Matt, would you be able to share any more photos from the day and golf course?
I can do you one better, my friend Mike was able to snag some weather cancellations so I was able to go around
twice today (special thanks to the guys working their first day and still giving me the heads up on a second cancellation right before I left). It honestly didn't even rain on us (it maybe sprinkled for one hole) so I really it was really unbelievable to be able to play on the first day back opened.
Clubhouse:
#1 (left side of the photo):
#1 green (apologies for the blacked out faces, didn't think about sharing these on the internet, so didn't ask).
#2 (my friend Mike on the tee)
#2 green
#3
#3 green
#4
#4 green
#5
#6
#6 green
#7
#8 green
#9
The bus ride home:
So, I was able to play both the front and back tees and I will say it's very clear that the attention to the front tees was well done. On the back tees I was hitting full shots on each hole, with a slightly open sand wedge on the shortest ones. However playing from the front tees, almost every shot was either a short wedge or a bump-and-run 6 iron. The front tees were as fun as the back tees, and I suspect that we will play Ballyneal rules as far as teeing the ball during the next match, as the options really play to different strengths and weakness on the front and back.
As a regular at the course, I really have to praise Blasi's work on #2, #5, and #6. Without even being allowed to really change the holes (it was not technically a redesign), he was able to take three of the worst holes on the course (especially #2), and make them extremely interesting. The biggest thing I noticed, however, were the recovery shots. Most of the tee shots from the back tees play the same, so they seemed very familiar, where the play was really exciting trying to make an up-and-down on these enormous greens with crazy slope. That felt
very, very different, and significantly more interesting than before.
The other
huge noticeable change was the sand soil under your feet. Running it up to the hole (which I did on nearly every hole from the front tees) was simply not feasible previously. Now it very much is. The only birdie I had today (uff those contours!) was running it up the left on #7 and having it trickle right, just short of the hole.
It was really a special day for us. The forecast had it dumping rain all day (and it did on my bus ride home), but we managed to play in merely blustery conditions. I really can't wait to make it back out there.