbina pulled strings to get Ahmad Rashad out there even before they started letting resort guests play.  I saw him in Scotland last fall and he mentioned how cool that was ... but I DON'T think he lurks here.
« Last Edit: August 04, 2006, 12:06:21 PM by Tom_Doak »
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Tom Huckaby

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #23 on: August 04, 2006, 12:17:29 PM »
Quote from: Tom_Doak on August 04, 2006, 12:04:00 PM
Tom H:

It wasn't just the geeks on this site who enjoyed the 11-hole Pacific Dunes layout.  The management of Pebble Beach resort was one of the first groups to play those holes.  And Urbina pulled strings to get Ahmad Rashad out there even before they started letting resort guests play.  I saw him in Scotland last fall and he mentioned how cool that was ... but I DON'T think he lurks here.

Those all count as geeks.   ;D

Just to clarify though, my response re this is fully born from envy.

 ;D
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LPolisano

Re:How many courses have you played before they were officially open?
« Reply #24 on: August 04, 2006, 12:38:10 PM »
I caddied for one of the first groups to play the first 9 at Metedeconk National in Jackson, NJ before it was open for play.  Hit a tee ball on #9.  We then took a tour of the second 9, which was still growing in.  Great experience, the only one of its kind I've ever had.  
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