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Jay Flemma

Lederach Review up!
« on: October 05, 2007, 08:11:05 PM »
http://jayflemma.thegolfspace.com/?p=742

A tidbit from the piece:

So what that the course doesn’t have waterfalls, striated red-rock canyons or inkblot-shaped bunkers? The three par-5s, probably the hardest holes to design properly, are all beefy showstoppers with myriad options. That’s a tough trick to turn on an irregular piece of property. In that respect, Moran is an east coast version of Jim Engh or Tom Doak, both masters of building intriguing par-5s with great angles and numerous ways to get to the green.

Further, Moran’s “random bunkering” – placing bunkers where they fit that land and in the center-line, not just 290 left, 270 right and penal bunkers greenside – means you never know what to expect and can play Lederach every day and never have the same shots twice. The course and the greens are hilly, but its not a difficult walk. Moran put undulations in the fairways as well as the greens, so there will be crazy bounces all day, and your patience and chipping will be tested. The price is $75, which is perfectly reasonable.

Maybe the casual and fan and TV golf crowd won’t “get” Lederach as the best features - the steep-sided bunkers and severe greens are anathema to them. Our friend the beer-swilling local that I introduced you too earlier in the article moaned, “I can’t just hit my driver, I have no idea where it will end up.” When I pointed out that this design concept originated in the UK and Ireland he cried, “But this is Pennsylvania, not Scotland.” Nevertheless, Lederach resonates with intrepid, open-minded, experienced golfers. Competitively priced and never overcrowded, Lederach is a nice getaway spot for a weekend, especially when coupled with another regional course such as Architects Club, Gettysburg, Beechtree or Bulle Rock.

Morgan Hill made people hear his name, now Lederach is Moran’s coming out party. Kelly had some interesting things to say and executed them well. He took some risks and experimented and it worked out well, especially on a difficult parcel of land. He created a course that is memorable and which players return to play over and over. Better still, Moran built a fascinating minimalist test on time and under budget.

Mike_Cirba

Re:Lederach Review up!
« Reply #1 on: October 05, 2007, 09:06:32 PM »
Jay,

I think our mutual reviews are simpatico.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=24050;start=msg448890#msg448890

Glad to see you were able to see how unusually good that course really is and it was really nice to meet you this past week.

« Last Edit: October 05, 2007, 09:08:12 PM by MikeCirba »

Doug Braunsdorf

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Lederach Review up!
« Reply #2 on: October 05, 2007, 09:36:40 PM »
Jay-

  Overall, well done!  

At a dinner last week, attended by those of the local golf community, I defended my choice of Lederach against the following: "But it's got a blind bunker on three..." "11 is a stupid hole"  among the comments.  My responses to the following; "well, yes, the bunker is blind from 3 fairway, but you're able to see where it is exactly in relation to the green on 2 tee".  "Yes, 11 is unconventional, but if you look at the property, you can see it's a tough area to work with.  Why not hit a 4 iron or hybrid just short of the bunker, and then hit an 8 iron to the green?"  
"Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction."

ed_getka

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Lederach Review up!
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2007, 04:21:48 PM »
Jay,
   Thanks for adding your thoughts of Lederach. I still haven't made it out to see Kelly's work at MH or this one, but my next east coast swing will include at least one of them.
"Perimeter-weighted fairways", The best euphemism for containment mounding I've ever heard.

Jay Flemma

Re:Lederach Review up!
« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2007, 12:01:32 PM »
Hey everybody...sorry I spent the weekend away, but it's nice to see you all swinging on my vine.

Mike, it was a GREAT pleasure meeting and playing with you and I hope I get the chance again...perhaps even at Lederach sometime soon.  Man, you hit the ball well.  To those of you who HAVEN'T played with him, he has a great ball flight/trajectory.  Great review by the way.  Do you agree that 6 may be a version of an alps or am I drinking drano on that?

Doug, what did the citics say when you pointed out that the same things they find holy in the UK they vilify here?  Does anyone have any idea as to why Kelly put the bunker on 11 the way he did?

Ed...yes, make sure you put it in your itinerary...it's not to be missed.


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