[Bill_McBride]

Thats a nice angle - if you catch a good lie!

[Jason Topp]

Thats a nice angle - if you catch a good lie!

I cannot imagine why Cory would put quotes around the word "strategy."

He did say his one goal was to avoid being in a place where I could take a picture of him struggling.  I think he missed a fairway sometime during the day but most of the time I was far enough sideways to be unable to tell.

[Jason Topp]

Old Town
Our afternoon round was a treat.  Dunlop White joined us for a tour of what has been a passion of his for a long time at Old Town, located next to the Wake Forest campus.   It was a treat to meet Dunlop because his articles on tree removal provided significant help to me in advocating for tree removal at my former club as a member of the green committee and ultimately its co-chair.  If you are contemplating such a role, these pieces are mandatory reading:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/feature-interview/dunlop-white-feb-2005/
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/feature-interview/dunlop-white-part-ii-march-2005/
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/in-my-opinion/old-town-club/
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/in-my-opinion/below-the-trees-by-dunlop-white-iii/
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/in-my-opinion/an-anatomy-of-a-restoration/
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/in-my-opinion/the-shrinking-fairway/

Many of our great courses reflect the efforts of a dedicated individual over many years.  Pinehurst No. 2 is the result of nearly 40 years of effort by Donald Ross.  Pine Valley and Merion resulted from years of care by George Crump and Hugh Wilson.  National had CB Macdonald.  Oakmont had Henry Fownes.  Even the Old Course reflects years of care by Old Tom Morris.  
While I never saw Old Town pre-restoration, it appears to me that the efforts at Old Town spearheaded by Dunlop White can be viewed in a similar vein.  In order to understand the effort involved has put into this project one needs to view this video to see the tree removal program that took place from 2002-2012 and continues today:

http://vimeo.com/47824277

And then view this slide show to get a sense of the bunker and green work done by Coore & Crenshaw over the last two years:

http://oldtownclub.clubsoftlinks.com/upload/BKgpgex-e0aw.pdf

The result is a very enjoyable but stern test of golf.  The fairways are extraordinarily wide.  The rolling property is perfectly suited for golf from a topographical standpoint.  The brown tinge to the grass and the firmness of the greens despite hot summer weather is testament to ideal maintenance practices.  The only clue you are in a heavily populated area is music from the Wake Forest campus.
Nonetheless, the course does not coddle the player.  I think I found half the bunkers on the course.  The Maxwell “rolls” in the greens make ugly scrambling golf (my forte) a losing approach compared to one who strikes the ball well and has an adequate short game.  

One hole that stuck in my memory was the par five 4th in which you hit from the lawn of the clubhouse over a hill.  The fairway then swoops downhill and to the right to an angled green perched over a stream.  Dunlop demonstrated the way to play the hole by piping a drive down the middle and then hitting and holding the green to leave a shot at Eagle.  Cory showed the short hitter approach by laying back with the second and making birdie with a great wedge.  I showed the hacker approach by duck-hooking into some trees, blocking a punch out into other trees, chipping out (once or twice I cannot remember) and taking a big number.  

I also really enjoyed the short par four 14th.  The wide fairway provides several alternative routes from a flat lie on the left leaving a good angle but a blind approach to a visible approach on the right leaving a visible pitch from a worse angle.  I suspect I would need to play the hole 20 times before identifying my best way to play the hole.  

[Mac Plumart]

Destroying GCA'ers $1 at a time


This is hilarious, by the way.

 

[Jason Topp]

On the first tee of the BUDA at Lundin Links, Joe Fairey suggested to his opponent Ian that Joe, as a scratch player, should be giving Ian 3 strokes.  Ian looked at him kindly and responded "I shan't be needing them."  Ian went out and was under par on the opening four hole stretch despite a strong headwind quartering from left to right.

I relayed this story to Cory on the way to Old Town.  We met Dunlop White who explained how rusty his game was and how he hoped he would not embarrass himself.  Cory as a plus one indicated he should give Dunlop a shot.  On cue, Dunlop said "I won't be needing them."  Because we were playing three individual matches and I just watched Cory shoot 68 I knew I was in deep trouble.  

Of course I was.  I decided to see all of the Old Town Course and can report that wide fairways do little to help the struggling golfer whose game is in the toilet.  All it does is give the sliver of hope of recovery.  With Cory going without a bogey on the front and Dunlop keeping up with him, I was somewhere in the neighborhood of five down to both of them at the turn.  I am not certain when the end came with Dunlop.  He was kind enough not to mention it.  Cory knew precisely because he wanted my autograph.  I struggled for money out of my pocket and paid up to both and asked for directions to the nearest ATM.  

This thread may need a new title.  

[Dan Kelly]

This thread may need a new title.  

Just take the "s" off "GCA'ers."

[Dunlop_White]

I didn't think I needed shots on my home course. I've seen more 'home cooking' here over the years. I sum it up to fairway grades and contours. First-timers are not used to hitting from such caddywampus stances on fairway slopes, but Cory handled it very well the few times I saw him swing. (He really pulls the trigger!) And a couple of times, I thought Jason was going to finish his round on hole 18 over at Forsyth Country Club -- down the road. But I learned quickly never to count him out. On #4, Jason went in the left trees, then right trees, punch-out, left bunker against back lip, then with a limited swing, he blasted it up - and then down from 30 yards away. The next week, I played with Jason Jones (aka Quad Steak/Buddy Mignon). Like Jason Topp, he too birdied #8 from another hole all while our members are racking up large numbers on it. The trick may be to spray it wide off the tee? Not much of a home course advantage after all.

Anyway, I really enjoyed meeting and playing with you guys! Thanks for the positive comments. Much appreciated and please come see us again.

[Jason Topp]

My next six rounds of golf involved a group of 16.  I organized the trip and the most difficult part of it was trying to identify tees that worked for a group that includes several low handicap players and a few that can only carry the ball 150 yards.  Nonetheless, we played a great lineup of courses which have been covered extensively elsewhere so I will give a brief synopsis:

Southern Pines – Photo Tour http://www.golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/southern-pines-golf-club-nc-usa/

-   This course has to be one of the toughest yard for yard in which you are unlikely to lose a ball
-   My group played the back tees and I owe Bill Steele a dollar.  I made 4 pars, a triple, a double and a single on the stretch from 7-14.
-   The lengthened tee on 7 seemed silly to me.  The par threes are long enough as it is.  It seemed like an attempt to get scorecard yardage at the expense of the quality of a great hole.
   
Dormie Club – Photo Tour http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,50259.0.html
-   Take a caddie!  This was designed as a private club with a unique culture and one would be lost without some guidance.  Cory is fantastic at guiding you around the course.
-   Walk the long way on 15!
-   Count me on the side in favor of this course.  I thought it was wonderful.  Behind Sand Hills I find it a strong contender with Bandon Trails for my second favorite Coore/Crenshaw course well ahead of We-Ko-Pa and Barton Creek.  
-   10th and 15th holes are a bit goofy and I would need to play them more.  I lean in favor of 10 and am not sure about 15.  
-   2 of the par 4’s play at around 480 yards from the 6500 yard tees.  I enjoy that length of a hole but think of them more as par 5’s than 4’s.
-   This was the most difficult course for which to find a set of tees for the group.  6500 was too long for the short hitters who could not reach the fairways on a few holes.  5900 would have been too short for everyone else.  I would love to see some tees at 6300 with the long carries shortened somewhat.  
-     The place is a bit worn around the edges due to the financial struggles of the place.  I thought the course itself was in very good condition with one of the greens struggling a bit.

Tobacco Road – Photo Tour:  http://www.golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/tobacco-road-nc-usa/

-   I enjoy the course although it is the opposite of a Ross course in that it looks impossible but plays fairly easy if you can carry the ball to a gigantic target.
-   The greens were in the worst condition of any course I have played in the last few years.  Imagine lawns with many bare spots.   Gauging the grass thickness was the key to reading the greens.
-   The 6300 yard tees are pretty good for all levels of player in our group.  I was worried about the carry on 18 but even our shortest hitters could handle it.
-   I love the wrap around par 5’s where a well placed drive in a wide fairway gives us shorter hitters the chance to reach the green in two.  
-   Despite the condition of the greens I think I putted my best here.  

[Jason Topp]

Mid Pines  - photo tour  http://www.golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/mid-pines/

-   My favorite “place” of any of the courses.  The hills, the smell and the atmosphere of the place cannot be beat.
-   The wiregrass areas are growing in nicely and a nearly ideal hazard – you have a recovery at times and no chance at others.
-   Greens have recently been converted to Bermuda which I find a superior surface to bent in this area of the world, at least when it is warm out.  The greens were very firm and kept at a nice speed – fast enough to make the slopes matter a lot but not so fast that it was silly.
-   I had our group play this course from 6,000 yards which turned out to be a fun length for all, particularly after Dormie and Tobacco Road the prior two days.  The par fives became easily reachable for the long hitters while the greens in general kept everyone on their toes. 
-   I think a wrong tee test is a good measure of a course’s quality.  If you play a course from the tees that do not correlate with your ability will you have a good time?  Ross courses are great under this test.  I know wetland and other environmental restrictions make this ideal more difficult for modern courses but I still think it is a good test of golf course quality and an ideal that should be sought out to the extent possible.

Pine Needles – photo tour http://www.golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/pine-needles/
-   I have always thought of Mid Pines and Pine Needles as similar courses.  They feel like entirely different worlds.
-   Pine Needles is a big course – big piece of land, big greens, big corridors, a fair amount of rough between the fairways and the trees and long from the back markers.  Mid Pines feels much smaller.
-   Pine Needles does not have the visual flash of Mid Pines without the wiregrass areas and with relatively tame bunker styling.

After 8 rounds in four days, I was exhausted.  However, I did everything in my power (i.e. stopping at two glasses of wine at dinner) to prepare for my showdown with Hart Huffines at Number 2 the next morning.  That story will need to wait until later.

[Bill_McBride]

Jason, the only time I've played MP and PN was in a Dixie Cup where we played MP in the morning and PN after lunch.  I fully agree on the scale difference, but I felt the main difference was that at Mid Pines most of the holes played down and then up to the green and next tee, where at Pine Needles you played over a ridge and down to the green quite a few times.  There was a completely different vibe, and just across the street!

[Ben Kodadek]

Mid Pines  - photo tour  http://www.golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/mid-pines/

-   My favorite “place” of any of the courses.  The hills, the smell and the atmosphere of the place cannot be beat.
-   The wiregrass areas are growing in nicely and a nearly ideal hazard – you have a recovery at times and no chance at others.
-   Greens have recently been converted to Bermuda which I find a superior surface to bent in this area of the world, at least when it is warm out.  The greens were very firm and kept at a nice speed – fast enough to make the slopes matter a lot but not so fast that it was silly.
-   I had our group play this course from 6,000 yards which turned out to be a fun length for all, particularly after Dormie and Tobacco Road the prior two days.  The par fives became easily reachable for the long hitters while the greens in general kept everyone on their toes. 
-   I think a wrong tee test is a good measure of a course’s quality.  If you play a course from the tees that do not correlate with your ability will you have a good time?  Ross courses are great under this test.  I know wetland and other environmental restrictions make this ideal more difficult for modern courses but I still think it is a good test of golf course quality and an ideal that should be sought out to the extent possible.

Pine Needles – photo tour http://www.golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/pine-needles/
-   I have always thought of Mid Pines and Pine Needles as similar courses.  They feel like entirely different worlds.
-   Pine Needles is a big course – big piece of land, big greens, big corridors, a fair amount of rough between the fairways and the trees and long from the back markers.  Mid Pines feels much smaller.
-   Pine Needles does not have the visual flash of Mid Pines without the wiregrass areas and with relatively tame bunker styling.

After 8 rounds in four days, I was exhausted.  However, I did everything in my power (i.e. stopping at two glasses of wine at dinner) to prepare for my showdown with Hart Huffines at Number 2 the next morning.  That story will need to wait until later.

[/quot

Topper,  if your golf skills were half as good as your oratory reports, you'd be a +3.   Keep the dream alive. 

[Jeff Shelman]

Today, Mr. Topp's travels took him to Mankato Golf Club - a small-town Minnesota private club that allegedly had nine holes designed by William Langford.

As we pulled into the parking lot, Jason proudly said he was playing each of the other three of us in the SUV in a singles match for a dollar.

When it was over, Mr. Topp's wallet was $3 lighter. Here are the two that Dan Kelly and I relieved Jason of after matching 3&2 victories.

None of us loved the golf course. The par 3s were interesting and there were some good green complexes. But there were too many holes where there was seemingly nowhere to hit the ball because of all of the trees.

[Andy Ryall]

In addition to the high comedic and intellectual value of Topp's Travels, his efforts saved me a potentially wasted round at Tobacco Road next Sunday due to extermely poor conditioning.   Instead, we are squeezing in Southern Pines in lieu of TR, in addition to Mid-South Club, Pine Needles and Talamore (no llamas this trip...).  

I was thinking that his golfing Good Samaritan gesture would have had karma on his side in Mankato today, but apparently karma is no match for the Midland Hills duo of Shelman/Kelly.

Thanks again for the heads-up.

Andy

[Jason Topp]

You never know if one's impression of a golf course is clouded by your own play, but Mankato CC was a huge disappointment.  Langford purportedly was the designer of the original 9 holes and it is a cool property - sitting high on a bluff with a wonderful creek running through the property.

The first tee sets the stage for the round with an overly treed straightforward par 4 - at least it would be straightforward except for a tree that has grown up directly in front of the right half of the tee box.  The second hole measures 256 yards from tee to green, except there is no chance to carry the corner due to gigantic trees next to the tee box.  Instead one hits it 230-240 yards out and then comes back to the green.  Here is a picture of Shelman playing his second after not hitting it far enough off the tee.  The flag is visible between the trees:

[Jason Topp]

There is a lovely corridor for the third from what looks like the remnants of a tee box behind the green with a stream on the left that then cuts in front of the green.  Instead you walk forward 100-150 yards to play a stout par 3.  The remainder of the course involves the most confusing routing decisions I have encountered - including a number of long walks past otherwise natural tee boxes.  Any remnant of Langford has long ago been eradicated by the forces of Mickey Mouse:

16 Tee - demonstrating the visual choices made to bring the best from a wonderful spot high on a bluff:



The 17th Tee:

[Jason Topp]

To be fair - I did not get to see the actual holes we were playing much of the time.  It seems some neurological disease  that began to afflict me at Old Town has not gotten better with rest.  I need another lesson.  

[Phil McDade]

You guys should've stopped 20 miles before Mankato and played LeSueur.

[Dan Kelly]

You guys should've stopped 20 miles before Mankato and played LeSueur.

We all like Le Sueur. Mankato was an experiment. Two of us were Mankato virgins, and two had not seen it since the 1980s. Heck, we could've stopped 100 miles earlier and played Windsong Farm or Midland Hills!

[Dan Kelly]

The 17th Tee:

As we waited on this tee for a VERY slow group of members to slog their way toward the green, I said this was literally a nightmare hole, lacking only a tree to block the backswing.

There is nothing WRONG with Mankato that a large crew equipped with powerful chainsaws could not remedy, if you gave them a couple of weeks. Easily one of the Top Ten Most Claustrophobic Courses I have played (once).

I liked the par 3s.

[Jason Topp]

After watching him struggle at the Tequila Cup in January, I assumed Hart Huffines would provide a wonderful opportunity for me to recover a semblance of self respect at Pinehurst Number 2.  Hart had kindly set up a game with two of his friends who we played in a team match while competing against each other for the dollar. We started on the back nine. At the turn both the team match and the individual battle seemed to be over.  Hart was (I believe) one under par after nine holes and five up against my pitiful effort.  

With the best of intentions I remarked to Hart at the turn: "I didn't remember you were that good."  Coincidentally or not Hart began spraying the ball all over the Pinehurst grounds while I started to scratch out ugly pars.  Before we knew it I had drawn even with Hart and our four ball opponents were done for.  

At that point an all out pillow fight ensued.  I do not remember much about it other than hitting it deep in the trees, pitching out, hitting an indifferent shot and realizing I still had a chance on the hole.  I managed to remain one down coming to the ninth primarily due to Hart's largesse in allowing me to remain in the match.

On the ninth, a fine par three, Hart hit a good tee shot.  I  stepped up, hit my shot . . . and then depression set in.  

2 down.

[Buck Wolter]

You guys should've stopped 20 miles before Mankato and played LeSueur.

Crazy --a guy at work was telling me about LeSueur today and complaining about the canted fairways, blind shots, firm greens and I was thinking I might have a GCA scoop. Then I see it in a thread ---with Old Town.

As far as Mankato CC goes, I wonder if its the juxtaposition of all the prairie in Southern Minnesota that keeps people from getting rid of trees that obviously make several courses worse. I played New Prague GC last week and really enjoyed it but would cut down at least 200 trees if I was given a can of orange spray paint. Some great specimen trees but far too many that block tee shots, shade tees and greens or scrubby evergreens that keep you from recovering from an errant drive.

[Phil McDade]

You guys should've stopped 20 miles before Mankato and played LeSueur.

Crazy --a guy at work was telling me about LeSueur today and complaining about the canted fairways, blind shots, firm greens and I was thinking I might have a GCA scoop. Then I see it in a thread ---with Old Town.

As far as Mankato CC goes, I wonder if its the juxtaposition of all the prairie in Southern Minnesota that keeps people from getting rid of trees that obviously make several courses worse. I played New Prague GC last week and really enjoyed it but would cut down at least 200 trees if I was given a can of orange spray paint. Some great specimen trees but far too many that block tee shots, shade tees and greens or scrubby evergreens that keep you from recovering from an errant drive.

Buck:

Proves my theory that when it comes to the GCA discussion board, there are no more unknown courses out there. I think we may have jumped the shark in that regard when Tom Doak (twice, in the past few months) highlighted a course in Nepal, with sherpas as caddies.

[Jason Topp]

Took it on the chin again today - at Dallas National at the hands of Greg Clark and Lou Duran.  Dixie Cuppers should avoid Duran like the plague or recruit him to your squad.  He has been practicing.

Dallas National is quite a club.  Photo Tour:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php?topic=53036.0

[Jason Topp]

I finally won money in a match against a GCA participant . . .  but forgot to make the $1 bet!  I played in the FSGA 4-Ball one day event that took place over two days.   It was my second visit for this event, and had a fantastic time.  These events are perfect for my taste.  You have to post a score but the atmosphere is pretty loose and a large percentage of the participants are focused on having a good time.  

Ben Kodadek kindly arranged an appropriate crew of illustrious Florida residents to join a Minnesota friend and me.  None of us took the title but I do have $20 from Ben in my wallet which will offset all of my $1 losses to the rest of the people I visited this year.  I have discovered that the key to winning golf matches is not playing better.  Instead you need opponents who play worse.

The venue was Old Corkscrew near the Fort Myers airport. I liked Old Corkscrew better on a second visit than I did last year.  The course beats you up and the greens drive you nuts.  If you are worried about hitting it right and left you are going to struggle.  Nonetheless with the correct Calvinistic sort of attitude, it is possible to appreciate the punishment it delivers for your errant game.

In our final round, I played at Kingsway Country Club in Port Charlotte.  Kingsway is a well conditioned Ron Garl course with a good set of par fives and a goofy set of back tees squeezed into a relatively small property.  For $44, it was one of the best values I have experienced at a warm winter destination.

 I got to play 18 holes with my father who over the last few years has had both hips and a knee replaced as well as very significant shoulder surgery.   The sun was out.  Spirits we good.  My father's friend Bob cracked out the essential equipment of Florida retiree golf - the ball retriever.  

Most importantly, my father played without pain for the first time in many years.  The game does not get any better than the pleasure of enjoying a day with family one more time.

Happy holidays to everyone this year.  I hope to see you in 2014.

[Jason Topp]

In early December, I snuck in a round at Dallas Cowboys Golf Club by our own Jeff Brauer.  Greg Clark cancelled out on me so I count this match as a victory by forfeit.

The day was interesting from a weather perspective.  It was 80 degrees when I started with a south wind.  At some point during the back nine the wind switched to the north.  It remained warm for the round but you could tell cold air was coming.  The next day's high was 35 with sleet.

Cowboys will never be considered a natural golf course - the design brief clearly called for the spactacular.  The greens were some of the most severe I have experienced - due to both steep slopes and spines that left you in an almost impossible position if you bailed out to the wide side of the green rather than went for the pin.  With a rusty swing and rental clubs - I was not in much of a position to go after pins.  Here are a few pictures to give a feel for the place:

The 4th - note the Cowboys Star that provides the aiming point off the tee and my failure to get my hand out of the way of the camera:



Example of artificial fairway mounding, I believe on the 16th:



The 18th, a par five with angled bunkers running from front right to front left of the green in Colt-like fashion.

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