Why am I the only one on GCA that likes Bay Hill?

[cary lichtenstein]

I liked it more with the old Dick Wilson bunkers

[Mike_Sweeney]

I liked it more with the old Dick Wilson bunkers

Cary or others,

How does Bay Hill compare with Pine Tree, which I have not played?

My impression is that both are similar Florida championship style with pushed up greens and some deep greenside bunkering?

[Brad Klein]

 . . .  because they don't comp raters and make them pay $125 to play!

[Jordan Wall]

]

 

My impression is that both are similar Florida championship style with pushed up greens and some deep greenside bunkering?

Bay Hill is more then that Mike, sorry.  It is a beautiful course.  It really is more then deep bunkers and raised up greens.  It has some good architectural holes, for example the Par-5 sixth, which can be reached in two depending on how much of the corner you want to take off.  I know many GCA'ers dont like courses that dont seem 'natural', but this course is AMAZING for the land it was given.  Plus, the nicest people in the entire world work there  

[Lloyd_Cole]

I went there one xmas. I thought the course was fine. Not exceptional, but certainly not dull, overall. What was exceptional was the atmosphere in the locker room, and bar. It is a real GOLF club/resort. And it positively shines in comparison to how I was treated at Sawgrass - 'I wonder if you could recommend a local caddy as I don't like to ride a cart?' 'Oh, we don't allow caddies, sir.'

[Mike_Sweeney]

Bay Hill is more then that Mike, sorry.  It is a beautiful course.   I know many GCA'ers dont like courses that dont seem 'natural', but this course is AMAZING for the land it was given.  Plus, the nicest people in the entire world work there  

Jordan,

My comment should be taken as a positive. I liked Bay Hill....for a housing course in Florida. Not sure how much you have played outside of the Northwest (which looks very beautiful to me), but this is not beautiful to me:  



As noted above, the land was actually pretty good and did roll for that section of Florida. I definitely agree with you that the staff was very nice to us. If I lived in Orlando, I would feel very comfortable as a member there, and the course and the club would force me to improve my game.

[Jordan Wall]

Mike,

I know you meant it to be a positive...Bay Hill hits close to my heart though as far as memories and everything else.  Read this I posted about a week ago.


 I have not actually played this course but I do have a cool story about when I went to Bay Hill. I was thinking about golfing when I first came to the course, but nobody was there because of an incoming hurricane due to hit the next day. I wanted to at least get a souvenir since I was on vacation, but the pro shop was closing down. I walked around the shop and saw a worker. H e told me to go to the main lodge to see if anybody was there. It turned out that Arnold Palmer's CEO was right in the parking lot with his cart, talking to some workers. Not knowing who they were at the time, we went up and asked to purchase some souvenir's, explaining that the worker had said to come around. Not only did we get a friendly greeting, but one of the workers went around and grabbed a sleeve of logo balls for me. Then Mr. Easler, the CEO, told a worker to go get one of the 17th. A minute later she came out and handed me a lithograph of the 17th hole. COOL. Then, Mr. Easler told me and my dad to pop in his golf cart. Obviously we did, and mom and sis stayed talking to the workers. We did not know where we were going but we soon found out. Mr. Easler gave us a tour around the signature holes -16,17, and 18- and let us ntake all the pictures we wanted. Before we left he showed us where the sword presentation took place when there was bad weather, and where the president stayed when he came there. When we got back to the lodge he told my family that we could start on the first hole and walk the course, and take any amount of pictures we chose. That was so cool, but still not the end! When we got back he gave us a tour of the lodge, which was amazing, and then took us into his office, where some other workers were waiting. He gave me two bay hill hats, pins, visors, and even an official bay hill staff hat worn only in the Bay Hill Invitational. Before we left and thanked him, he told us to send the lithograph back in the winter. A little confused, we politely said OK. Later that winter we sent it back. One day before Christmas I got something in the mail. It was that same lithograph, and signed by Mr. Arnold Palmer himself. In presented it to my family as we were having a party.  



You guys should now know why I like Bay Hill so much

[Sam Maryland]

it was always a kick to watch someone who had never played there before try to deal with the front right pin position on 16 (I'm talking in the '90-'95 timeframe).  without fail they'd hit it up onto the back tier and then have to putt down to the pin.  I never once saw anyone get it to the hole (at least not on the first couple tries)...most came up WELL short - it was very deceiving.

I'm in the "it's not flat" camp.  2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 all have some elevation changes on the front (and a little on 7).  14, 16 and 18 on the back.

to me Bay Hill was "big" enough that the housing wasn't a meaningful detraction, plenty of room out there.  and nice to be able to stop into some of those houses and grab a couple beers!

17 is kind of a BS hole from the back tees but from the up tees it's manageable.  but it didn't matter what time of year it was anything right of center of the green hit from the back tees was going into the rough behind it.  one other thing I'm firmly convinced of was at the time AP had the yardage markers on 18 off by 10 yards (no lasers back then to confirm).  we also thought he made 18 the #4 handicap hole so he wouldn't have to give a shot to a lot of guys in the shootout that were only getting 1 or 2 from him (Bay Hill #18 played as the toughest hole on tour a couple times during that era).

I like the course a lot...and we sure slayed the bass in those lakes!

SM

[Bill_McBride]

It's been 20 years since I played Bay Hill but this may say something about the memorability of the holes - what I remember most to this day is that they don't have rakes in the bunkers, just on the back of the golf carts, and I managed to leave ours in the bunker on the first hole! 

It was a long day of foot raking or bumming a rake from the guys in the other cart.

The only holes I remember semi clearly are #6 around the lake - made a 30'er for birdie - and the last 3.  Everything else is just sort of a blur of sand and water.  #18 from 440 yards was more of a par 5 than #6 or #16.