New England's Original Tillinghast

[RDecker]

It is my understanding that you recently played at
Berkshire Hills C.C.  I was wondering what your impressions
of the course where?

[redanman]

I was suitably impressed with the overwhelming potential of this site.  Steve Curry has a Tillie's own hand water colored drawing of the layout with all the bunkers which were never created.  If restored (Or created) to Tillies own ideas it will be a course to  honor, maybe as high as a 7+ due to the great site.

As is, it is a diamond in the rough, a 4 or 5.  Wonderful par 5's - 2, 4, 10,  par 3's - 3,5  and 4's 6,8,9,11,14,16

Lots of potential, lots of fun to play.  


This course surely is the most oout of the way Tillinghast in existence.  Shawnee-on-Delaware (Poconos) is Grand Central Station by comparison.

Greens were a little hard to evaluate as maintenance was going on, but the contours were clearly visible and Steve has plenty of good grass going already.

[redanman]

Updated and brought to the top as this course deserves discussion if anyone else has been there.

A site to see how good your eye is.

[Paul Perrella]

   Having been a former member of Berkshire Hills I know the course very well. Holes #2 & 10 are very good par 5's and the par 3's on this course (5 of them) are also a good group. Steve Curry has a very good idea of where this course should be heading and I certainly hope he is allowed to incorporate some of his plans. The club is in the process of building a new clubhouse and some of their resources have been directed towards that.  Steve has done an excellent job of TREE REMOVAL and should be allowed to continue his work along these lines. This course is a classic example of what too many green committees over the years can do to a terrific layout.

  With that being said, I love this course and agree 100% with Redanman that this course can some day be a solid 6 or 7 on the Doak scale. It will take a commitment by the board to cut, restore and unearth the vast potential of this Tillie course.

[TEPaul]

redanman:

That's Steve Curry of the famous "Steve Curry greenspeed barometer"! That's the way all greenspeeds should be monitored and the stimpmeter, if it's seen at all should only be in the hands of the super and any number should be only known by him!!

So, how did you find the greens of Berkshire Hills and their speeds?

[RDecker]

Redanman, did you notice the par 3 5th hole is a classic
example of Tillinghast's "Reef" hole, and one of only a handful
ever built if you can believe what is written in the "Course
Beautiful" .

[redanman]

Redanman, did you notice the par 3 5th hole is a classic
example of Tillinghast's "Reef" hole, and one of only a handful
ever built if you can believe what is written in the "Course
Beautiful" .

I think I noted it in another thread as it doesn't appear to be here.

Tom Paul

unfortunately the greens were being sanded! and I only played a few not so affected and chipped in on one of those to boot!  A return is in the plans.

[Steve Curry]

Tom,

It is me.  When are you coming up to visit?

Bill,

Sorry about the sand.  

The bit about our plan was in Golf Journal this month and it should go on display at golf house the end of the summer.

I have all the holes from the plan seperated into jpeg files but am having problems resizing them.  Maybe Tommy N can help?  The 5th would be an awesome hole if the tee were moved back to its original location, 240yds and the reef bunkers finished.

Paul,

Both Bill and I were at Kinderhook a couple of weeks ago, another great day was had.  Are you coming over anytime soon?

Bob,

How is that Donald Ross coming?  

Regards,
Steve

[TEPaul]

Steve Curry;

Where have you been man? We miss you on here!

[Steve Curry]

Tom,

Spending time with a passion very similar to golf, expensive, time consuming, complex, seductive, maddening and in the end a waste of time... Women.



Steve

[Peter Galea]

Redanman, did you notice the par 3 5th hole is a classic
example of Tillinghast's "Reef" hole, and one of only a handful
ever built if you can believe what is written in the "Course
Beautiful" .

Here are two photos of the fifth, taken 2 summers ago.

[TEPaul]

I wish I could see the "reef" in those photos. How long is this par 3? Tillinghast's "reef hole" drawing in his book was something like 235!

[Steve Curry]

Tom,

The reef was supposed to be along the line of approach grass and rough as seen in the first photo.  In the second photo you can vaguely see the cut out where the farthest bunker to the right was supposed to be and the original tee was set at 240yds.  It plays 190 at the longest now.  There has been talk of letting us restore the original intent on the 5th.

Thanks for the pictures Pete.

Regards,
Steve

[RDecker]

Steve
If the powers that be at the Hills ever let you put in the long
reef bunker I'll personally come up there and dig it.  As for the
Restoration of the Ross I found an old plan with the original routing which exists today just renumbered.  It will give me the ability to at least approximate the original green contours and bunker placements and shapes and hopefully I can get
some old aerial photos from the same place you got the ones
of BHCC.

[Steve Curry]

I dug out the file containing the 5th from Tillie's plan and sent it to Tommy, hopefully he may post it for me.  Between that and Pete's photos one can get a feel for the reef concept.  The mound on the left was originally a rock outcrop.  Should it be left grassed or taken back to rock?

Steve

[Steve Curry]

Thanks Pete for posting the drawing.

The pictures in this thread show, a little too close but still visible, the ridge along the line of the rough and approach that should have the Reef bunkers.  The tee was at 240 yds at one time.  It was removed for safety as the first fairway migrated too far to the right, close to the 5th tee.

Thanks to Pete and Tommy for your help getting this up.

Steve

[Steve Curry]

Obviously the greenside bunker pictured was a later green committee mistake, one of the original bunkers, the farthest to the right was done but subsequently filled (can still see the outline).

Pete, get that coffee going!    Thanks again.

Regards,
Steve

[Steve Curry]

From our local paper on Sunday.http://www.berkshireeagle.com/default.asp?puid=2201&spuid=2201&indx=1482679&article=on

Regards,
Steve