[Tim Bert]

Kyle,

I'll be there as an intern on the maintenance crew this summer.  I still have not met any GCA.com guys as of this moment, but it seems like that will change this summer!  Thanks for the great pictures Robert. Can't wait to get out there.

Brendan   

Now that would be a cool internship...  Oh, to be young again!

[Jim Nugent]

Tim:

There's no venom.

I'm just making fun of the fawning over Doak and his work, with quotes like this illustrating my point:  "I hope that those who have the opportunity will recognize greatness."

Anthony

The question is, does the course justify the praise?  Everyone I've heard of who played it -- except maybe one GD rater who thinks all courses should have trees -- raves about the place. 

If Robert loves the course, if he thinks it's a masterpiece, why is that fawning to say so?   

[Norbert P]

 There are some very interesting color changes in the turf. What is the seed mix?

 I proclaim that this is one of the finest golf courses that I've never seen.

[RJ_Daley]

There are some very interesting color changes in the turf. What is the seed mix?

Slag, funny you should bring that up! 

Se the link provided above by John Kirk, as that very question was posed to "the man". 

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,13069.0.html

[George Pazin]

The question is, does the course justify the praise?  Everyone I've heard of who played it -- except maybe one GD rater who thinks all courses should have trees -- raves about the place. 

If Robert loves the course, if he thinks it's a masterpiece, why is that fawning to say so?   

Easiest way to make yourself feel smarter is to make fun of others.

[Norbert P]

 Thanks for that, Dick.  Is the full answer of the mix still "held close to the chest"?  Or did I miss the answer somewhere?   I remember that auld thread. I was there, man!   Is the mix answer at the end of a rainbow? 


  And to that rater that said there should be trees.  Grass is a forest of little trees.

[Matt_Ward]

Kudos to Rupert and all the folks at Ballyneal for the recognition via Golfweek. I played the course in its earliest days and simply loved it. FYI -I'm not a homer for any architect. The simple fact is the finished product never bores you -- from the 1st tee shot to the final putt.

I do agree with Tony that sometimes the fawning can be a bit much but the situation at Ballyneal is clearly not one of those instances IMHO.

I still shake my head when I remember driving through Holyoke (and the dead flat landscape there) and wondering if my trip to NE Colorado would be really worth it.

The answer is a big time yes.

p.s. Although it often gets dissed by a number of people here I would also recommend folks head to Dismal River (three hours by car away from Ballyneal) and play them both.

[Peter Pallotta]

RJ -

my thanks too for the link to that old thread. Geez louise, but you guys were smart back then.  I feel even dumber now....

Peter

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

If Fazio or Ted Robinson had somehow created this masterpiece, I would still have the same opinion.  This is easily the best of the Doak designs that I have played so far.  What matters is the essence of the place.  It just so happens that Doak is responsible for the finished course.  A few miles down the highway is an extreme contrast--a course with round greens lined with pine trees and only an occasional generic bunker.

[Scott Szabo]

There's no doubt in my mind that Doak and crew put their hearts and souls into this project. They had the sandy medium and created one of the most fun mediums for the sport. The amazing thing one learns is that EVERYTHING was constructed. However, with their attention to detail it apears to have been found.
EDIT; Not everything was constructed but certainly most of it was moved(save for surrounds)
Peter, I think the word that best describes what I think you can't put your finger on is "sexy". That 5th pic is the short Par 4 7th taken from the extreme right side of the fairway. This is the hole with the green in the shape of an "E" that has bunkers filling the negative spaces of the "E". What's truly amazing is how the 8th hole comes off as even sexier.

The course epitomizes the fundamental principles that I suspect Jones and Mackenzie originally envisioned for Augusta National. Shot testing without dictation. Recovery opportunities abound on this well thought out design.

If I weren't a member, my feelings about it would still be the same.  

 
 

Adam,

Not to question your assessment of pic #5, but isn't that really Hole #3 - the short par-three?  It would appear to be, especially in light of the way the pictures tend to flow in order of the holes played.  Same thing with picture #6....

Scott

[Adam Clayman]

You are correct sir. I could've sworn it was seven. The angle through me. Thanx

[Kyle Harris]

These pictures just prove to me further that golf needs what the punk movement of the 70s did for music... flush out the over-complex self-indulgent ELP-type stuff for a simpler and edgier sound.

[Dave_Wilber]

Thanks for that, Dick.  Is the full answer of the mix still "held close to the chest"?  Or did I miss the answer somewhere?   I remember that auld thread. I was there, man!   Is the mix answer at the end of a rainbow? 


  And to that rater that said there should be trees.  Grass is a forest of little trees.

Sir,

The answer to your question is in my August 2006 Interview, right here on GCA.


But I want to give credit where it is due. Dave Hensley is indeed The Man. I admire his ability to do the job that I couldn't/wouldn't do. He's been a Godsend and I never talk about Ballyneal without mentioning Dave.

[Norbert P]

 Thanks Dave.

 Interesting statement near the end.

"So I have guarded enthusiasm for Linksland Grassing. What definitely keeps my guard up is how American turf management isn’t sure they really want to embrace firm, dry and fast brown grass. I think that many turf managers actually believe that they can get away with fertilizing and watering and doing all the usual things in an American manner with Bents and Fescues and the truth is, that sort of thing has held back the popularity of the Linksland surface, because treating it like that will never get it to develop correctly. We used to hear about all these failures of fescue and in my mind now the failure wasn’t in the fescue at all."

 Have you seen any advancement in the last couple of years? Is it at least going toward what you allude to of more appropriate stewardship of fescues and bents? 
 

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

these pictures were taken in mid-November, so it would be safe to assume that most of the fairways had become dormant.  Hopefully, the course does play on the brown side during the height of the season.

[Brian Phillips]

these pictures were taken in mid-November, so it would be safe to assume that most of the fairways had become dormant.  Hopefully, the course does play on the brown side during the height of the season.

Robert,

If the mix is still pretty much the same as when seeded then the grass should not really go dormant in November up there.  However, I remember when we played Sand Hills in the spring one year and we were told of 40 degree swings in temperature that year between night and day sometimes.  Here is the original mix from Dave's superb interview:

Greens: 40% Chewings Fescue, 30% Slender Creeping Red Fescue and 30% Browntop Bentgrass.

 Tees: 35% Chewings, 35% Strong and Slender CRF, 20% Kentucky Blue (aka as Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass) and 10% Browntop.

 Fairways: 30% Chewings, 30% Strong CRF, 15% Slender CRF, 15% Browntop and 10% SSMG.

 Rough: 25% Strong CRF, 25% Slender CRF, 40% Sheeps Fescue and 10% Chewings.

Question to Dave W:

Are they getting much clippings off the greens in November or has growth slowed right down by that time of year?

Cheers,

Brian

[Adam Clayman]

Brian, I can try to answer that for Dave since he is not an everyday poster.
 This last year, Dave Hensley started to put the course to bed in early October. That means he did not cut the grass after about the first week in Oct. (That was my impression)

As for the colors of the turf, you are correct that it does not go fully dormant in November, but it does start. In my novice understanding, the ground temps are what send the course into dormancy. This year, we played golf through approx. November 21st.
 In the dead of winter and into early March the course does go quite brown. It is hard to describe, but to me it looks to have an almost reddish brown patina. What's cool is that starting about a few weeks ago, the grass starts to gradually turn different shades and will likely be green throughout, very soon.

[Norbert P]

 In the dead of winter and into early March the course does go quite brown. It is hard to describe, but to me it looks to have an almost reddish brown patina. What's cool is that starting about a few weeks ago, the grass starts to gradually turn different shades and will likely be green throughout, very soon.

"Adam's World" by Andrew Wyeth

[RJ_Daley]

Slag, you always seem to share with us the most apropos artistic themes and ideas from music, art, or poetry, and bring them home to GC architecture and care for the field of play.  You're a H of F GCA.comer! 

[Norbert P]

 I'm merely a fisherman of thoughts and images. 

[Jason McNamara]

Brian, I can try to answer that for Dave since he is not an everyday poster.
 This last year, Dave Hensley started to put the course to bed in early October. That means he did not cut the grass after about the first week in Oct. (That was my impression)

Adam, is there a set season up there, or can it vary?  Thanks.

[Adam Clayman]

Jason, The winters can be very mild so the course remains open throughout. The only time the course will close is in the early spring, during grass growing season. Giving Dave H. and his crew a chance to work on the course unimpeded. 

[Jason McNamara]

Thanks Adam.  Just to clarify, when is "early spring" in the Holyoke - Wray MSA?  Early- to mid-April or so?

[Scott Szabo]

Jason,

"Early spring" in this neck of the woods is right now!  Mid-March to early April.  We do tend to get some spring snow showers which can bring quite a bit of moisture in our area, but I think Adam is referring to this time of year. 

 

[Adam Clayman]

Jason, I have not been to the course for about three weeks. Scott is correct early early spring is right now. With just a little water, grass is starting to show signs of greening. When the ground temps approach 40 degrees then we will start the real growing season. That exact time can change year to year.
 The great thing at BN is that we are down with brown, so it just doesn't matter.

From it's inception BN has approached the whole project with an emphasis on the maintenance/turf. That was evident when, unlike many projects, the maintenance building was built first. Giving the golf course a rest during this growing time is another example of that mindset. We'll be officially open on May 1st.  One added benefit to setting a specific start date is staffing related.

Slag- Mr. Wyeth has captured that reddish hue perfectly.

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