TD states:
The weather changes quite abruptly in Montana, back and forth. May through October is pretty dependable golf weather although it's possible to get sub-freezing weather on either end. It's also possible to get 70-degree days outside that window. The course remains available whenever members want to play it.
The elevation varies from 4960 ft. at the high point of the course (7th tee) down to 4580 ft. at the 17th green.
It's bentgrass greens, but dwarf bluegrass fairways and tees. I was skeptical of the dwarf bluegrass providing a firm surface when we started, but the superintendent got it so firm and fast that the membership asked him to tone it down a bit.
I simply don't have enough playing experience on good fescue FWs to become an ardent fan. I'm basically a hack but like to try to move shots left and right to meet the golf hole design challenges. So, I can pull them off on occasion and it is pretty much the essence of enjoying great design over interesting terrain. With that said, I love to play on firm and fast dwarf blue as found at Wild Horse and Bayside. I enjoy hitting off those surfaces. Therefore, it seems to me that Rock Creek would also be a blast.
My question to Tom is with his revealing remark above that seems to have indicated a bit of preconceived bias against dwarf blue, and a history of lobbying the owner towards fescue from the experience of High Pointe, do you now have a greater likelihood to recommend dwarf blue in harsher climates, if the soil is right? Most particularly, I'm interested in what thoughts you might have IF... that sand based terrain in Adams Co., is pursued. Would you be comfortable with a dwarf blue FW scheme?
I'm guessing the question becomes that the transition from FW to approach of the dwarf blue onto the greens surrounds at Rock Creek may be similar to the issues faced at Wild Horse. The dwarf blue overtaking the previous fescue dominated then dominated by bent, now more blue moving right up to the green collar is more springy and bounding and not as pure of a roll as the original firm fescue on surrounds, thus chipping or putting from near and off the green is a bit less an option on the longer cut dwarf blue.