I have changed the subject now that I have completed my commentary to go with the pictures.
Black Mesa is the first course that I have played that might be called a desert course. Unfortunately, I was not able to play Pinon Hills, Apache Stronghold, and Talking Stick North like I had planned, because my car got blocked in by a flash flood and its aftermath for four days at Canyonlands National Park. Perhaps experiencing them would give me a more accurate understanding of desert golf.
What I found at Black Mesa did not please me. As a committed walker with marginal eyesight, I depend on the ability to walk off the front of the tee in the direction that the ball travelled. Since I am not able to see the ball flight to the end, I depend on knowing how far I hit the ball and stepping off the distance to help me find the ball. At Black Mesa on most holes, the only reasonable way to get from the tee to the landing areas is to walk the cart path. Unfortunately, half the time the cart path is going in the wrong direction! As a committed walker, I also prefer to walk on turf over cart paths. The predominance of cart paths makes Black Mesa a cart ball course in my opinion. Sure it can be walked, but the joy is diminished. I notice that pictures of courses in Scotland and Ireland may have fairly rugged terrain to walk from tee to landing area, but there is often three obvious foot paths in different directions leaving a tree.
Another indicator that it is a cart ball course is that the scorecard does not even have a course routing on it. Why does it need one, the golf carts come complete with GPS and detailed hole diagrams. Furthermore, the fairways have significant cart damage with lots of bare lies.
Black Mesa is located in a somewhat rural setting, so it must depend on visiting golfers for a lot of its revenue. However, the course features a lot of blind shots, undulating greens and green, and centerline hazards. To me these are features that can be highly enjoyable once they become a little bit familiar. However, they are not very enjoyable when they are completely foreign.
John Kirk authored a uniform theory of the enjoyment of golf shots that debutted on this web site and eventually made it to Links magazine.
I believe the most exciting shots in golf are the ones we wait the longest time to ascertain the result. This applies to both long and short shots, sometimes in different ways:
Everyone enjoys and admires a powerful drive. It flies for a long time, and in many cases, rolls for several seconds before coming to rest. But if the drive is clearly in good shape, the anticipation of result is diminished, and the attention turns to the next play.
The same holds for approach shots. A high shot in the direction of the flagstick or green is interesting as it flies, and all eyes await the final result. But balls that immediately come to rest on a soft green are somewhat of a visual disappointment.
A drive or approach shot that disappears from sight holds our attention for a long time, as we anticipate the result for the entire walk until sighting the ball. That's why I would make the case for the occasional blind shot off the tee. Even a poor shot on any hole which disappears from sight evokes plenty of apprehension, or excitement, until the result is determined.
If the wind is blowing, then airborne shots are more interesting to follow, as we anticipate the wind's effect on the shot.
But shots along the ground are subject to more variation, and are of great interest. To me, the most exciting shot to watch in golf is a putt or short shot that takes a very long time to arrive at the hole. Nothing is better than a putt that rolls for 10 seconds and goes in. That's why most here like fast greens with sloped surfaces. And we like undulating chipping areas with firm turf, so we can see our shots roll out for a long time.
This also can explain why I don't like my ball to fly OB, or in a water hazard. It's gone; the fun ends abruptly.
I thought this weekend about trying to develop my own little unified theory about golf course design, based on my belief that the excitement in golf is the anticipation of watching your ball come to rest, and the longer, the better. Of course, there are some limitations. Tapping a 3 footer downhill, and watching it trickle for 10 seconds 40 feet long would be exciting, but in a very aggravating way. Some finesse is involved to make the game exciting, yet playable in a reasonable amount of time with appropriate difficulty. That's where the artistry lies.
Is the course attractive? Important. Does the course offer me different playing options, and encourage me to hit different shots? Really important. But the greatest joy occurs between the stroke and the result, and the longer it takes, the better.
I was very impressed when I read that post. I agree for the most part. I did author a corollary on the thread, because I believe the blindness diminished the enjoyment until you know what is behind the obstruction. This lead me to post the following to the thread.
Corollary: Blind shots only exhibit this property the second time around. On our GCA outing to the north course at the Reserve Vineyards yesterday, I hit my blind approach to the 13th green where Peter Pittock told me to hit it. Since it was a short wedge shot, I had very little time to experience the travels of the ball. Since I did not know the hole, I had no excitement waiting to determine the result. Turns out it was the best approach of the group and resulted in birdie.
The issues above mean that I do not feel Black Mesa is suitable for a one or two round visit. I therefore, question their business model. That said, with some modifications to enhance walking, I believe I would greatly enjoy having it as my home course.
The first hole immediately makes the first timer queasy with a blind tee shot.
Tee shot 2nd hole. A rather straightforward hole with the primary interest being around the green.
Tee shot 3rd hole. A long par 5 with an arroyo at the upper limits of the drive.
Approach shot 3rd hole. Hole is guarded by a gully on the front and right.
Tee shot 4th hole. On my first round, the blue tees were all the way left making most of the green blind behind the outcropping seen to the left of the green.
Tee shot 5th hole.
Tee shot 6th hole. Unless you can drive the ball very long, your second on this hole will be blind with the fairway canting towards difficult bunkers.
Tee shot 7th hole. Earlier, I started a thread on the wonderful uphill 16th at Forrest's Hideout. Although this hole has been crafted to take advantage of an outcropping the daring driver may be tempted to drive over to a blind landing area, it requires a long somewhat uphill walk from the 6th. I would have appreciated an uphill hole from near the 6th green as Forrest has demonstrated can be so good. It is as if the architect felt most people will be riding so he could go ahead with the long uphill path to the tee.
Tee shot 8th hole. With everything laid out in front of me, parred this hole both rounds. I had a pretty good look at birdie the second round as I was able to get my tee shot to about 12 feet.
Tee shot 9th hole. Dogleg around bunkers in the corner that can make the second shot blind.
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