Laurel Links - Major Surprise

[bstark]

Gene,

  You should market your golf course reviewing skills to the local papers. The description of South Fork was hysterical.

   I will second the Laurel Links experience as well above expectations for both routing and maintenance. The housing doesn't really detract from the experience although the back nine feels a bit tight on the east side of the property. The par 5 7th, and the "capeish"  8 are two great back to back holes. The short 3's on the back were great fun with many potential pin placements. The watery par 5 risk reward on the back (17th?) was real fun. The finale could have better, however some guy in my group just brought the 18th to its' knees and took all the fun/strategy out of it with a 300 yd plus drive......

  Southampton GC should give Shuford a signing bonus and entice him to the other fork.

[Jason Blasberg]

The finale could have better, however some guy in my group just brought the 18th to its' knees and took all the fun/strategy out of it with a 300 yd plus drive......

I don't think bombing the ball at LL takes the strategy or challenge out at all.  Not sure what tees you played but I played the green (18 is 400 yards) and hit a drive about 320 over the right edge of the fairway bunkers on the left, it caught the sloped fairway on the right side and kicked forward and left and ran hard.  I was in the first cut of rough and still had a touchy 80 yard wedge shot downwind to a tough pin (in fact I made bogey).  

I bombed it on #2 as well (396 yards, 4 par) carrying the ledge on the left side of the fairway and got a huge kick forward and down the hill a bit, turned out I was 75 yards to the pin and spun a wedge too much and left myself 30 feet and three jacked it.  It's easy to do out there which is why it's demanding even if you're hitting wedge into the greens.

[Jason Blasberg]

Thought this thread could use some analysis:

12 green


4 tee shot


view looking back from front of 3rd green:



3rd green:




 

[Tommy Williamsen]

I played Laurel Links right after it held the tourney for head pros.  It is tough as nails, especially the greens.  It is amazingly good.  I don't know why it is not better known.  In fact I played it the day after I played Sebonack.  It wasn't Sebonack but it certainly was good.  I loved the look.  The terrain was not all that great but KBM did a good job overcoming that lack of elevation changes by undulating the ground subtly. It can hold its own with the golf rich   Long Island crowd.

[Jason Blasberg]

a view of the 9th green





The planting work at LL is as natural looking as I've seen for a manufactured links.

This is the 12th green:

 

A wonderful view of the 18th green and clubhouse looking backward from the 16th tee.  LL combines an intimate routing over a wide open plain in an out and back fashion much like GCGC.




A round at Laurel Links is indeed a compelling experience!

[Mike_Cirba]

Jason,

Thanks for posting more pics of LL.

I'm really looking forward to getting out there and playing it someday because it certainly looks very compelling from the photographs.