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Bart Bradley

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A peek of THE MINES...photos on a dreary day.
« on: June 04, 2009, 07:08:44 PM »
I thought I'd post a few pics of my trip to the Mines ...Mike Devries' excellent course in Grand Rapids, MI.

The course was previously discussed in a nice thread started by Adam Clayman ...but it lacked photos

See:

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,36154.0/

Unfortunately, the weather was quite dark and dreary and I am posting the photos without altering them in any way....

The quality of the place shines through despite the dreary photos...

I think it was the best $39 golf course I have ever seen...

I will just post the photos to give a peek without detailed commentary...the photos just aren't good enough to justify the work involved....BUT please realize that the course is well worth the effort to see.  Fun, strategic and cool are three words I would use to describe the course




























Enjoy...sorry the photos are so dark.

Bart
« Last Edit: June 04, 2009, 09:07:13 PM by Bart Bradley »

ed_getka

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Re: A peak of THE MINES...photos on a dreary day.
« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2009, 07:33:00 PM »
Bart,
    The photos are just fine. Thanks for taking the time to post them. I haven't seen the course since it was growing in. I would happily pay $39 to play there any time.
     How were the conditions? It looks a bit lusher than I would expect out in the fairway.
"Perimeter-weighted fairways", The best euphemism for containment mounding I've ever heard.

Bart Bradley

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Re: A peak of THE MINES...photos on a dreary day.
« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2009, 07:37:06 PM »
Ed:

I thought the conditions were quite good for mid May....Obviously, leaving the Mines I travelled to Kingsley which is on a whole other plane of maintenance.  The Mines played fairly firm and the greens were smooth.

Bart

Jason McNamara

Re: A peak of THE MINES...photos on a dreary day.
« Reply #3 on: June 04, 2009, 08:51:34 PM »
I didn't see any peaks, but thanks for the peek.  And I hope my snarky comment does not leave you piqued.   :)

Seriously, thanks for the photos - looks like an awesome deal for $39.

Garland Bayley

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Re: A peak of THE MINES...photos on a dreary day.
« Reply #4 on: June 05, 2009, 12:30:21 PM »
I didn't see any peaks, but thanks for the peek.  And I hope my snarky comment does not leave you piqued.   :)

Seriously, thanks for the photos - looks like an awesome deal for $39.

LOL!
"I enjoy a course where the challenges are contained WITHIN it, and recovery is part of the game  not a course where the challenge is to stay ON it." Jeff Warne

Peter Pallotta

Re: A peek of THE MINES...photos on a dreary day.
« Reply #5 on: June 05, 2009, 01:32:00 PM »
Thanks, Bart

I've shard some thoughts on The Mines on a few threads. I thought it wonderful. For now, I'll just say that it's an example of how much economics plays a role in these kinds of discussions - from where some people sit (i.e. live), the $39 dollars a round is a good deal; from where I sit, I have to pay 2 and usually 3 times as much for a round, and if I was judging how much "architecture" I get, even that much money wouldn't come close to providing what The Mines did.  I hope the folks around Grand Rapids learn to really appreciate what they have there.

Peter

Bart Bradley

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Re: A peak of THE MINES...photos on a dreary day.
« Reply #6 on: June 05, 2009, 08:39:45 PM »
I didn't see any peaks, but thanks for the peek.  And I hope my snarky comment does not leave you piqued.   :)

Seriously, thanks for the photos - looks like an awesome deal for $39.

Jason,  I am not piqued...just embarrassed :-[

But ...When you PEAK, you win. (at least Danica says so)

Thanks...

Bart

Mike_DeVries

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Re: A peek of THE MINES...photos on a dreary day.
« Reply #7 on: June 06, 2009, 02:34:03 PM »
Bart and others,
Thanks for the compliments -- I am glad you had fun-- that's what it's all about!  Looking forward to more commentary at the GCA get-together at the end of the month (Joe, see how I'm trying to get your steak count up!)  ;D
Mike

Joe Hancock

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Re: A peek of THE MINES...photos on a dreary day.
« Reply #8 on: June 06, 2009, 08:07:53 PM »
Bart and others,
Thanks for the compliments -- I am glad you had fun-- that's what it's all about!  Looking forward to more commentary at the GCA get-together at the end of the month (Joe, see how I'm trying to get your steak count up!)  ;D
Mike

Just wait 'til word gets out that I'm a better cook than you are an architect...... ;D

Camp b*tch that, egg beater........  :D
" What the hell is the point of architecture and excellence in design if a "clever" set up trumps it all?" Peter Pallotta, June 21, 2016

"People aren't picking a side of the fairway off a tee because of a randomly internally contoured green ."  jeffwarne, February 24, 2017

Jeff_Mingay

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Re: A peek of THE MINES...photos on a dreary day.
« Reply #9 on: June 07, 2009, 09:08:47 AM »
I visited The Mines a few years ago, with Mike D. The course exceeded my expectation.

Great routing over a nice property, featuring some challenges though - including some tight corners and a road crossing. The first four holes feature tremendous variety, despite running back and forth, parallel to each other. This was one of the most impressive stretches of the routing.

There are some "Mike DeVries greens" out there, too, if you know what I mean  ;D

I can't wait to get back to The Mines, to play... someday.
jeffmingay.com

Steve Lang

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Re: A peek of THE MINES...photos on a dreary day. New
« Reply #10 on: July 02, 2009, 07:24:36 PM »
 8)  Have to bump this thread up..  playing the Mines last week was a great treat.. It's now definitely on our to/from Michigan Rota..

Also, we now have "3D" visions, having played Mike Devries' KIngsley, Greywalls, and now the Mines... and perhaps 4DD as we better understand the roots of "unfinished business" at our summer home course at The Black Forest..

Ms Sheila & I played 27 at the Mines with Joe Hancock showing us the way and what fun that was (thanks Joe!!, when we got there he was out adjusting the sprinklers..), let alone the 23 with Chris DeNigris providing additional match play commentary.. we loved it all.. the layout, the challenges/options, the par threes, the views, the greens, and in hindsight we should have stayed to play with Chris Burgard and Sean Petersen who had their own road show going on.. but that steak at Boone's was good!

When we finished, one of the first thoughts was that we used almost all of our clubs and second that if one played there often, your handicap would travel very well..  some of the fun was virulent, as you were tempted to trade a straight 4-5 foot putt for one that would go up and come back down a green contour..

As a SE TX flatlander, it takes a little adjustment playing the hills of michigan each summer, and the Mines was immediately a calibration challenge on those first 4 par 4 holes across the road with the fairways canted left and right, the green complexes peeking out at you from subtle ground elevations and hill side slopes making club selection a test in itself..  

Hole # 5, one of only two par 5's at the Mines was very exciting for me the first time, playing to the right edge of the dune and then going straight at the hole in two shots, right OB be damned, for a birdie.. it is the only constrained feeling hole with that long right fenceline.   On the second try at #5, a flip of the wrist and leftward ho! almost took out some folks coming up #9.. bouncing off their cart roof..  do outgoing groups have right-of-way like at TOC?

# 6 .. I've played that hole before.. discipline off the tee, the elevated, tiered, shallow, wide skyline type green of treachery..

#7, 8, 11, & 15 are precision shot par threes,, that 7, 8, & 11 area in the SE quadrant has a great feel to it.  I agree with Joe on that, great environs!

There are some par 4's which are pretty meaty from the tips and should give the big hitters what they look for in short type par 5's, but with no mercy.. next time I will try them..  I only really had trouble on #14, getting visually taken out after watching Joe and Chris take on the inside dogleg bunker and then trying to find the landing zone on right side of the fairway..

The 2nd three shotter, #17 gives one pause on the tee and watching Joe try to take it over the trees on the left flank left me wondering about how much reward was there.  It was a crucial point with my perpetual match play partner and I had to grind there and ignore the right OB again..

#18 was a great ending hole asking for solid golf shots .. no nonsense,.. watch yourself left side of green..  

let's just go through the tunnel and go again..
 
great stuff Mike!

thanks again Joe.. see you next year if you're around!
« Last Edit: July 02, 2009, 10:56:38 PM by Steve Lang »
Inverness (Toledo, OH) cathedral clock inscription: "God measures men by what they are. Not what they in wealth possess.  That vibrant message chimes afar.
The voice of Inverness"

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