From Toronto to Naples - Merion and a Terrific Trifecta

[Bryan Izatt]

In mid-December it was time to drive down to Florida for a few weeks of holidays.  The most sane way to drive from Toronto to Naples is 24 hours of driving time spread over 3 days going straight down I75 from Detroit.  The more sane golf way is to tale five days and go down I95.  So, being a golf nut, I took the golf way.

An eight hour drive through Buffalo and Syracuse and down I81 and the PA turnpike gets you to the Philadelphia area on day one.  I ended up staying at a nice new HGI in Valley Forge.  Turns out to be a measly 10 miles or so from Merion.  Definitely got to take a look at Merion in winter.

First objective (OK, maybe I'm obsessive) was to see if I could find the survey marker at College and Golf House Road that is the starting point of the old Merion deeds.  Nope, all I found dodging traffic (not too many, but very nice cars) in the middle of the intersection was a number of water valves.




Oh well, let's move on down Golf House Road.  It is amazing how compact the northern (and southern) sections of the course are.  You can basically see most of the course from either Golf House Road or Ardmore Ave.  Hard to imagine how they are going to squeeze the patrons on to golf course for the Open.  I could envisage grandstands all the way up Golf House Road.

Sixteen looked very narrow.  The fairway around the quarry looked redundant.  Do even the members play around?  I thought you could could lay-up down to the quarry left, but that doesn't seem possible.






The 15th fairway runs absurdly close to the road.  What was Hugh Wilson thinking? The green looks appropriately difficult to approach and hold.








Further down the road, the new putting green is very close to the road.  It is quite long and undulating, and doesn't appear to have any section that would be flat enough to host a tee for the 14th.  First the left side with the infamous stop sign looming and then the right side.






The 14th tee is a very long, narrow RTJ-type runway tee.  It extends back beyond the stop sign, but is displaced inwards to a degree that the stop sign won't be an issue.






If you have a high speed internet connection, here is a link to a brief video of the 14th tee area.

http://s234.photobucket.com/albums/ee260/350dtm/Merion%2012-2012/?action=view&current=MVI_3155.mp4


Further down the road, I was surprised to see a large fan next to the first green.  There appear to be others around the course too.




From Ardmore, looking across the second and eighth and ninth, the elevation change is more than I would have expected, and certainly more than is captured in pictures.




The fairways are almost laughably narrow.  Here is number two.  One wonders if the two tone grass suggests that they will narrow the fairways further for the Open.  And, the bunkers already look a little lost in the rough.






Moving the other way down Ardmore, could this be the long lost Alps feature on the 10th.




Time to move on.  Pinehurst looks like another nice day's drive away. To be continued.........................

[Joe Bausch]

And you didn't even call me when you popped in.  Tsk, tsk.

Where are your West course photos from the car?  :-)

[Ronald Montesano]

That stop sign should be a wicker basket stop sign...

[Bryan Izatt]

And you didn't even call me when you popped in.  Tsk, tsk.

Where are your West course photos from the car?  :-)

Sorry Joe, it was, as you can see, more or less a drive-by experience.  I'd certainly like to meet some of you guys.  Maybe next year.  I regret not stopping by Cobb's Creek for a look.

The West course was on the wrong side of the car for pics, not to mention that there were too many following cars and that road is twisty and narrow.  The parking lot certainly looked rustic. 

[Bryan Izatt]

..... now on to Pinehurst.  It's only a relatively little bit out of the way going down I95.  I had driven through Pinehurst some years ago and looked at #2.  Last year I played a 3 hour round at Tobacco Road on my way through.  This time I though #2 would make a nice stop.  But, then I looked at what it costs to stay at Pinehurst and the premium for playing #2.  Sticker shock!     Well, I guess I'll call the day before and see what the green fee for non-guests is, although I'm always suspicious when the web site makes no mention of what the green fee is.  Turns out to be $350.  Sticker shock #2.     Now, I probably could afford it, but I've seen the course, and I'm wondering what the value proposition is here.   Should I add it to my one and done list of over-priced golf courses.  It is a famous highly ranked golf course.  Nope, can't persuade myself.

Where to play in Pinehurst on short notice?  Already did Tobacco Road, but the price is attractive, and it's a fun ride.  The Dormie Club looks interesting, but what's the price and is it still accessible?  I haven't ever played a Ross course; so what else is available? How about Pine Needles.  It's Ross and it's only $85.  Lots of money left over for more games later.  Maybe it's strange, but I feel no regret at bypassing #2.  Pine Needles was a good golfing experience.  Lots of raised greens and false edges and elevation changes.  The only drawback was that the greens were slow enough that balls that should have been rejected by the greens weren't, a minor issue.  Lots of fun getting up and down from around the greens.  Is this what Ross was all about?  The one regret - I forgot to take the camera out to take pictures to refresh my memory.

To be continued ....................

[Ronald Montesano]

Joe, don't feel bad...he's crazy. No one would go from Toronto to Detroit to get to Naples. Plus, he blew through B-Lo without billeting with us.

[Bryan Izatt]

RoMo,

I thought of you as I passed the golf dome on I190 (or was it I290).  Isn't that your home track in the winter? No time to pause in Buffalo when warmer climes call.

[Sam Morrow]

Glad you go to stop at Merion. No matter what you hear about how you can see the entire course from the road you never quite fathom it until you drive up for the first time.

[Greg Chambers]

I think the two tone grass suggests that new bent was planted in those areas.  Seems they widened it?  Or just new turf.  I would be very surprised if they grew that up into rough.

[Ronald Montesano]

You were even closer to the house when you crossed Grand Island...indeed, the dome is home when the snow doth roam.

[Anthony_Nysse]

I think the two tone grass suggests that new bent was planted in those areas.  Seems they widened it?  Or just new turf.  I would be very surprised if they grew that up into rough.

I would agree 100%. Looks like new fairway lines and bentgrass. If that fairway lines change after the open, I'd guess a rough type grass will replace it-fescue/bluegrass.

[Dan Herrmann]

The fans are new at Merion

[Bryan Izatt]

.. and the journey resumes.  The next day presented many possible stops, Santee (didn't look all that interesting), Myrtle Beach (a little too far off the track and too hard to pick a place to play, Kiawah (too expensive), or TPC Sawgrass (ditto).  So, I decided to drive through the next day and play the Ocean Course at Hammock Dunes on the following day.  I was pretty much assured of good weather and the price was right at $69 through golfnow.com and the course seems to be relatively highly thought of.

Sadly, the night before I got a call from the course saying that it wasn't available at the time I booked due to maintenance, grumble, grumble,     but I could play the Conservatory course (a Tom Watson signature design) instead, and he (the caller) liked it better than the Ocean course.  With little choice I accepted.  My GPS took me to Hammock Dunes only to find that the Conservatory Course wasn't there, it was a 15 minute drive away.

Anyway, I got there late without much expectation, but at least there were few people around and I'd be able to play quickly around.
I normally play from the second from the back tees.  Their gold tees were 7300 yards, 76.0 and 145 - yikes!  The black tips were 7776 yards, 78.2, 150 - double yikes.  Oh well, move up another tee to the Blues, only 6792 yards, 73.8, 140 - still a stern test for me.

Although I had low expectations, I have to say I was quite impressed with the course.  It is worth a revisit.  The thing that struck me most was the shaping.  The course has more movement on the fairways that almost anywhere I've been - and tastefully done.  Given that this course was built on a relatively flat Florida site there must have been a lot of dirt moved.  The greens were also interesting and challenging.  I left wondering who was really behind the design and shaping.  From Watson's site, I later found that it was likely his partner Bob Gibbons, a name I have heard before.  In any event, I'd highly recommend the place.  (I subsequently played the Ocean course on the way back north and agree with them that the conservatory course was better.

A few pictures (you can click through to bigger versions), although they tend to flatten out the movement that is really there on the ground.
















After the very enjoyable round at the Conservatory, it was on to pick up my wife at Tampa airport the following evening.  Where to go in the meantime?  Streamsong was not open yet, so where else but World Woods, Pine Barrens, an old favorite.  It was especially attractive given that it was only $23 and in fine shape!  Before the holidays seems like a great time to visit.  Enough has been said about Pine Barrens on this site already so I won't add more, but it was as good as always.  It is challenging and attractive and memorable.

So, in bypassing Pinehurst #2 and its $350 green fee, I had got in three rounds at a terrific trifecta of courses and still had enough $'s left over to play at Streamsong on the way back.  All in all a pretty good value proposition for skipping #2.



 

[jeffwarne]

$23 for Pine Barrens???

[Bryan Izatt]

Yup, including cart.