[Tommy Williamsen]

White Bear Yacht Club.
I just returned from MN.  I played Northland, The Quarry, The Legend at Giants Ridge, Interlachen, Golden Valley, and White Bear.   I also played my son's course, Southview CC.  It is a fun course, albeit not a world beater but is routed over some wonderful terrain and have four of the better par threes in the state. I had played Hazeltine previously as well as Minneapolis Golf Club.  The course I didn't get to see was Minikhada. Both my wife and my son played it and the restoration must be wonderful.
White Bear Yacht Club is a Donald Ross gem on topsy-tury, hummocks that bump and roll over the best routing I have seen in a long time.  The greens were some of the most interesting I have ever seen with strategic shapes and wild undulations.  And the first hole may be the best opener in the country.  It is 400 yarder with a ridge cutting diagonally through the middle of the fairway.  Hit short and you have 180 yards left to a hooked green that sits like a shelf.  Hit it over the hill and you have a short iron.  Hit it in the thick rough and you can lay up to the fairway that runs all the way up the side of the hole and to the right of the green.
Hit it over and you play out of thick rough to a green that slopes away from you.  Hit it shsort and you have a bunkder shot to an elevated green some ten feet or so above you.

The greatest disappointments were the bunkers and the ho-hum finisher.  The bunkers resembled Northlands.  Roundish, bland and shallow.  I asked about the bunkers in the shop but no one seemed to know about their history.  I suspect someone out there does.  Across the street is the Yacht Club on one of the more scenic lakes in MN.  What a course and what a place.  I can't wait to go back.

[Tom_Doak]

Tommy:

We have been consulting there for years and I think the course is a real sleeper.  You obviously have a strong stomach for tough greens and blind shots -- good man!

But don't get them started on a freaking bunker program.  The bunkers are fine.  It really doesn't need them much at all.

[John_Conley]

I too like White Bear.  A real treat.  Short-hitters' nightmare with all the bumps killing their tee shots.  

How do you like Golden Valley?  I love the course, despite similarity in the length of the one-shotters.  For anyone that thinks it is a weak par 73 with lots of reachable holes, looking at it in the light of a par 70 changes their opinion.

Sounds like you had quite a trip.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Tom, do you know what the bunkering was like in the early days of the course?  I agree that the course doesn't need severe bunkering, what with all the other drama.  It just doen't appear that the shape of the bunkers was very Ross-like.

As for Golden Valley.  I would love to have seen the Amateur there or at Interlachen before Hazeltine.  I just don't undrstand the USGA's love affair with that course in Chaska.  Don't get me wrong, Hazeltine if a good course.  It is just not the worthy course in MPLS/ST. Paul.

[T_MacWood]

Tommy
Interesting report.

Does White Bear have much information on the history of their course? If I remember correctly the course was originally a nine that was made into an eighteen in the early 1910s. Are they certain that Ross designed the golf course?

[Tommy Williamsen]

Tom, I played on a Monday and the ass't pro that was in the shop knew nest to nothing about the course.  I am afraid I am in the same boat of ignorance about its history.  But I am curious.  Wonder what google has to offer?

[Tommy Williamsen]

Tom, I just looked up WBYC on the Donald Ross society website.  They think it is unlikely that he ever made an on-site visit, but designed the course from topo maps!  In fact there may be some doubt as to his involvement in the course.  Interesting.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Tommy,

I love WBYC and stopped to play or tour several times on the way to the Quarry. I even bought one of the aerial photo prints which now hangs in my office. I also connected the Quarry putting green to the first tee based on their arrangement.  As good as it is, if you ever get a chance to play Raynor's Somerset in St Paul, you might like that even better.

While Ross may not have been on site (although we do know he made it to Northland for one day from Brad's book) I don't think there is any doubt it is a Ross design/addition/redesign.

I was dissapointed in the 18th, too.  The green is a 70's or so Don Herfort redesign.  I think the clubhouse moved from across the street and they needed to make some room by shortening 10 and shifting 18..

I love the 12th (I think) with the reverse slope green and bunkers well out in front. If I am not mistaken, the fw bunkers right were courtesy of Mr. Doak, but I could be wrong.

[T_MacWood]

Tommy
I went to Klein's Ross biography and the first nine was built in 1912 and the second nine in 1915. There doesn't apear to be strong evidence of his involvement. I suspect William Watson might have been involved; I also think there is a strong possilbity Ross came in at some point, these undocumented attributions usually start for a reason. What is interesting Ross never listed the course in his booklet of designs.

[JC Urbina]

Tommy
I just finished my site( Friday) visit at White Bear Yach Club.  They just finished restoring the 7th hole and the 16th holes with other small side projects completed as well.  Both Green sites were modified by others and bunkers added which did not fit the rest of the course.  I can honestly say that the work done in house was first rate and that John Steiner( The super) and crew should be proud of the work.  I marked some more areas for work to be done in the future but for the most part they are done.  My favorite hole was the 12th but I now have two new favorites.  The first and 16th holes.  What a place.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Jeff, I did play Somerset a few years ago with my son.  The club itself has the feel of an understated New England clubhouse or Palmetto Golf Club.  Of course the design is something all its own.  The par threes are grand and some of the par fours on the perimeter of the property have some great risk reward shots.  I wonder how much Rayner is left.  I did love the place.

I agree that twelve at WBYC is stupendous.  The drive across the road and the shot into the green, semi-blind is great. It must, however , be the easiest hole on the course because I made three.
Seven is a brute. Not many birdies there.  16 looks easy from the card but the greensite makes it truly a par five.  I also loved the way the green set up on the short 3rd and the long par three 17th.  I told my wife that of the 700 courses and clubs I have visited that this would be in my top ten to join.

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