Does Somerset Hills have a consulting architect?

[mike_malone]

I was wondering

[Tom_Doak]

Yes.  Technically, it's still me, but they have been mostly working with my associate Brian Slawnik for the past ~ 15 years.


The one thing I did accomplish was to get them to write a mission statement, so we could advise them based on that.  That was a great exercise, it really helped them clarify what they wanted.

[Ira Fishman]

Well, Brian has done a truly fantastic job. The presentation of the course, the green complexes, and the details were off the chart good when we played it last year.

[Bill Shotzbarger]

It's always a fun conversation as to whether someone prefers the front nine or the back nine. They are both so excellent in their own ways. I personally prefer the back.

[Eric LeFante]

The front is much longer and generally more difficult. The back is full of danger and scoring volatility. It is short (3,190 yards from the back tees) so you can have a lot of scoring opportunities but water on holes 11, 12, 15, 16 and difficult greens bring big numbers into play. I think holes 17 and 18 get a bad rap as a lot of people think the a good finish means long and difficult. These two holes are short and birdie is in play on both. But slightly misplayed shots will make par difficult, which is even more frustrating than bogeying long difficult holes.


The flow of the nine reminds me of Augusta National' second nine; the beautiful corner of 11 and 12 where it's tough to get the wind right, incredible holes in the middle of the nine that will likely determine a match, the par 3 16th that will clearly expose the player who is nervous as only a precise shot will stay on the green, and then two finishing holes that are not the highlight of the nine but both birdie/birdie and bogey/bogey are in play. Golf aside, it is a gorgeous walk with the pond, stream, ridge, quarry, hills, and trees.

[Bill Gayne]

It's always a fun conversation as to whether someone prefers the front nine or the back nine. They are both so excellent in their own ways. I personally prefer the back.

It is an interesting question that I've discussed with a couple of others. My preference is the front nine. The few times that I've discussed the question, It becomes about the 11th and 15th holes. Their preference for the back nine was that they thought those were their favorite holes on the course. Whereas, 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 8th were favorites for me. On the back, 13th and 14th were my favorites.

[Tom_Doak]

I can never think about Somerset Hills without remembering what it was like the first time I saw it, in 1980.  I wrote a letter to their green chairman, and was invited to play with him.  Conditions were, generously, "shabby chic" . . . that was the first club where I considered that "old money" did not believe it prudent to spend lots of their money maintaining a golf course.


How times have changed!