I made it back to Houston to visit son David and grandson J Willie and finally had a chance to make it down to Wolf Point. Many thanks to Mike Nuzzo for making the arrangements. His host/owner is a generous guy but it's a very private club with only one member.
The land and topography for this course allowed Mike to create wide fairways that in some cases run together, and create many interesting angles that make the course stay fresh for the owner who plays it every day. On our day there, the course played fast and firm and the wind was blowing a fresh 30 knots.
I'd like to comment on some of the holes of the 18 that are all very good, so will repost the routing map here:
The scorecard has only par and stroke index, no yardages, so these I'll mention are what I recall of what Mike said the yardage was. Note that the prevailing wind is from the 3rd green down toward the 13th tee.
#1 - par 4, 320 yards. Shooter mentions this plays like #10 at Riviera, and I agree with one addition - Riviera has rough off to the left where the optimum lay up at Wolf Point has a 12-acre lake over there where the best line is! The green lays from 8:00 to 2:00 and is crowned, so the tee ball out to the safe right bailout leaves a second shot very similar to #10 Riv except downwind with the lake behind! It's really pretty scary.
#3 is a stout par 5 into the prevailing wind, with a cluster of center line bunkers that offer a bunch of options from the tee. Left of the bunkers gives the best line to the green, the safe shot to the right brings more bunkers into the line of play.
#4 plays more or less downwind, a short par 4 with centerline bunkers and a diagonal creek that challenges a tee shot on the best line out to the right. An approach from over there lets the player use a backstop to get the short iron close. From more straight on, the backstop sends shots to the right and away from some pin positions. Here's the 4th green from behind:
#5 is a really super par 4, one of the best on the course. The hillside to the right is littered with deep bunkers that Mike calls El Infiereno (Hell) in homage to the Old Course. No one in his right mind would drive over there, so most tee shots are well left of the best line into this peninsula green. Here's Mike's version of Hell, with the peninsula green in the distance:
Shots straight into this green are likely to either bounce left off the slope in front, or go over the green into the creek behind. The best approach is one I don't have, a draw that comes in from the right to this authentic Cape green.
#6 is a 180-200 yard par 3 across and along that deep creek. Here's a photo:
A straight ball to the right side or a gentle draw are required to reach this surface, and the pitches from the bailout right are scary as they are across the large green toward the creek behind. Get a 3 and be very happy!
#9 is a big long dogleg right par 5, almost 600 yards, with the tee shot downwind, the second shot cross wind, and the approach to a green right above the lake that stretches from tee shot landing area all the way to the 10th tee. There are some annoying bunkers right in the layup area as Mike makes you think about the second shot on a par 5.
#10 is a very short par 4 directly into the teeth of the prevailing wind, and the closer the shot flirts with the lake, the more straightforward the approach shot. Shots from the left are directly into the wind, with a steep backstop that is a left to right slope from that side.
#14 is another very good par 5 up into the wind where the approach shot plays across the creek, which then wraps around the right side of the green. This was almost a par 4 with the green in front of the creek, but the owner made the decision to make this a most challenging par 5.
#15 was my favorite of the par 3s - it's about 180 yards and plays into a clearing in the forest through which the last four holes play. The architect gives you a subtle clue here of the trouble which lurks to the left toward the creek. You can see the shadows of a pair of deep swales in the left side of the green that run down into the creek. If you didn't notice the swale, you might play directly at the pin here with some potentially dire consequences:
The finish is strong. #16 again has the creek on the left, with the best approach angles from that side of the fairway. There's a large greenside bunker that makes the left side better but much more dangerous as the creek is close:
#17 is a very stout par 4, into the wind, back in the opposition direction so once again the creek is on the left. This is a 450 yard dogleg hole with a large tree in the corner and a lot of room on the right. The long approach is a scary shot, as everything runs down into the creek. A nice safe bogey 5 is a good result here.
#18 is a true split fairway hole, where you make the decision when to cross the creek for the last time. The tee shot can be played directly at the green with a carry made more daunting by being directly into the wind, or off to the right of the creek. If the latter route is chosen, the approach must be played across some trees up to the double green shared with the nice par 3 #8.
Here's a final photo, this one of the huge double green at #18 (this end) and #8 behind. All that grass is mown as putting green, I have no idea how many square feet but a lot. You could spend a lot of time putting back and forth for quarters!
With the wind, the ever present hazards of the lake and the creek, and some amazing green contours, Wolf Point is a wonderful match play course. I am very happy to have had an opportunity to spend a few hours there. It was also great to see Don Mahaffey there, who has the course in fine shape for one only 6 months old. Thanks, guys, a great day!