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Jonathan Cummings

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TPC Potomac
« on: May 01, 2009, 05:26:25 PM »
Forgive the over-contrasting (pics came from the PGA).  Here are a few pics of the new TPC Potomac that just opened Tuesday.  Quite a change from the od Avenel!


#14


#16


#9


home hole
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rboyce

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #1 on: May 01, 2009, 07:53:44 PM »
Has the routing changed? The only hole that looks completely different is 9. Did they eliminate Norman's "blow it up with dynamite" hole?

The bunkers all seem to have different levels of jag and shag, but it looks nice overall.
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Paul Jones

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Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #2 on: May 01, 2009, 08:22:03 PM »
Jonathan,

Why did they rename the course from Avenel to Potomac?

Paul
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Paul Jones
pauljones@live.com

Scott_Burroughs

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #3 on: May 01, 2009, 10:55:31 PM »
Quote from: Paul Jones on May 01, 2009, 08:22:03 PM
Jonathan,

Why did they rename the course from Avenel to Potomac?

Paul

Paul,

The new full name is TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm
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Jonathan Cummings

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #4 on: May 02, 2009, 06:31:12 AM »
Scott - small tweek.  It's called TPC Potomac at Avenel Farms

Paul - The PGA Tour group wanted to completely rebrand DC TPC.  In effect, they were trying to erase any and all bad images of the old Avenel.  In their view the best way to do this was to not only change the course but the name as well.

rboyce - your post leaves me scratching my head.  No, the routing did not change - it's constrained by the real estate that surrounds Potomac's 220 acres.  The Norman hole IS the 9th - third picture down.  The tee to green was once radically downhill.  Now they are level. 

Every square inch of the property was unearthed in the project.  All holes have changed completely.

JC
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Matthew Rose

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Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #5 on: May 02, 2009, 08:26:12 AM »
I noticed the creek is gone from #9.

#9 basically had a really long green sitting hard on the water. Now there's no water at all, it appears.

Apparently a couple of the holes on the back nine changed pars.
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American-Australian. Trackman Course Guy. Fatalistic sports fan. Drummer. Bass player. Father. Cat lover.

rboyce

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #6 on: May 02, 2009, 08:36:11 AM »
The only picture that looks radically different is the ninth. Having played the course a handful of times and attended the Kemper several times I *can't* believe they leveled that off. The amount of earth must have been massive. All the other holes are easily recognizable from their previous incarnations.

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Jonathan Cummings

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #7 on: May 02, 2009, 02:35:40 PM »
Scott - correct my correction!!  You are right - it's Avenel Farm.

rboyce - they did not fill in the valley at 9.  They built a new green up by the old practice putting green.

JC
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rboyce

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #8 on: May 02, 2009, 06:16:55 PM »
Jonathan,

Cool, i look forward to checking it out. The old practice green was adjacent to the first tee, so I assume they moved the first tee somewhere else?
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Bill_McBride

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Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #9 on: May 02, 2009, 08:48:46 PM »
Jonathan, did they change the cool 10th and 11th holes?  What about that interesting par 5 #13?  I never played the course but went to several Kempers out there and always was kind of confused by that hole.
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Matthew Rose

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #10 on: May 02, 2009, 10:57:41 PM »
The old 10, 11, and 13 are all completely gone, if memory serves me right.

10 and 11 were combined into a par-five.
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American-Australian. Trackman Course Guy. Fatalistic sports fan. Drummer. Bass player. Father. Cat lover.

Bill_McBride

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #11 on: May 02, 2009, 11:25:55 PM »
Quote from: Matt Rose on May 02, 2009, 10:57:41 PM
The old 10, 11, and 13 are all completely gone, if memory serves me right.

10 and 11 were combined into a par-five.

Interesting, I don't think 10 and 11 combined were much over 450 yards.
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Matthew Rose

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Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #12 on: May 03, 2009, 12:49:16 AM »
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American-Australian. Trackman Course Guy. Fatalistic sports fan. Drummer. Bass player. Father. Cat lover.

Jonathan Cummings

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #13 on: May 08, 2009, 05:29:38 PM »
I played Potomac today with an internation architect and rater (I won't name him).  He stunned the hell out of me saying there's not a bad hole at Potomac and that the new course is top 100 material!  JC
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Will Smith

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Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #14 on: May 10, 2009, 01:36:25 PM »
Jonathan-
As a member, are you happy that the course is so difficult? Drainage and flooding were such big issues on the old course.How did it handle the rains from this past week?

-Will
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Jonathan Cummings

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #15 on: May 10, 2009, 03:42:01 PM »
Will - drainage issues completely fixed.  The new Rock Run creek system is working well.  I played it Friday and Sunday and while the fairways were damp enough to be squishy there was no damage to any part of the course.  Before, that wouldn't have been true. 

Hard?  Time will tell what people think.  I think the club will come up with a set of tee combinations that will better serve the membership and ease the difficulty somewhat.  But there is no getting around it - Potomac is a brute.

If the goal was to get a golf course high in character then they hit a home run.  There are now 18 excellent holes at Potomac.  I'm bias and looking forward to what others thinkbut I think it's now easily the best modern course in Maryland (better than Caves).

JC
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Carl Nichols

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Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #16 on: May 10, 2009, 11:12:33 PM »
Quote from: Jonathan Cummings on May 10, 2009, 03:42:01 PM
but I think it's now easily the best modern course in Maryland (better than Caves).


Unfortunately for those of us who live in DC, that really isn't saying much....
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Jonathan Cummings

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: TPC Potomac
« Reply #17 on: May 11, 2009, 05:59:29 AM »
Carl - very true. 

Potomac's quality may be more widely recognized but I leave that up to the opinons of others who visit Potomac.  JC
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