Last weekend, I went with three friends to Okemo for two nights at the Jackson-Gore hotel and rounds at Green Mountain National, Okemo, and Tater Hill. The weather was very, very muggy. Friday and Saturday hit 90 with what seemed like 100 percent humidity. The haze obfuscated the views that are so spectacular in the fall.
We started on Friday afternoon at Green Mountain National, a muni that is regarded by some as the best pubic course in the state. Weekend play required a cart, which ended up not being a bad thing given the heat and hilly terrain. GMN is a very tight course that isn't incredibly long. One guy in our group was a short hitter, so we played one up from the tips at about 6,200 yards. I think I hit driver only twice, opting for a 4-iron more often than not. While the course gets heavy traffic, the greens were spectacular and incredibly fast. Huge undulations, coupled with the speed, made for a cautious day with the putter. Here are a few photos in no particular order:
Next on the trip was Okemo, a course I played a few years ago and came away less than impressed with. I remembered lots of lost balls in the tall grass (heather?) and many forced layups. On the second time around, my opinion changed dramatically. Coming from the narrow fairways of GMN, Okemo's open vistas were refreshing. It bills itself as an American heathland course, an obvious a marketing term but it does convey something different than the typical New England layout. Okemo is also not incredibly long. We played it at about 6,300 yards, and I hit driver at least 10 times. I'm not sure if they thinned the wispy grass, but it seemed to be much easier to find wayward balls than it was the last time I was there. There are a few clunker holes . . . the 9th in particular feels like it was forced into position to get you back to the clubhouse while also not extending beyond the property border. There are also some odd routing choices, but I would guess that also had to do with balancing the nines, environmental concerns, etc. Here are some photos:
The last course on the trip, Tater Hill, was a letdown from the moment we drove into the parking lot. The first hole is a 175-yard par 3, and tree limbs that extended over the tee box were definitely in play with my 7-iron. Not really what you want to think about when you start your round. The next few holes were brutally boring, constructed in a wide open field with single rows of trees separating the fairways . . . everything that is bad about low-budget New England golf. The first few holes were built 50 or 60 years ago, and it's clear they didn't require an ounce of imagination. But then, without warning, the course took a turn for the better. At about the 7th, we ventured onto holes that were built within the last 10 years, and I have to admit they were really good. This was a totally different look than the other two courses . . . tree-lined but wide corridors. Huge greens with subtle slopes rather than wild undulation.
After the first few holes, I was wishing we had just stayed at Okemo. I was hung over after a much too late night at an Irish bar in Ludlow, couldn't find a water to save my life, was hot, wanted to watch the Open, and generally was pissed off that I drove 30 miles to get to this dump. By the end of the day, I would put Tater Hill a notch below Okemo but just as good as GMN. If the first few holes weren't so unbelievably bad, this could be a really interesting course. Unfortunately, my picture of Tater Hill are bad. It was so bad early on that I didn't take out my camera, and by the middle of the round I was having so much fun I totally forgot about pictures. Here's the best of what I've got, which really don't do justice to the quality of the design:
At the end of the day, if I had 10 rounds, I would play 6 at Okemo, 2 at Tater Hill and 2 at GMN. I would definitely like to get back for a few rounds in October, when the cool crisp air, foliage, and firm conditions would bump up the experience considerably.