Without any real planning or forthought I sort of completed a mini tour (orgy) of Davis Love III courses last month. Playing three different DL3 courses in a little over a week. I didnt really even think about it until I was playing the second course and realized that I had a tee time for that weekend on my third DL3 course in a week. It was quite interesting to see the differences and grasp a little bit about how they try to mix many traits/theories of Ross and Raynor in their different courses. Unfortunately I have been so swamped since that week I have never gotten around to posting anything about it. I am finally doing so. Sorry it took so long.
It all started with Barney at Kinderlou Forest in Valdosta, GA. Then the week I was up in NC and decided to finally get out to see the redesign at Forest Oaks CC in Greensboro (met up with Greg Holland), and then that weekend I got a chance to get out to The Patriot GC that just opened near me in Ninety-Six, SC. So it was indeed a DL3 tour. I managed to get in a great day in there also with fellow GCAers Jonathan Doyle, and our host Dunlop White at Old Town Club in Winston-Salem, but that post and pictures will have to wait until I have more time. I have just been swamped and I figured it had been a while since I was at Kinderlou so it comes first.
Kinderlou Forest CC in Valdosta is the dream of the Langdale (pardon any misspelling) family that owns Langdale Products Co. A very large privately held forest products company. Apparently they are giving something back to the community, because the membership is unbelievably reasonable given the quality of the golf and ammenities at the club. I think they said initiation was $3000 (no I am not missing a zero) and around $150/month.
Unfortunately this was during the breif time when my camera was being sent back to Kodak, so I have no pictures of Kinderlou. KF was a real treat, I was not sure what to expect as I had never played golf in Valdosta area and didnt know what to expect from the terrain. The terrain/course was rolling but eminently walkable. Although Barney and I were dissuaded from walking numerous times by the staff, I guess they took a look at the size conditioning of the two of us and figured we would never make it through the heat and humidity. Against their opinions we survived. Again it was refreshing most all of the holes had the championship tees just a few yards from the previous green. Considering there is a housing development that is involved with the course it was not intrusive, and only caused one time where you had to cross a street, and still probably had a walk of not more than 100-150 yards to the next tee.
The couse played through some nice varied terrain incorporating native wetlands, creeks, and a large quarrylike canyon on the front nine. The back nine started through a fairly open expanse, moves to some typical GA pine forest area, before returning back to the open expanse on 18 playing up to the clubhouse.
The following week Greg Holland and I got out to Forest Oaks. We first had to wait out a fairly severe rain and lightning storm so some of these pictures may show some of the effects of all that rain. DL3's group (our very own Paul Cowley) came in and completed a renovation that was completed in time for last years Greensboro Open. However according to Greg the course really hadnt grown in like they wanted it. I will be interested to hear this fall how the players/TV people feel about the course. The fescue areas are coming in nicely and I thought the renovations were great.
The original design was by Ellis Maples in 1962, but Fuzzy Zoellers group came in back over 10 years ago, and redid the course. They pushed the greens up considerably and by and large it was not well received by the players over the years. The Love work was not carried out with the specific goal of returning to Maples design, however interestingly enough Paul has told me that they found many of Maples original green structures very near the same grade that they planned their greens sites. So it has returned very nearly to the oringinal topography in many areas.
As Greg was nice enough to demonstrate for the camera here are some of the fescue "native" areas that are coming in nicely around the course. I am looking forward to seeing the course on TV this with a few more months of growth.
Here is a view of the great Biarritz green on the par 5 2nd hole. The center trough is very pronounced and the green is a treat to play. It presented numerous challenges and really made the hole something special.
The green at the par 4 5th hole showing a very Raynoresque feel. The cresent bunker wraps around to about 1o'clock position.
False front on the 6th green a tough dog-leg left par 4 of 454 yds.
9th greensite. The green has a fairly square shape and some good bunkering left.
Approach and green of the par 5 13th hole. Note the false front, but what also might not be as easy to see is the false edge that falls off left near the middle of the green.
Fescue coming in on the left side of par 4 14th hole, also you can see more long and right of the green.
Big false front on the front right portion of par 5 15th hole.
Another Raynoresque greesite at the par 4 16th hole.
Approach to the home hole. The fescues coming in down the right hand side of the tough par 4 18th hole. As you can see the light was getting a little low for any decent pictures.
The course is a joy to play, and I really enjoyed what Loves group has done. As I said before I am looking forward to seeing it on TV this fall and see how it is received. Any Raynor fans may want to come see this place. It was not done as a specific Raynor replica or anything, it just has alot of his influences that can be seen.
I want to get this thread posted and started so I will do so. I will post about The Patriot when I get a chance. It may take me quite a while as you can tell it took me a month to post this.