Pat Mucci beat me to this intro post just as he beat me at Hidden Creek in 2006 on one of the sport's darkest days. Yes, I admit to losing a tight match 1 down. I don't recall how many shots I gave him but clearly one or two too many
Not withstanding that bitter result, nothing has ever dulled my enthusiasm for Hidden Creek since first seeing it in 2003. Swinley Forest, Pulborough, Woking and the like are courses that I put forth as 'ideal' inland courses. Ireland, Wales, Ulster, and Scotland don't have them but England does, which is why it is my favorite country for golf in the world. In many regards, Hidden Creek captures the atmosphere of these golf havens as it offers the same brand of golf. In a great compliment, an American who played Hidden Creek before going on his first trip to England said that he felt Swinley and West Sussex were trying to emulate Hidden Creek as opposed to the other way around!
Very few pieces of property have the kind of bold landforms as found at Cape Kidnappers, Friar's Head, or Ballyneal. Though it is obviously fantastic to see what architects do in such one off cases, in many ways it is more educational to see what they do with subdued properties. That's Hidden Creek - its property/architecture is not heroic or dramatic but the course remains full of interest and charm nonetheless. In part by NOT bombarding the senses, the golfer remains fresh and eager for each and every round at Hidden Creek.
Ironically, my experience is that very few architects are capable of building this sort of golf. They can't help themselves and eventually they want to 'impress' the golfer with their talent by building features that are meant to illicit photographs and exclamation points. Coore & Crenshaw resist such pit falls better than anyone. Case in point is here at Hidden Creek where Coore & Crenshaw stayed away altogether from the wetlands and concentrated the holes on the upland portion of the property where the land had nice, though not spectacular, movement.
It takes special owners to appreciate and allow this kind of architecture. Our next Feature Interview is with Brian Curley and then after that, as a follow-on to this updated course profile, we are doing a joint Feature Interview with Head Golf Professional Ian Dalzell and the owner of Hidden Creek Roger Hansen in late September. They will talk about a range of topics, including changes that have occurred since the course opened including three new shorter tees (!) and four new back ones. In fact, the course now measures over 7,000 yards but that's not how I choose to think of it: It's much more fun than that. Most importantly, two new bunkers have been added and if they had been there in 2006, I would not have lost to Pat
Cheers,