Photo Tour of Birdsfoot GC - Freeport, PA

[Richard Hetzel]

Here are the pictures that I took of Birdsfoot GC in Freeport, PA a week ago. Designed by Ault, Clark and Associates. IMO, the course is worth playing if in the Pittsburgh area. A few kooky holes, but overall a pretty decent test of golf.

#1


#2


#3




#4


#5




#6



#7


#8 No room for error, right or left, off the tee on this hole.



#9 A long, forced 190 yard carry just to clear the ravine from the 2 back sets of tees.


(Sorry, no #10. I hit a poor tee shot and was mad...)

#11 The bunker wraps all the way around forcing you to have a long walk all the way back around to get to your cart, thus slowing down play for all.




#12



#13 Maybe the toughest hole on the course, no room for error right, in fact I found 40 balls looking for my lost tee shot!


#14 No Picture, same thing poor tee shot. The hole can be seen on the last picture to the right of the #5 green.

#15




#13 green, #16 fairway to right




#16 green foreground, #12 green background


#17 "Pot Luck"





#18 is a split fairway, sorry no picture from tee box. Anything hit right could kill someone on the first fairway.

[Adam Clayman]

Rich, I hate to see your efforts go off the first page without response. Thanx for trying to convey the course through photo essay.
FWIW,

 It appears to be a wonderful piece of varied ground. Too bad the need for heavy contrast in grass color, defining a finite area to play to, creating a lack of freedom the site seems to exude.  Some of the earth moving looks unnecessary but at least it does not appear over the top. The bunker you cite requiring a return back into play, is only lamentable if the walk back has no visual value.
Here's one Pete Dye did with a moat blocking a rear exit strategy. Appreciating the serenity of that  area in the top right of the photo is a great justification for the re-tracement.

The brown patina in the rough is interesting. Would you know if that was caused by something other than uneven coverage?
How did this course play? Soft? Firm?
How did it make you feel, other than the apparent depression from errant tee shots?

 

[Jay Flemma]

Eric, I played there when the Open was at oakmont...that 17th hole is a gaudy monstrosity.  Pot luck?  More like Bird droppings...

there are a few good holes, but it played soft and slow...can you recommend anything else public out there?

[George Pazin]

Surprising to me how little I remember of the course; not exactly a sign of a must-play.

The terrain is actually a good bit more severe than it appears in the photos. As with most Burgh public courses, particularly the newer ones (probably due to reasons beyond the architect's control), there are some tough holes on difficult terrain - 8, 12, 13, 18 and maybe a couple others that I'm forgetting aren't exactly terrific golf holes, imho.

FYI on 17, all those grassed over pot used to be bunkers... definite visual overload (bordering on nausea inducing).

[Richard Hetzel]

Although, not a heavy rain the previous evening, the course played VERY soggy that morning at 8am. The drainage here may not be the best. No roll on any tee shots at all, NONE. The greens pretty much held everything and although soaked, were surprisingly, pretty QUICK.

For as expansive as it looks in the pictures, many of the holes were "shoehorned in" up against other, bordering holes. It never really felt "tight" though, maybe because from a visual standpoint it looks almost wide open.

I think the brown patina in the rough was most likely due to lack of water, or sufficient rainfall. They preferred carts in the fairways rather than in the rough here.

[Richard Hetzel]

Rich, I hate to see your efforts go off the first page without response. Thanx for trying to convey the course through photo essay.
FWIW,

 It appears to be a wonderful piece of varied ground. Too bad the need for heavy contrast in grass color, defining a finite area to play to, creating a lack of freedom the site seems to exude.  Some of the earth moving looks unnecessary but at least it does not appear over the top. The bunker you cite requiring a return back into play, is only lamentable if the walk back has no visual value.
Here's one Pete Dye did with a moat blocking a rear exit strategy. Appreciating the serenity of that  area in the top right of the photo is a great justification for the re-tracement.

The brown patina in the rough is interesting. Would you know if that was caused by something other than uneven coverage?
How did this course play? Soft? Firm?
How did it make you feel, other than the apparent depression from errant tee shots?

 

The walk back was uneventful and not really inspiring ala your Dye photo. I would have created a narrow path in the essence of time.

i liked the golf course and would most likely enjoy it more the second time around, especially with firmer conditions, if that is possible there and it may not be. I am sure the contrast would improve with some blue skies.

I thought the 13th hole was terrible, I hit the center of the fairway, with a hard fade, and the ball scooted off into the woods! That fairway, unless you are hitting a low draw of sorts isn't going to hold all that much. I could have picked up 80 golf balls down in there if I had the time and a large bag.

Although I did not loathe #17, it would be more aesthetically pleasing with the grass bunkers behind the green filled in, IMO. A little bit contrived, don't you think?

That said, I will play ANYWHERE once. I surely would not plan a weekend Pennsylvania golf trip around Birdsfoot, as it's no centerpiece.