Dismal River (White Course) profile is posted ...

[Eric Smith]

Matt,

You're absolutely right. It's been in need of updating for some time. Fortunately, the new website is supposed to go live on Monday so be sure to check back then.

[Chris Johnston]

Kudos to Team Nicklaus for thinking way outside their box on this one.  Like others I have come to enjoy the White the more I have played it.  The par 5's are all excellent, there are a couple of fun short par 4's, a handful of great longer par 4's and great finishing stretch from 15-18.  Perhaps what holds DRW back is the fact the par 3's as a set leave a lot to be desired which is puzzling on such an expansive property.  From the Horseshoe Tees the par 3's in order measure 146, 141, 160 and 161.  Huh?  While 5 is not great its also not terrible.  Its weakness being in my opinion the fact it mandates only one way to play it via a high soft shot to the middle of the green regardless of where the pin is located. A pretty demanding shot (no surprise on a JN course) on an uphill, fairly blind par 3 often played in a stiff wind. If it were the weakest in a set of otherwise great par 3's I don't think anyone would have an issue with it. However then you get to Hole #10. One quirky par 3 I think you can get away with, but two doesn't work in my opinion and something I just don't get on a property where you really shouldn't have any weak holes.  And where is the variety?  I also think there is an easy fix for #10 that would improve all the par 3's as a set..  Just to the right and behind the ninth green is a ridge. From that ridge to the middle of the green its 225 yards and I think the green site would be pretty visible on a line over the snack hut about 30-40 yards right of the existing tee.  Blow out the bunker in the middle and make it a big two tiered green with a big punchbowl in the back and you'd have I think a great long par 3.  Play #5 fairly short maybe around 135-145 and spread #3 (155-165) and #15 (175-185) a bit apart and you'd you have really nice variety in the par 3's.

Hi Dan,


Each of the 3 pars have a variety of distances a player, or group, may choose for play.  We put the horseshoe tees on all of them at a fairly common distance, mostly for beginning reference.  With no tee markers or course rating, members play these holes from everywhere.  Maybe at next year's 5th Major, we'll vary them to provide variety.  The fun part is if you play the 3's longer, aside from #10, the greens complexes still work.


wrt #10, as much as I'd like to change the hole, it's a member favorite.  It is also the hardest hole to maintain for our crew, yet is also a hoot to play.  We may have to change it for maintenance reasons alone.


I think one of the challenges at the White is it can be stretched to 7,500 yards, so length on any hole is available for those who wish it.  To me, each hole has a "true distance" where the challenge is perfect, and that 'true distance" may change by the day due to wind.  With no tee markers, the player gets to play the hole and course they want and, while very much out of the norm, we like that.

[astavrides]

With no tee markers or course rating, members play these holes from everywhere.  Maybe at next year's 5th Major, we'll vary them to provide variety.  The fun part is if you play the 3's longer, aside from #10, the greens complexes still work.

I think one of the challenges at the White is it can be stretched to 7,500 yards, so length on any hole is available for those who wish it.  To me, each hole has a "true distance" where the challenge is perfect, and that 'true distance" may change by the day due to wind.  With no tee markers, the player gets to play the hole and course they want and, while very much out of the norm, we like that.

I may be in the vast minority on this on this website but I like a course to have a slope and rating. I like to know how I did, other than just winning or losing a match if it is match play. I also like to 'get credit' if I play a good round and like to see my handicap go down for my efforts. This is probably the only thing I don't like or love about Ballyneal.
 
I don't necessarily agree with the USGA dictum that every round should be posted, although I do follow that myself since it is a rule. So if other people want to vary the tee markers they play from or whatever, I certainly don't care.
Dismal River does have a course rating and slope according to usga.org, although it doesn't specify red or white course, so I assume it's an old rating for the white course. To wit,

Blue 73.2 139                                                                                36.5                                                                                /                                                                                135                                                                                                                                                              36.7                                                                                /                                                                                142                                                                              98.9

[Dan Herrmann]

I personally love the White course.  Every hole is seared into my memory, and I've only been out to Dismal River twice.

My favorite shot may be the tee shot on #18 from way back up on top of the dune.  Or the hero tee shot on #2, cutting off as much as you dare.   Or the approach shot to #9 which, when properly struck, can seem to be in motion for almost 30 seconds (great ground movement up on the green).

#10 green is polarizing and goofy fun.  You sure wouldn't want to hold a US Open with #10 in the mix, but who cares!

But the best thing to me about White and Red is the sense of place.  Dismal River is huge and awe-inspiring.   The vistas are stunning enough to make you stare.  The stars at night are so numerous that they can't be counted. 

Like it's next-door neighbor, Dismal River is a special, special place smack dab in the middle of nowhere Hooker County, NE.  And that makes it just about perfect.


PS - Doak did some stuff at Red that I think is magical.  I'll leave most of them for a profile on Red, but I need to mention one item that took me back.  When you get to #2 tee on Red, you'll see a blowout way in the distance on a dune.  It looks like it's 10 miles away, but it serves as a beacon to the green.   It's a friggin wonderful design feature that most probably wouldn't notice the first time they played.

[Andrew Buck]

Well, to be fair, he needs to be able to point to some reason (whether made up or not) why the Red gets a better score in the CG than the White beyond just his dislike of Nicklaus....

Thanks for reminding me to order volume 2.