While I will also put this tour on the Topp's Travels thread, I think this course is sufficiently unique that it deserves its own thread. John Mayhugh took these pictures and I will allow him to add other pictures if he so desires.
Town & Country is squeezed into 100 acres on the banks of the Mississippi in St. Paul. Given John’s love of quirky courses in the UK, I knew this course was a no-brainer for our itinerary.
A simple look at the scorecard tells you Town & Country is unique:
4 (324) ,3(110), 3 (163), 5 (490),4 (354), 4 (468), 4 (354), 4 (366), 4 (414) Out= par 35 (3026)
4 (377), 3 (186), 5 (533), 4 (283), 3 (230), 5 (552), 5 (521), 5 (522), 3 (170) In = par 37 (3355);
Total = par 72 (6400).
The numbers alone are interesting. You have two par threes in a row early in the round. After 6 par fours in a row from 5-10 you only have one left – the 13th – and that is of the driveable variety. You finish with three par fives and a par three. As a kicker, the yardage listed for the front and back nines does not equal the total yardage listed for the course.
Numbers alone do not come close to giving a sense of Town & Country. Many of the holes make no logical sense but are a hoot to play.
The first tee:
Looking back at the 110 yard uphill 2nd. Front pin is difficult because of green slopes. I think I was in a better position hitting this chip than John was on the middle of the green:
The 4th hole plays down to a valley and then back up with a blind second on a short par five:
The 5th is a down and back up 350 yard par 4 with a steeply sloped back to front green. I have seen putts go back down the hill when the greens are crispy. It looks like they added some rough to prevent that experience:
The distance equation changes abruptly on the 468 yard par four 6th. A good drive leaves you this view for your second. The challenge lies not only in guessing the line and hitting the ball hard enough to reach the green. You also need to hit your second high enough to clear the slope:
This is the view Mayhugh had for his second at the 415 yard 9th.
I watched his shot from this vantage point. I swear I heard John complaining a bit as his shot flew in the air. It landed 30 yards short of the green ran left and disappeared. Needless to say he won the hole.
The 10th is one of the best on the course – 377 yards to a green benched into a hillside. 75% of balls that hit the hill right of the green stay there.
A closer view of the green:
The 15th is the first of three par fives in a row. Even though the hole is 552 yards long, a ball that gets past the crest of the hill 100 yards short of the green has a chance to get there. Wedge shots are also interesting because you need to either choose to fly it down or use the slope. Oblivion lurks behind the green if you are too aggressive or wind up hitting a shot in between those options:
The par 3 finisher. Like the finish at the PGA tour event last weekend, such a hole can prove to be a dramatic method for deciding a match.
