My trip to Old Town Club

[JC Jones]

There have been plenty of Old Town threads on this site and Dunlop White has written some great IMO pieces.  I don't have much to add to the discussion that hasn't already been said.  I will, however, give a quick opinion.

I'm not sure the weather nor the company could have been better for my inaugural trip to Old Town Club.  Having played Crystal Downs and having read about and seen pictures of Maxwell's other work, I have long been wanting to play this southern gem.  I will say that it exceeded my expectations.  Tom Doak writes in his Confidential Guide that there are only a few arresting holes.  I think he must have been either in a bad mood that day or had something in his eye.  The course is wonderful and the use of the land is superb.  At one point there are 3 tee boxes and 3 greens in a 1 or 2 acre area and there is no feeling of congestion.  Moreover, Maxwell does a tremendous job taking you down across and over the many ridges on the property.  As is typical with the two Maxwell courses I've played, the greens are second to none and provide for great interest and creativity.  I took many pictures but I will only post a few here to give a flavor.

The opening tee shot.



The second hole (can you tell he did Old Town after re-doing a bunch of holes at Augusta National?)



The uphill 3rd with Mark Pritchett doing the GCA.com Heisman pose



Tee shot on the uphill/dogleg left 5th hole



Tee shot on the up hill 7th



Approach on the 7th



You get a sense of the perched 7th green.  Don't be short like these guys or your next shot is blind!



The 7th green from the 4th fairway



Looking down on one half of the double green.  This is the 8th hole.



The approach to the 12th green



Looking across the course from behind the 12th green.  (The 17th fairway in the middle and the 7th green in the back)



One of my favorite holes on the course.  The short par 4, 14th.



Don't be short of this green!



The approach to the uphill dogleg 16th.  The green is very small and sits on a plateau.  Don't be long, or short.



Tee shot on the very long par 5, 17th.



The 17th green with the 8th green in the background.  A wonderful double green.



An up close look at the 8th pin.  I call the double green the roller coaster of love.



Looking back at the 11th.  A long par 3 with yet another phenomenal green.



Crossing the final bridge on 18



Coming home




I'm not sure I could ever tire of playing Old Town Club.  I hated that the round was over and if daylight were permitting, I would have liked to have been back on the 1st tee immediately.  Thanks to our host and thanks to my company for a great day.

[Eric Smith]

Nice pics JC.

Would you say the golf course reminds you of Crystal Downs in any other ways besides the greens?  

17 looks like a fun hole.  Do you have a pic of the second shot from the fairway? I imagine it will show mostly a green hillside, but would like to see it anyway.

Unrelated, did Mark seem at all worried about this coming Saturday afternoon in Athens?

[JC Jones]

Nice pics JC.

Would you say the golf course reminds you of Crystal Downs in any other ways besides the greens?

Very much so.  The aesthetics and the use of the ridges on the property is very reminiscent of CD.  There are more uphill/blind tee shots than there are at CD.  If they removed several trees then the whole course would be like an 18 hole version of the front 9 at CD. 

17 looks like a fun hole.  Do you have a pic of the second shot from the fairway? I imagine it will show mostly a green hillside, but would like to see it anyway.

I do not have a pic of the second shot.  The ideal rout would be up the left side to the top of the hill with some roll down to make the 3rd shot closer.  If you want to get aggressive and you have an Ed Oden-esque game then you can challenge the tall, dead tree on the right for a shorter shot in.

Unrelated, did Mark seem at all worried about this coming Saturday afternoon in Athens?

He was emotionally unstable and rambling about the sad state of Bulldog football from the time I talked to him in the morning through the car ride back to Charlotte. 

[Roger Wolfe]

I played Crystal Downs in May and Old Town last week.  Both are very similar and both exceeded
my expectations.  The green complexes were wonderful and I have added Mr. Maxwell, along with
Mr. Ross, to my short list of architects whose courses have never disappointed me in the least.

[JC Jones]

I played Crystal Downs in May and Old Town last week.  Both are very similar and both exceeded
my expectations.  The green complexes were wonderful and I have added Mr. Maxwell, along with
Mr. Ross, to my short list of architects whose courses have never disappointed me in the least.

Not to thread jack my own thread, Roger, but I think what CGC needs are ginger snaps and peanut butter in the locker room and grille areas.

[Mark Pritchett]

Nice pics JC.

Unrelated, did Mark seem at all worried about this coming Saturday afternoon in Athens?

The best thing about this Saturday's game is someone has to win!

[Chris Buie]

I played Old Town many years ago (pre-GCA perspective) and was very impressed.  It's stature has grown in my mind since then.  It appears to be one of the very best in the state - and can more than hold its own in general.  I like the understated look - it is above the gratuitous eye candy scenario.   The open look (rather than claustrophobic) is very appealing and brings the wind more into play, of course.  The clubhouse and overall ambiance is an extremely good example of charm.  Charming is the word I would use to describe it.
The only thing I am not entirely keen on are the fairly symmetric circle bunkers around the 2nd green.  That is the only thing I can think of that I would do differently.  A small criticism.  (Yes, I know it is very similar to the 7th at Augusta)  Other than that I really do think it is a great place.

[JC Jones]

I played Old Town many years ago (pre-GCA perspective) and was very impressed.  It's stature has grown in my mind since then.  It appears to be one of the very best in the state - and can more than hold its own in general.  I like the understated look - it is above the gratuitous eye candy scenario.   The open look (rather than claustrophobic) is very appealing and brings the wind more into play, of course.  The clubhouse and overall ambiance is an extremely good example of charm.  Charming is the word I would use to describe it.
The only thing I am not entirely keen on are the fairly symmetric circle bunkers around the 2nd green.  That is the only thing I can think of that I would do differently.  A small criticism.  (Yes, I know it is very similar to the 7th at Augusta)  Other than that I really do think it is a great place.

Chris,

Perhaps we will get an Old Town expert to chime in here but, from what I understand, Maxwell did Old Town after doing a significant amount of work to Augusta so, maybe he brought some of those ideas with him.  Also, I would like to see old photos of the bunkering on all the holes as I suspect some of it may not be original in size, placement and shape.

[Chris Buie]

Maxwell did the 7th at Augusta the year before modifying Old Town.  The 2nd at OT is pretty much a replica of the 7th at ANGC.  That is my understanding although I will defer to OT experts on here.  I can't remember if the green was angled a bit.  That might make it even more interesting - maybe angle it a bit more.  Just a thought.  I like that especially on par-3's.  Makes you think and strategize more - especially when you have wind and penal elements going on.

[C. Sturges]

Thanks for the pictures!  Old Town looks great!
Chris

[JC Urbina]

Chris,

I can guarantee those bunkers on Hole # 2 originally looked nothing like that picture represents.  My first visit to Old Town ( prior to the restoration work?)one of the kids in the pro shop told me they were going to restore many of the bunkers at Old Town. 

Mr  White has and will again I am sure show you pictures of what the place looked like in the early Maxwell era.  I know this comes up every time someone visits the course for the first time.   I always chime in because I know how special the place is and would love to see an effort by the club to bring back some of the old flavor.  I know that if you left the course the way it sits today you would still enjoy the ambience of Old Town but I always ask, What if.

Some would say, ODGA were not as good as we make them out to be.  But in reference to Old Town it's one of the cool places in golf.

[Roger Wolfe]

I played Crystal Downs in May and Old Town last week.  Both are very similar and both exceeded
my expectations.  The green complexes were wonderful and I have added Mr. Maxwell, along with
Mr. Ross, to my short list of architects whose courses have never disappointed me in the least.

Not to thread jack my own thread, Roger, but I think what CGC needs are ginger snaps and peanut butter in the locker room and grille areas.

My favorite is watching the group of ahead of you tee off on 10 no more than 8 feet away through the snack bar window.

[Chris Buie]

There is a 1940 aerial of the course on the USGA museum website.  There are a lot of really great things on that website - certainly for connoisseurs of GCA. 
The website requires registration but it is free - and well worth a visit.
http://architecturearchive.usgamuseum.com/
And yes, Mr. Urbina is correct - the bunkering was originally different on the 2nd.

[David Stamm]

JC, thanks for the pics. Old Town looks so solid and I have always admired it.

[Dunlop_White]

working on some pics

[Dunlop_White]

I've shared this several times before ..... our old bunkers had a weathered look -- a look of deterioration -- check out the native plant material (broomsedge), also the large sprawling charismatic shapes and irregular edges.

[George Freeman]

If they removed several trees then the whole course would be like an 18 hole version of the front 9 at CD. 

Goodness I like the sound of that!  Maybe a masked man needs to head out there one night with a chainsaw!

Is the land as undulating as the front nine at CD?  

Hope all is well bud.

[JC Jones]

I've shared this several times before ..... our old bunkers had a weathered look -- a look of deterioration -- check out the native plant material (broomsedge), also the large sprawling charismatic shapes and irregular edges.

Dunlop,

I love that look.  I noticed that it has been (re)implemented on #14 and the aesthetics on that hole were truly remarkable. 

[JC Jones]

If they removed several trees then the whole course would be like an 18 hole version of the front 9 at CD. 

Goodness I like the sound of that!  Maybe a masked man needs to head out there one night with a chainsaw!

Is the land as undulating as the front nine at CD?  

Hope all is well bud.

Absolutely the land is as undulating, if not more so.  The front 9 at CD still has some relatively flat areas and tends to get its undulation from the ridges around the perimeter of the property while Old Town works itself across on top and over many ridges that cross the property.    But, the routing is very similar to CD in the sense that there is high use of the ridges on the perimeter of the property.  It is quite fascinating, actually.

[Dunlop_White]

OK, check this out! Look at the pic above. Now look at the pic below. These two pics are of the same green (Hole 12) and are from the same angle, but the latter one is from a distant, cross-course perspective.

[JC Jones]

OK, check this out! Look at the pic above. Now look at the pic below. These two pics are of the same green (Hole 12) and are from the same angle, but the latter one is from a distant, cross-course perspective.

Dunlop,

I am surprised to see the amoeba shaped bunkers on 12 in the picture you posted.  I would have thought the amoeba bunkers would have been added later and not part of the original Maxwell design.  Do you think he got the idea from the MacKenzie bunkers at ANGC?  Those type of bunkers are not present at Crystal Downs.

[Mark Pritchett]

Old Town Club is a charming course and it is hard not to like everything about it.  Just a real treat to soak in the Maxwell greens as you play the seamless routing over the rolling terrain.  Though cliche, I remember every hole.  The fifth green is amazing and the short 14th may be my new favorite hole. 

After playing an OTC or Prairie Dunes, I can really appreciate how hard it must be for architects to shape fairways and greens.  Maxwell must have been near the top in this department as I feel he was able to create interest and movement without crossing the line into an artificial look. 

[K. Krahenbuhl]

Great pictures - thanks for posting.  As a big Maxwell fan this is one stop I really want to make before the year is out to see for myself.