The 2018 Midwest Mashie - Northland Country Club, Duluth, MN - Recap!!!

[V_Halyard]

Pat Craig, what an outstanding event!

Northland is a joy and thank you for facilitating access to this magnificent property and club. After a dreamlike round at White Bear on Friday, we seemingly played two different courses on the same land Saturday and Sunday, both fantastic. Saturday with the mist, rain and the cloud line that vanished holes in plain site felt like a Scottish holiday at Gullane. The first time we walked up holes #2 and #3 into the clouds, it felt like we were hitting up to a camouflaged green in the sky.
I had the outstanding pleasure of playing with Bill Morrisette on Friday followed by a Saturday foursome with Bill Morrisette's brother (His name escapes me...) on a trek that seemed to climb into the clouds,.. oh wait, it actually did climb into the clouds, up to a series of holes on a plateau. Felt like a round at Brora or Gullane with rain coming in from the firth. It is a fascinating routing that was surprising, dramatic, enjoyable and challenging in both the rain and sun. (when we could actually see it)
On Sunday, the 85 degree sunny day delivered previously hidden infinity putts and 100 views Mile views above Lake Superior. Both were great walks unspoiled.
Kudos to the Northland Super who delivered F1 Stimp speeds, wet and dry! The putting surfaces had prevailing tilts with additionally vexing subtleties as affected by Lake Superior. Putts that seemingly broke uphill at the hole proved to be hypnotic and psychotic, especially on Saturday when we couldn't see the lake for any reference. IT was golf one shot at a time as failure to feel the course in front of us would deliver woe.
Tyler Rae's presentation overviewing the work he and Ron Prichard are in the process of executing along the lines of a master plan is positioned to deliver shot values, strategy, and phenomenally great golf on par with other great classic courses, by any architect. This was a trip worth making and repeating. As is the case with many restorative evolutions, one hopes that the membership appreciates the rarity of their property.

Although Pat did all of the work, he reluctantly and barely accepted the roll as Co-captain let alone Captain and refused take possession of the hickory. With that in mind, I still have the Mashie and so will undeservedly claim the Midwest Mashie victory on behalf of Pat Craig and the Rest of the Best of the West. Of course all of this falls within the purview and oversight of the Mashie's Overlord, George Freeman.

The Mashie will be safely returned to the protective custody of a combined security detail consortium headed by Minnesota's Paul Bunyan and his Ax and Iowa's Children of the Corn. Well Done Pat, Tyler and Northland for another tremendous GCA gathering!


- Vaughn

[PCCraig]

Although Pat did all of the work, he reluctantly and barely accepted the roll as Co-captain let alone Captain and refused take possession of the hickory.

Many kind words, Vaughn. It was a pleasure FINALLY meeting you in person and especially playing together at White Bear last Friday.

As for the Mashie, I am a superstitious Irishman....As long as you keep winning Mashies you should keep it as far as I'm concerned!

The West retained the Mashie by one point. While the West had a big lead after day 1, we immediately gave up two points Sunday morning as two matches were forfeited due to injury (Saturday took a lot out of all of us). Turned out to be a nail bitter!

[Joe Lynch]

A special THANKS to everyone who played a part in organizing this incredible event, most importantly our host Northland CC.  It was my first time playing the course and I can't wait to play it again.  You know it's going to be great when you have guys willing to travel from all parts of the country (even Canada).  I'll admit I wasn't able to fully understand or appreciate the firm and fast turf conditions until Sunday's round.  On a few holes on the back I noticed a difference of 50 yards or more off the tee compared to Saturday's soft conditions. 

The 5th hole (short) presented an interesting challenge.  On Saturday Jason Thompson and I both hit PW and thought we'd both be 5-10' for birdie only to see our shots end up short in the front bunker.  On Sunday I swore not to make the same mistake again, took one more club and ended up in the back bunker.   

The greens were perfect - definitely some of the best I've seen.

Thank you to Pat Craig for taking the time to put this together - I'm looking forward to future events. 

[Ted Sturges]

Great job in organizing this fun event Pat.  We had a great time!


Hope our paths cross again soon.


TS

[RJ_Daley]

Thanks to Pat for a wonderful effort to organize the event.  While I had to settle for a tag-along non-playing participant in the 'Mashie',  I thoroughly enjoyed the perplexity of the mystery breaks and remarkably fast greens on Saturday, given the rain and all.  I did putt for a while and even the practice green was perplexing. 


Steve Kline asks about how it was that Ross designed courses consistently that 'feel' to play longer than tha card yardage.  I was thinking it was somehow due to his reputation of using the contours of the terrain when routing the direction of his fairways.  You see it at Pine Needles quite plainly.  At Northland, with the much more steep and severe terrain, I am wondering if he placed his LZs in areas both on the diagonal slope and straight into them, where the short more available to tee shot side of a slope is often going to yield and uphill lie, thus requiring more club(s) and many attempts coming up short of target.  With so many severe slopes, I thought is notable how many uphill second shots there were to be presented.  Then, there were a number of down hill lies to greatly elevated greens and many with false fronts.  It is a hoot of a golf course to be sure.
Sorry I didn't walk the Sunday round.  But my body was telling me to not and head home. 

It was great to meet new friends who participate on GCA.com and finally meet our 'dear leader' Ran.  Exchanging thoughts with him for 20 years and going to my share of events and not spending a wee bit of time with him was a freak-- or else he is ducking me.  I was disappointed with his remarks at the podium in that he did not wear his GCA smoking jacket and ascot (signature look)

[PCCraig]

Ok, I think I figured out my picture issues. Here are a few I took of our weekend in Duluth.

As mentioned, the first round of the Mashie didn't exactly lend itself to taking pictures. But after we took a break in the halfway house, the last couple of groups managed to sneak a glimpse of Lake Superior as we played down the final six holes.

Here is looking down the par-4 15th, with the 16th, 2nd, and 17th greens visible:


A closer look at the approach shot at the 15th:


The recently restored fairway bunkering at the par-4 16th, with the par-3 17th in the background:


After most of us dried off and warmed up in the club's sauna, we enjoyed a massive BBQ feast and settled in to presentations from Chris Tritabaugh (former Superintendent at Northland), Jake Ryan (current Northland Superintendent) and the club's consulting architect Tyler Rae:


The next morning brought a pretty heavy fog. Here is Ran Morrissett, Dan Kelly, and Lou Duran teeing off on the first Sunday morning:


Here's Jay Mickle, Frank Kim, and Morgan Clawson taking their crack at the first not long after:


Not long after 10am the fog burned off, revealing Northland in all its majesty. Here is the short uphill par-3 5th (which was not visible from the tee during Saturday's round!)


A very warm and dry summer has led to very firm, fast, and natural fairway conditions at Northland:


The epic approach to the par-4 13th:


Coming down the 15th:


Matt and Jason walking up to (and giving scale to) the awesome par-3 17th:


The approach to the very tough 18 in all it's glory with Northland's clubhouse in the background:


And here's the final scoreboard:


I know many others were taking pictures (with much better cameras!). Hopefully folks will share some of their favorites as well as their thoughts on Northland.

[Jay Mickle]

Pleased that you are much better at organization that posting observable photos. For me it was the culmination of a great golf tour with the cherry on top. Thanks for all of your hard work.

[PCCraig]

Pleased that you are much better at organization that posting observable photos. For me it was the culmination of a great golf tour with the cherry on top. Thanks for all of your hard work.

Ha - thanks Jay.


Think I finally got it? 

[Brandon Urban]

I'd like to echo everyone else's sentiments so far. Thanks to Pat for organizing a great event. Thanks to the staff at Northland who could not have been more kind and accommodating to a bunch of internet golf nerds. Thanks to all of the guys that traveled from all over to see a golf course in Duluth, MN.

The weekend was an absolute blast (even if I did get drubbed in both matches). The golf course was the star of the show and I can't wait to see it when it isn't wet. I can only imagine the ball rolling and bouncing in those fairways when they're dry.

Like Vaughn said, it was two different golf courses. Saturday was tough and I'm pretty sure I've been less wet taking a shower than I was roaming Northland. But the fog made the day almost a little mystical.

Jay hitting one close on the par long par three 8th.
NCC - Tee Shot by burban965, on Flickr

Ran and Vaughn heading out into the fog.
NCC -- Ran Vaughn by burban965, on Flickr

And here are a few from the glorious Sunday we had with Lake Superior stealing the show.

Jeff putting with Joe and Steve looking on.
NCC - Green by burban965, on Flickr

A view down 15 and 16 with the 2nd green and 3rd tee off to the right.
NCC - View by burban965, on Flickr

[Tom Fagerli]

Looks like typical Duluth weather! The lady who ran the public course east of NCC used to always say, if you don’t like the weather in Duluth wait a minute it will change! 85 one day. 52 the next. In August.

[Matt Bosela]

I'm just back from attending my first Mashie and I'd like to join everyone else here in thanking Pat Craig for his incredible efforts in organizing a wonderful event.


Our opening round on Saturday afternoon was quite the challenge, with dense fog essentially blinding our group from holes three through eight.  By the time we hit the tenth tee, the skies opened up and we dealt with heavy rain for the duration of the round, the likes of which I don't think I've ever played in before but we made it to the end.  Needless to say, it was incredibly difficult to appreciate the golf course when you essentially couldn't see the features due to Mother Nature.


Things perked up after a solid BBQ dinner, with Ran making some opening remarks before handing the floor to Chris Tritabaugh and Jake Ryan, who gave a detailed look into the maintenance program at Northland.  Next up was Tyler Rae, who discussed the master plan work at Northland as the lead associate of architect Ron Prichard.  Thanks to all of these gentlemen for their efforts as well.


We had lovely weather on the final day of the Mashie during the singles competition and the course was finally revealed to all.  Incredible land, wildly pitched greens and unparalleled views of Lake Superior complemented the very firm and fast conditions and showcased the best golf has to offer.  Northland is a must-see.


Thanks again to Pat and also to my playing partners at Northland (Bill Steele, John Crowley, Jeff Shelman, Pat Craig, Jason Thurman and Tanner Schoenfelder) - it was a pleasure.  It was great seeing so many good friends again and fantastic to meet a number of new friends as well.  I hope to play in many more Mashies in the future.


Here are some photos I took during a brilliant final round on Sunday morning.



The 150 foot climb from #2 tee to #3 green begins here



Severely uphill approach shot at #3



Tee shot on the cool par three fifth...the recaptured hole locations at the four corners of the green was incredibly well done



Approach shot on the par four 7th, one of my favourites



The very long par three eighth



Yet another amazing hole, the uphill 10th



The downhill tee shot on the par five 11th



Lake Superior provides a glorious backdrop on the par four 13th






More stunning vistas can be seen here on the elevated 15th tee






Jason Thurman walking to the 15th green



The view from the 16th tee, with the 15th green to the right



The cool approach into #16



The par three 17th hole



Looking back towards the clubhouse, with #1 on the left and #2 on the right



The long and intimidating approach into the home hole at Northland CC



The end of a wonderful weekend

[Jeff Shelman]

Great pics Matt.
Thanks to Pat for organizing/herding cats.

Thanks to everyone who came to town to get a taste of Minnesota golf.

[Dan Kelly]

The 150 foot climb from #2 tee to #3 green begins here




Yet another amazing hole, the uphill 10th



The long and intimidating approach into the home hole at Northland CC

Matt —


Nice pictures.


1. Amazing how flattened your pic of 2 and 3 looks! It is WAY uphill, people.


2. Nothing that happened on No. 10 this weekend changed my view that it is the hardest par in the State of Minnesota, except perhaps . . .


3. . . . what happened on No. 18. What a pair of brutes!


Thanks to Pat Craig for organizing a great event.


Thanks to Derek Holland for keeping us alive, despite my incompetence, till Steve Kline killed us with a beautiful birdie on 17 — a stroke even deadlier than Ross Harmon’s runaway downhiller on 4.


Thanks to Lou Duran for not wrapping a club around my neck, or perhaps depositing it in a prominent bodily orifice — which is reportedly what might happen[size=78%] to you in Texas if you don’t concede a 30-inch putt from above the hole. I enjoyed our afternoon at Midland Hills and our match on Sunday.[/size]


Thanks to Bill Morrissett’s brother (undefeated and untied in Minnesota) for his good company Sunday — and, of course, for launching this magnificent website, which has given so many of us so many opportunities for both great golf and great friendships.


(And thanks to you, Matt, for retrieving and returning my head cover. Jeff Shelman has advised me to try not losing it again for at least 13 holes. I have accepted his challenge!)


Dan

[Lou_Duran]

Thanks to Lou Duran for not wrapping a club around my neck, or perhaps depositing it in a prominent bodily orifice — which is reportedly what might happen[size=78%] to you in Texas if you don’t concede a 30-inch putt from above the hole. I enjoyed our afternoon at Midland Hills and our match on Sunday.[/size]

Dan

I suppose that writers as they get further into their careers feel entitled to certain licenses or allowances in pursuit of more colorful storytelling.    I am just surprised that one who is also a very good golfer would have such a poor sense of scale.  Not to be lewd, but with reference to the putt in question, certainly no more than 14", what must you have been telling Mrs. Kelly all these years?

On the other hand, as poorly as I putted at Northland- the greens were as vexing as those at Broadmoor East and Pasatiempo- perhaps giving a 14" putt would not have been sporting.  Golf is a big world and I understand why those who enjoy playing on steeply sloped sites would have great affection for Northland.  If the greens had more internal contouring and the conditions were more firm, even without much wind, the course would be overwhelming for most of us.

Playing Northland under two very different weather conditions was a reminder that perhaps I need to concentrate more on depth vs. breadth of experience.  I did think that the greens and fairways seemed stickier on Sunday in sunny conditions than during the rain on Saturday, but perhaps I was just in different places.

Re: Midland Hills, it is another hidden gem with tons of potential.  The course's future is hopeful with Jim Urbina hired to complete a master plan and perhaps recapture some of Raynor's lost or poorly executed features.   As it is, the course is still a lot of fun (even with several extremely cruel hole locations).  Thanks Mr. Kelly for the fine introduction.  I am sorry that I did not offer much competition at Northland on Sunday.  Next time.

Thanks also to the Mashie's organizers and all the participants.  We certainly have an interesting, diverse mix of golfers in the group.  The clubs (NCC and White Bear) were fantastic hosts.  I am particularly impressed with their understanding of history and the desire to improve the courses while remaining sympathetic to their roots.  I sampled a good number of MN courses in seven days and am impressed with the quality and variety of golf in the state.  And I am glad to see that Texan Jeff Brauer has designed  at least four high quality courses that anyone can play.   Great stuff in MN.

[Morgan Clawson]

Thanks to Ran for putting his support behind an event at Northland and to Pat Craig for executing it brilliantly.

Frank Sekulic, Criss Titschinger, Dave Herrick, Jay Mickle and Frank Kim were my playing partners.  Nice hiking around Northland with you guys.

Northland continues to improve.  The removal of trees has opened up vistas and allowed the dramatic landscape to take center stage.  The greens were in beautiful condition, and part of that is due to them getting sunlight all day long.  The newer bunkers on 1,2,16, and 17 look terrific and compliment Northland's rugged character. The par-3 5th was a good hole before, but is more dynamic now with the corner wings.

Just a few photos.
Frank "Center Cut" Kim with another drive down the middle on the terrific uphill 3rd.  I would love to see this cart path shifted to the left of the tee.


The demanding 10th.


Here's how that hole looked 10 or so years ago with trees in the rough and behind the green. Kudos to the chainsaw wielding supers and their crews.



The eye candy 13th.


The par-3 17th.  Removing the trees on the right would provide a long view of the beautiful clubhouse, thus allowing the player to begin considering which post-round beverage would be appropriate.

[Dan Kelly]

Thanks to Lou Duran for not wrapping a club around my neck, or perhaps depositing it in a prominent bodily orifice — which is reportedly what might happen[size=78%] to you in Texas if you don’t concede a 30-inch putt from above the hole. I enjoyed our afternoon at Midland Hills and our match on Sunday.[/size]

Dan

I suppose that writers as they get further into their careers feel entitled to certain licenses or allowances in pursuit of more colorful storytelling.    I am just surprised that one who is also a very good golfer would have such a poor sense of scale.  Not to be lewd, but with reference to the putt in question, certainly no more than 14", what must you have been telling Mrs. Kelly all these years?

On the other hand, as poorly as I putted at Northland- the greens were as vexing as those at Broadmoor East and Pasatiempo- perhaps giving a 14" putt would not have been sporting. 

Lou --


Let's just agree that it (the putt in question) was a short one -- somewhat shorter, I'll grant you, than the quite short one I missed to lose 14.


As for what I've been telling Mrs. Kelly: There's no need for me to tell her anything! (Emoticons omitted.)


Sincerely: Those Northland greens are so mystifying that if you had not conceded any putt longer than a foot, I wouldn't have faulted you. I was prepared to putt every second putt on Sunday -- a lesson I learned many years ago, on the third green at Oak Glen in Stillwater, Minn., playing with Rick Shefchik, when he didn't concede a putt I thought (as I was putting it) he should have conceded. Of course, I missed it. Learned my lesson!


Dan

[Tom Fagerli]

No putt over a foot is good at NCC if it is above the hole. 30 incher is easily three jacked on 6,12, 4, 2- hell every hole.

[Jason Topp]

Ok, I think I figured out my picture issues. Here are a few I took of our weekend in Duluth.

Nope!  It could be a privacy setting on your picture hosting site.

[PCCraig]

Ok, I think I figured out my picture issues. Here are a few I took of our weekend in Duluth.

Nope!  It could be a privacy setting on your picture hosting site.

I give up! 

[Jason Thompson]

I just wanted express my appreciation to Pat and everyone else who helped put together this fantastic event. For my first Mashie you have set a very high bar for any future events I'm lucky enough to attend. I absolutely loved Northland, even though I've continued to have nightmares about the greens and my performance on them.


Also thanks to Dan Kelly for hosting us Friday morning at Midland Hills. Frank Kim and I were lucky enough to play with John Hamburger, club historian, who knows more about one golf course than I thought possible for one individual. While Midland is very good right now, particularly the back nine, if the club takes it back to its roots it could be phenomenal. 


http://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/content/historic-raynor-plans-for-midland-hills-unearthed-after-years-of-searching


Finally thanks to Pat and Jeff for hosting the Friday round and dinner at White Bear. White Bear is one of those courses that one has to walk to fully appreciate the landforms and I'm glad I was able to finally see this fantastic track. I'm also glad our host Guy Whitehead implored me to try the summer cocktail of choice, the Bootleg, which hit the spot before making the turn. As I told others back home, I could not imagine a better day; 36 holes of golf with great people followed by a grilled steak dinner...AND a root beer float for dessert.


https://cookieandkate.com/2014/the-bootleg-cocktail/


See you all next year!

[John_Conley]

Another thought that struck me about White Bear and Northland. Both courses measured 6,400 yards or less from the regular tees. But, they both felt a lot longer than that.


What did Ross do to cause that affect?

At White Bear Yacht Club an ordinary carry distance means you are hitting into a hill and getting no roll much of the day.  A long hitter can carry a lot of those bumps and get some downhill kicks.

[Criss Titschinger]

This was my second golf trip to Minnesota in 4 years. I'm still astounded by how passionate the inhabitants of the Land of 10,000 Lakes are for the game of golf, and how many good courses are up there; especially for how short their golf season is.

What better way to start my trip than at what might still be my favorite course I've played: WBYC. I fretted that tee shot on #5 for perhaps a week previous, and proceeded to hit an electric wire. My next drive was one of the best of my trip. The fact that I didn't put a car window out on Dellwood Ave. on 5 or 12 was certainly a highlight of that round.

I immediately, and perhaps ill-advised, drove 3.5 hours north to check out a couple of the best public courses in the state. The Wilderness at Fortune Bay and The Quarry at Giants Ridge have both been very open about their conditioning for this year, receiving an unusual amount of winterkill. I'd like to do a different thread on these courses to discuss what happened this winter to enlighten me on how one maintains golf courses at that latitude. Let's just say one of the courses was more playable than the other.

Northland exceeded my high expectations. What a wonderfully routed course! I still can't believe the weather and fog from Saturday. Our group stood on the 5th tee, a 140 yard par 3, and could barely see the flag. Certainly couldn't see the green, and certainly couldn't see the bunkers that guarded it. The view coming up to 13 green is simply stunning. That's the picture I show when people ask me why the hell I'm traveling to Duluth, Minnesota to play golf.

The past 3 Mashies had me over 100 holes over 4 days. I'm thankful I kept this year's hole count under 100. The fact I couldn't hit an iron shot all week on the course probably attributed to this feeling. What made the trip worth it, and what probably keeps me playing golf, is the camaraderie I get each time I attend an event like this. Whether it's meeting new people or catching up with old friends, there's something about sharing a great course with those who have some level of appreciation for what they're playing. Splitting bread and sharing a pint or two (or more) afterwards is the icing on the cake.

Big thanks to Pat for setting this up. The staff at Northland was great. Thanks to Jeff for allowing me to fit WBYC in my busy itinerary. Massive respect to Pete Pittock who DROVE from OREGON to meet up with us, including joining me at The Wilderness and The Quarry. That's a level of dedication I don't have. Wish he felt better and could have played with us more that weekend. And an obvious thanks to Ran Morrissett, whom I finally got to meet, and everything he does for this site, which is a big reason why I love golf.

Hope to see more of you all in the coming years!

[Jeff_Brauer]

[font=]I immediately, and perhaps ill-advised, drove 3.5 hours north to check out a couple of the best public courses in the state. The Wilderness at Fortune Bay and The Quarry at Giants Ridge have both been very open about their conditioning for this year, receiving an unusual amount of winterkill. I'd like to do a different thread on these courses to discuss what happened this winter to enlighten me on how one maintains golf courses at that latitude. Let's just say one of the courses was more playable than the other.[/font]
[font=][/font]
[font=]Chris,[/font]

[font=]I hate it those courses took such a beating.  Everywhere north of Duluth did, mostly because there was no snow cover this winter and the grass desiccated.  Superior National, with more moderate climate near Lake Superior did a bit better than the others.  Being only 25 miles apart, I can't really tell what the differences were between Quarry and FB.  It is possible sun orientation or differences in snow cover were the blame.  I have seen a few cases where courses with the higher level of overall maintenance suffer most in bad winters, perhaps because the turf is more on edge, but can't say it was much other than the lack open winter this year.[/font]

[Criss Titschinger]

Allow me to clarify one comment. When I said ill-advised, I meant perhaps my itinerary of driving 75 minutes to Dayton airport, flying, deplaning, getting clubs, getting rental car, arriving at WBYC's first tee with no practice swings, cleaning up, then driving 3.5 hours, arriving at Fortune Bay at midnight, with a 7:30AM tee-time was ill-advised. The same lady who checked me in at midnight checked me out just before 7AM.

I certainly regret nothing from being able to see the courses. The courses were great and worth the trip up to see. I certainly don't know when I'm going to get back to northern Minnesota again.

At Wilderness, Pete and I played with a twosome from Grand Rapids, MN. They were very apologetic for the condition of the greens, which they normally said were immaculate and rolling true. A few spots in the fairway at both courses, but nothing I don't already see at courses in the middle of a hot and humid Cincinnati summer.

It was fun attempting to explain to our playing partners about what a Biarritz green was when we saw #5. I can just imagine what they were thinking: who are these nerds?!

Quarry at Giants Ridge was in a bit rougher shape, despite being around 30 minutes to the south by car. The fairways were in decent shape, so playing into the greens was fine. They did call me a few weeks before and warned me, so I do appreciate that. Certainly in recovery mode at this point.

My big question after playing both was how long it will take those greens to recover? Obviously, that's an unknown, as that largely depends how much they can grow back this year and how harsh this winter will be. My uneducated guess was Wilderness might be able to recover by next year, but that Quarry might need another full season. Perhaps if Quarry gets good coverage, it'll stabilize the turf to be healthy for the spring thaw. I work in IT for a living, so I certainly defer to the experts for that evaluation.

[Pete_Pittock]

Finally feel good enough to respond. Northland is an excellent golf course which would have been even more awesome under different conditions. Pat Craig did a superb job in all facets of the weekend. Kudos to the speakers as well. My dropping out of the Sunday round presaged a lengthy injury recovery, where I may have finally turned the corner.
The pre-golf with Chris and Frank Sekulic at Wilderness/Fortune Bay and Giants Ridge was fun, but marginalized by conditions. They are both strong courses. Fund out that 36 holes, even in a cart was a bridge too far.