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[David Whitmer]

After playing Double Eagle, we drove over to New Albany and played The Golf Club. Our car was (I think) the sixth one in the parking lot. The locker room is simply the nicest one I have ever seen; my buddy, who has played Seminole, said it is pretty much a carbon copy. After rolling some putts on the putting green, which is attached to the back of the 18th green, we teed it up.

This is the 1st, from the tee. It is a pretty benign starting hole, which is apparently indicative of Pete Dye courses:


The first, looking from behind the green:


This is the approach to the second...while The Golf Club didn't look like Double Eagle in terms of conditioning, it was nonetheless pristine in its own right. I have never putted greens where the ball rolls out as much as they did at The Golf Club. In this picture, you can see my ball behind the flagstick and to the left...I rolled it eight feet by, and three-putted:


The par 3 3rd; unfortunately I did not get a good picture of the bunker complex behind and to the left of the green. There is no easy up-and-down, as the green slopes hard from right to left:


The 4th is a par 5, and your tee shot ends up about here. The end result is a very neat green complex tucked into a small hill:


The 4th green, taken from the 5th tee:


The 5th is a straight par 4; your tee shot should be a field goal between the two trees. Once past them, there is alot of fairway before you cross Blacklick Creek to the green:


This is even with the trees on the 5th:


The 6th is a long, dogleg left par 4. Blacklick Creek crosses the tee, hugs the entire left side, and then crosses in front of the green. The fairway is very generous, but the second must be accurate. Here's the tee shot:


Here's the approach shot after a long drive:


The 7th is a dogleg right par 5. The second is quite an inviting shot, as you can see below. However, the green slopes very sharply from right to left. This was where I hit my tee shot. My second came to rest pin-high, between the two bunkers to the right of the green. I was unable to keep my chip shot on the green:


The 8th is a short par 3 over a small pond. Going long or left gets you in trouble:


A close-up of the 8th:


The 10th is a slight dogleg left of about 380 yards or so. This is the approach:


Only after getting close to the green do you see what's in front of the green...no run-up shots accepted here:


The par 3 11th:


The 12th is a long par 4:


A closer look at the approach to the 12th:


This is the par 4 13th. It's a short par 4 where you must be in control of your golf ball at all times. This hole rewards brains as well as brawn. As you can see, left is no good:


A closer look at the transition from the fairway to the "junk" on the left:


The 14th is a long, dogleg left par 5. After hitting to a very wide fairway, you must deal with a pond to the left of the fairway from about thee 220 yard marker to about 50 yards short of the green. Here is the approach:


This is the tee shot on 15. Along with Double Eagle and Camargo, it is the only course I've played where I literally feel like I'm the only person (or group) on the entire golf course. No homes, streets, or cars can be seen when you're on the golf course:


The approach to 15:


The par 3 16th. As our host said when I was over the ball, "Don't go left." Sounds like something Seve would do in the Ryder Cup:


Thankfully, the noose is out of reach:


Number 17 is a par 5, with cross bunkers and a pond that must be negotiated on the second shot:



The 18th is a long, slightly downhill par 4. Here is my approach after my longest drive of the day:


The 18th, looking back from the green:


Both courses are spectacular in their own right, and a treat to play. If I had to choose one, I would choose The Golf Club. In my opinion, it is a little bit more of a test, I like the land it sits on a little more, and I like the variety of holes and shots you encounter. If Double Eagle is a "10" (and it is), The Golf Club is a "10.5!"

[Michael Christensen]

great pics...looks like you had a great day.....you are right on with the roll-out on TGC's greens....only other place with as much roll-out is Myopia (IMO)...it is hard to be aggressive unless you are below the hole

this place is still Dye's best work in my opinion

[Mark Bourgeois]

David

Just awesome; this is what I come to this site for.

Interesting comment about greens running out; what about the ground game approaches?  What's the "over / under" on how many greens you could bounce it in there, given not only hazards and width of opening but also firmness of grass? (Could you run it through the swale on 2 approach?)

I really do like features such as the minimal grass "wall" on 10 approach and dead ground swale on 2 approach.  It sounds like you're a good player, though: did those affect your game or play with your mind at all?   How did they play for your group?  Did the caddies or the host say anything to indicate whether they are significant?

Many thanks
Mark

[David Stamm]

David, again, thank you for the great pics. What a day of golf! This is the stuff IMHO that makes Dye what he is, a very good architect.

[David Whitmer]

Mark,

I would say you could bounce the ball to the green on most holes. You must fly it to the green on all four par 3s, as well as holes #5, #6, and #18. You can run it on the 10th green only if you get a good bounce at the right time.

You can definitely bounce it on the 2nd green. In fact, had I known the perils of being past that flagstick, I would have tried to land it short. If it had not kicked on, I still would have been below the hole, chipping up to it. The characteristics you mentioned did not affect my game, though. To be honest, not knowing the course I just tried to play shots according to what I saw. Our host was great...he didn't give us too much info. That would have messed with my head!

[Jason McNamara]

First, thanks for the pictures David!

I'd never seen pictures of this course before, and thought to myself "like it, like it, like it..." until that approach shot to 18.  Anyone else find the line of that bulkhead a bit jarring / out of place?  Doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy the round , but that just doesn't seem like it fits with the rest of the course.  (The one on #8 seemed like it fit much better.)

Anyone else see this, or is it just me?

[Gary Daughters]

Jason,

I'd say that's Pete Dye being Pete Dye.  


David,

Thanks for the great tours, and welcome to gca.com.

[matt kardash]

It's really hard to beleive that this course was built in the 60s. I don't think anyone would ever guess that. It really does look like a course built in the 20s.

[Brian Joines]

David,

Thanks for this great post. I've always wanted to see some good pictures of this course. These are the best I've seen on here.

[Ryan Farrow]

This I don't get:


Don't get:



 



I think I am off to read Ran's review.

[JC Urbina]

David
I have a few golf courses I need to see before I retire and The Golf Club was one of them.  I was surprised to see the simplicity of the golf course and how the greens were built on the ground and not perched like he started to do in his later years.  I liked the look of the  course and it reminded me of courses like Oak Tree.  Although pictures don't tell the whole story I got a good feel for the golf course.  I am not sure I need to go now, I probally could cross it off my list.   It was four, Pete Dye courses now only three left to see, The courses in Kohler, Crooked Stick and the Dominican
Jim

[Tom Roewer]

Sean:  I guess you'll just have to get there or trust those who have been.  It's just a very , very good golf course, a perfect indoor experience, understated , and pure golfing your ball.  Once we played and were asked if the back nine would be o.k. to start since another group was going off the front around the same time, ergo we never saw thwm and they never saw us.  Hey i'll start my round in the rough on #13 anytime to be able to play TGC again!

[Tom_Doak]

JC:

Let's go play it.  It's been way too long since I was there.

Ryan:

The Golf Club is a nice, gentle piece of farmland but there is not much elevation change at all.  Those first two pictures that you "don't get" are absolute genius -- they illustrate how to make an 18-inch elevation change into an important golf feature.

I never did ask Pete what was the idea behind the odd wavy edge to the pond wall on the 18th.  I may just call him to find out.  But, the course was always meant to be a club for good players, and that forced carry on the 18th (a very long par-4 back in the day) had its role to play.  When I was your age I was an innocent bystander in a "Daytona" match at The Golf Club where one team was giving the other a drubbing for 16 holes, and then on the 18th the leading team blew a gasket (one player made double digits) while one of the opponents made a 4 and won back all their money and more.

David Whitmer:  Originally the practice putting clock was way at the back of the 18th green.  (It was the same at Crooked Stick, too, incidentally.)  I can't tell from your picture whether they use that anymore or not -- are there still holes back there?  And I can't imagine anybody (other than women of course) preferring to play Double Eagle over The Golf Club.  Not even Tom Weiskopf.

[Doug Sobieski]

Ryan:

On the second picture you reference (of the vertical poles with the golf bag), it's actually one of my favorite features on one of my favorite holes on the course. From the tee, that "wall" of poles acts like a diagonal water hazard,  but without the penalty stroke if you don't pull it off. However, too close to the poles you may be faced with more problems. The poles really do add to the strategy on the tee shot. One thing you may not have noticed in the picture is that the greenside pond is actually ABOVE the level of the green. It's really cool.

On #10 with the raised ridge in front of the green, I've found that it adds a touch of a problem because it makes the green slightly more difficult to see. With a short iron in your hand, you aren't as comfortable. To front hole locations, it almost acts like a water hazard without the penalty. In addition, #10 is the narrowest tee shot on the course, and players often have to create shots from the trees. You need to consider the lip when planning a shot from there.

Regards,

Doug

[Jim Franklin]

I have my first crack at The Golf Club coming up in October and I can't wait. I loved Pete Dye GC, Long Cove, Blackwolf Run, Whistling Straits, The Ocean Course etc...so I can't wait to see this one. The pics look terrific.

[Tim Liddy]

I think it documents many of his early thoughts on the use of diagonals and the use of contrast (many of the walls). It also has a bit of Mackenzie bunkers thrown in the mix. The variety of golf holes is also an important lesson. It is one of his more natural designs and one of my favorites -very original.

[John Kavanaugh]

I think it documents many of his early thoughts on the use of diagonals and the use of contrast (many of the walls). It also has a bit of Mackenzie bunkers thrown in the mix. The variety of golf holes is also an important lesson. It is one of his more natural designs and one of my favorites -very original.

Is it possible that some of the love for The Golf Club is a veiled backlash against the more manufactured look of most Dye courses.

[W.H. Cosgrove]

While the photos may not do the difficulty justice, I love that it appears so natural and simple.  

True there are a few features that are unusual, but it looks like a place you could play your life away.  And obviously tee times aren't a problem.  

Would a resort course that looked like this ever be able to attract play?  

[Tom Roewer]

I think it documents many of his early thoughts on the use of diagonals and the use of contrast (many of the walls). It also has a bit of Mackenzie bunkers thrown in the mix. The variety of golf holes is also an important lesson. It is one of his more natural designs and one of my favorites -very original.

John - I really think that it is that good, however it (The Golf Club) is so much less in your face as most of his work started to become.  It reminds me -- I've been thinking lately IMO  this is Pete Dye's best design - isn't it out of the ordinary for your first (built along with Crooked Stick) work to outshine so many later???  Are there any other architects with a large volume whose work was better early in their career???

Is it possible that some of the love for The Golf Club is a veiled backlash against the more manufactured look of most Dye courses.

[David Whitmer]

Here's one more look at the 10th, from about 80 yards away:


JC:

I would not be so quick to cross it off your list simply because you've seen some pictures. Trust me, the pictures are no match for actually being there and experiencing the place. I found the simplicity of The Golf Club to be overwhelming, and I mean that in a very positive way.

Tom:

Yes, the very far back portion of the 18th green still serves as the putting green. I did not see the clock you speak of. I agree that The Golf Club should be the choice over Double Eagle (and that is not to disparage Double Eagle). In fact, speaking of Tom Weiskpof...our host told the story of Weiskpof showing up at The Golf Club back in the 70s by himself, getting out of his car, and going straight to the first tee. He got to the second tee before Fred Taylor, who used to run the operation, came out and told him he had to leave. Major champion or no major champion, he couldn't tee it up there without a member!

[John Kavanaugh]

John - I really think that it is that good, however it (The Golf Club) is so much less in your face as most of his work started to become.  It reminds me -- I've been thinking lately IMO  this is Pete Dye's best design - isn't it out of the ordinary for your first (built along with Crooked Stick) work to outshine so many later???  Are there any other architects with a large volume whose work was better early in their career???

I don't think there is any question that Pacific Dunes is Doak's best work and it was very early in his career.  I wonder what Sarah Silverman would say about that.

[Doug Sobieski]

I wonder what Sarah Silverman would say about that.

I thought Sarah may have crossed the line with her comments about Britney. Chris Brown was pretty impressive.

I bet you are running out to buy Kanye's CD today. Let us know how it is  

[Billsteele]

Doug-I always had JakaB pegged as more of a 50 Cent Guy.

David-Thanks for posting these pictures. What struck me about The Golf Club is that it breaks the mold of so many post-1950 designs. The greens are low profile but have a surprising bit of movement to them. The relationship between the angles of play off the tee and the reward on the second shot is astonishing. The bunkering is interesting.  The par fives are very strong as a group. There is little in the design that is extraneous or superfluous. I think the 16th is an all world par three. There is a somewhat eclectic mix of holes with some foreshadowing the more target/TPC-Sawgrass type work of Dye (such as the two par threes  on the front and the 18th), some Midwestern prairie links style holes (such as #2) and some traditional parkland holes (such as #7 and #10)...and it all blends together into one of the neatest golf experiences that I have had.

[Tom_Doak]

John:

Pacific Dunes was actually my 13th course out of 25 so far -- right in the middle of my career and 13 years after I started on my own.  It may or may not be my best work, but if it is, that still doesn't prove your point.

[Brad Swanson]

I wonder what Sarah Silverman would say about that.

I thought Sarah may have crossed the line with her comments about Britney. Chris Brown was pretty impressive.

I bet you are running out to buy Kanye's CD today. Let us know how it is  

Now, I aint sayin' he no gold digga....

Cheers,
Brad

[John Kavanaugh]

John:

Pacific Dunes was actually my 13th course out of 25 so far -- right in the middle of my career and 13 years after I started on my own.  It may or may not be my best work, but if it is, that still doesn't prove your point.

Tom,

By the time you reach the age of Pete Dye your 13th course will be in your first tenth percentile.  It will be seen as very early...I'm pulling for ya kid.  When it comes to proving a point I can always wait a few years.

[PPallotta]

David - thanks.

This is the second course recently (the other was the Behr course, Victoria) that I thought looked very at ease with itself, comfortable in its own skin. It looks like it should be wearing a cardigan.

It's a very pleasant look.  

Peter

[Andy Troeger]

The Golf Club is a nice, gentle piece of farmland but there is not much elevation change at all.  Those first two pictures that you "don't get" are absolute genius -- they illustrate how to make an 18-inch elevation change into an important golf feature.

I never did ask Pete what was the idea behind the odd wavy edge to the pond wall on the 18th.  I may just call him to find out.  But, the course was always meant to be a club for good players, and that forced carry on the 18th (a very long par-4 back in the day) had its role to play.  When I was your age I was an innocent bystander in a "Daytona" match at The Golf Club where one team was giving the other a drubbing for 16 holes, and then on the 18th the leading team blew a gasket (one player made double digits) while one of the opponents made a 4 and won back all their money and more.

David Whitmer:  Originally the practice putting clock was way at the back of the 18th green.  (It was the same at Crooked Stick, too, incidentally.)  I can't tell from your picture whether they use that anymore or not -- are there still holes back there?  And I can't imagine anybody (other than women of course) preferring to play Double Eagle over The Golf Club.  Not even Tom Weiskopf.

I was trying to think of what I could add to what has already been said about TGC. The post above would be a good start certainly. I think TGC is fabulous and consider it the best course I've played. The routing and variety of holes and challenges present are wonderful; its challenging without being over the top. Many of the holes are very subtle, but there are some unique features (see #13). I'm not sure I like the wall on #18, but the hole itself is a great closer although difficult with the forced carry. I hit a 4-iron the day I played and carried the pond by about a foot to make a 2-putt par.

#6 might be the best use of a creek I've seen on a long par four with the angle on both shots. The green is huge and creates many interesting pin locations as well.

[Phil McDade]

Ryan:

As for your three pics, I'd say:

-- the first one looks like Dye is channeling Lanford/Moreau (whose Indiana courses he played as a youth) with that sharp falloff. It looks like a neat feature, particularly in how it's disguised from the fairway.

-- the second looks interesting, in an odd, unique, one-of-a-kind way. I'd have to play it to get a sense of whether I liked it, but at first glance, it's not totally off-putting (and a look he uses a lot at Blackwolf Run in Wisconsin).

-- the third is really jarring, and quite ugly, in terms of being at odds with the rest of the natural look of the course. But then again, I hate approach shots over water fronting a green, so that's my bias.

[George Pazin]

Thanks for sharing.

Man is Ohio flat.

 

[Tony Ristola]

This is a course I'd always wanted to see a series of photos from. Nice stuff, but if built today, like Pinehurst No.2 my bet is it wouldn't be celebrated.

[Jim Franklin]

I just got through my first round at The Golf Club and I loved it. The one thing you cannot see from the pictures is how far below the water level the green on #13 is. I though that was very cool. I also thought the little elevation change on #10 was very good. Pete certainly makes you think while you play and I can't wait to get back out there.

By the way, the jerky is out of this world.

[Adam Clayman]

The low profile nature of the course really jumps out. And, Isn't it refreshing to be able to see the ground behind almost every single green?