Michael Chadwick's Brambles Course Profile Now Live

[Andrew Harvie]

Brambles Course Profile


James Duncan's impressive list of golf courses under the Coore & Crenshaw helm includes the unfussy Austin Golf Club in the plains of Texas, in the shadows of the notable Hamptons clubs at East Hampton, Clear Creek in the Californian mountainside near Lake Tahoe, and the dramatic Shanquin Bay, edged into the dramatic shoreline of the Chinese coast. Quite the résumé! Notably, he led the jobs at both Austin Golf Club and Shanquin Bay.


While living in the Bay Area in the early 2010s, Duncan began to envision a club that captured the spirit of the game from his homeland of Scotland, particularly motivated by North Berwick and St Andrews. Not that the San Francisco area doesn't have great golf, but he wanted something of his own, and Middletown, California seemed like the perfect fit. In 2014, Duncan found the plot of land he felt best-suited for his vision, acquired in 2017, and in 2024, the golf course opened as a Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw golf course.


GCA member Michael Chadwick wrote a course profile above, which you can click on the link and read in detail. I have yet to get to Brambles, but what a superb mission, effort, and aesthetic—certainly unique in California and elsewhere. Congratulations to all involved!

[John Foley]

Those are some spectacular views!! VERY well done!

[Cal Seifert]

Out of all of the courses that have opened in the past few years, this is the one that interests me the most. I love the lay of the land look and long views of the course. Great to see course profiles being uploaded with some regularity again. One of my favorite aspects of this site.

[Joe Hancock]

If anyone gets the ooportunity to meet and spend time with James, do it. He’s a dear friend and a wonderfully smart, well traveled man. A captivating story-teller as well. I hope to get out to Brambles at some point to take in what he and his team created.

[John Kirk]

This new course scores high on the uniqueness scale for me.  it looks fun and it looks interesting.
(a couple days later)...
Boy I have become a master thread killer.  Not my intent.

[Andy Johnson]

Photos from the most crowded day in young Brambles history.


Great place and read on it Michael.

[Michael Chadwick]

Photos from the most crowded day in young Brambles history.


Great place and read on it Michael.

Special thanks to Andy and Club TFE for arranging a great event, where I was fortunate to meet James.

[Joel_Stewart]

If anyone gets the ooportunity to meet and spend time with James, do it. He’s a dear friend and a wonderfully smart, well traveled man. A captivating story-teller as well. I hope to get out to Brambles at some point to take in what he and his team created.

Have to agree, James hosted my self and another at Brambles early last year.  They made some interesting decisions, using zoysia grass which we normally don't see in California.  The club had hired an agronomist as a consultant who recommended Santa Ana Bermuda but Bill Coore and James overruled him and insisted on Zoysia.  When I played there in April 2024 it was still immature, especially the greens which were only running about a 5. Some of the problems with the grow in is the soil.  They were not blessed with the great soil in Napa which produces wine, its a heavy clay thats rocky.


As you can see by the photos, the course lays on the ground just perfectly.  Its very hard to see what was created and what is natural.


Lastly, the greens don't appear to be USGA spec. I'd like to ask someone on the property how they constructed and seeded the greens because most seem to be a natural extension of the fairways.  They also have micro undulations unlike a USGA spec green.

[Ira Fishman]

A very thoughtful profile for what looks to be an intriguing course.

[Kevin_Reilly]

Enjoyed a round there yesterday.  The zoysia really doing well.  Rock hard fairways and greens.  Fairways dormant, and I was told they are only mowed once per week.  Greens were "firm but slow" during their early months, but really picked up speed late last year and yesterday played at a very comfortable pace.


I don't think a ball mark has ever been made on a green.



Saw sheep on hills!


Youngest son leaving nothing in reserve on a drive:


https://youtu.be/eIqVgRHj1ec?si=fiFaPRODZta3eSSl




Edit:  nice profile Michael.

[PCCraig]

I really need to make it to Brambles. Looks unbelievable.

[Kevin_Reilly]

Middle son video, to be equal.  Great to be playing this time of year in 70 degree temps with dormant turf.


https://youtu.be/1asZc-U7dno?si=W3vxXvhKAoJdxH7T

[Mark Mammel]

My son Gordon and I played there about a week ago. It was really an interesting shock to see as we drove in that the only green areas were the rough! The zoysia is dormant and so it was all brown is beautiful. The burn in front of the first green reminded me of the first at St Andrews. Below is the walk from 18 tee.


Below is a painting of the 6th hole, done by Athena Rose Schlom, whose husband Taylor is one of the stalwart caddies there.

[Mark Mammel]

sorry, the painting didn't display correctly. Looked ok in preview! Trying again.

[Jerry Kluger]

My only problem with a course like this is it so much a feel course and by that I mean it is so important to understand how to play a shot either in the air or on the ground and after you play a hole you really want to go back and play it again.  It is so true with so many great courses that you really want to go back and play it again because you have learned so much the first time you played it.  Hopefully one day I will get to play Brambles - twice.

[Bret Lawrence]

Michael,


Thank you for putting this great tour together. The course sounds intriguing and looks very interesting. 


Bret

[Keith Phillips]

Brambles looks very interesting.  For further reading I recommend looking at James Duncan's highly entertaining bio on his website!

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