Cuscowilla

[Mark Pritchett]

I visited Cuscowilla this past weekend and was surprised that the club has demolished their clubhouse.  The plan is to build a new clubhouse to the right of the current tenth tee and reverse the nines.  I believe Cuscowilla is the most underrated C&C design in their portfolio. 


The course was in perfect shape and as good as always.  I wish the best of luck to the club on the planned changes. 

[BCrosby]

Surprised to hear they are redoing the clubhouse. The old one was one of my favorites.


Cusco, I think, is the second best golf course in Georgia and one of the best C&C courses anywhere.


Bob

[John Kavanaugh]

Reversing the nines is genius. I thought the par 5 start followed by a difficult walk par 3 was one of the worst 1-2 combinations in golf. With that being the back nine some relief should avail.

[Carl Nichols]

Reversing the nines is genius. I thought the par 5 start followed by a difficult walk par 3 was one of the worst 1-2 combinations in golf. With that being the back nine some relief should avail.

That's a different 1-2 setup than when I played, which was the same as in Ran's review (see http://golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/the-golf-club-at-cuscowilla-ga-usa/) -- a really good opening par 4 of moderate length and a wide fairway but with a tricky green, followed by a par 5.  The par three was the third hole.


Reversing the nines means that the new first hole will have a much more daunting tee shot than current #1.

[Josh Tarble]

That's an interesting switch.  On one hand the (current) front 9 is the best 9 in my opinion and the (current) final 4 holes are a rough slog.  On the other hand, 10 11 and 12 are possibly the most memorable holes on the course and to get them right out of the gate isn't ideal in my opinion.

[John Kavanaugh]

Carl,


Thanks for the clarification. I must have forgotten the first hole after my long wait on 3 tee. My apologies.

[Tom_Doak]

I thought the first at Cuscowilla was one of the best opening holes I've played ... heck I think we diagrammed it in The Confidential Guide, or were going to.


The present 2nd and 3rd do slow down play a bit, though I've never played when there were enough other people on the course to be an issue.  Starting on the back nine will have some of the same issues:  #10 has all the water in play, #11 is a par 3, and the little 12th [which is another of the best holes on the course] with its dicey green can take a while to finish, too.


Was there a rationale for the flip-flop, other than the new clubhouse position is more convenient to either #10 tee or #9 green?

[Anton]

The current 10th hole is a beautiful cape and one of my favorites ..... but I would dread it as an opener.  That much water right for a 1st hole will lead to quite a log jam right out of the gates - slicers nightmare.  Plus a par 3 2nd hole with water in play right, and a tight tree lined short par 4 3rd will really complicate the situation.  I don't really understand the logic.  I like the current layout since it has a nice rhythm.  Just my opinion.