I came out to Dismal a couple weeks ago with a bit of a negative idea of the place. To be honest, the existing golf course wasn't a big thought in my mind. More than anything, I was looking forward to being a grunt and learning a few things about golf construction. I had bothered the hell out of Tom (mostly), and Don and Chris to come out to be a witness to the process and help them out any way I could. It was going to be a great way to spend a week away from jets and paperwork.
After a Sunday morning of putting fescue slurry down on some freshly finished green surrounds, Chris generously hosted the Renaissance and Greenscape Methods dudes (Brett, Jeff, Zach, Robert and I) for an afternoon of golf. Did I come away thinking that DR#1 was the greatest thing I've ever seen? No. But was it as awful as so many had opined here in the past? Not hardly.
I thought it was a very good Jack Nicklaus golf course. Which is to say it was a good test of golf. Poor swings weren't rewarded with easy or benign results. Good swings got you on the right bowl of a green, or in the area of the fairway that promoted a green light to the green. Good putts went in, and poor putts didn't. I was completely okay with the "cart nature" of the golf course and I think that it was clearly designed with this in mind. The views were outstanding. The bunkering wasn't my favorite aesthetic, but it certainly wasn't offensive to the landscape or out of place.
I thought #5 was just fine. I didn't rave over it, but I don't think it's anywhere near the abortion that Dr. Klein thinks. The threes are all tough iron shots over varying terrain, and I like that concept. The joke I kept ribbing Chris with was that #10 would be a phenomenal golf hole, if it didn't have a damn bunker in it.
I look at what's in the ground now at Dismal River and wonder why it suffered such vitriol from the start. I am sure a ton of changes were undertaken that has made it better, but the bones from the older version are still there. And they're not bad at all. In fact, it is quite good, and especially fun. It's not Sand Hills or Ballyneal. But it's not supposed to be. It's different, and I enjoyed our 5 hour six-some as much as any round I've played this year.
Thinking about the collection of variables at DR reminds about my own organization. You wouldn't know it from the press, but our Air Force's aircraft aren't the best in the world. In fact, there's a few countries (Japan, Singapore, Israel, etc.) with much newer fleets and pricier equipment. No, the reason we're the best is more than just the aircraft. Our training is the best, our people are the best, our maintenance is the most reliable, and our support agencies are superior. Dismal River--as a golf course--was already better than 90% of golf courses. But the people involved there have made a tremendous difference. The variables involved at DR make it better than the sum of its parts. It's now hitting its stride and deservedly so.
I think it took some people with guts and vision to change the status quo at that club, and they have. Guys like Chris and Jagger have changed the story of Dismal River and I think it is time that people get off the high horse and accept it for what is. Which is a very good golf club.
Then it again, it doesn't hurt that a shiny new F-22 Raptor built by Lockheed...er Renaissance, is in the works for them either.