Truthfully, the weather could have been much worse. The original forecast when we started planning back around Tuesday called for a high of 33 degrees. While we ended up at a balmy high of 40, it should be noted that only one GCA member thought we were a little nuts for driving that far to play in that weather, and everyone else either joined or lamented that they couldn't. Meanwhile, everyone from my "normal life" to whom I disclosed "Hey, I'm driving to Piqua on Sunday to play golf in 35 degree weather at a club that opened in 1896 and has 9 Ross holes!" thought I was insane.
They weren't wrong. I just like to think their reasoning was.
In the end, my 90 minutes was the shortest drive of anyone who came (and I didn't do any of the driving either). We had guys come from as far as Louisville, Cleveland, and Michigan, driving ~3 hours or more.
On to the course:
Piqua CC occupies a charming, gently rolling property. I know very little about the property's history, but it wasn't surprising to hear that the front nine was the Ross nine, as it displays a lot of the characteristics of Ross that form the "signature" of his work. Namely, his hand is revealed through the use of the one substantial slope that descends from the west side of the property down to the stream on the east side of the property. Not surprisingly, the front nine made constant use of the slope and stream to create interesting golf holes.
However, as we ventured out into the north end of the course on 5 and 6, the holes didn't seem to fit. Several of us noted that those two holes felt less "Rossy." You could have told me that 5 was a Ross hole and I would have believed you, as it was a good stout par 5 that used bunkering to create a zig-zagging route to the green despite a straight corridor, and had some excellent green surrounds. The 6th, though, with its retention pond in the middle of the fairway and blind from the tee, just didn't feel right. For that matter, 7 had a very large green compared to the rest of the front nine and the water hazard near the green was also surprising.
Thankfully, HistoricAerials.com filled in some of the gaps. Here's an aerial from 1959, when Piqua still had only nine holes:
The Ross corridors then, it can be assumed, are holes 1-4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 17, and 18. That, of course, adds up to 10 holes and it should be noted that 4 looks a little sparse in the aerial. It's certainly present, but the green is tiny, the bunkering is out of character with the other 9 holes, and the more modern aerial view seems to show a green that has been moved slightly. A more modern view is here:
Perhaps the most noteworthy thing for me is that the 8th has been reversed. In the aerial, the hole playing through that corridor clearly played uphill to a large and well-bunkered green. This isn't surprising, as the water carry on the second shot at 8 felt a little out-of-character compared to other Ross holes I've played. However, I also think it's easily the best par 5 on the course in its current incarnation with its plunging downhill tee shot and risky second. One of my complaints with Ross is that he rarely presents spectacular shots and instead favors more "solid but playable" holes. In the case of the 8th, I really like the current downhill version and my first thought when looking at the uphill version is that it looks like a stout test but perhaps a bit "sloggish." While I chunked my second when I had a chance to reach in two, I drank enough trying to stay warm during the round that I was easily able to imagine the thrill that it must be to hit the green in two. I'd be interested to hear others' thoughts on this. There's no doubt to me, though, that while I may prefer today's downhill route, I certainly prefer the bunkering and shaping present in the original. The greenside bunkers look pretty cavernous from the aerial, and the the centerline and wing bunkering playing up the wide corridor looks like a blast.
For me, the standout holes all came from the ones pictured in the aerials above. The current 2, 3, 8, 9, and 18 were probably my favorites. Kidwell's holes weren't poorly designed at all, aside from the headscratcher at 6. They simply occupied far less interesting property. I'd be very interested in learning more about the overall history of the property - when each section was purchased, how the decisions to purchase were made, etc.
One other thought I have when looking at the old aerials: Piqua has some delightfully sporting qualities and is a fun 18 holes with 7 or 8 really good ones. There's real reason to consider the loss of the course a tragic one in the classic sense. Yet, in looking at the 1959 aerial, there's another tragedy. The loss of the bold Ross bunkering and width has removed a lot of scale from Piqua and left several of its holes a bit neutered in their current incarnation. The current 17th and 3rd are the most notable examples, with vastly weaker bunkering by comparison to their 1959 incarnations. The bones of a VERY good 9 hole course are all over Piqua, and it will be a real shame if golf on the property is lost forever. However, as is the case at thousands of other courses across the US, it's equally sad to think of what the course once was compared to what it has become through years of well-intentioned but ultimately detrimental tinkering and benign neglect.