MacKenzie's Meadow Club routing?

[Jeff Martz]

Could someone label this routing for me?  Thanks.

[JSPayne]

Hopefully I beat Tully to the punch.......fastest MSPaint job I've ever done.

[Jeff Martz]

Thank you JSP.

[David_Tepper]

JSP -

Nice job.

Jeff M. -

The area between the 12th & 18th holes is the practice range.

The Meadow Club is wonderful spot for golf. It is hard to believe you are not more than 30 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge. Other than the clubhouse and other golf course related buildings, it is hard to spot any homes or other buildings while you are on the course. Deer & wild turkeys roam freely across the course.

DT 

[Adam Clayman]

The rock out crop behind the 6th and 12th holes is such an amazing focal point. It's past several times in the round and well utilized as a relaxation station.

The course is such a treat to play, I can't imagine how different it must've before Mike's excellent work.

The 16th hole blew me away with it's sexy elegance.

[Bill_McBride]

Those five parallel holes could really make for a pedestrian routing, but the way they are laced together in the routing, and the way Dr Mackenzie used that hill as noted by Adam, really makes for an interesting routing.

There aren't many more peaceful locations for golf.

[Mike_DeVries]

JSP -

Nice job.

Jeff M. -

The area between the 12th & 18th holes is the practice range.

The Meadow Club is wonderful spot for golf. It is hard to believe you are not more than 30 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge. Other than the clubhouse and other golf course related buildings, it is hard to spot any homes or other buildings while you are on the course. Deer & wild turkeys roam freely across the course.

DT 

JSP - Good job on the numbering.  Thanks.

David - when the sun goes down, the only lights you can see from the golf course are on the clubhouse buildings and the stars.  You cannot see a domicile from the property -- it is amazing, especially since you are only 30 minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge and drive past houses continuously on the drive up to the club.  This incredible setting will stay this way forever, as the surrounding land is controlled by the Marin Municipal Water District, which has a number of lakes and dams in the hills that it uses for the drinking water supply of the area.

Cheers,
Mike

[Tim Nugent]

Not having been there, (it's a hole that needs to be filled) can someone tell me if this is the original routing?  It just seems odd that 16 is sooo far from 15.  It seems the putting the last 3 holes of each nine on the other nine would make for a better green-to-tee flow.  I.E. 6 to 16 and 15 to 7.  Mike D, any thoughts?

[Mark McKeever]

I agree Tim.  It seems to flow much better with your suggested routing.

Mark

[Jeff Martz]

Not having been there, (it's a hole that needs to be filled) can someone tell me if this is the original routing?  It just seems odd that 16 is sooo far from 15.  It seems the putting the last 3 holes of each nine on the other nine would make for a better green-to-tee flow.  I.E. 6 to 16 and 15 to 7.  Mike D, any thoughts?

I guess this is the reason that I posted the image in the first place.  I was having a difficult time putting the correct routing together.
Thanks for visiting all the other interesting tid-bits.

BTW, here is a Google image before Mike D worked his magic.

[Tyler Kearns]

Tim,

I think you may be onto something with that revised routing, as it certainly flows much better, and the current 15-16 walk is the only one of any distance on the course.

I played the Meadow Club a few years ago with the superintendent, and through his description of the work Mike DeVries accomplished, it's an astounding transformation. The golf course is set in one of the most serene places I've ever played, a real joy to play.

TK

[Alex Miller]

Not having been there, (it's a hole that needs to be filled) can someone tell me if this is the original routing?  It just seems odd that 16 is sooo far from 15.  It seems the putting the last 3 holes of each nine on the other nine would make for a better green-to-tee flow.  I.E. 6 to 16 and 15 to 7.  Mike D, any thoughts?

I think one of the reasons it may be the way it is now is to make it look nicer on the scorecard. If you switch those holes then you lose the par 3 8th to the back nine and the variety in the first 9 is messed up. It would be 5-4-4-4-3-4-4-4-4, out, 4-3-4-5-3-5-4-3-4 in. While Mackenzie has produced courses with uneven 9s before (e.g. Cypress Point GC) I don't think he would have done this. CP still has a lot of variety packed into it's holes with 3 par 5s and 2 par 3s on the front and 1 par 5 and 2 par 3s on the back. I don't think he would've sacrificed one 9 here for the other.

[Bill_McBride]

15 to 16 is just a brief hike and it's right past the honor refreshment station.

I caddied there as a high school kid and would have been aggravated by a long walk, especially packing two big bags!

[Kevin_Reilly]

15 to 16 is just a brief hike and it's right past the honor refreshment station.

Agree...it's not a long hike and one can grab a drink during a warm summer round at the refreshment station.

[Adam Clayman]

Agreed that on the aerial it looks like a long walk. In reality it's not even noticeable. It may also add a real sense of anticipation for those who play there repeatedly. I know the next time i'm fortunate to play there, I will be anxious to get to that 16th tee.

Tim's suggested change would dramatically alter the ebb and flow of the whole. The climax of the course is just so special with the current 15, 16, 17 and 18th holes. IMO.

[Bill_McBride]

One of my fondest memories of that back nine was seeing GCA's own Jonathan McCord hit both back nine par 5's AND par 4 #16 on the fly.  

Great power game but no eagles!

[Joshua Pettit]

A little afternoon G at The Meadow...

[Joshua Pettit]

As a testament to the versatility of the routing, in order to dodge the high school matches today I played in the following order:

1,2,17,18,10,11,12,13,3,4,5,14,15,16,6,7,8,9

[Mike_DeVries]

Not having been there, (it's a hole that needs to be filled) can someone tell me if this is the original routing?  It just seems odd that 16 is sooo far from 15.  It seems the putting the last 3 holes of each nine on the other nine would make for a better green-to-tee flow.  I.E. 6 to 16 and 15 to 7.  Mike D, any thoughts?

I guess this is the reason that I posted the image in the first place.  I was having a difficult time putting the correct routing together.
Thanks for visiting all the other interesting tid-bits.

BTW, here is a Google image before Mike D worked his magic.

The image in Reply #9  is from part way through the process -- evidenced by the white ring around the 11th green, which is the restoration of the putting surface going on at the time of the photo.  Other greens that were already completed at that time include #5, 1, 17, 12, 2, 8, 10, and 16.

With regards to the routing configuration, they have in the past switched the last 3 holes on each nine.  It has been changed back each time for the following reasons:
 - 3 par threes on one side
 - Having the 9th hole be the final hole.  With its designation as the #2 handicap hole, players didn't like having to give a stroke to their opponent on the last hole.
 - The perception that the finish is too difficult, with #7 and #9 in the last three holes.  In actuality, the 17th is a tough hole also, unless the pin is on the front shelf, which makes it easier to get close to the hole, but still a long par 4.  Also, in the college tournament, #18 is usually in the top 5 in scoring average -- I think this is due to the big hitters not knowing quite how to handle a short (363 yards) par four with all that trouble in the landing area and only playing the safe shot to a point for a relatively easy pitch shot.  Members really like the 18th and want it for the finish.
 - The front side is perceived as the much more demanding side, with the longer par fours in 2, 6, 7, 9, as well as 3 with its uphill nature, coupled with the reachable par 5's of 13 and 15 on the back.

Hope that helps with some of the questions.
Mike

[Mike Benham]

Meadow Club - looks like the Super is doing a great job ...

[Neil_Crafter]

and the new super at the Meadow Club is of course our very own Sean Tully.
Keep up the great work Sean!

And thanks for the pics Mike.

[John_Conley]

That's fantastic for Sean!  When I played the Meadow Club about four years ago he paid me a visit during my round and had some stories about the place.  A real treat, as mentioned by many above.

Congratulations on the promotion, Sean!!

[James Bennett]

Congratulations Sean, well done

I hope you don't have to endure another spring like 2006!

Benje

[Phil_the_Author]

Congratulations Sean! And you thought you didn't have time to do much historical research before... Our loss is their gain!

[Bill_McBride]

Congratulations, Tully!  That is a dream job and the course looks just wonderful from Mike Benham's photos.

I hope this doesn't cut into your golf too much!