On Monday, I just played the Sherman/Grant nines with a fellow GCA'er (we drove the then-closed Meade nine) and came away highly impressed. Sharing the old Sand Barrens footprint, it's vastly different and significantly improved.The Fry/Straka work was extensive and throughly enjoyable.
Maximal in its scale and and aesthetic, the super-majority of the holes are truly interesting from the tee shot through to the final putt. It is also wildly photogenic.
Abundantly wide fairways along with scraped sandy waste areas combine with strategically-placed (diversely-sized) bunkering to share the landscape with occasional adjacent ponds and scrub. Collectively, and with good routing, they've created considerable eye-candy. Think Galloway National meets Old Sandwich or Boston GC, sprinkled with a touch of Calusa Pines and Shadow Creek.
Sure, most of the elevation is, or was, at one time-artificial, yet the look and more importantly, the course's playability is undeniably outstanding. There are definitely a few dud holes, and some that seem semi-forced into spots, yet overall the golf is rock-solid and certainly fun.
[/size] Conditioning is still [/size]slightly a work in-progess in places as the they've just sequenced in the final holes and are already experiencing overwhelming levels of play per month. That said, the holes open the longest are playing fast & firm and with greens at near-perfect speeds. Their head super, Scott Bordner, came from Chicago Golf and certainly has a good handle on this large-scale facility.
The real winner throughout are its greens and surrounds. Most are sizable with fantastic movement. Rolls, wings, steep back slopes, bowls, etc…One could have fun all day with challenge putts from various greens areas. Quite a number of the green surrounds are also superb with graded edging that demands deft skill to successfully navigate. Casual bailouts aren't always treated equally.
All-in-all, we both came away thrilled we'd make the long-drives to see it. It's a course, I truly enjoyed and can't wait to get back to.