3. I watched the club fight through town regulatory and environmental restrictions for years to finally close the old race track and open the golf club. It is a great piece of property as you can see from the elevations above Peconic Bay.
4. As you will see from the old threads, The Bridge got killed here architecturally by many. The course has made a number of changes including opening up some holes, so many including myself need to get back.
5. I believe The Bridge is THE most financially successful private golf club in the history of golf in the United States of America. I can't think of a club that comes close. For purposes of this thread I am excluding Augusta National because it holds a very public tournament once a year, so many people see it and millions have seen it on TV. Thus, it can be argued that GCA.com is a reverse indicator of success. Doak's second tier efforts are dropping like flies while Rees' are thriving.
6. The atmosphere at The Bridge is unique are per the owner:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/fashion/sundaystyles/30BRIDGE.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=the%20bridge%20bob%20rubin&st=cse
7. As Anthony suggest, it is unfair to compare The Bridge to the giants on The East End. Thus I will limit my analysis to Rees courses:
#1 on my list is Olde Kinderhook -
#2 Atlantic GC
#3 Nantucket GC
#4 The Bridge
#5 The Currituck Club - Outer Banks, NC
In a nutshell I would probably give it a 6 on The Doak Scale but would also be very open to seeing the improvements since I saw it near the opening. The big argument is could the property have yielded an 8 on The Doak Scale? Assuming no restrictions at all were imposed, I would say yes. However I do know there were restrictions placed on the site.
If you post this on Bomb Squad, it is loved there for its perfect conditioning and difficulty from the back tees. Probably a 9 on their scale.
Mike,
a good analysis with a couple notes.
The town closed the race track-noise.
(It always amazes me how someone buys a house next to track and complains about the noise)
The owner, an avid racer fought to keep it as a race track,even operating it after it was officially closed at great expense.
It was one of the most scenic, dangerous, and famous tracks in the world of road racing (as opposed to the boring circular ovals in the NASCAR world).
The article in the NY times, while pointing out a casual attitude, is a little bit more of a sexy version of what the owner fantacises about.
Yes, there's plenty of unique modern art, but the crowd, while relaxed, easy going, and great people,----are really just a bunch rich white guys
, like any other new club on the east end-complete with their shirts tucked in and 99 % of the attire you'd see at any other club.
I'm not a conditioning freak as some of my favorite courses have very simple maintenance schemes (Brora, Pennard, Goat Hill) but for those who are, it's paradise.
Where The Bridge stands out is not in the peak summer months (July August) where it's perfect (as are other East End Clubs) but rather in the shoulder months where other East End courses are virtually unputtable.
On opening day in April the greens are perfect, and they remain perfect until the day the course is closed in Halloween.
The fairways are tight ,firm, and fast, and remain such the entire playing season.
I walked 9 holes last saturday and the greens were already PERFECT.
the fairways were perfect and of course firm and fast (it is march)
Contrast this with early season (April/may) east end condidtions at the other great area courses that vary from deeply aerified to a bumpy poa annua crap shoot. (and believe me i love the old grasses and the feel they provide to a place)
There is a popular GCA modern east end course that I've yet to play in a non peak season month that isn't aerified,scarified, sanded or verticut EVERY single time I go there or send someone there.
These are of course maintenance practices that their super the has determined will produce proper peak season conditions.
This is not a dig on supers as these courses are staffed by the best supers in the country and the clubs are reknowned for their conditioning.
Gregg Stanley, in my opinion
, the finest superintendants in the country, just doesn't see the need to routinely beat up the greens to acheive optimum conditions, although has stated that when/if needed, he will.
This is of course also a tribute to the soil conditions and construction of the course. But also, it's knowing when to leave well enough alone,and when not to.
He believes the course should be optimally presented for that member who pops out with guests from the city in early may or mid September- not just for the July August or Member-Guest crowd.
If you were rating The Bridge for 7 months of conditioning (April-October),it would blow away other nearby courses routinely given great marks for conditioning.
The course has undergone very limited architectural changes (one new centerline bunker on a long par 5) but the incredible vistas and flora and fauna of the place have been exposed due to selective clearing and pruning.
Those who played early in The Bridge's history would be shocked at how different the course now looks, feels, and plays.
All courses need time to mature, and The Bridge is/was no exception.
And yes, it's modern looking course with round an irregular shaped tees, but what would you expect from an ultramodern clubhouse, situated on the site and bordered by a race track whose heyday was the 50's 60's, and 70's.
The Hamptons has enough Shinnecock copy shingled clubhouses.
and Jonathon is right, it is a beautiful piece of land-and I do wish they had kept all of the track...
but it's still the coolest drive in in golf.
as far as comparisons to other Rees courses Mike's probably about right (I'd put it ahead of nantucket certainly) but I'd wonder which version of Atlantic to compare it to as Atlantic has very little Rees bunkering flavor at all having opted for the bunker du jour scheme and squaring off all its tees, as well as eliminating much of the fairway and greenside mounding(particularly behind the greens).
I love Atlantic in all its forms, but other than the routing and greens, it's certainly modified Rees.
Criticisms of The Bridge?
1.too many uphill walks to tees followed by downhill tee shots.
2.Not enough centerline hazards-no heroic carries- in my opinion, some of the spectacular native areas could've been crossed,or at least angled to provide not just beauty, but strategy.
Currently you only go near them if you really screw up.