Midwest USA GCA Knockout - 2018 (See Reply #41 for Bracket)

[JReese]

[V_Halyard]

The fanastiscally restored Raynor, the Blue Mound Country Club of Milwaukee was gracious enough to provide a neutral site for the oft work, Travel, Snow and Rain delayed Mid-West Knockout Match between Wolter and Halyard. It was a whipsaw battle on a rain soaked course with bionic rough and water standing in water off the fairway. We went to the last putt on 18. Hats off to Buck Wolter who prevailed 1 up! About Blue Mound.It has been covered in Courses by country so there is little for me to add.  Architecturally and structurally, the clay based course seemed to play a wet 8,000 yards if you were off line, yet the fairways and greens were impressively well evacuated of water. So we tried to hit those more... The greens and surrounds are fantastic, expansive and respectfully dramatic. The Biarritz and Redan are nothing less than festive.  My personal measure of this fine course is that even after this epic slog, I found myself longing for some time to go around again. BMCC is what I like to call an LMC, a Lucky Member Club, where you enjoy your course to the point that you are inclined to do laps regardless of the outcome of your last round. Well done Buck and hats off to BMGCC. - Vaughn

[JReese]

Yesterday J. Reese was able to withstand Steve Salmen's late charge at Oak Park Country Club in River Grove, IL.  The course was wet, the wind was up and the rough was tall but the course was still a blast to play.  Oak Park CC exudes history with Donald Ross laying out the course in 1914, and the club turning to A.W. Tillinghast in the 1930's for recommendations on how to minimize maintenance costs.  Former head professionals include George O. Simpson, Horton Smith, Dick Metz and Errie Ball. 

[Josh Bills]

I had the pleasure of playing with George Smiltins at Canterbury Golf Club this week.  The course was in great condition, even after heavy rains the day before.   This gave me what I believe is my first Herbert Strong layout.  George had to give me 2 shots a side and it  proved to be a close match.  The course starts with a cut friendly first which also was the No. 1 handicap hole.  I was one up after one.  George showed why he has the handicap he has as he proceeded to win the next two, though after thinking his ball was lost on hole 4 he proceeded to find it and beat me with a solid par.  We ended the front with me hitting a ball into the parking lot behind the green and all square.  The backside elevations are amazing and the greens were so much fun.  Jean, our caddy, made my life so much easier.  George began the back with a birdie on 10, a short but difficult par 4.  I came back with a birdie of my own on 12 to make it all square.  George got himself in trouble on 13 a well designed par 5 when his draw didn't show up on his second shot and he put himself on the right side, dead to the front right pin.  With a par I was able to go 1 up.  We pushed on 14.  I missed a 2 foot putt for par on 15, I would like to claim it broke, but I just choked it, to stay just 1 up.  Thanks to Canterbury's layout, holes 16 and 18 were my stroke holes.  16 is a beast of a par 5, over 600 yards from the tips and 585 for us.  We both hit the green in regulation and after I nestled my par put within gimmie range, George and Jean read his putt and George hit it perfectly, but it just didn't break a half an inch more right.  I was 2 up with 2 to go.  17 is a brutal, yet brilliant, par 3.  Playing around 185 yards, I stepped up to play my cut, and proceeded to pull it left.  George attempted to play a cut, which he hadn't all day, as it was the only way to reach the back/middle right pin.  He left it out to the right.  I hit the best chip of the day and had 3 feet, straight down the hill.  George kept his chip from a side hill/downhill lie on the green somehow, but missed his par putt and drilled in a 4 footer for bogey.  Despite Jean my caddy saying be aggressive, I'm pretty sure my putter barely touched the ball and it still went almost 2 feet past.  After my display on 15, I knew there was no gimmie here.  I stepped up and actually made the putt for the tie and a win 2 and 1.  If you get the chance to play Canterbury, do it.  The history of this course is amazing, to walk where  Walter Hagen - 1932 Western Open, Ralph Guldahl - 1937 Western Open, Lawson Little - 1940 U.S. Open, Lloyd Mangrum - 1946 U.S. Open, William Campbell - 1964 U.S. Amateur, Jack Nicklaus - 1973 P.G.A. Championship, Mark O'Meara - 1979 U. S. Amateur, Miller Barber, Arnold Palmer, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Dave Stockton have won, was a true honor.   
 

[George Freeman]

Due to my problematic back and a current flair-up, I have conceded my match to Gary Nelson.  I hope to throw my hat in the ring next year.

Best of luck everyone!

[JReese]

[Criss Titschinger]

As Miami Valley Golf Club was the site of the last PGA Championship to be played under Match Play, it’s only fitting my match with Brad Engel took place here.




Miami Valley gets overshadowed by Moraine and NCR (South) locally in the Dayton, OH golf scene, but I could easily play Miami Valley everyday and not get tired of it.



It’s a very playable course with minor elevation changes, but enough to keep things interesting. The greens are very good and have character that you would expect out of a Donald Ross course.



This shot is a microcosm of Brad’s day. We went back and forth on the front 9. I was 2 up after three, but proceeded to lose 3 and 4 to go AS. Eventually, I ended up 1up after 9 holes. The back 9 did not start out kindly to Brad and I took advantage of it, winning 10 and 11 to go 3up. We both played 12 poorly, and (net) triple bogey halved the hole. Any chance of a comeback ended at 13, where Brad found a plugged lie in the bunker and I had a 10 ft birdie putt. The par put me 4 up with 5 to play. After a smashed drive, I would go on to win the match 5&4. Not quite at the location of the winning hole in the 1957 PGA Championship, but I was thankful to avoid further drama.

Next will be a rematch of last year’s knockout, where Josh Bills knocked me out. Time and course TBD.

[Neil Johnston]

Drew Groeger and I plan to play our match this Saturday (weather dependent) at Midlothian in Chicago. If there is another match who might like to join us, I can likely add another twosome to our group.


Thanks!

[Neil Johnston]

Drew and I had finished our match on a gloriously hot day at Midlothian CC on Chicago's south side Saturday. Both of us were visiting the course for the first time, and I think we both had a similar expectation: that is, the course would be a little overtreed. The place could certainly stand to see a chainsaw or two but I didn't feel the trees encroached on play to a significant degree. However, the recent rains caused the rough to be very challenging. Both of us lost a ball in it in the wide open, and we lost a lot of time hunting for balls which should have been easily found (and not very wayward at all).


The greens in some cases were quite severe, especially the first hole, when Drew putted it right off the green from 20 ft above the hole. All in, I enjoyed the greens and got to play a number of really fun short game shots (both chips and putts). Many of the green sites were elevated but allowed a number of approach options.


Agree to an extent with earlier criticism that the holes varied only in length. The par 5 14th was really the only dogleg, but the course didn't feel monotonous due I think to a lot of elevation change (for Illinois at least). Another small criticism: the two par 3s on the front were both overly demanding from the White I thought. 200+ yards to small targets.


I was happy to play there and will possibly go back if the opportunity presents itself.


I took an early lead and hung on for a 4&3 win.

[Nigel Islam]

Ryan Hillenbrand and Nigel Islam played their match at Old Warson. I have a feeling that Ryan allowed me to win so that he could concentrate on preparing for his imminent 2017 championship match. If he wins does that mean I pre-emptively bested the defending champ? Anyway it was a great day. Awesome to see a new course, and a treat every time I get to tee it up with RH.

[C. Sturges]

I had the great opportunity to play my match yesterday against Tom Allen, joining us was Bill Steele, and the venue was Mercer County Elks Golf Club. 
The Mercer County Elks Golf Club is outside of Celina, Ohio and was designed by Harold Paddock, mainly an architect based in Ohio.  I have played almost all his courses and this was a great time to play one off of my beaten path.
 Like many parkland courses more trees could come down to make the course more enjoyable!  There is a nice mix of long and short holes, where with more course knowledge you could get a wonderful chance to attach the course.  The club is also blessed with a fun mix of greensites, some long, some narrow and some with roll offs to make sure you are paying attention!
It was a great match with it all coming down to the last hole for a winner to be decided!  I was lucky to get the win, one up.  Luckily for me I was able to hit my tee ball in play most of the day!!!
The best part of this event is meeting  people in person and getting a game with old friends! 
chris

[Tom Allen]

Yes, I can confirm that Chris did win.

However, I am lodging an official protest, because he was apparently cheating.  How?  He hits the ball long and straight, which is obviously an unfair advantage against someone like myself who hits it short and crooked.

But seriously, though, I had a great time meeting Chris and Bill; fun guys to play with for sure, and I look forward to playing with them again sometime soon.

Chris' assessment of the course is right on point.  An off-the-beaten-path course, with some character, a good mix of length and variety, and some interesting green complexes sprinkled in.

P.S. I noticed the trees (and played from underneath them) more than Chris did. 

[Ryan Hillenbrand]

Ryan Hillenbrand and Nigel Islam played their match at Old Warson. I have a feeling that Ryan allowed me to win so that he could concentrate on preparing for his imminent 2017 championship match. If he wins does that mean I pre-emptively bested the defending champ? Anyway it was a great day. Awesome to see a new course, and a treat every time I get to tee it up with RH.

I'm not used to actually playing, I was counting on you to forfeit at some point!

In all seriousness, Nigel came out of the gates strong with a quick 3 up lead and my comeback attempt was snuffed out when he nearly drove the short par 4 number 14.  Great conditions and great camaraderie. Good luck moving on Nigel!

[John McCarthy]

Yesterday Joe Melchiors hosted myself at his club Chicago Highlands for out match.  Largely to my recentl increasingly zaftig handicap I was able to sneak through 2 & 0.  I took an early 3-0 lead due to obtaining strokes on the first three holes.  Joe drew to within 1 on 12 then five draws in a row, including a scrambling 5 on 17 to allow me to go dormie.  18 and then it was over. 


I very much enjoyed Highlands.  A few weird holes (the volcano 9 stands out) but it may be the windiest course in Chicagoland. There are a lot of truly blind shots with few visual clues.  Also the course played easier than the other times I have been out there because the green speeds are reduced due to the late spring.   


Thank you again Joe for hosting.

[Jon Adkins]

Unfortunately, Zack Molnar and I aren't able to schedule a match until later this summer, so we decided that I'll take the first-round win to keep the bracket moving.

[JReese]

[Criss Titschinger]

Josh and I played Troy Country Club in Troy, Ohio yesterday for our match this year. We didn’t know a whole lot about it going in, other than the layout is credited to Tom Bendelow. What we would later learn is that the course was originally 9 holes and added on to later by Jack Kidwell in the 80s.

I would like to look at the original aerials of the course, because surely I-75, which is immediately adjacent, had to affect the routing in some way. While the course is immaculately maintained, the layout is… well… let me put it this way. The local golf association (Miami Valley Golf Association) was out at the course. I’m not sure if they were scouting for a tournament or doing general rating. They couldn’t figure out where the 11th green was as we stood on 12 tee. Josh and I almost played the wrong hole, thinking hole 12 was actually hole 8. The path from 7 green to 8 tee was not obvious.

There are a lot of tee-to-green transitions that are much longer than should be on a golf course. In fact, the transition from 8 to 9 required walking the full length of the 165 yard par 3 9th. The transition from 13 to 14 required walking the full length of 13 back up to 14 tee. The back 9 has to be the original, as it has the better part of the property and a bit of quirk. The front 9 feels largely like a Florida resort course. If the greens had some character, I could overlook some of these shortcomings. Unfortunately, aside from a couple greens, most were pretty basic and flat.

As for the match, I totally choked this one away. Apparently, playing in Dayton this year does well for me, as I was 3up after 9 and on pace for a personal record score. This, along with me getting 5 strokes on the final five holes, had me feeling pretty good about my position in the match. In a combination of me falling apart and Josh picking up his game, my lead evaporated by 14 and I was 1 down 16. I managed to take the match to 18, but Josh pulled through with the 1up victory.

This was quite an education on how courses can be laid out, and made me appreciate my home course’s routing a bit more.

[Neil Johnston]

Mr Dolan/Siebert - have you guys been able to play?

[Buck Wolter]

Nigel Islam put a whooping on me at Davenport CC 4&3, birdie at 1 to start and 15 to close it out. Big props to him for doing a 12 hour roundtrip to meet-up.

Really enjoyed the round there -- my first Alison and it lived up to the hype. Hopefully they keep going on tree removal, seemed like some opportunities are still there for vistas and playability. Wonder what it would be ranked in Minneapolis, Chicago or even Des Moines? 

Enjoyed this event immensely --doesn't hurt that I played Blue Mound and Davenport. Losers bracket?

[Nigel Islam]

Thanks Buck. That was a really cool course. Really enjoyed the day. Alison really used the river valley and creek to maximal effectiveness. My first venture into Iowa golf was definitely worth it, and no better playing partner than Buck.

[JReese]

[John McCarthy]

I was able to defeat Jon Adkins 2 & 1 yesterday at The Highlands of Elgin.  It was a brutally hot and humid day.  Jon has a 1 year old boy at home so golf is not his top priority.  I got down 2 by the 5th, made the turn up one, got it to up three by eleven, then held on from there. 


The course was wonderful.  When I sprayed it into the tall grass I was given a much better lie than I deserved.  I believe they burn back the tall stuff every fall and it has (finally) been dry for a few weeks. 


Thanks Jon for a wonderful match and great company.

[Jon Adkins]

Thanks, John. I enjoyed the company and the good match. You’re going to be a tough out the rest of the way!


Highlands of Elgin was impressive. It’s a fun layout with good width, interesting greens, and a nice variety of holes overall. My only gripe is that it’s not an easy walk, especially on a hot and humid day.

[C. Sturges]

I had the great pleasure of playing my match yesterday with Josh Bills at his home course of Urbana Country Club, Urbana, Ohio.  Urbana was originally built as a 9 hole course, designed by “Pink” Dye, Pete Dye’s father.  PB Dye added 9 holes to make the current course 18 holes. 
The front 9 of the course are the new holes designed by PB Dye.  They play over nicely rolling terrain and offer a great mix of holes.  This is easily my favorite 9 holes I have played designed by PB. The 3rd is a fun par 3 with a wonderful green complex.  I would enjoy practiceng on it all day!  The front 9 are also a lot more open than the back 9.  When the club added the new holes they changed the starting hole, but did not loose any holes or change the routing of the course.  The back 9 feels very tight on the tees, but is very open once you get out on the hole.  There are a couple of views that really reminded me of views on courses by Mike Strantz.  The 14th hole in particular, it looks tight and narrow until you are out in the fairway.
Urbana Country Club is a true hidden gem in my opinion.  Is it a top 100 course, no, but it is a course that should be seen and enjoyed!
Josh was a wonderful host, helping out as a great caddy as both his range finder and my gps had no battery power.  We got to play with only the help of the 150 posts and 100 yard markers.  The course was in great condition after receiving a lot of rain the previous day and night.  Josh said the course had been playing firm and fast and I believe it.  A lot of the cups where full of water, but the greens rolled great and there was no sign of all the rain.
 Lucky for me Josh got distracted at the turn and I was able to get a head in the match and stay there winning 3 and 2.
Thanks Josh!  I look forward to playing again!
chris

[Matt Bielawa]

Ryan Taylor and I finally completed our match for the ages last night.  The match began with 18 holes at the Willie Park gem, Red Run, which has been renovated in the last several years by Bruce Hepner.  Mowing lines have been altered and some tree removal has occurred, much improving the golf course.  Shaved areas around the greens make for increased recovery options, and fairway cut all the way to the edges of the bunkers makes them come into play more often.  It was a match with many halved holes.  Finishing up after the sun went down, I felt pretty good about my one-up lead on the 18th tee.  However, Ryan put his approach shot to 6 inches, and tapped in for birdie to square the match.  With no sunlight left for a playoff, there was no winner after day one.


So, rather than re-convene somewhere for a sudden death playoff, we decided to play a full 18 hole playoff, in classic US Open style.  We met up at Inverness yesterday, where Ryan's better skill finally won out.  He got off to a quick lead, which became insurmountable.  At 5 up with 5 to play, I kept fighting and was able to hang around all the way until the 17th green, eventually losing 2 & 1.  It was an awfully memorable match, playing 36 holes over two courses in two states.  Congrats to Ryan and good luck in the next round!

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