I’ve been lurking on my phone unable to log in for years. Archie has pulled me back to the PC this morning… I couldn’t resist. Stonewall is my happy place. I sincerely hope you enjoy your return!
Interesting to see everyone’s 10 round splits. I think I have a unique perspective, and the guys I’ve run before it by haven’t killed me for it, so here goes:
Absent extenuating circumstances, it’s not about the walk (North is easier) or cart availability (North only). It’s not about the greens (North wild, Old more traditional / classic). It’s about the test, your personality, and what you want for 3 hours of your time.
The Old is a pure championship test - off the tee, into and around the greens, and finally on them. With rare exceptions of #12 and 16 (maybe six & eight), the short side miss is DEAD. It’s just so easy for good players to make bogey and walk away scratching their heads, carding one of the highest rounds of their year. Then looking at their higher handicap buddy playing a usual game and posting a round they are very proud of. It hits every mark of a course that’s tougher for scratch than a bogey golfer.
The North is pure fun [--W---I---D---E--] off the tee, then challenging into greens where elephants were laid to rest. A feast for the imagination – using the ground and slopes to work the ball, on approach, around and finally on the greens. But here, due to the extreme internal contours, the short side miss is PREFERRED on 3, 4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18. It plays significantly easier relative to par and GHIN rating (2-4 additional strokes on Old than North are common, depending on tees).
Those who want a stern challenge, are a bit (?) of a masochist, or want to see where your game stacks up – your split will always favor the Old. If that’s not you, your split will favor the North.
It’s a great problem to have.
@Archie_Struthers – Anyone who says they can read the green on 16 Old is a liar. Have fun!
@Ryan Book – Do you write Yelp reviews? I’m glad I’m not a chef. lol
@Mike Malone – preach. (BTW RG's evolution is exceptional. Kudos)
@Tommy Williamsen – one trip around the North needs a boost. Entire holes change depending on tee/hole locations, much more so here than elsewhere.
@Mike Nuzzo – yes, Tom inherited much of the routing. Too often it ends there – IMO, he deserves soooo much more credit for breaking the other Tom’s routing around 3-4-5-6 and 9-10-11-18. Many of the other holes were/are impacted by an unground petroleum pipeline. And not the least, what lays on the ground today is vastly different than what would have been. A light touch always wins.