I recently made a quick trip to central Florida for a trip and was fortunate to play some nice golf courses. The last one I played before I scurried back to the TPA airport was Mountain Lake. About a month earlier our Friends of Cobb's Creek Golf Course blog attracted the interest of a Philadelphia golfer that is also a ML member, and green chairman as well. What a great way to take a tour of the course, along with Kyle Harris (who used to work at ML) and George Forster, Jr, assistant pro at ML during the winter (and works at Merion during the golfing season up here).
Mike Sweeney did an IMO piece on Mountain Lake back in 2005:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/in-my-opinion/mike-sweeney-blending-old-and-new-in-renovating-a-classic/I'm going to borrow heavily from it on this photo tour.
From Mike's intro:
Mountain Lake is located in the ridge country of Central Florida, just outside the small citrus town of Lake Wales. A Baltimorean named Frederick Ruth founded Mountain Lake in 1915. With proximity close to trains from the North which would bring residents down for ‘the season’, Ruth assembled 3500 acres and engaged Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. to lay out 600 acres of the property for the residences and Seth Raynor to design the golf course.This same trio also went on to design and develop Fishers Island in the 1920′s. There are some notes in the archives at Mountain Lake that Ruth spoke to Donald Ross (who did nearby Lake Wales Country Club) prior to selecting Raynor, however Raynor was chosen and Mountain Lake became the first development of its kind.
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Seth Raynor moved very little earth at Mountain Lake. The holes sit on rolling terrain not typically associated with Florida. As stated by George Bahto in The Evangelist of Golf, ‘If any observation can be made on the differences between a Macdonald and Raynor course, it would be that their tendencies mirrored their personalities. Many of Raynor’s interpretations of Redan, Alps, or Cape were more understated.’ Clearly Mountain Lake reflects Raynor’s personality.
Most of the greens at Mountain Lake had been modified over the years, and many bunkers were removed. Architect Brian Silva, Former Greens Chairman Boris Meditch, Current Greens Chaiman Ned Young and former Superintendent Steve Ciardallo led the rediscovery of Raynor’s Mountain Lake course.As Brian Silva stated in Links Magazine, ‘Anybody who had seen just one Raynor golf course and then buzzed over Mountain Lake in a fighter jet would know the greens had been changed.’ For the restoration that took place in the summer of 2002, Silva used vintage aerial and ground photos to guide the work.Note: all figures and pictures below are 'clickable' to see a larger size.Here is the hole sequencing at ML from a 2010 Google Earth aerial:
#1. "Double Plateau": Par 4 (368 yards).
From Mike's IMO:
Mountain Lake Pro Jonathan Powell tells the story of how on his ‘playing interview’ at Mountain Lake, he asked if the directional fairway bunker on #1 was in play. The members answered ‘no’, and he promptly put his first ball into the directional bunker! Thus, the Raynor strategy session begins for both the Pro and Amateur. Similar to the 1st green at National, getting to the green in two is just half the battle as placement on the correct segment of the green is key to make par. Inspired by Macdonald, this hole is named for the Double Plateau green design. It’s three greens in one and well-known examples of it are the Long Island Sound-backed 9th at Fishers Island and the 17th at Yale Golf Course. Early ground-level photographs illustrated that the first green at Mountain Lake was originally a Double Plateau. The greens at Mountain Lake are covered with Tif-Eagle grass, and the course typically has a touch of brown in the fairways and rough, allowing the course to be played firm and fast – a Tom Paulian-like ‘Maintenance Meld’. According to GCA Donyen Tom Paul, ‘The Old Course, Crystal Downs, Yeaman’s Hall, National, Cuscowilla, Mountain Lake and Pinehurst No. 2 owe a significant part of their greatness due to boldly contoured greens, and imaginative greensites that become unplayable if the putting surfaces roll too fast.’Tee view:
A big hitter can have this view of the double plateau green from 75 yards out, this back pin a good one:
This view from the back left corner of the green, all tiers visible even if lighting was not ideal:
#2. "Down": Par 4 (453 yards).
From Mike's IMO:
The second hole is the first of many long fours on this ‘short’ course. The tree on the right comes into play for the back tees which are back and right of this photo. The tree lost much of its ability to grab balls from the sky due to the hurricanes of 2004, however it should return back to its former glory in a season or two. When it does, the safe play is to the left which brings the left fairway bunkers into play.Tee view from the back tee, offset to the right from the other tees:
2nd shot view from the left part of the fairway:
From short and left of the green, with another fun pin (note the bunker in view being Raynor-like to my eyes, but not nearly the scale as my 'reference Raynor course' Yale):
#3. "Alps": Par 4 (398 yards).
From the IMO:
While there is a depression in the fairway that gets flattened out by the picture, it is difficult to understand why #3 rather than #10 was named Alps by Raynor. Regardless, it is a strategic shot off the tee, and depending on how far the golfer hits it, a slice or a draw may be preferred. However, right side of the fairway is the preferred area for a second shot into the green. Brian Silva states that the third green was the least changed over the years, however the original was deeper.Tee view:
From right in the fairway, the better angle to minimize interfacing with that much bigger than it looks left greenside bunker:
That bunker is big:
The green is very deep and slopes subtly from right to left in the back, which this picture doesn't really capture very well:
Well, that was a nice start. Three more tomorrow.
