Golf Club Atlas
GolfClubAtlas.com => Golf Course Architecture Discussion Group => Topic started by: John_Cullum on October 22, 2008, 10:52:23 PM
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In spite of a few last minute cancellations resulting in a rather small crowd for Dixie Cup V, I felt the gathering was a roaring success. I want to thank all of those who attended from afar for taking the time to travel to my part of the country for a few rounds of golf and the unique Golfclubatlas.com camaraderie that we have a unique talent for creating and sharing.
As for the golf, I was most pleased with the conditions we found on the chosen courses. I have never played Pine Barrens or Dunes when either was better. And it seemed as all of the satellite venues held their own as well. I heard nary a complaint from the group about any.
Saturday morning at Pine Barrens may have been near perfect. The greens rolled out beautifully, and every hole location was perched to give the player a jolt if he thought he had secured his par with a mere green in regulation.
Holes of note at Pine Barrens were the 5th with the hole cut just over the rim of the false front, with the best approach going toward the middle to leave an uphill putt back toward the front; whereas an approach up the hill that just fails short comes back off the green.
The 10th where a tee shot that finds anywhere other than the green on this 200 yard hole leaves one scratching his head. The all world 12th allows the player to take his approach long and let gravity bring it back close to a left side pin, and the longish 13th with a hollow on the front right of the green that kills a seemingly perfect approach to the front hole location.
For most, the Dunes had not been seen before. A stiff breeze toughened an already stern test. If you hadn’t realized you were in for something different when you stood on the first tee at Dunes, you certainly had an appreciation when you saw the green surrounds on 1. The par three 6th reminded us of the valuable lesson of staying below the hole, and the long uphill 8th into the wind was all anyone cared to take on, although the front hole location took the deep long bunker out of play. The jury is still out on the new 17th green, and the hole cut on 18 may have been beyond the pale, but all in all, I believe we all enjoyed it.
The North team was a bit overwhelming in strength, but there’s always next year. Steve Hyden is a heck of a player, and now that the long hitting Scott Burroughs has found a driver he can put in play, he is definitely one to fear. Alex Duran’s driver will be sent out for testing, and I’ll have to keep working on my putting. Thanks again guys, it was a great weekend.
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And a big thanks to you Sarge for your coordinated efforts.
Pine Barrens was indeed in perfect condition, those pin placements had to be THE most diabolical set of pins I've played in years. 3 eagle putts...3 pars.
Dunes was equally beastly. My buddy Graham had a 4 footer (above the hole) on the 18th at Dunes to win his match against Craig Disher and three putted to lose the point!
Alex Duran hits it a mile and a half - he's a great player. Losing 7 & 6 has never been such fun.
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Many thanks to Sarge for organizing this event; things proceeded with such precision it was incredible. I will echo the comments on Pine Barrens. When I first played there over 10 years ago, their greens where slow and grainy; thank God for Tif Eagle. This grass really brings the contours of those greens to fore and many a ball was degreened during the morning round! Are you sure Fazio designed this gem? Rolling Oaks is a great layout that would, in my opinion, benitfit from a similar grassing shceme. Although the slower greens didn't let any of us sniff the 63 that was shot by the Future Collegians World Tour that morning! World Woods is one of the few places in the US that has top notch tournaments and keeps fairways at a playable width; most were closer to 50 than 30 and that's good in my book. The Dunes is truely a "Work of Art"; what more can I say.
The satallite events were impressive too. Brooksville CC is a wonderful family Club; the addition of the quarry holes make it now quite an exciting venue. Bobby Weed's work in the quarry and sprucing up the bunkering on the back nine has taken this course up a notch. Although I hate too say it, the best hole on the golf course has to be the par 5 7th, with drum roll please: a Redan Green! I can't believe Sarge didn't point this out to us while we played. One great thing about GCA Events is: if there's a Sunday Pin Placement, you will get it! We certainly saw a few of them over the weekend. Sarge, Lou Duran and I played Dunedin CC on Mon. and what a pleasure that was! Just a great walkable Ross Course that hasn't been tinkered with too much. The Mini Verde greens where rolling really slick; I actually won a hole in our skins game by playing 4" of break on a 2 ' putt from above the hole; that's fun in my book!
One final consideration is the price of Oct. golf in the greater Tampa area. Rounds at WW were $50, the Dunes a mere $26 on the weekend no less. Brooksville was $26 but they let us go out for a second round with only a cart fee; Melvin would have saved $10! How many people can play an unspoiled Ross course, in splendid isolation, for $44! We did break the bank at TPC Tampa for an extorsionate $89 on Tues; But Bobby Weed's work here is quite good. All in all the verdict is: get down to Tampa for some of the best golfing deals on the planet !
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Pete,
Sorry I missed this year. Can you fill in a little detail on The Dunes? Is it walkable? Lost balls? it looks very interesting but sounds too cheap?
(http://www.dunesgolfclub.com/images/stories/dunesmap.jpg)
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Mike,
The Dunes is totally unwalkable; because they won't let you do it! Craig D and I had planned to walk but were told told in no uncertain terms by the Chicago starter that walking was NOT allowed. There are a few green to tee disconnects but nothing that Scott Buroughs couldn't overcome! I'm sure Craig and I finished with the same ball we started with; our third had some accuracy issues but we found his ball more often than not; the only place we couldn't find a ball was in ther water hazard on 11. I was pleased to see that the course was doing a brisk business; lots of couples teeing of when we finished at 1:00. This course has some extreme pin placements in the back corners; wicked slope!
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I don't know why they are so adverse to walkers. For the most part it's only about 50 or 60 yards between greens to tee.
Another thing about Dunes is that even though you see all of those lots on the plat, there are only about 12 houses on the course. A few on 5, one at 6 tee, and a few on 7
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Pete,
Sorry I missed this year. Can you fill in a little detail on The Dunes? Is it walkable? Lost balls? it looks very interesting but sounds too cheap?
You missed three really good courses. While I expected Pine Barrens to be very good (and it was), the Dunes Club was a huge surprise. It may well be one of the worst marketed courses in the country.
Start with their website. It's a great looking course, but their course gallery has nothing but mermaid pictures. ??? The course map looks primarily designed to sell lots and you can't zoom in to see any sort of details. They don't even mention Arthur Hills. That might be to appeal to the GCA site crowd, but for a typical visiting golfer the Hills name would help. The rates were actually $38, so our $26 was a deal that Sarge got for us. But I understand what you mean. It seemed way too cheap, but then so was WW. Pricing in that region is amazingly low, especially when you consider how expensive much of Florida golf can be. As someone traveling, the low rate would really have scared me off w/o having other info on the course. Here's an article from 2001 on the history of the course.
http://www.golfflorida.com/departments/coursereviews/dunes-club-seville.htm
I don't have a scorecard handy and haven't labeled the pics yet, but here are some images of the course.
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s196/jmayhugh/dixie%20cup%20V/dunes%20club/P1020570.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s196/jmayhugh/dixie%20cup%20V/dunes%20club/P1020572.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s196/jmayhugh/dixie%20cup%20V/dunes%20club/P1020577.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s196/jmayhugh/dixie%20cup%20V/dunes%20club/P1020578.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s196/jmayhugh/dixie%20cup%20V/dunes%20club/P1020579.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s196/jmayhugh/dixie%20cup%20V/dunes%20club/P1020581.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s196/jmayhugh/dixie%20cup%20V/dunes%20club/P1020582.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s196/jmayhugh/dixie%20cup%20V/dunes%20club/P1020585.jpg)
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s196/jmayhugh/dixie%20cup%20V/dunes%20club/P1020588.jpg)
Wild greens. Interesting bunkering. Overall good conditioning. I liked the course a lot. Not as good as Pine Barrens, but I thought it was better than Rolling Oaks. More efforts like this & the GCA guys would be clamoring for an Arthur Hills Society.
Brooksville is well worth a detour if you are ever in the Tampa or Orlando area. I was shocked at the quality of golf for the price. But I wouldn't want anyone to think that the value is the principal reason for playing there. The courses are quite good. If not for one idiotic tee shot at Dunes Club, I would have played 54 holes with a single ball. Quite an accomplishment for me anywhere, but pretty much unheard of in Florida. The sandy soil gave us some nice firm conditions as well.
Thanks to everyone, especially John Cullum, for making this Dixie Cup a great event. Sorry more people couldn't make it down. It won't be my last visit to WW and Dunes Club.
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If the Dunes were a girl you would call her a stealth hottie.
Anyone ever figure out why they were closed? What changes were made?
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At the end of the year, I am just hoping that I get to see The Mayhugh 2008 Summary!
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At the end of the year, I am just hoping that I get to see The Mayhugh 2008 Summary!
Only if you promise that my boss won't see it!
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A couple shots from Pine Barrens
(http://5thmajor.com/PB2.JPG)
(http://5thmajor.com/PB3.JPG)
(http://worldwoods.com/_filelib/ImageGallery/Pine%20Barrens/Pinero03.jpg)
(http://5thmajor.com/pbfunnelgreen.JPG)
Tons of movement in these greens, coupled with speed and 'fun' pins made for great fun. Everything above this pin at 3 funneled down next to the hole.
(http://5thmajor.com/PB4.JPG)
The 14th is a terrific par 5
(http://5thmajor.com/PBoptionA.JPG)
Your second shot gives you this option to lay up out to the right (that's the green at the far left in the photo) or…
(http://5thmajor.com/PBoptionB.JPG)
Boldy attempt a 3 wood through the narrow gap just outside those trees guarding the left side of the green
16 from the back tee stretches to 224
(http://worldwoods.com/_filelib/ImageGallery/World%20Woods/shells%20photos/Pinero16.jpg)
(http://5thmajor.com/PBpar3.JPG)
16 -- back tee
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Start with their website. It's a great looking course, but their course gallery has nothing but mermaid pictures. ???
And he's not kidding, folks!
(http://www.dunesgolfclub.com/images/stories/course_gallery/mermaid2.jpg)
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... the Dunes Club was a huge surprise. It may well be one of the worst marketed courses in the country.
Start with their website...
No kidding. I can't even find their website. Google for "The Dunes Golf Club FL" - gave up after the first two pages...
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... the Dunes Club was a huge surprise. It may well be one of the worst marketed courses in the country.
Start with their website...
No kidding. I can't even find their website. Google for "The Dunes Golf Club FL" - gave up after the first two pages...
Just follow the mermaid, Tom.
http://www.dunesgolfclub.com/ (http://www.dunesgolfclub.com/)
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Alex Duran does indeed hit the ball a very long way for a skinny kid, but his dad is still the shotmaker's shotmaker. Even though I was able to negotiate 4 a side in my snarkiest style on the first tee, I still was 5 down at the turn and lost 5&4 despite a minor league rally on the back nine. >:( Well done sir!
Thanks to John Cullum, great job Sarge! Those were two really good courses although way too much sand. Particularly at the Dunes, you stood on pretty much every tee and there was a monster waste bunker down the left side. Driving the ball well was a requirement to do any scoring at all.
One funny thing about both courses, they were both set up with extremely difficult pins. Maybe somebody leaked the news that there were MAGAZINE RATERS in the group. :o
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Mayhugh...Duran....Mermaids....these guys are good.
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One other weird thing about the Dunes Club. While I was hitting balls on the range, I noticed a guy wearing a chef's coat hitting balls as well. Not sure where he came from as the menu at the club was hot dogs & pre-packaged sandwiches. Not as strange as the mermaid pictures, but not what you usually see either. I'll bet you stick around there for a couple of weeks and you can come up with some good stories.
Jon S
Unfortunately not a cougar in sight.
Bill
The sandy waste areas didn't bother me at all. The fairways were generally pretty wide and you could play away from the trouble, but anytime I hit in there the penalty was only 1/2 shot or so. Beats water!
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Bill
The sandy waste areas didn't bother me at all. The fairways were generally pretty wide and you could play away from the trouble, but anytime I hit in there the penalty was only 1/2 shot or so. Beats water!
I was thinking more of the repetition than the challenge. Although those left side waste bunkers were kind of a magnet for our group until we settled down!
Looking at the photos of #3 at Pine Barrens, I feel obliged to report how badly you were screwed on that hole! John hit a fine short iron that appeared to land just short and above the hole and somehow spun down that slope off the edge of the green. :o Not into the water mind you, but lodged on a little ridge there. Perilously perched on the water's edge below the green, John took several hacks and then it was BIP. Hard luck. Or as Bob Huntley would say, "Pity." ;)
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Bill
The sandy waste areas didn't bother me at all. The fairways were generally pretty wide and you could play away from the trouble, but anytime I hit in there the penalty was only 1/2 shot or so. Beats water!
I was thinking more of the repetition than the challenge. Although those left side waste bunkers were kind of a magnet for our group until we settled down!
Looking at the photos of #3 at Pine Barrens, I feel obliged to report how badly you were screwed on that hole! John hit a fine short iron that appeared to land just short and above the hole and somehow spun down that slope off the edge of the green. :o Not into the water mind you, but lodged on a little ridge there. Perilously perched on the water's edge below the green, John took several hacks and then it was BIP. Hard luck. Or as Bob Huntley would say, "Pity." ;)
I agree that the left side waste area was a little too repetitive. Just wish #3 at Pine Barrens had used waste area instead of water.
"Pity" can be used to describe much of my golf performance.
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More thanks to Sarge for organizing, course selection, and finding us some very good food & drink. I had high expectations for Pine Barrens and wasn't disappointed but Brooksville CC and the Dunes Club were also great fun.
Pete Buczkowski hosted three of us at Sugarloaf Mountain and it was a revelation. I'm so accustomed to FL east coast golf that I had to keep reminding myself which state I was in. The course is on the best ground - a real break from typical golf/real estate developments. The clubhouse will be at the top of a hill that gives a view of downtown Orlando 30 miles away and the 9 hole loops play away from it, each finishing in a tough uphill par 5. The course is very walkable even though the 18th has a nasty initial slope that puts the coup de grace on already-tired legs. Thanks to Pete for taking time out of his busy life and showing us a terrific golf course. It's a don't-miss if you're in the area.
For the record ;D, my match with Eric's friend, Brian Graham, seemed to be going my way until I realized we finished at the Dunes Club with a pair of par-5s. I was 2-up and after feeling fortunate to have my 2nd shot past Graham's 1st on most holes, I didn't like my chances. After losing the 17th and seeing Brian play one of the best shots of the match - a 240-yard approach out of the waste bunker to within 10 yards of the 18th green - I thought I was done. Fortunately for me, he placed his pitch above the hole and ran an impossible putt several feet past. We halved the hole and the match was won for the North. Brian's a real player and I was fortunate he hasn't played much recently. Hope he enjoyed the game.
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One other weird thing about the Dunes Club. While I was hitting balls on the range, I noticed a guy wearing a chef's coat hitting balls as well. Not sure where he came from as the menu at the club was hot dogs & pre-packaged sandwiches.
John - The fellow to which you refer was actually wearing a "technician's" lab coat. He was one of the assistant pros offering an early morning swing "analysis & tune-up" for $10. Cute idea.
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One other weird thing about the Dunes Club. While I was hitting balls on the range, I noticed a guy wearing a chef's coat hitting balls as well. Not sure where he came from as the menu at the club was hot dogs & pre-packaged sandwiches.
John - The fellow to which you refer was actually wearing a "technician's" lab coat. He was one of the assistant pros offering an early morning swing "analysis & tune-up" for $10. Cute idea.
Thanks for the clarification. Now I just need an explanation of the mermaid.
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I believe cougars wear mermaid costumes and are better looking down in FL.
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added to http://delicious.com/golfclubatlas/Florida (http://delicious.com/golfclubatlas/Florida)
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The 2008 Mayhugh Summary will take months to prepare.
Hope you are onto it, John!
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For the record ;D, my match with Eric's friend, Brian Graham, seemed to be going my way until I realized we finished at the Dunes Club with a pair of par-5s. I was 2-up and after feeling fortunate to have my 2nd shot past Graham's 1st on most holes, I didn't like my chances. After losing the 17th and seeing Brian play one of the best shots of the match - a 240-yard approach out of the waste bunker to within 10 yards of the 18th green - I thought I was done. Fortunately for me, he placed his pitch above the hole and ran an impossible putt several feet past. We halved the hole and the match was won for the North. Brian's a real player and I was fortunate he hasn't played much recently. Hope he enjoyed the game.
Hey Craig!
After I read your post I called the Grambler, sure enough I had misunderstood him while driving back to the airport last Sunday. (so my earlier post stating he had a chance to win was obviously incorrect, as he could have pulled out only a half point if he had holed his putt on 18.)
Anyway he wanted you to know he enjoyed playing with you and Pete L. Sunday and we both enjoyed the match Saturday with you and Pete B.
Here's a pic for you
(http://5thmajor.com/craigd.jpg)
Take it easy--
Eric
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Thank you John Cullum for putting this wonderful event together. The courses, food, drink, camaraderie, etc. could not have been better. The Tampa area proves in spades that quality golf and value are not mutually exclusive.
One of the upsides of a smaller group is that you get to know people better. As always, it was great fun renewing past acquaintances and meeting new folks. Despite being in the midst of difficult economic times and a high-charged, polarized political environment, everything was positive and friendly.
Bill McBride- you are being way too kind. I did scrape it around the formal matches okay, but as Ward, Pete, and Sarge can attest, the real me showed through quite often during casual play.
Last but not least, I very much appreciate how welcoming the group was toward my son, Alex. I see him very infrequently anymore, and his last minute addition to the event was very meaningful to me. He thoroughly enjoyed the golf courses, Pine Barrens and Dunes particularly, and hit a few impressive shots. He told me how much he enjoyed meeting the group and to pass on his appreciation for being allowed to be a part of this year's DC.
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This is the last of the big 3 I have not attended. I hope I can make Dixie Cup VI.
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Jason - amen...
A little further north is always a help for us yankees.
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Having attended the last two Dixie Cups, I really hated to miss this one but Mom's health made traveling impossible. The pics show that the courses were good, and the fact that the camaraderie was great goes without saying! I'm envious of all who attended.
John Shimp and I have suggested a duo of Palmetto and Camden for an upcoming Dixie..... There are a ton of fairly nearby courses for before and after play, too. Think this would be popular?
Jamey
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I for one would love to see Palmetto and would like to learn more about Camden.
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This was my maiden D Cup and i had a blast. Sarge worked wonders choosing venues for golf and beverage and everyone sported great comraderie and enthusiasm. At the Siverthorn Socail Club my excellent Chicken Marsala- 2 4 1 bourbon and water and two generous punch bowls of old vine zin came to under $30 and the service was great.
I was weaned in the flat Florida courses featuring meandering canals and sand and the dramatic settings in the Brooksville area were surprisingly full of character and challenge; very rolling and even hilly terrain and quarry sites and interesting flora: the pink headed ornamental grass used favorably throughout Pine Barrens to define waste and water edges was beautiful and artfully provided a unifying element for the enti re golf course.
The Dunes was a wonderful golf course and a hell of a test my only general criticism being that too many tee shots were defined by oblique waste areas that were impossible for someone not a regular to properly judge- ok with me on a coupl three holes but somewhat wearying on 7 or more views.
Sugarloaf Mtn was unbelievably hill- like a NC Mtn course and the course features such as tees and greens blended together with their surroundings be it natural areas or fairways that the margins truly disspeared- almost like very hi class pasture golf in a wonderful sense.
Thanks again Sarge and Michael W for a very enjoyable interlude.
Ps John i want to be sure that you know I recieved no compnsation for my playing partner Steve's putting lesson. Don't want to lose amateur standing
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I like Bill Hermann's idea of moving this event up north next year!! Like maybe philly ;)
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Having attended the last two Dixie Cups, I really hated to miss this one but Mom's health made traveling impossible. The pics show that the courses were good, and the fact that the camaraderie was great goes without saying! I'm envious of all who attended.
John Shimp and I have suggested a duo of Palmetto and Camden for an upcoming Dixie..... There are a ton of fairly nearby courses for before and after play, too. Think this would be popular?
Jamey
Jamey - We had this very discussion in Brooksville. We want Dixie Cup VI to be SPECIAL and get the numbers up. I think a Palmetto/Camden CC combo would be a great draw. Palmetto has enough cashet with this group that it would bring some of the diehards out of the woodwork.
Another possible location that was discussed was Black Creek in Tennessee, but I don't know that we can wrangle that kind of access.
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Finally getting to check in after an extended week in FLA (& GA, getting rained out on Friday....was looking forward to playing Kinderlou Forest, but not to be).
Of course, another great trip with GCAers. They treated us well at Silverthorn CC, considering we were the only ones there enjoying the dining & libations. We were surprised to find that the course is open to the public & they said many locals don't even know that.
I found it appropriate that my opponent in the round at Dunes was a UVa alum (John Goodman).
The pleasant surprise to me was Dunes, with some wickedly tilted/sloped greens. Funny thing was we were the first GCA group to go off (amongst us), and we pulled ahead of the group behind us early on, so when we reached #17 (the quasi-Biarritz green), we stayed around for a good 15 minutes trying all sorts of wacky putts (Neil Regan-style). When we reached #18, another wicked green, we did the same thing for another 15 minutes. A good 20-30 minutes later, the group behind us finally finished :-[ ;). We didn't think we were that fast, but..... ;D
I got over to Brooksville CC on Thursday after my conference, and it was also very good, but the caveat is that it is exclusively a back-nine course. The front is 'boring' and nondescript. I am sure that Bobby Weed did no work on it. We're talking Pacific Grove/Tijeras Creek polarity between nines. The back nine is very good to excellent, where Weed did the work/introduced new holes (from new land acquired). The bunkering is far better and different, and then there's the new quarry holes.
Hopefully soon I'll be able to get the pics ready of these 3 courses (2 above + WW(Rolling Oaks) ) and post them.
As for Dixie Cup in Aiken, how far is the Love III design Patriot's Point (name?) in Ninety-Six?
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Is there any comparison between the Dunes Club and El Diablo? The land looks similar, though the greens at the Dunes (at least in John's pics) look to be more interesting.
Also, I don't recall any mermaids at El Diablo.
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The pleasant surprise to me was Dunes, with some wickedly tilted/sloped greens. Funny thing was we were the first GCA group to go off (amongst us), and we pulled ahead of the group behind us early on, so when we reached #17 (the quasi-Biarritz green), we stayed around for a good 15 minutes trying all sorts of wacky putts (Neil Regan-style). When we reached #18, another wicked green, we did the same thing for another 15 minutes. A good 20-30 minutes later, the group behind us finally finished :-[ ;). We didn't think we were that fast, but..... ;D
See how fast you can play when you ride? ;D
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The pleasant surprise to me was Dunes, with some wickedly tilted/sloped greens. Funny thing was we were the first GCA group to go off (amongst us), and we pulled ahead of the group behind us early on, so when we reached #17 (the quasi-Biarritz green), we stayed around for a good 15 minutes trying all sorts of wacky putts (Neil Regan-style). When we reached #18, another wicked green, we did the same thing for another 15 minutes. A good 20-30 minutes later, the group behind us finally finished :-[ ;). We didn't think we were that fast, but..... ;D
See how fast you can play when you ride? ;D
That next group had a match with one cart (Team Duran) taking the other cart (Smith & McBride) behind the woodshed, 7 & 6 and 5 & 4. My seemingly endless desert odyssey :P probably didn't help either.
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Scott - The Patriot is close enough to incorporate into a Palmetto-Camden-Patriot Dixie Cup. That would gives us an old-school Travis/Ross course (Camden), a VERY old-school Herbert Leeds/Alister MacKenzie course, and a modern old-school type course in The Patriot by Love Design's Paul Cowley. Do you think this lineup would draw a bigger crowd?
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There is always someone in the group who has to question the pace of play. If Scott's group played as fast as reported, the time must have made up the time over the last few holes. I distinctly recall being on the same hole a number of times and we played in 4 hours and 20 minutes. Our group didn't hold anyone up and we also played a few extra shots here and there, at times because we had to. We did chase a few foul balls, though they were not all Eric's. Kudos to the organizers for putting the groups in the proper order as to their pace of play.
As to Brooksville CC, there is more topography on the back nine with the four quarry holes, but the the nines are not disjointed. It is not a Top 100 by any means, but a pleasant, reasonably challenging course for most folks. My only real objection is the old hybrid bermuda greens which made reading the grain essential. Some like grainy greens. I don't.
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Is there any comparison between the Dunes Club and El Diablo? The land looks similar, though the greens at the Dunes (at least in John's pics) look to be more interesting.
When it opened around 2000 or so, El Diablo was one of the best courses in Central Florida, arguably the equal of Pine Barrens and in my view superior to Dunes (which I like) and Rolling Oaks (which I don't). It was supposed to be private but back then access was no problem. The memberships didn't materialize, and it went to daily fee and then to cheap daily fee, with the expected deterioration in maintenance. The last time I played it, its condition was crappy and I won't go back until I know it has been improved.
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Finally getting to check in after an extended week in FLA (& GA, getting rained out on Friday....was looking forward to playing Kinderlou Forest, but not to be).
Of course, another great trip with GCAers. They treated us well at Silverthorn CC, considering we were the only ones there enjoying the dining & libations. We were surprised to find that the course is open to the public & they said many locals don't even know that.
I found it appropriate that my opponent in the round at Dunes was a UVa alum (John Goodman).
The pleasant surprise to me was Dunes, with some wickedly tilted/sloped greens. Funny thing was we were the first GCA group to go off (amongst us), and we pulled ahead of the group behind us early on, so when we reached #17 (the quasi-Biarritz green), we stayed around for a good 15 minutes trying all sorts of wacky putts (Neil Regan-style). When we reached #18, another wicked green, we did the same thing for another 15 minutes. A good 20-30 minutes later, the group behind us finally finished :-[ ;). We didn't think we were that fast, but..... ;D
I got over to Brooksville CC on Thursday after my conference, and it was also very good, but the caveat is that it is exclusively a back-nine course. The front is 'boring' and nondescript. I am sure that Bobby Weed did no work on it. We're talking Pacific Grove/Tijeras Creek polarity between nines. The back nine is very good to excellent, where Weed did the work/introduced new holes (from new land acquired). The bunkering is far better and different, and then there's the new quarry holes.
Hopefully soon I'll be able to get the pics ready of these 3 courses (2 above + WW(Rolling Oaks) ) and post them.
As for Dixie Cup in Aiken, how far is the Love III design Patriot's Point (name?) in Ninety-Six?
Scott, it wasn't that you were so fast, it was that we were so slow! (Lots of flailing around in the sand). We also fooled around on #17 for a while, great green somewhat reminiscent of #16 North Berwick.
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I got over to Brooksville CC on Thursday after my conference, and it was also very good, but the caveat is that it is exclusively a back-nine course. The front is 'boring' and nondescript. I am sure that Bobby Weed did no work on it. We're talking Pacific Grove/Tijeras Creek polarity between nines. The back nine is very good to excellent, where Weed did the work/introduced new holes (from new land acquired). The bunkering is far better and different, and then there's the new quarry holes.
The back nine is undeniably more visually striking, but after a few plays, I believe you wouldf develop alot more appreciation for the front 9. The greens have alot of movement, and the route is pretty solid.
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Sarge,
I can't believe you didn't remind our group that the fallaway green on the par 5 7th at BCC was in fact a Redan hole; very interesting concept coming in with a wedge.
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I am not a Redan Hunter, although that green certainly has some redan qualities, even on a 100 yard pitch.
Is 9 a double plateau? 6 is sort of a cape hole around the maintenance area
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6 is sort of a cape hole around the maintenance area
Wish I'd come down a day earlier and seen that! Is it possible to drive it over the maintenance yard?
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6 is sort of a cape hole around the maintenance area
Wish I'd come down a day earlier and seen that! Is it possible to drive it over the maintenance yard?
Not for most of us, but it does have magnetic qualities
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6 is sort of a cape hole around the maintenance area
Wish I'd come down a day earlier and seen that! Is it possible to drive it over the maintenance yard?
Not for most of us, but it does have magnetic qualities
Personal experience? ::)
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6 is sort of a cape hole around the maintenance area
Wish I'd come down a day earlier and seen that! Is it possible to drive it over the maintenance yard?
Not for most of us, but it does have magnetic qualities
Personal experience? ::)
Oh, I've been there, so have a few other GCAers
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"I found it appropriate that my opponent in the round at Dunes was a UVa alum (John Goodman)."
Certainly appropriate, Scott, in that you waxed me (6 & 4?) much as your Hokies have been having their way with the Hoos in football . . . But hope springs eternal, and maybe we can sneak up on you guys this year.
I enjoyed meeting the group (Scott, Mike, John, Alex, Lou and everyone else), and will second the compliments made about the Dunes. I thought the greensites and contouring were just fantastic. That course ought to be enough on its own to keep Art Hills out of the GCA penalty box.
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"I found it appropriate that my opponent in the round at Dunes was a UVa alum (John Goodman)."
Certainly appropriate, Scott, in that you waxed me (6 & 4?) much as your Hokies have been having their way with the Hoos in football . . . But hope springs eternal, and maybe we can sneak up on you guys this year.
It was 5&3, but who's counting? ;D The start of your slide that day was halving #9. :-\
The Hoos are looking good, lately. Anyone can beat anyone in the wacky (but weak) ACC.