News:

Welcome to the Golf Club Atlas Discussion Group!

Each user is approved by the Golf Club Atlas editorial staff. For any new inquiries, please contact us.


Brett Crow

Midwest Golf Trip
« on: July 04, 2007, 10:57:40 PM »
With this being my first post on GCA, I suppose I should begin by introducing myself. My name is Brett Crow and I am a 23 year old living in the Dallas area. I just graduated from Texas A&M University this spring and will begin my career in the exciting world of accounting beginning in September. In the meantime, I have been trying to play golf and study for the CPA exam (mostly the latter). Earlier this summer, however, I did get the chance to play some and visit some family with my dad in the Kansas/Iowa/Nebraska area and I thought I would share a few of my experiences for my first post. Here was the planned itinerary:

Day 1: Travel
Day 2: Colbert Hills - Manhattan, KS
Day 3: The Harvester - Iowa (morning); Quarry Oaks - Ashland, NE (afternoon)
Day 4: Wild Horse - Gothenburg, NE
Day 5: Sand Creek Station - Newton, KS

DAY 1

We drove up from Dallas through the eastern part of Oklahoma and Kansas all the up to Manhattan. We went through Tulsa on the way where we got a few looks at Southern Hills as they get ready for the PGA Championship. Didn't get to see very much, but what I saw looked awesome - way more elevation change than I expected. We made it up to Manhattan in the evening and got a chance to check out the Kansas State campus which was very nice.

DAY 2

We were the first group out at Colbert Hills in the morning on a beautiful day. Here's a few shots of the Jeff Brauer design (regretfully I am not nearly as good of a photographer as many others I have seen on this site):

#6, Par 4, 428 (back tees) / 383 (tees where I played)
This hole is a fun driving hole. You want to try to carry it as far as you can to the right over that first set of bunkers in order to get the best angle to the green, which is tucked behind that bunker/mound in the distance. A safe drive to the left (like mine) leaves a blind shot into the green.


#7, Par 5, 600 / 540
This picture doesn't come close to capturing how far downhill this tee shot is. This was actually taken from the back tees. I played from the ones you can see just below this teebox. The bad news is that it's a long way back up the hill once you're off the tee.


#10, Par 5, 614 / 543
This was probably my favorite hole on the course. Again, this picture doesn't capture the elevation on this hole. You can see the creek wind across the fairway at the bottom of the hill and then it comes back across the fairway again in front of the green which is tucked backed in the trees in the distance. A good draw off the tee will catch the slope and roll down to the creek giving you a chance to go for the green in two.


#14, Par 4, 487 / 452
The fairway here is crossed by a creek at the bottom of the hill which you can't see in this picture. This leaves a long second shot, but the large green is open on the front-right, allowing for a running draw into the green.


#18, Par 4, 453 / 394
This is the finishing hole wrapping around the pond. Not a hole a that sets up well for a draw (hook) like mine! By the way, you can see the 9th green next to the bunker on the right side of the pond.


Overall Comments: After playing CH, I proclaimed it to be the top course I've ever played. Living in the Dallas area, I've played a handful of Mr. Brauer's designs like Tangleridge, Whitestone, and Squaw Valley and have enjoyed them all (haven't played Cowboys yet). Like those other courses, I found CH to provide plenty of challenge without being overly penal, but the thrilling tee shots and overall beauty of the course put it over the top for me. The greens also seemed to be a bit more bold than some of Mr. Brauer's other courses I have played. The only drawback I can think of is that this is that this is a definite cart course with several long distances from green to tee.

We left Manhattan at noon and headed east through Lawrence where we visitied KU (again, very nice), then headed through Kansas City and up to Des Moines for the night.

Brett Crow

Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #1 on: July 04, 2007, 11:01:30 PM »
DAY 3

We were again the first group off at The Harvester just northeast of Des Moines. Things didn't look good as the forecast called for rain all morning. We got some, but it wasn't too much of a problem. It was a little bit cold for a Texas guy like me. I had already managed to find the bunker on the first hole.

This gives you a good idea of Keith Foster's flat-bottomed bunker style that is prevalent throughout the course.


#3, Par 3, 180 / 165
This little par 3 over the water was a little tough to find playing into a pretty stiff wind.


#6, Par 5, 560 / 530
This was probably my favorite hole on the course. The fairway sweeps down the hill to the left and the green is on the other side of the pond you can see at the bottom of the hill.


Here's another view of #6 from the clubhouse. The fairway comes down the hill and green is on the near side of the pond. You can see #5 in the top left and the #9 green in the foreground.


#12, Par 4, 410 / 390
This is an interesting uphill par 4. You want to find the left side of the fairway to have a better angle to the green which, as there is a sharp fall-off on the fronting the right side of the green. Unfortunately, the two trees you see jut in from the left right where you want to have your drive end up.


#17, Par 3, 180 / 165
My dad deposits one in the lake at the 17th. (I'm sure he'll be glad his flawless follow-through is being posted on here!)


Speaking of flawless follow-throughs...here's me on the 10th tee. But the real reason I'm posting this one  is not to show off my Hagen-esque finish, but to show the 18th fairway in the background. I forgot to get a photo of the 18th when we played it, but it's a really unique hole. It's a par 5 that makes a semi-circle around a lake. The fairway is split into three "islands" as you can kind of see in the picture. I couldn't decide if I liked it as it seemed a little manufactured and out-of-place, but it does present plenty of interesting options.


Overall Comments: So, for the second time in two days, I came away having a new "favorite course ever". The Harvester wasn't as dramatic as Colbert Hills, but it just seemed to fit in perfectly with the surroundings and I placed ahead of CH by the slightest of margins. As a side note, I had played one other Keith Foster course before (Texas Star in the DFW). The Harvester seemed quite different from Texas Star in terms of style. The flat bunkers weren't present at Texas Star and The Harvester seemed much more natural. (Not that I didn't enjoy Texas Star, just not as much)

After the round, we headed back west into Nebraska to play Quarry Oaks located on the Platte River between Omaha and Lincoln. However our plans were foiled by a corporate golf outing. It would have been a brutal round had we been able to play, though. The winds had picked up to around a sustained 40-45 mph and it was literally hard to stand. It didn't look like the kind of course that would be very accomodating to a stray ball that gets up in the wind. Here's a picture from the clubhouse looking back down 18th fairway.


So after that disappointment, we headed west on I-80 through Lincoln (checked out NU, not as nice as KU or KSU...or A&M for that matter!) and out through sporadic dust storms to Gothenburg for the night.

Brett Crow

Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #2 on: July 04, 2007, 11:04:44 PM »
DAY 4

We continued our streak of being the first group off in the morning, as we even beat the clubhouse staff to the course at Wild Horse. I had heard so many great things about this course, so I was pretty excited to play it and I definitely was not disappointed.  The wind we saw at Quarry Oaks followed us to Wild Horse. It was probably around 20-25 mph when we teed off, but was back up over 40 by the time we were done. In fact the balls wouldn't even stay on the green by the final couple of holes.

#1, Par 4, 363 / 328
Here's a look off the opening tee as you ease your way into the round with a short par 4.


Here's a look at the 9th green from the back of the clubhouse.


#11, Par 3, 126 / 113
This is a short par 3 that played even shorter with the wind at our backs. I thought I was being smart by playing short of the pin, as it looked like I would have an uphill putt to the back of the green. Unfortunately I found that green falls away once you get over the crest of the hill and I ended up putting off the green (not the first time that day, nor the last).


#13, Par 3, 208 / 191
The wind was really starting to pick up at this point. I aimed by tee shot toward that house on the right and watched the wind bring it back to land on the front-right of the green and roll all the way across the green and off the back. One of the most exciting shots to watch I've ever hit.


My dad and I both managed wind up right next to each other in the same bunker fronting the 17th green.




Here's a look at the well-protected 18th green from the fairway.


This guy greeted us as we came up the 18th fairway. Here, he prepares to attack my wedge. That ought to make you think twice before looking for your ball in the long grass.


One last look from the clubhouse, looking out over the putting green and the back nine.


Overall Comments: Wow. This was completely different than any course I've ever played. I've read about fast and firm plenty on this site, but I never really knew what it meant until I played Wild Horse. You learn to play so many different kinds of shots by playing a course like this and I wish I could play it every week. Needless to say, I had a new "favorite course ever" (that makes three in three days). I thought the wind just made the experience that much more complete. I shot a 90, but I had even more fun than I did when I shot a 74 at a different course. When I made about a 4 foot putt that broke about a foot to the left because of the wind for par on the 16th, it was one of the most satisfying holes I've ever had. I can't say enough about Wild Horse and I would highly recommend that anyone who loves golf make the effort to get there at least once. And, oh yeah, it's a great value too.

DAY 5

After visiting my grandmother the previous afternoon and evening, we hit Sand Creek Station, a new Jeff Brauer design, in Newton, Kansas for our last stop on the trip. I found out about this course on GCA and figured it would a perfect stop on the way back home. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera in the car, so I didn't get any pictures, but this is a great effort by Mr. Brauer on a pretty nondescript piece of property. I would rank this course right up there with his designs in DFW as far as conditioning and strategy. The back nine is a particularly good example of how to create interesting holes despite being limited by some housing and some un-dramatic terrain. I found #12 and #15 to be especially fun short par 4s and the 16th green was one of the most interesting greens I've played on. It would have been pretty easy to be let down after the experience of the prior three days, but I really
enjoyed my round at Sand Creek Station. And this is another great value too at under $40 for an out-of-towner. I think it's even less for locals.

Well, I hope that wasn't too much information for everyone. I just wanted to share some experiences from what was probably the best trip I've ever taken. Looking forward to joining the discussion here.

David Miller

Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #3 on: July 04, 2007, 11:14:11 PM »
Not bad for an Aggie.  ;) Thanks for posting!

Andy Troeger

Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #4 on: July 04, 2007, 11:19:37 PM »
Brett,
Welcome and thanks for posting. I think course/trip profiling such as what you've done is one of the great things about this site with being able to see photos of courses that otherwise might be missed (not that one could miss Wild Horse on GCA, but the other two look worthy as well).

I'd be curious if you came over to New Mexico whether Paa-Ko Ridge or Black Mesa could knock Wild Horse off its perch. I've not been to Nebraska to try that one out.

Andrew Balakshin

Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2007, 11:29:30 PM »
That was the best “first post” yet!

Interesting to see that Colbert Hills has adopted the scruffy-edged bunker look.

Eric_Terhorst

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #6 on: July 04, 2007, 11:43:37 PM »
Bret,

Excellent post.  There's a lot of talk about Wild Horse around here, but I don't think I've seen any pics--thanks.  The lack of trees in almost all of these pics is exciting--hope the architects here are admiring them as much as I.


Jeff_Brauer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2007, 09:42:20 AM »
Brett,

Thanks for taking the time to add my courses to your itinerary!  I'm glad you enjoyed them, and I generally agree with many of your comments, esp. Sand Creeks less than inspiring site giving me a chance to build some holes.

This statement - "The greens also seemed to be a bit more bold than some of Mr. Brauer's other courses I have played. " - does tell me you haven't played either Cowboys or my remodel of Indian Creek (Creek Course) where I pushed the idea of green contours to the practical, IMHO, limit.

I am back to using milder contours now at Bridges of Preston Crossing and Weeks Park up in Wichita Falls.  My Villages of Lone Oak course is also of milder contour except where, well, it isn't! ;)
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

Larry_Keltto

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2007, 09:51:55 AM »
Great stuff Brett. I especially like your photos of #6 and #18 -- those holes usually aren't shot from those locations, and yours do a good job capturing the scope of the holes.

When I was there in the spring of 2006, the Harvester people were talking about building an additional 18 holes -- to the south and to the east of the tee boxes at #6. Has that project moved ahead?

Brad Swanson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2007, 10:26:19 AM »
Welcome, Brett.  I enjoyed your write-up.  One question.  Is that a baby rattlesnake you happened upon at Wild Horse?  Yikes. :o  Had I known they were roaming the grounds when I was playing there, it would've tempered my enthusiasm for looking for balls in the straw.


Cheers,
Brad

ed_getka

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #10 on: July 05, 2007, 04:40:29 PM »
Brett,
   Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I always enjoy reading what others think of courses I have seen in my travels. There is always something to be learned from another perspective.
   Good luck with the career. We'll know who to call on for scoring discrepancies. :)
"Perimeter-weighted fairways", The best euphemism for containment mounding I've ever heard.

Brett Crow

Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #11 on: July 05, 2007, 06:44:35 PM »
Thanks for the kind words guys.

As for the questions, yes, that did appear to be a rattlesnake we ran across at Wild Horse. I found myself searching through the tall grass on several occasions earlier in the round. I'll probably just chalk those up as lost balls the next time I'm lucky enough to be out there.

Andy,

I actually was/am considering heading out west to check out those two courses in particular as well as The Rawls Course in Lubbock. My problem is that I'm running out of money to do stuff like this now that I'm not working, but once I start my job, I'll never have the time. Such is life, I suppose.

Jeff,

You're right I have yet to play Indian Creek in addition to Cowboys. I actually live in Arlington, so I tend to stay on the western side of the Metroplex. The Cowboys price tag is still a little steep for me, but I think I need to check Indian Creek out before the summer is over.

Ron Farris

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #12 on: July 05, 2007, 06:53:11 PM »
Wow, That was an impressive first post.  It took me two years to figure out how to post a picture once I purchased a computer.

Was that a Rattlesnake or a Bullsnake?  Bull is good, Rattle is bad.

Next time keep coming north to the Black Hills!  We are in the Midwest, to the best of my knowledge.  It is hard for me to consider places like Ohio as Midwest, but ---- whatever.

Jason Hines

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #13 on: July 05, 2007, 10:38:59 PM »
I think that is a bull and not a rattle snake, rattlers have a skinny neck and triangular head.  Plus, they despise sprinklers and water.  I hate those snakes.

Thanks for the post Brett, I recently moved back to Kansas and am looking forward to playing Colbert soon.

Jason

mike_beene

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #14 on: July 05, 2007, 11:02:33 PM »
If I wasn't sure if a rattler that is closer than I care to be.I dont know if it is due to the rains but I have seen 3 snakes at Cowboys in the last month,plus two Bobcats.Jeff,I dont know if you have any say but the big tree in front of 5th tee has spread so much that when they set the tees to the right all you can do is aim over the hazard and hope it cuts 30 yards.Tough way to start a 490ish par4.

Buck Wolter

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #15 on: July 05, 2007, 11:14:19 PM »
Brett-
Great post -- good pictures. How would you split 10 rounds between WH and Harvester?


I actually was/am considering heading out west to check out those two courses in particular as well as The Rawls Course in Lubbock. My problem is that I'm running out of money to do stuff like this now that I'm not working, but once I start my job, I'll never have the time. Such is life, I suppose.


Sounds like you've got a job -- let go of the internal CPA, go get some credit cards and max them out. Soon enough you'll have more money than time -- when do you get your first week of vacation? Next August? Keep your current car for a couple years and pay for your golf. Go to Bandon, hell get a ticket to Scotland. Soon enough your back will feel like its made of tinkertoys and you're vacations will be spoken for.

Buck
Those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience -- CS Lewis

Andy Troeger

Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #16 on: July 05, 2007, 11:39:35 PM »
Andy,

I actually was/am considering heading out west to check out those two courses in particular as well as The Rawls Course in Lubbock. My problem is that I'm running out of money to do stuff like this now that I'm not working, but once I start my job, I'll never have the time. Such is life, I suppose.


I think no matter how many courses you play, there's always some good ones out there waiting. Hope you get this way at some point. Do keep in mind, its still a long way from The Rawls Cse to the courses in New Mexico!

Jeff Doerr

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #17 on: July 06, 2007, 09:43:49 AM »
Brett,

Way to jump in here! Your post put Colbert Hills on my some day list...

Also, please remember the camera. I thought your shots stood up just fine.

Quote from Brett:
(regretfully I am not nearly as good of a photographer as many others I have seen on this site)
"And so," (concluded the Oldest Member), "you see that golf can be of
the greatest practical assistance to a man in Life's struggle.”

Brett Crow

Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #18 on: July 06, 2007, 12:27:21 PM »
Jason,

You're probably right about the snake...I'm definitely not an expert. I see you're a KU fan...just thought I'd mention that one of the coolest parts of the trip was stopping in Lawrence and getting down on the floor at Allen Fieldhouse. I'm a huge basketball fan and you can just feel the history when you step into that place. One of the highlights of the year was when my Aggies went in there and came out with a win!

Buck,

I'd probably split about 7-3 in favor of WH over Harvester.

Jason Hines

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Midwest Golf Trip
« Reply #19 on: July 06, 2007, 01:23:01 PM »
Hi Brett,

Allen Fieldhouse is something else, the state tree of Kansas is a basketball goal.  Don't be surprised if you see a loss on Oct. 27 in College Station.  :o  I also have a degree from A&M as well, you cannot pick two completely different places to get your education.

I recently just moved from Omaha and my opinion of Quarry Oaks is that its local claim to fame is that the terrain is unique for Nebraska.  It is a good place to play if you are passing through, but I would spend the time at WH if you were coming from a long distance.  I don't mean that despairingly to QO, I like the place.

I respect your opinions of splitting the rounds between WH and Harvester, I almost saw two people get in a fight at a bar in Omaha about which one was better.  There was some state pride on the line in the argument.
« Last Edit: July 06, 2007, 09:19:33 PM by Jason_Hines »

Tags:
Tags:

An Error Has Occurred!

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()
Back