Tetherow GC - Link to Photo Review with course changes.

[Rob Rigg]

This past weekend I visited Tetherow, in Bend, OR, for the second time.

The course opened to polarizing reviews last summer which have been well documented on this site. All of the magazines had Tetherow on their best new courses list, but over the winter decisions were made to "tone down" the course through the removal of mounds, long grass - ie) eyebrows/mohawks, along with several bunkers.

#2, #5, #6, #7, #8, #12, #13, #15, and #16 were all tweaked to one degree or another.

I liked the course how it played previously, but I understand why many members, visitors and GCAers thought it was too over the top. I think many of the nay-sayers will be happy with changes as it makes the course more "fair" and easier to navigate. Personally, I think the changes on #16 went too far and I was happy to hear that a fairway bunker will probably be going back in at some point.

Even with the changes Tetherow is still a really tough course in that it requires a solid all around game and strategy for success. The fescue fairways and greens take some getting used to, especially the greens which are severely undulating and can be tough to hold.

The link below has a bunch of pictures. I would have posted this earlier but my web site provider "burped" and lost a couple hours of work that had to be pieced back together. The Wood Sabold pictures were taken before the changes as an FYI.

A Juniper photo tour will follow this w/e or something.

Looking fwd to the dialogue on Tetherow - prepare for battle.

http://www.thewalkinggolfer.com/Tetherow_GC.html

[Philippe Binette]

Don't you just love it when they name a course best new and then have to change half the holes the next year... or redesign the course à la The Rock in Ontario.

That's called wow factor... built Garden City tomorrow, it would never win the best new course category

[Michael Dugger]

Those changes don't look very significant to me.  The first hole I would have gone after would be #6!

[Garland Bayley]

Rob,

What courses would get 1/4 or 0/4 for walkability?

[Rob Rigg]

I would rate a course 0 out of 4 if it was carts only and 1 out of 4 if it was nearly impossible for to walk. Tetherow is not an easy trek but it is a walkable course and about half of the members tend to walk it when they play (which I witnessed when I visited). The caddy program at Tetherow also makes it easier for people to walk who do not want to push or carry.

As they continue to add "walking cart paths" it will make the experience even better. Tetherow will never be a 5 mile loop like PGC or CECC, but a great walk can be longer than that IMO.

The changes on some of the holes were difficult to notice, but the sixteenth was very obvious.

[Garland Bayley]

Are there any nearly impossible to walk in Oregon and Washington? Kalen seems to think they are all over Utah.

[Richard Choi]

The Trail Nine at Port Ludlow, is nearly unwalkable (and frankly unplayable). It is currently closed - big surprise...

[Garland Bayley]

The Trail Nine at Port Ludlow, is nearly unwalkable (and frankly unplayable). It is currently closed - big surprise...

I'm guessing that's the one Doak gave a 0 to.

[Matt_Ward]

Rob:

Can you elaborate more fully on the "changes" -- were they more of a tweak or really serious type stuff?

And were the changes made more beneficial overall or simply from the standpoint of playability?

Thanks ...

[Tom_Doak]

Yes, the Trail nine at Port Ludlow is the one I gave the "0" in The Confidential Guide.

Another one bites the dust?

[Rob Rigg]

Matt,

There were a lot of small changes that I have tried to call out in the photo review.

From memory they are as follows:

#2 - The rough that split the fairway left and right has been toned down a lot - you can still see the dividing line from the tee, but it is not as gnarly or penal as originally designed

#5 - The bunker that was tight to the green has been removed - so there is a fore bunker still, then about 30 yards of open area and then the wide but shallow green

#6 - The rough, long grass, etc. that split the fairways has been toned down so it is easier to see what is out there - left side versus right - and a drive that is right up the middle will not be lost in the long grass, etc.

#7 - The right side of the front bunker has been chopped off and several mounds have been removed. This has created a "bail out" area for short hitters.

#8 - Two mounds in the fairway and one that was just right of the tree, have been removed. Short hitters no longer have to worry about knocking a drive into the mounds. For everyone else, there is not change, but I really liked how those mounds added confusion to the tee shot.

#12 - The mounds in the fairway have all been removed so there is a waste area left and long, and trees to the right, but the fairway is wide open.

#13 - The mounds in the "lay up" area - center of fairway and left of fairway - have all been removed which makes choosing a lay up distance much easier. I kind of wish they had left one of the mounds on the left side because they were pretty much out of play but add character to the hole.

#15 - Some long grass has been removed in front of the fairway bunker (which is located on the right side of the fairway) - so, from the back tees there is room to hit a good driver or 3 wood amd end up short of the bunker with a great line into the green.

#16 - This hole has been altered more significantly than any other and I think they may have gone too far (the Head Pro also thought that a bunker should still be in the fairway). At this point, all of the mounds in the fairway have been removed, there were a couple short of the tee that some short hitters were losing balls in, and then they also took out the bunker and the surrounding mound that protected the speed slot. They are also growing out the rough behind the green which will prevent balls from rolling off the back, over the cart path and into the nasty gunk.

Overall, I think that most of the changes were okay. I thought the course was fine in its original state but I also understand that losing a ball in the middle of the fairway is really frustrating. The grass on the remaining mounds has been shaved down so the "mohawks" or "eyebrows" are no longer there.

Essentially the course has been "tweaked" - the routing and bones of the course have not been altered.

The one thing that bums me out a bit is that the a lot of these mounds added uncertainty and confusion which really make the golfer think. The mounds often functioned like fore bunkers, making it difficult to feel the distances between tees, fairway, greens, ideal landing areas, etc. Most people would probably not embrace this aspect of the design but I liked it.

[Matt_Ward]

Rob:

Many thanks -- what usually happens in the States is that people bitch and moan about mounds and fall-offs (see #16 as one example) and other such elements but if the same features were played across the pond these same whiners would be chirping with love on how "natural" such features are.

Just a quick question on #16 -- is the center-placed fairway bunker still present or was it removed.

Also, I don't see the problem with the frontal bunker on #5 or the toning down of the rough on #6.

The real issue with a hole like #6 is how small the subsections are for certain pin placements -- the best example being the lower right area.

[Rob Rigg]

Matt,

The center bunker on #16 is no longer there (but will likely be replaced this winter with another that is a smaller version). The fairway is wide open and the new "aiming targets" are the trees in the distance.

The removal of the bunker on #5 makes the hole a lot more "fair" - especially for short hitters who had no hope of carrying the bunker and holding the green with a long iron or hybrid.

#6 was confusing off the tee - especially on the forward tees which are not as elevated. From the Kidd or Black tees it was fairly easy to see the right and left options, but from farther forward, it was a sea of long grass and mounds with some short grass scattered inbetween. The green is still as difficult as ever - the front right pin placement is about 8 feet below the rest of the green. The top section is also very undulating which makes a two putt a challenge even if you are in a good spot relative to the hole.

The thing about Tetherow is that the course is a real challenge without all of the additional eye candy - on most links courses the greens are not constantly elevated so the undulations can be used for bump and runs, etc. Tetherow is a real blend of target golf and links golf elements which makes it supremely challenging.

By removing the mounds, eyebrows, etc. I think the course also become more enjoyable for the members. For someone visiting only once, or once a year, the course was unique and challenging, but not something you would have to face everyday. The likelihood that your drive would get lost over and over again in one round is slim, but if you play the course once and week then it will happen more often and become more annoying.

So while I agree that if Tetherow was located in the English Heathlands and designed 70 years ago it would probably not get the push back that it did - the changes do ultimately make sense.

Like I mentioned in the review, it is possible that some of the elements will be brought back with the new ownership - over time I am sure they will strike the appropriate balance.