Stonewall Awarded 2023 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Stonewall, located in Chester County, 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia, will host the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur on its Tom Doak-designed North Course, which features challenging green complexes that require an exacting short game.


“With the Curtis Cup at Merion this year, the Women’s Mid-Am at Stonewall in 2023, and the U.S. Women's Open at Lancaster in 2024, Pennsylvanians will be able to watch elite female golfers play wonderful area venues in three consecutive years. We are delighted to be part of that mix,” added Kim Gradisek, co-chair of Stonewall’s Championship Committee.

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/articles/2022/02/stonewall-2023-us-womens-mid-amateur-pennsylvania.html




And a great logo too...
https://www.stonewalllinks.com/

[Tom_Doak]

Interesting that they are using the North Course for the event.  The winner will have to have a great short game - those are some of the most difficult greens we've ever built.

[Matt_Cohn]

Interesting that they are using the North Course for the event.  The winner will have to have a great short game - those are some of the most difficult greens we've ever built.

Is it all on one course, or do they use both for stroke play? I really enjoyed the North/Udder course. It should be a great site.

[Tom_Doak]

Is it all on one course, or do they use both for stroke play? I really enjoyed the North/Udder course. It should be a great site.

My understanding is that it's all on the North course.  I don't know that the field for the Women's Mid-Am is big enough to require two courses for qualifying.

[Joe Bausch]

My understanding is it will be held entirely on the North course.  A course I happen to love.


I have many photo albums of the course, my fave probably being this one from the fall of 2020:


http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/StonewallNorth_2020/index.html

[archie_struthers]

 


Always thought I could read any green. Then I played Stonewall lol

[Ed Brzezowski]

Going to be fun watching them try to figure out some of those greens.


Some great golf coming to the Philly area the next few years, going to be fun.

[mike_malone]

If they need a second course French Creek would be fun. It’s across the street. I’m hoping they will force FC to cut down the high rough around the bunkers

[Tom_Doak]

If they need a second course French Creek would be fun. It’s across the street. I’m hoping they will force FC to cut down the high rough around the bunkers

Well, yeah, but there's a more walkable course that's part of the same property.

[Rory Connaughton]

For sheer fun, I'm not sure there is a course in this part of the state that can compete with the North  . . and if you are approaching from the right angles you have a good shot at scoring well.



This may seem like a strange question but, Tom, was it as fun to design and build as it is to play?

[Tom_Doak]

This may seem like a strange question but, Tom, was it as fun to design and build as it is to play?

Yes.  I always say that if the crew is having fun, the golf course will turn out fun.


My crews in those days resembled all-star teams and Stonewall North was no different.  Kelly Blake Moran came down to visit at one point, and I introduced him around to the crew:  Don Placek was the lead associate, Brian Schneider and Kye Goalby and Eric Iverson and Brian Slawnik all shaped greens there, and the finish crew included Kyle Franz and Philippe Binette and Dan Proctor [freelancing from Coore & Crenshaw].  So, just a hell of a lot of talent in one place.*


Plus everyone at Stonewall has been like family to me since we built the first course, thirty years ago this summer - and half of those same people are still on staff there today!




* We were building the course while waiting for Cape Kidnappers to start, and having so many guys on site tended to produce a "can you top this?" vibe while building the greens, which explains why it may be the wildest set of greens I've ever built.  In general, I try to avoid that vibe on projects nowadays, but on the other hand, that course is a lot of fun.

[archie_struthers]

 


Don’t forget Rand Middleton at Stonewall. I know Tom D would know the story better than me 🤔


And once again those greens would befuddle Bones, Angelo Argea , Fluff, and even Archie 😇

[Tom_Doak]

Don’t forget Rand Middleton at Stonewall. I know Tom D would know the story better than me 🤔


And once again those greens would befuddle Bones, Angelo Argea , Fluff, and even Archie 😇

Rand was there for the first course, not the second.

[archie_struthers]

 


My bad Tom , only played the Old , which definitely tested my green reading skills. Felt better that my caddie who came along couldn't figure them out either , though he won't admit same!

[Tom_Doak]

My bad Tom , only played the Old , which definitely tested my green reading skills. Felt better that my caddie who came along couldn't figure them out either , though he won't admit same!

The only green on the Old Course I couldn't read is #16.


True story:  when we were shaping it, Gil Hanse and I had a transit on the green to check the elevations, and it baffled us.  You'd think it was falling one way, but the instrument said it was going to the other side, and the next reading, it wasn't, but it was still falling to the back.  After a few minutes, I said, "Well, it's all draining somewhere, right?" and Gil agreed, and presto, it was finished!