[wsmorrison]

That sounds like three good reasons not to fret about Ballyneal.  Certainly not in our lifetime anyway.  Oh, if it were only the case elsewhere!

[Bob Jenkins]

I was fortunate to be able to play Ballyneal yesterday with Matt Payne, the course professional. Ballyneal was my second Tom Doak course (after Pacific Dunes) and leaves me craving more. It was quite windy which added to the day.

As Matt pointed out, as someone who plays there regularly with prospective members, it does not seem to matter which tee you play, there is always a challenge and usually the challenges differ depending on the tee, short or long. The par 3 15th is a good example. The front tees give a totally different perspective than the back tees but are equally challenging.

Matt told me how Tom refers to the seventh green as the his only "E" green. Loved it and ended up in the bunker giving the "E" green its name.

What kept occuring to me as I went around is that I wished I had a record of what was on Tom's mind when he first saw that property. Matt mentioned how Jim Urbina had been there before you and the two of you came back not long after. I assume he must have told you to get out there in a hurry, that you would love the place and do not delay or some other architect is going to be in there in a hurry?

Rupert and Matt were great hosts and I absolutely love the place, as anyone on this site would.  I absolutely loved the drive out through the small towns, including Holyoke, and coming upon the entrance with the rather low key sign telling you that you have arrived!

Bob Jenkins

[RJ_Daley]

Greatness in the making,,, Dontcha just love this stuff?  

[Tim Bert]

A couple more of the 7th green.  One from the front left and one from behind.





Also, Here's a picture of the 14th hole that really highlights the humps and bumps in the fairway.  It's taken from the 15th tee.

[Scott Szabo]

RJ,

I love the before and after pictures.  I wish I had been around to see the course grow from the rough-in to where it stands today.  

Do you have anymore?

Scott

[RJ_Daley]

All of these photos at various stages of BallyNeal growth really highlight the fact that we must have patience and give it time to mature.   Perhaps some of the high end courses in more moderate climates come out of the new box somewhat faster in terms of turf maturity.  But, BallyNeal really is something special.  The fescue is obviously more fragile.  The climate swings are at times severe.  

I have to agree with Adam about the turf conditions now and that they will be hitting their stride by next year.  Last year at this time, it was really new growth and dicey.  This year I felt that the turf was begining to really show signs of establishment.  The first sight of the greens last week had me a bit concerned that they were still lagging behind where you'd want them by now.  But, they had been recently topdressed, and when we started actually playing, I found they rolled true, and plenty fast enough for the contour.  I really felt the speed, which I could only take a wild guess at was about 9, was very good in contour to speed ratio.  They were firm, and had great ball reaction.  They had been topdressing fairways, and there were a few places the sand dressing in foregreens did impede ball reaction perhaps from optimal qualities.  But, the practice is essential, and how could one nitpick such given the excellent quality that was experienced overall.  The transitional roughs to native were still a bit clumpy in places, but I think by next mid-year ought to reach a full knitting.

Weather may come and go and leave greater swings on BallyNeal's turf condition.  I think that is just a given and must be accepted in those regions of the country.  The fact remains, that the golf course has such great structure, routing, complexity, challenge, and yet a full measure of fairness, that it strikes the perfect balance for all levels of golfers beyond the mere cliche that is so often used but rarely achieved.  

I think I would have just as much fun playing with and watching a clever lady like Pete LaValle's wife Janice play BallyNeal (which from the few holes I saw her play, she was doing just fine) as I would following and playing with a top professional golfer.  I think everyone can find their game there and long to play it again and again.

 

[Sean_A]

There is no question in mind that Ballyneal is the best looking course in terms of architectural elements of any of the newish (last 20 years or so) courses I have seen featured on GCA.com.  It isn't often that I look at pix and think it all looks spot on.  This looks to be an absolute four bagger.  Can anyone post a routing map?

Ciao

[Mike_Cirba]

Sean,

I'd generally agree (with the exception of Sand Hills & Pac Dunes) and I hope to get there someday.  

[Jed Peters]

Sean,

I'd generally agree (with the exception of Sand Hills & Pac Dunes) and I hope to get there someday.  

Agreed, from what I've seen (at least in the U.S.) as well.

Looks (and feels) like absolutely PURE golf. I'd love the opportunity to play it, no doubt.

Now to wrestle the invite.....

[RJ_Daley]

The first photo is obviously Sand Hills, #4, showing the famous huge blowout bunker and the wide angle showing the texture of the prairie.  

The next couple of pics are BallyNeal, showing there is no lack or restraint in bunkering.  Many of the photos above are from behind the greens looking back up FWs and Doak and company built the bunkers so that you don't see them much from green back to tee looks.  Also, while I'm no expert, I believe Doak's team shape and prepare the bunker edges differently, at least here.  One reason I will guess is that at Sand Hills like praire, the native grasses and clumps are more grassy and the rooting of the clumps used to pile around the edges, stays together during rip and place.  At BallyNeal, the land and vegitation is much more sparse.  In that chop hills of Co region, the prairie grasses are really much like the photo of the turtle, sparse, sandy, and more yucca and broadleaf amongst the sparser and apparently more spindly native grasses simply gives Bally a far different texture.  As you see, the bunkers at Bally are in deed more vague or blended to the surrounding sparser terrain, without the more defined native grass more lush clumps.  

Now, I don't know how that will hold up in terms of maintaining the sparser outlying roughs, with more wind drifted irrigation potentially wafting over the sparse native, and whether eventually that will light up the bluestem and blue grasses, and broadleafs.  That is a superintendent's question.  But, I hope that the contrast of SH and BN photos above indicates the regional difference and bunker style and texture difference of the two.  

I haven't been up to SH in 5 years.  When there last, many stray shots into the rough were quite recoverable because it is sparser veg than say Wild Horse, by quite a bit.  (Even though this last trip WH looked more fierce than it reall was, and recovery from native was quite fair).  But, the trade off with BN vs SH is that while sparser native grasses, more yucca.  

I'm guessing more snakes at BN as well...  

[Greg Tallman]

Greg:
P.S.  Glad I can answer the question about that green; one of your buds tells me I'll be persona non grata if I explain anything at Sebonack in the same depth.

Must admit I am curious???

[Daryl David]

The first sight of the greens last week had me a bit concerned that they were still lagging behind where you'd want them by now.  But, they had been recently topdressed, and when we started actually playing, I found they rolled true, and plenty fast enough for the contour.  I really felt the speed, which I could only take a wild guess at was about 9, was very good in contour to speed ratio.  They were firm, and had great ball reaction.  They had been topdressing fairways, and there were a few places the sand dressing in foregreens did impede ball reaction perhaps from optimal qualities.  But, the practice is essential, and how could one nitpick such given the excellent quality that was experienced overall.  The transitional roughs to native were still a bit clumpy in places, but I think by next mid-year ought to reach a full knitting.

 

One of the great things about Ballyneal is that you were even able to play this late in the year.  To be able to extend the season into Oct/Nov is such a joy even if you have to deal with winter maintenance conditions.  When you get a nice day this time of year, you feel so privileged to get a round in.  I believe a certain other famous prairie course has long since been closed for the winter.  

[Adam Clayman]

Daryl, As Dick alludes to, the regional differences in climate are not insignificant. Even though most would consider all these courses in the same area, the micro-climes are different enough and that allows Ballyneal to remain open year round for winter golf. Throw in the different focus of the principals, and you have a reality that works for both clubs.


 

[Daryl David]

Adam,

Looks like a wonderful micro-climate in both spots right now!!

Monday's forecast:

Mullen, NE.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 76. West southwest wind between 6 and 10 mph.

Holyoke, CO.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 78. West southwest wind around 10 mph.

[JC Urbina]

Bob
 I will give you my two cents on the first day I toured the site.

 As you may know I live in Colorado and when Tom called me and said two brothers from Holyoke called and said they had a site in North Eastern Colorado that had some pretty good land for golf, I chuckled.  I have been up and down that interstate a hundred times and all I remember was big rolling hills and some flat farm land, but that I would go check it out anyway.
I called Rupert to set up a time and the day I showed up it was below freezing maybe 10 degrees but with the wind it felt like 40 below.  Rupert had set up for himself, Rich and me to tour the site.  We had four wheelers because Rupert told me we had a lot of ground to cover.  Rupert drove me to the site and we fired up the four wheelers I followed Rupert over a huge hill and what I saw when I crested the hill was unbelievable. These Dunes were running from the North West to the South East and looked really big, Rupert called them chop dunes.  That is the last thing I expected.  Rupert said wait till we get down in the dunes thay have a lot more going on then from my vantage point.  We started north and worked are way south.  We stopped in a large Valley to warm up. I huddled next to the motor to warm up and when I looked around I said to Rupert.  I don't know about the rest of the property but you have one hole nobody will believe is in Colorado, we were in the valley of what is now the 8th hole.  We continued on finding  a few more holes in which you could build something.  When we reached the south end of the course I turned to Rich and said I had seen enough.  On the way back in my head was spinning thinking about all of the holes I had just seen wandering how I could get Tom to come back Tomorrow.
On my drive back to Denver I kept saying to myself nobody will ever believe this land is in Colorado.  Over the next few years I kept going back sometimes with Tom and sometimes by myself walking and trying differnt routings Tom had laid out on a map.  I would scribbling ideas for Tom to look at when he would come back.
I never got to work on the site, ( I was at Sebonack when Ballyneal was being built) that was left up to Bruce Hepner as lead associate and a lot of talented guys as Tom has said.
I will always wander what it would have been like working on that site

[Jim Nugent]

Bob
 I will give you my two cents on the first day I toured the site.

 

Really interesting post.  First-hand account, living history.  

What a great website this is!!

[Bob Jenkins]

JC,

I really appreciate your response and vividly recall that drive up from Denver wondering how this magical place ( I had seen the pictures, especially those on the website) could suddenly pop up. All of a sudden, after driving down CR 10 and CR 53 (or was it 43?) you are at these dunes. (CR = Country Road for those of us from the big city).

From my discussion with Rupert, he clearly knew what he had, even though he had not been into golf for many years. He knew the fescue could flourish, he knew about the wind and the sand dunes were there. It was only a matter hiring someone like Tom and his crew who had the skills to make the most of the site. From what I see, I fully suspect Tom implemented some of your ideas as well.

Great job. A very, very special place. Thanks.

Bob Jenkins

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