A Look At Ross' Idle Hour

[Mike Hendren]

A couple of weeks ago I drove four hours through downpours and cold to Lexington, Kentucky to play Idle Hour.  My faith was rewarded threefold by a break in the rain, an outstanding renovation by Ron Pritchard and nine holes in the company of PGA Professional Peter Garvey.

The Ross design is dated 1924 but a dated mapquest aerial shows thin ribbons of fairways and rounded greens.  Peter shared copies of Ross' original hole designs as well as the artistic detailing of Ron Pritchard.  Unlike the few urban Ross courses that I have had the pleasure of playing, this course sprawls across a generous piece of property and as a result has a broad-shouldered, rather than intimate feel.  This is enhanced by long vistas attributable to significant tree removal in conjunction with the renovation.  The site itself is generally rolling, playing to Ross' routing genius and seemingly uncanny ability to insure that well struck drives somehow find the breaking effect of an upslope. 

Overall, fairway width is extemely generous, with bunkering that actually encroaches into the fairways with sufficient depth to exact a half-stroke playout.  There is a nice mixture of approaches which accomodate the ground game or alternatively require a relatively long carry.  Greens are generally canted with subtle contouring and corner pin locations recaptured. 

The back tees play 6600 yards to a par of 71 with the middle tees playing 6200 yards.  New tees have added to yield a "Ross Course" playing 7018 yards to a par of 70.  The strength of the course is an unrelenting string of par four holes with 8 of the par fours playing over 420 yards from the member tees.  The Ross Course finishes with five par fours playing 437, 477, 434, 487 and 460 yards.  To boot, four of those holes play uphill from the tee.  Not surprisingly, the club will host a U. S. Open qualifier.

From behind the 447 yards third hole which requires a long uphill approach to a large canted green:



Note that the green is sited at just before the crest of a hill.  By slightly building up the rear of the green, the cant is exagerated.  I find this to be a common technique of Ross with the 17th green at Beverly and 3rd at Memphis CC as other examples.  This photograph of the 3rd green from behind the 7th green shows how deceiving the cant truly is. 



The following photograph reveals a small depression in front of the green hidding by the hole's uphill nature.  As a result, it's all carry uphill on this 447/462 yards brute of a two-shotter.



It's quite a hike from the 4th green to 5th tee as depicted in the following photograph, where the very unique 317 yards 5th hole heads uphill.



As shown by the 150 yards barber pole it's only a 170 yards uphill carry to find a generous landing area at the 5th with a 220 yards tee ball being ideal for the non-tiger:



A sexy skyline from 100 yards out:



I am told the bunkering is a faithful restoration and as such must be a unique hole in the Ross portfolio.

More to follow.

[Mike Hendren]

Continuing...

Props to Pritchard for restoring bunkers from Ross' drawings that are marginally relevant given today's distances.  For example, these three wicked sisters on the 6th fairway require a carry of no more than 175 yards, but can easily steer the casual driver into the severe right side bunker up ahead.  As is often the case at Idle Hour, the drive lands into a slight uphill slope on this 439/444 yards par four.



One might expect an easily accessible green given the hole's distance, but one would be disappointed as I was in attempting to fly my 5wood onto the pushed up 6th green:



Ross gives the player an opportunity to pick up a few strokes or at least salvage a little dignity on the course's three par fives, beginning at the 8th, playing 487 from the member tees and only 503 from the Ross tees - provided one can negotiate the well positioned fairway bunkers on this dogleg left.



The second at the 8th requires a definitive choice given this tandem of bunkers approximately 50 yards short of the green, a deep leftside green bunker and OB lurking in the trees to the right:



This photograph attempts to convey the false rear right side of the green and proximity of OB for the playing who pushes his second shot in attempt to reach the green in two:



I only have a few photographs of the back nine since I was fortunate to be joined by the club's professional, Peter Garvey.  It was obvious that he was severely bitten by the architectural bug during the extensive renovation, even admitting a little letdown after the process was complete.  He is justifiably proud of the renovation, committed to helping the membership understand that what they have is a treasure and will no doubt exercise sound stewardship of golf course going forward.  He's also got game.

Ross gives the player a breather with the 361 yards 10th, downhill 181 yards 11th and the 521 yards 12th.  After the 164 yards 13th, he nastily cinches the screws as previously noted with a string of challenging par fours - an appropriate nickname could be The Long Green Mile as they total 1708 yards.  The 420/437 yards 14th plays up and over a small rise to an enormous green with countless subtle undulations.  The 427/477 yards 15th is significantly uphill every inch of the way with a false front that insures the hole plays its full distance.  This photograph is from approximately 150 yards out:



I believe as this point in the round I mentioned to Peter that it was getting tiresome hitting metalwoods into par fours.  His response:  "Welcome to Idle Hour!"

Ross gives the club player a chance to go home happy at the reachable 480 yards par five 18th, again requiring fairway bunkers to be negotiated from the tee and forcing the tee ball into an uphill landing zone.  No such break from the Ross tees which play to par of four at 460 yards.  The tee shot:



Hopefully these photographs give the reader a feel for the golf course.  Holes neither discussed nor photographed are by no means weak sisters. 

It is not my place to suggest that this course make any rankings list, though an argument can be made that it warrants strong consideration among the nation's better classic courses.  Regardless, it absolutely should not be missed by any student of golf course architecture that travels to the Bluegrass State and is fortunate enough to garner an invitation. 

These pictures were taken and are posted here with permission. 

Mike

[Joe Hancock]

Nice post, Mike.

[Chip Gaskins]

wow, that place looks fantastic!

#8 looks awesome.

Chip

[Ed Oden]

Mike, thanks for the post.  The pictures are terrific.  I am no expert, but I have not seen another Ross course where the fairways serpentine so tightly between the bunkers.  Very interesting.  Since your profile describes a faithful restoration of the bunkers, I assume this concept was all part of Ross' original design.  Has anyone seen a similar design on other Ross courses?

Ed

[Mike Sweeney]

Mike, thanks for the post.  The pictures are terrific.  I am no expert, but I have not seen another Ross course where the fairways serpentine so tightly between the bunkers.  Very interesting.  Since your profile describes a faithful restoration of the bunkers, I assume this concept was all part of Ross' original design.  Has anyone seen a similar design on other Ross courses?

Ed

It reminded me of Plainfield in a few spots but others know that course much better than me:

[Pete Garvey]

Michael

Thank you for your kind words and great insight into IH.  Your pictures are great.  As I mentioned to you, I believe Ron's work is second to none.  He did a great job polishing this gem in the bluegrass.

I look forward to playing with you again on a nicer day this Spring or early Summer. 

[Kirk Gill]

Thank you, Michael for your photographs, and insightl.

That fifth looks like incredible fun.

[Ed Oden]

Mike, thanks for the post.  The pictures are terrific.  I am no expert, but I have not seen another Ross course where the fairways serpentine so tightly between the bunkers.  Very interesting.  Since your profile describes a faithful restoration of the bunkers, I assume this concept was all part of Ross' original design.  Has anyone seen a similar design on other Ross courses?

Ed

It reminded me of Plainfield in a few spots but others know that course much better than me:

Mike, I see your point as it relates to #7 at Plainfield.  The above picture does look very similar.  But the serpentining fairway/bunkers at PCC #7 really don't come into practical play since it is all between the landing area for your tee shot and the green.  Your approach just plays over it.  And #7 is probably the most similar hole visually at PCC.  On the other hand, the pictures of Idle Hour seem to indicate a need to weave your way from tee to green more than I recall on other Ross courses I've played.  Regardless, Idle Hour looks very nice.

Ed

[Mike Hendren]

Mike, thanks for the post.  The pictures are terrific.  I am no expert, but I have not seen another Ross course where the fairways serpentine so tightly between the bunkers.  Very interesting.  Since your profile describes a faithful restoration of the bunkers, I assume this concept was all part of Ross' original design.  Has anyone seen a similar design on other Ross courses?

Ed

Ed, I'm guessing this was often the norm rather than the exception judging by Ross' drawings.  Mowing patterns aT many of his courses could have dumbed this feature down over the years to yield straight-line ribbons.  The difference between the aerial photo on Google and the same aerial on Mapquest is startling and confirms this theory.

THE ADDRESS IS RICHMOND ROAD IN LEXINGTON, KY.  CAN SOMEONE WITH SKILLS PLEASE POST THE CONTRASTING AERIALS FROM THOSE TWO SITES?   THANKS IN ADVANCE.

Mike

[Tom_Doak]

Mike:

I am struck by the appearance of the new bunkers ... it looks like the sand is flat in the bottom, and yet you can clearly see sand even on the uphill shots.  Are the floors tilted?

[Kalen Braley]

Hendren,

First one is an image from Google Earth..2nd one Mapquest.

[Anthony Gray]

  I feel it mandatory to post.

  I would love to see before and after pics so I could appreciate the work more.

  Anthony

[Mike Hendren]

Tom, I should know since I recall 7 bunker shots during the round.

Generally, they are flat but many fairway bunkers  are cut into upslopes and have floors that mimic the elevation change.  Also, the photographs might be deceptive in that I tried to capture the actual sand in the pictures.  The fairway bunkers in particular are turned up along the front edges.  

Perhaps Pete will weigh in.  

Mike

[Rob Rigg]

The manner in which the bunkers and elevated greens play off each other is very aesthetically pleasing IMO. Not the same as, but similar to to pics from Oakmont and Lawsonia which I find very captivating. Just a very cool look.

Thanks for the pics Mike.

[Mike Hendren]

Kalen,

Interesting that the first photograph shows the remnants of the original green at par three 2nd at bottom of the aerial in the midway along the property line.  The newer aerial reflects its restoration.  I would have thought the left hand green was original as it is built-up on the far side of a hill when in reality the original right hand green fits snugly in a little dell that invites a ground game approach.  Pete Garvey indicates the original right-hand Ross green plays a fully stroke easier than its twin.

Mike

[John Mayhugh]

I've really enjoyed the look at Idle Hour.  It's a very-low key club that rarely gets mentioned among the top clubs in KY.  I've driven past it many times but only caught glimpses from the road.  From your photos, it seems like it should be a top 5 course in the state.  

You see a lot of trees on the aerial views, but they don't seem to infringe on play much.  You mentioned tree removal as part of the renovation and it seems to have been pretty effective.  Is that how it seemed on the ground?

That 8th hole looks like it could be a real scorecard killer for such a short 5.

You might get to see a Ross bunker or two this weekend.....

[Kalen Braley]

Michael,

I noticed that dual green hole too when I was looking at the aerials...looks terrific with the two greens there now.

For an even better aerial look, but impractical to post many aerials in here, go to maps.live.com and check out the birds eye views of the course...you can really get a good look at the restoration there.

Attached is a good look at that hole and few surrounding green complexes.

[Mike Hendren]

John,

Looking forward to meeting you Saturday.  Trees rarely encroach at Idle Hour with the exception of a strand of evergreens that separate the 12th and 14th fairways.  I would not be surprised if these miraculously disappear over the winter

Given the large scale and spaciousness of the site, I believe the club intends to let the native grasses not in immediate proximity to fairways and greens grow out in the coming year - a good move in my book.

Mike

[PThomas]

Mike, thanks so much..i hope to get to Idle Hour next year

I got to play the restored Ross course at French Lick this year....good stuff there and some REALLY wicked greens....should be a great place when the Dye course oepns next year

[Mike Hendren]

Bumping for Sean Arble.

[Jason Thurman]

What a great, great golf course.

Joe Sponcia did a photo thread as well, but it looks like his pics have fallen through a crack in the Internet.

Idle Hour flies under the radar and I think its members are quite happy with that. From those I've spoken to, the Pritchard renovation transformed a nice members' course into a truly elite track. I've only played the post-renovation version, and it's in my personal top five.

The best way I can think to describe it is that it's similar to Lawsonia in a lot of ways, though with a little less of the "engineered" look and with an extra gear in terms of challenge and conditioning. And it's a brute from the tips - around 7200 with just one par 4 under 400 yards and two more under 430.

[Doug Ralston]

Jason;

I think I feel about Idle Hour [and Clovernook] like I feel about a constitutional convention. I have some ideas I personally would like to implememnt, but if you open it up like that there is no clear predicting where it might go.

These two courses sure as hell are not broke. So don't try 'fixing' them without a lot of forethought, and a certainty that you can control what might happen.

If a different idea must be tried, try it on some new place, or someplace so drab you wont miss it.

Doug

[Jason Thurman]

Doug, I may be missing your point, but I think I get it.

I wish I had seen Idle Hour before Pritchard's work. The reviews I've heard of that course are pretty lukewarm. Good condition, great clubhouse, above-average golf course, nothing too overwhelming.

My head pro worked at Idle Hour in his early years and says that when he played it post-renovation in an Open qualifier, he barely recognized the golf course. It went from being a nice country club course to a true ballbuster and excellent test.

I was lucky enough to play it last summer, and even without knowing all of what was there before, the work Pritchard did is exceptional. It's one of the most visually stunning courses I've played. The bunkering is aesthetically brilliant and highly strategic. They also play as real one-stroke hazards in most cases. Couple that with the course's length and the very challenging set of greens and you have one of the best all around tests of golf I've played. If the renovation is indeed in line with Ross' original design, it's hard to imagine the decision-making process that led to those brilliant original features being compromised.

So if you're saying that it's in a club's best interest to avoid making changes without letting the advice of a real architect govern part of their decision making, I'm totally in agreement and I think Pritchard's Idle Hour renovation is as good an example of how great the result can be as I've seen.

[Philip Caccamise]

Had the terrific pleasure of finally playing Idle Hour after living in Lexington for 5 years. What an amazing golf course. Conditions were very tough today and it was still fun and playable. Tee to green, it's long but relatively forgiving, however I can't even imagine how treacherous the greens would be if they were running at summer speeds. 14-17 rivals 9-13 at Bethpage Black for the hardest four straight par 4's I've ever seen. Already looking forward to my next visit!