Garden City (Emmet+) Tomorrow and Sunday !

[mark chalfant]

Great golfers and marvelous architecture. Spectators allowed.  Tom Doak loves it. Patrick Mucci approves of it.  Ran M. admires it. Ideal weather. Garden City Golf  Club is a  museum of inspiring golf holes.  The tenth hole was a favorite of Bobby Jones


more here:     www.devereuxemmetsociety.com

[Mark Bourgeois]

Tom Doak loves it. Patrick Mucci approves of it.  Ran M. admires it.

And Lloyd Cole sings it!
http://lyrics.wikia.com/Lloyd_Cole:NYC_Sunshine

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Mark,

I thought this was an invite to the anuual golfclubatlas.com weekend at Garden City! 

[Jed Peters]

Had the opportunity to play here a couple weeks ago, and the course was a fantastically fun place to spend an afternoon.

There are a couple tweaks that my host pointed out that could be made to better handle the course's design (bringing it back to original) including some radical work needed on the Par 3 (twelve or thirteen) on the back.

Other than a couple of those minor (and in the case of the 3 par, major) tweaks, the course was incredibly cool.

The one thing that I noticed was how difficult the course was, in spite of seeming to be relatively benign.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jed,

I think you've hit on an interesting issue, the deceitful nature of the course.

It seems relatively benign.
Nothing jumps out at you as presenting a difficult challenge as you step up on every tee.

Yet, it resists scoring rather well, despite not being long for a par 73 golf course.

The fairways are wide and the greens are mostly absent substantive contour.

Most greens "tilt", but, even that tilt is fairly consistent with the surrounding topography.

You can play well and when you add up your score after the 9th hole, many golfers are surprised that they're in the 40's.

With some minor fine tuning and one major fine tuning, the course would improve exponentially, but, that opportunity has been lost.

[mark chalfant]

Patrick,

Thanks for your reply. Every time I visit Garden City, I discover more nuance. I like the variety and character in the set of par fives. When your time permits,  Id love to hear your thoughts on 7,13,  and on the par four 10th.
Thanks

Mark

[Jay Flemma]

Where were you?  Didn't see you all day...

I'll be there early tomorrow for the duration.  GCAers bare playing well.  Michael Wharton Palmer went 1-1 and Jamie Slonis went 2-0.

Final 4 in championship bracket:

(3) Hans Albertsson vs. (2) Steve White

(1) Nick Gilliam vs. (13) Kevin Gai

http://jayflemma.thegolfspace.com/?p=3532

[mark chalfant]

I had planned to attend the finals on Sunday, but unfortunately I had the flu


Patrick, thanks for all the great descriptions and critical analysis of those excellent holes at  holes at Garden City

Mark

[Patrick_Mucci]

Mark,

 On # 10, I really, really like the hole, however, with a green that tilts from a high 4 o'clock to a low 10 o'clock, the ideal approach angle should be from the far left.  The problem is that the current tee doesn't interface properly with the series of step bunkers along the left side of the current fairway/rough/woods

In order to add architectural and playing values, the tee should be shifted to the left and the invasive shrubs and trees along the left pruned back, or better yet removed.

That would restore risk/reward on the tee shot,as the more risky shot carrying the farthest and furthest left bunker would provide the shortest and most ideal angle into that great green, a green where you're better off long of the pin, putting back uphill

The cross bunker is a great anti length feature

# 7 needs to have the second fairway shifted about 30 yards to the right, right up to the long, narrow abandoned trench bunker (just like the 3rd hole)

This again restores risk/reward on the second shot, leaving an approach to a green that slopes from high 10 o'clock to low 4-5  o'clock, at the most ideal angle

And, shifting the fairway to the right

 significantly benefits # 11 by allowing you to bring the tee back on # 11, which would return the functionality of the three step bunkers in the mid
to left portion of the fairway/rough.  The return of those great and ominous bunkers into play would enhance and restore the risk reward on the
tee shot.

And it would remove the current 11th tee from directly behind the 10th green, and it would further remove the current 11th tee from the direct line of flight for golfers going for the 7th green in two

Those are improvements with exponentially better results, but I fear that the window of opportunity has been lost

The next time you're at GCGC, look at all of the 1936 aerials and you'll see holes 7 and 10 as I've indicated they should be.

Other than moving the 11th tee back, everything else I've suggested is merely a restoration to the 1936 configuration.

As to # 13, another terrific hole with a fall away green, all it needs is to have the fairway mowing lines reconfigured to incorporate the bunkers currently in the rough, brought back into the fairway

The great cross bunker tends to thwart length, but I wonder if a tee couldn't be introduced back and to the left of the current tee

Hope that helps

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Always a treat to play at the Garden......
This year is no exception...had a great time, the course was in magnificent condition especially considering the rain.
The members as usual were so wonderfully accomodating, they are such a great bunch of guys, who love thier club, it's traditions and customs...reminds me so much of  clubs/courses at home.

I agree with the ideas presented by Mr Mucci, that idea for number 7 would be really cool.

Hope to get back up to the area during the summer to see the course with its fescues in their ulimate hues.
One of the great things about Garden City is that you know you can always call upon somebody you have met there to play again, they love having you out there...now that is not like most places.

[Jay Flemma]

Great seeing you too buddy...and Jamie Slonis who had a great run to the semis of his bracket!