I had the good fortune to be able to play in the California Amateur earlier this week (it's still going on, for those of you who want to get out and watch). We were treated to playing Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank and Oakmont Country Club in Glendale, both designed by Max Behr (
http://www.scga.org/08CGA/courses.html). I had not played a Max Behr course before and actually know very little about him aside from what I've read in Geoff Shackelford's Golden Age of Golf Design. I have noticed that he's often quoted on this site and he seems to be an exceptional writer.
I did just notice the picture in Geoff's book of the thirteenth green at Lakeside adjacent to a stream that was washed away. If anyone knows the history behind this green and any routing changes, please speak up.
Everyone told me that the greens at Lakeside would be small, but even with that I wasn't ready for the greens to be that small. It certainly is a test of precise ball-striking, but not in a way that dictates how one plays the course. There are subtle options off the tee on many holes and they felt like the kind of options where one never settles on a decision forever. The kind where if you're swinging particularly well or poorly one day you'll alter your plan to give it a go or play more conservatively, respectively. For example, if I wasn't hitting my driver well I'd lay back a bit on 10 to stay in the widest part of the fairway since it narrows up on the right, and if I was hitting it great I might hit driver on 11 to try to get myself up even with the trees on the left to have a shorter approach shot or hit a low draw and run it down the hill on 12 to get within half-wedge distance.
There are several places where the target you're hitting to is so small that you are tasked with hitting a very good shot or having a very difficult recovery. Most courses have bail-out areas that are easy to recover from, but I struggled to find very many of these at Lakeside. Perhaps right of two green if the hole is cut left or short left of the ninth green would be examples. Most courses also have targets large enough that even if you hit a slight miss you'll still be on the green with a slightly more difficult putt, but on Lakeside only a few greens are large enough to provide that sort of comfort. It takes a strong (or perhaps quiet) mind to make a free swing when you know that it's either a good swing or an all-world up and down to make a par or better.
The other thing I heard about Lakeside before going down there was how it was a short course. Well, like many so-called short courses, Lakeside finds a way to play longer than the card's total yardage by including several very short (but very tricky) holes. Both seven and eight played into the wind every time I played them and left long irons into the greens. Nine is a 240 yard par three with a very small green. The conservative play off the tee on 11 leads to a mid-iron in, and I found 14, 17, and 18 all played into the wind that pushed them from short par fours to medium length. Additionally, the small greens make these shots feel longer, or, said differently, make a shot with a six iron feel as difficult to pull off as a typical shot with a three iron.
I really enjoyed the course. I thought the routing flowed exceptionally well throughout the round and every hole seems to keep you on your toes.
I posted this of course to hear the thoughts of others who have played the course and/or know about Max Behr's style. Hopefully later I'll get a chance to write up some thoughts on Oakmont and compare and contrast these two Behr courses.