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Jason Thurman

  • Karma: +1/-0
Back before Ballyhack and Kinloch, our own Lester George designed a daily fee course in Falmouth, KY for the Kentucky State Parks system. The course at Kincaid Lake State Park was designed to be an 18 holer, but only 9 holes were built. I was driving through the area yesterday and decided to swing by. It's in the middle of nowhere and one of the most severe properties I've ever seen for golf. The state doesn't pour a ton of resources into the course, and Kincaid Lake is one of the smaller parks in the state park system, but the course and park both provide affordable recreation to a small rural community. At my visit, it was 90 degrees outside and the pool was rightfully packed while only a few groups were on the golf course. I paid $7.50 to walk, though I would later wish I had a cart. The course was in rough shape and the property isn't conducive to great golf, but it does feature a stretch of really good holes from 4-7. In particular, the fourth is one of the most interesting holes I've seen.

The fourth at Kincaid Lake is a 510 yard dogleg-right par 5. On the scorecard, it looks like a pushover. Then you arrive at the tee and see this:



The fairway is on the left side of the photo and wraps around the trees in the middle. If you look on the right side of the photo, you can see a greenside bunker through the gap in the trees. Remember, the camera flattens things. I checked it on a topographic map and the green is a full 120 feet above the driving zone. Here's a look from a little farther down the cart path.



I hit my tee shot well, but pushed it a little right. and ended up in the right rough, maybe 20 yards beyond the trees. Since there's a second fairway at the top of the hill to the right of the green, my second shot was hit from the bottom of the hill straight ahead with a view similar to the photo below. In this shot, you can just see the flag at the top of the hill:



I didn't really know how far from the green I was, but I figured the layup to the second fairway looked pretty simple. I pulled out a six iron and it came out just a little hot and left, and I ended up 30 yards right of the green just past pin high, but jammed under a tree. I punched up near the green and ended up with a bogey after missing a 6 footer.

On the tee, the hole looks impossibly uphill, but I was surprised at how playable it was. It's the widest hole on the course, so you can take a big swing off the tee. Once you get to the second shot, the weaker player can follow the fairway up to the hole and tackle the elevation change over the span of two or three shots, while the stronger player can take a risk and try to hit the shallow second fairway or even go at the green if they really want to gamble. I thought the hole worked surprisingly well despite its ridiculous terrain. I'm interested to hear the thoughts of others though.
« Last Edit: September 11, 2014, 03:53:39 PM by Jason Thurman »
"There will always be haters. That’s just the way it is. Hating dudes marry hating women and have hating ass kids." - Evan Turner

Some of y'all have never been called out in bold green font and it really shows.

RJ_Daley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: One cool hole on a $7.50 course
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2014, 12:24:45 PM »
With less trees and more sand, maybe it is something like Mike Strantz might have designed... Obviously it is a draped over existing land forms with little grading or shaping, thus I suspect the bargain yield of $7.50  ;D.   I'll bet your calves were burning... :o
No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Nigel Islam

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: One cool hole on a $7.50 course
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2014, 12:32:47 PM »
I think Kentucky State Parks have some pretty cool courses for their prices. I wish Indiana had a similar system. There are couple courses with similar terrain in my neck of the woods. Pennyrile and Audabon. It's funny I just looked up Lester's course last week when he mentioned it on the Louisville thread.

Jason Thurman

  • Karma: +1/-0
Re: One cool hole on a $7.50 course
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2014, 12:34:42 PM »
RJ, my lungs were definitely burning at the top of the hill. I was laughing to keep from crying as I climbed it. It was probably overambitious of me to run 8 1/2 miles afterwards. I'm not feeling nearly as energetic today.
"There will always be haters. That’s just the way it is. Hating dudes marry hating women and have hating ass kids." - Evan Turner

Some of y'all have never been called out in bold green font and it really shows.

RJ_Daley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: One cool hole on a $7.50 course
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2014, 12:40:28 PM »
After reading yours, I need a nap!

There is a course near Mt Horeb WI, (Deer Park or Deer Links or somesuch) with a down and back up pair of holes that look similar in elevation.  I haven't and won't likely be playing it... But, I reckon I'd give Lester's a go sub 70* temperature.
No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Tom Bacsanyi

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: One cool hole on a $7.50 course
« Reply #5 on: June 22, 2014, 01:37:43 PM »
Love it.  I can see the "Kincaid" template hole catching on at hilly sites ;).  Mine would have bunkers instead of saplings. 
Don't play too much golf. Two rounds a day are plenty.

--Harry Vardon

Nigel Islam

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: One cool hole on a $7.50 course
« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2014, 02:21:00 PM »
So did the hole play shorter than the yardage since you cut the dogleg some?

Paul Gray

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: One cool hole on a $7.50 course
« Reply #7 on: June 22, 2014, 06:18:31 PM »
Brilliant.

Just how many far more expensive courses don't have a single hole which compares to this little gem. Thank god nobody had the money to shape it differently. I'd give $7.50 just to have a walk around it.
In the places where golf cuts through pretension and elitism, it thrives and will continue to thrive because the simple virtues of the game and its attendant culture are allowed to be most apparent. - Tim Gavrich

Jason Thurman

  • Karma: +1/-0
Re: One cool hole on a $7.50 course
« Reply #8 on: June 23, 2014, 09:22:34 AM »
RJ, I used to drive past Deer Park every week when I was living in Madison and working in Des Moines. I know the holes of which you speak, though I haven't played them either. I suspect the slope at Kincaid is even steeper, but it's also spread over a shorter distance which is what keeps it from becoming unplayable.

Nigel, are you suggesting that I'm not a long enough hitter to be long of the green in 2 on a 120 ft uphill 510 yard hole with a 6 iron? I resent that. I do suspect, though, that the hole's yardage is measured down the center of the fairway. If you play to the upper fairway or toward the green with your second shot, it probably trims close to 100 yards off the hole. The real thing that worked to my advantage, though, was that I was just on upslope of the hill to the right off the tee. From a level lie in the fairway, I'd have a hard time getting the height to climb the hill. With that uphill lie though, I had no problem getting enough loft and when the ball came out a little hot it made the distance easily.
"There will always be haters. That’s just the way it is. Hating dudes marry hating women and have hating ass kids." - Evan Turner

Some of y'all have never been called out in bold green font and it really shows.

Nigel Islam

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: One cool hole on a $7.50 course
« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2014, 01:29:46 PM »
RJ, I used to drive past Deer Park every week when I was living in Madison and working in Des Moines. I know the holes of which you speak, though I haven't played them either. I suspect the slope at Kincaid is even steeper, but it's also spread over a shorter distance which is what keeps it from becoming unplayable.

Nigel, are you suggesting that I'm not a long enough hitter to be long of the green in 2 on a 120 ft uphill 510 yard hole with a 6 iron? I resent that. I do suspect, though, that the hole's yardage is measured down the center of the fairway. If you play to the upper fairway or toward the green with your second shot, it probably trims close to 100 yards off the hole. The real thing that worked to my advantage, though, was that I was just on upslope of the hill to the right off the tee. From a level lie in the fairway, I'd have a hard time getting the height to climb the hill. With that uphill lie though, I had no problem getting enough loft and when the ball came out a little hot it made the distance easily.

I was just assuming it was into a strong wind because you said you were trying to lay up ;)

Lester George

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: One cool hole on a $7.50 course
« Reply #10 on: June 23, 2014, 06:55:08 PM »
Jason,

Sorry to hear it is not in good shape.  looks like they are mowing it with a Park Mower, no definition.  Given the severity of the site, I thought my team did well with only one uphill hole per se.  I am surprised it was your favorite, but it is fun.  By not mowing the right side fairway on top of the hill, they are eliminating a very important strategic option, and, you know how I feel about them.

I do remember we had to look at about 1,100 acres to get the routing for the 18 holes!  It is very severe.  Actually, the clubhouse goes up on the high point behind the 5th green when (if) it ever gets built.  Thanks for the update.  Brings back some good memories.

Lester

Nigel Islam

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: One cool hole on a $7.50 course
« Reply #11 on: June 24, 2014, 01:41:16 AM »
What year was the course built?

Jason Thurman

  • Karma: +1/-0
Re: One cool hole on a $7.50 course
« Reply #12 on: June 24, 2014, 10:00:48 AM »
Lester, I'm not sure how indicative the conditions at my visit are of the standard conditions of the course. We had a really rough winter for Bermuda in Kentucky. A lot of courses have completely lost their fairways. Kincaid's fairways were shaggy, but mostly grown in although you can see a few struggling spots in the photos of 4. The third hole is in the worst shape, and the ninth may only be 50% grown in, but the rest has come back. I suspect they're cutting the turf a little long and less frequently just to reduce stress on it. The greens were fantastic at my visit.

I don't know if the fourth was what I would call the "best" hole on the course. 7 would probably be my pick there. But it was definitely my favorite after one play. The scale of the hole really doesn't come through in photos, but arriving to that tee made me feel like the kid in Jurassic Park who gets stuck in the tree, looks at the situation, and whimpers "This is impossible." It's really daunting, but surprisingly playable. I love good uphill holes and also liked how the fourth quickly gets you to the top of the course so that you can cruise along the ridge back down to 8 and 9.

Was 7 always a par 4? I have a friend who thought it was a par 5 at one time. I loved it as a ridge-running long par 4 with a big kick forward for a ball that lands in the fairway. I really liked 5 as a par 3 too. It felt like it would fit right in at Kingsley.
"There will always be haters. That’s just the way it is. Hating dudes marry hating women and have hating ass kids." - Evan Turner

Some of y'all have never been called out in bold green font and it really shows.

Lester George

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: One cool hole on a $7.50 course
« Reply #13 on: June 24, 2014, 10:11:31 AM »
Course was opened in 2004 if I remember correctly.

Number 7 was always a par 4. 

Thanks for the update.

Lester

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