[Jed Peters]

This last weekend I was fortunate enough to spend Friday through Monday playing some of our area's best courses with some incredible folks.

I'll include my thoughts on the courses I played, there are more in the photo essay here:

http://gallery.mac.com/jedpeters#100210

Friday was Olympic Lake Course--

This course was absolutely brutal, and beautiful. Exhausting is the best word I can come up with. 18 holes felt like 36. I was always putting for par, even when I was on the green in regulation. A score of 40/46 stings in a good way--18 was my favorite hole on the course!

In all, I count 3 "fun" holes on the entire course, and ironically, it's probably because they were all short! 7,8, and 18 were what I'd categorize as "fun". Everything else--Brutal.

And yet--I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Saturday at Morgan Creek--yada yada yada. Been there, done that.

Sunday Morning--Pasatiempo w/ Rob Chesnut.

Rob is a true gentleman and super knowledgeable about his club, the history, and the architecture. I posted a best ever front of 40, and thinking I was going into the back looking good (I've never shot over 39 on the back) I fired a wonderful back 9 of 50 after being 1 over on 10-12.

Tom Huckaby, you're right--#16 is brutal. As exhibited by the 9 I carded there! (The two triples didn't help either!)

Sunday Afternoon--MPCC Shore

I absolutely LOVE this golf course. Fun Fun Fun is the name of the game here, and I loved every minute of that course. Just an awesome time. Even carding a front 9 44...I made up for it with a 1 over 38 on the back. That course is just a blast. Too much fun for words--see the pics, there's a lot of them!

Monday Morning--MPCC Dunes

I had the pleasure of playing with a true gentleman and scholar of architects on my Monday round. My host took the opportunity to show me the property, the land, the differing holes--how they evolved through the years, as well as what input he had in the process. Really very interesting and compelling conversation. Although another round in the 80s didn't add up to much in the end after making bogie on 18 to lose my match 1 up, I had probably the best time I've had on the golf course in a long, long while--if ever!

Enjoy the pics!

[Tom Huckaby]

That is one hell of a trip.  Very cool.

Some questions....

How did the 9 occur on 16 Pasa?  And are the green speeds continuing to be kept reasonable, as Rob had indicated was the new plan? 

MPCC - preference - Shore or Dunes?

I find both courses to be fun, but the Dunes a little more so.  From your description I am betting you disagree.  And if so that's cool, most do.  But few get to play them back to back like you just did.... so I am curious as to your assessment.

TH

[Jed Peters]

That is one hell of a trip.  Very cool.

Some questions....

How did the 9 occur on 16 Pasa?  And are the green speeds continuing to be kept reasonable, as Rob had indicated was the new plan? 

Blocked tee shot, against concrete OB wall.

Hit off Concrete wall not quite to fairway.

7 iron pull hooked--off greenside bank pin high (middle pin) and over road to #10 greenside

Pitch to upper tier, on fringe

Putted sideways to try to lag close to middle pin--off the front of the green

left one short, rolled back down to my feet.

hit it LONG and against the middle/back tier, rolled back to pin, then back down to my feet.

Hit lob wedge to 3 feet to stop the ball on middle tier.

Made putt.

Greenspeeds are still high, but not as fast as when I played there previous. I talked to a couple other members who were in favor of the change--the greens are very healthy, and are putting true. I know for a fact that balls stayed in spots I've seen them not hold on previously.

MPCC - preference - Shore or Dunes?

I find both courses to be fun, but the Dunes a little more so.  From your description I am betting you disagree.  And if so that's cool, most do.  But few get to play them back to back like you just did.... so I am curious as to your assessment.

TH

Shore is WAY more fun, for me all around the 18 holes.

Although Dunes is equally as world class, I'm not a big fan of the elevated green/deep bunker shot that Rees incorporates into the design.

That said, 9-17 are probably my favorite 9 hole stretch there.

Oh hell, they're all good!

Out of 10 times, I'd say Shore 6, Dunes 4.

[Tom Huckaby]

Thanks for the report re Pasa.  Your tale is one of woe, but at least the greenspeeds are still being kept reasonable!  Also, middle pin seems to have become standard.  Everyone who goes there reports it these days.  Interesting.

Re MPCC, suffice to say I disagree.  But that's cool.    Just understand also that I had pretty much the same take as you after one playing of the new Shore... the more I play each, the more the gap widens between the two.  And it's not that Shore regresses - I do believe it's a wonderful golf course and I'd love to play it daily - it's more that the respect and admiration for Dunes grows.   In any case, I'm gonna go with your 6-4 assessment, because that's reasonable and I'd just flip it the opposite direction, so we're not that far off.  But if you really want to say Shore is WAY more fun, then you have some 'splainin to do.... the first part of which will be why you want to devote 4/10 rounds to a course that you find WAY less fun that the other.   

[Jed Peters]

Pasa is cool. It was really neat watching Rob work his way around the course--he knows it well and where to put the ball. Funny how sometimes he'd even "lay up" on the greens!

RE MPCC:

Shore is more fun, whereas I find the hitting of the elevated shots into greens that are blind to a first time player as more of a challenge--also, 1-8 are a bear on the Dunes course, whereas on the Shore, there's the potential to make a better score earlier in the round.

So, Shore is more of a "fun" course, Dunes is where you go for a more championship-style "challenge".

And, that's the way it was described to me by my host(s) as well.

I've played Shore 2x now, and loved every minute of it. Dunes I've only played once--you're correct, I'll have to get out there again and do it up.

I can say this though--if I had to play as a reciprocal unaccompanied guest (and the fee that goes with it) I'd play the Shore again over the Dunes.

[Mike Benham]

Nice photos, great trip.

On the photo MPCC #5, are you purposefully aiming towards the Pacific?


And tell us how you really feel about Olympic Lake.  Which tees did you play (as that will have an effect on the fun factor ...) ?

[Tom Huckaby]

Jed:

When it comes to golf courses, typically I am all about "fun" and I tend to dislike "championship tests."  Benham can confirm this and you know it also per our off-line messages.  Seems to me you are the other way around, given your love for your quite difficult home course.  So it's odd that we each tend to prefer the other's cup of tea at MPCC, as it's stated anyway.

I think the reason for this is this:  your hosts are wrong, with all due respect.  Each can be "fun" and each can be a "championship test" depending on tees played, wind conditions, how and why one is playing.  I don't see it as clear cut as you and your hosts seemed to say.  And I bet if you pinned them down further, they would back off from this as well.  

Interesting too.... I don't see 1-8 on Dunes as any more difficult as 1-8 on Shore... wow total reversal there... and in terms of raised blind shots, hell each course has such... perhaps a few more on Dunes, but also some of the coolest non-raised approach shots also...

In any case, I guess it just does come down to personal preferences, as I have had the choice of which course to play in several instances over the last few years, and whereas for the first few times after Shore was re-done it was always Shore, these days it's always been Dunes.  And I'd do the same regardless of the fees paid.

To each his own....

TH

[Jed Peters]

Nice photos, great trip.

On the photo MPCC #5, are you purposefully aiming towards the Pacific?

I'm just setting up to the ball.

And tell us how you really feel about Olympic Lake.  Which tees did you play (as that will have an effect on the fun factor ...) ?

I enjoyed it tremendously. We played the blue tees (6650 yards?) and it was fine and dandy. Just felt mentally drained is all....it was tough to score, but not to get the ball around at bogie.

With regards to Olympic Lake, it's a U.S. Open course through and through. Demanding, tough, mentally difficult, tight off the tee, etc. It wasn't that "fun" in terms of play, but I could play there quite a bit and not get sick of it!

I think architecturally it's a gem--on the side of a huge hill, and yet playable with wonderful corridors.

I think I really need to get out there with a better group of players like yourself, play it from the blacks under some kind of pressure to keep my mind in the game type of thing, and then evaluate it.

[J_ Crisham]

Jed,    What you need is a game of WOLF with Mssrs. Huckaby, Pierraci, and Huntley! MPCC Dunes is a great venue for said game given the risk /reward holes. Should you not golf your ball, the wallet shall become lightened. I'm speaking from a very recent personal experience! Great venue-even better company.    Jack

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