Davis Love & Seminole

[John Mayhugh]

In this week's Sports Illustrated, there's a nice little column by Davis Love talking about the member-pro event at Seminole.  He clearly reveres the place and this event seems very special to him.  I've always liked Davis, and his words make me like him even more.  After reading it, Seminole moves even further up the list of places I would love to see.

Here's an excerpt from the column along with a link to SI.  Their golf plus section makes the subscription well worth it to me:

It's hard to think of another club that feels more of golf than Seminole. You can't put a finger on it: the sound the white-stone driveway makes underneath your tires; the weight of the clubhouse doors; the beautiful, always-empty swimming pool; the ginger snaps and cheddar cheese available at the turn; the sand that comes up with your tiny divots; the elevated greens; the elevated golf talk when people go from table to table in the grillroom. It's a dream.
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1153372/index.htm

[Mark Bourgeois]

...Pat Mucci's name up on the board...

[Tom_Doak]

Seminole is a great, great course.

I wish less of its reputation was based on snob appeal.

[George Pazin]

Thanks for posting, John.

You can't lose a ball, but you can four-putt any green.

Sounds like a wonderfully playable course for everyone.

[John Mayhugh]

I was fortunate enough to join Holston Hills last year. I don't to play there nearly often enough, but I've gained a completely new appreciation for Ross.  How much better off golf would be if more people understood the fun that short grass offers.

[Greg Tallman]

Pardpon my ignorance but what is the overall topography of Seminole? What is the chnge in elevation from its highest point to its lowest?

[Tom_Doak]

Greg:

I have never seen a topo map of Seminole but I would guess the overall elevation change at 30-40 feet.  The approach shots at holes 2 & 11 (from the relatively flat fairways below) are approximately 20 feet uphill, and then the sixth hole up in the back has to be a bit higher than those.

[Mike Hendren]

For you Ross fans visiting Pinehurst, if you stop by the Tufts Archives and ask for Ms. Audrey Moriarty, she will bring up Ross' Seminole original routing plan on linen for your viewing pleasure. 

Great place.

Mike

[John Blain]

That piece sure seemed more like Michael Bamberger's writing than Davis Love's

[Greg Tallman]

Greg:

I have never seen a topo map of Seminole but I would guess the overall elevation change at 30-40 feet.  The approach shots at holes 2 & 11 (from the relatively flat fairways below) are approximately 20 feet uphill, and then the sixth hole up in the back has to be a bit higher than those.

}

TD,

Thank you. The typical knock on FLA courses is flatness among other issues and for Semionle to be so revered I was curious if it somehow fit the elevation change criteria for a course to be called "great".

Have oblvioulsy not had the privilege to play the course but I did stick more to the west coast than the east when living in Florida.

[Patrick_Mucci]

John Mayhugh,

As you know I'm a big fan of Seminole.
I think it's one of the great member courses in America.

And, you're right, there's something about the place that exudes GOLF.

And then, there's that wonderful wind.

I could play 36 every day and never tire of it.

[Steve Salmen]

John Duncan, the secretary of Royal Dornoch told me he thought that Seminole was basically Royal Dornoch with palm trees.  Thoughts from those of you who have played both courses?

[John Mayhugh]

It seems like every round at Seminole could be different with changes in the wind, especially the way the holes are routed.  It must be an ideal place to play 36 a day.

[cary lichtenstein]

John Duncan, the secretary of Royal Dornoch told me he thought that Seminole was basically Royal Dornoch with palm trees.  Thoughts from those of you who have played both courses?

Not exactly, Royal Dornock is World Class. Although Seminole is extremely well regarded by many, there are probably just as many who are scratching their heads as to why.

I have played both 5 times.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Cary,

Those scratching their heads, as to why Seminole is well regarded, just don't get it.

One only needs to open their eyes to the architecture, not the surrounding scenery.

When the prevailing wind blows, finishing par, par, par on the last three holes is quite an accomplishment.

There are SO many good holes.

And, when the direction of the wind changes, the personality and challenge of the holes change, yet, the overall balance and challenge remain intact.

[TEPaul]

cary:

I can tell you having known Seminole both ways over the decades that it's a course like few others that can absolutely come alive like you can't believe with the IMM put on it (which it basically has most all the time these days compared to the old days (from about 1990 and back). I think there are a number of things about its architecture that allow this to be the case compared to most other courses even if it's certainly not very obvious.

[Wade Whitehead]

Are we honestly supposed to believe that Davis Love wrote that essay?

WW

[TEPaul]

It is very interesting to me how the club has rejuvenated this tour pro/member am at Seminole. It's something like what they had at Seminole back in the 1950s and 60s but they let it go many decades ago. Now they have it back again in the last few years.

Back in the 1950s-60s they definitely got the cream of the touring pros in their pro/am. I think my dad won it one year with Snead, and then I believe Dad's pro Dave Regan won it one year.

I've never really understood the Calcutta in Amateur golf but I think dad won this pro/am with Mrs Dodge (of the auto company) backing their team. I think he won about 5 grand but Mrs. Dodge forgot to pay him. He wrote her and asked her. She said she was sorry and sent him the check but she neglected to sign it. So he sent it back to her and asked her to sign it and that's the last he heard from her about it! 

[paul cowley]

Are we honestly supposed to believe that Davis Love wrote that essay?

WW

Absolutely......that article is total Davis.

Trust me....unless you might choose to believe that Paul Cowley is incapable of writing this response.

[jkinney]

Greg:

I have never seen a topo map of Seminole but I would guess the overall elevation change at 30-40 feet.  The approach shots at holes 2 & 11 (from the relatively flat fairways below) are approximately 20 feet uphill, and then the sixth hole up in the back has to be a bit higher than those.

Seminole is blessed with having two parallel dune lines, one directly seaside and the other +/- one half mile inland. Both are 20-30' high, and Ross used them beautifully in his layout. Where Seminole lies is easily the best seaside golfing ground I've seen in Florida. Kudos to Seminole's founders for purchasing the ground and then hiring Ross.
Nowhere else in Florida have I seen this double dune line.