*** I'd love to hear what your favorite holes/shots were on each course ***
Tough question. I only played them once each, so I'm really reluctant to name them. Given that caveat, I liked… at OSU: 2, 4, 12, 16. At Scioto, 7, 13, 15. 13 might seem like an odd choice, but I liked how long that left side bunker all the way to the fairway without any rough, etc. Other holes have similar cuts, but this bunker is 60 yards long.
with continued tree removal at Scioto over the years Scarlet also offers more "tree trouble."
Scarlet, except on some holes like 15/16, could stand to lose a few hundred trees. Many are fairly out of the way (and some separate the Scarlet from the Grey), but… I feel like they could open up some more vistas without really affecting play much. #6, for example, could lose a lot of trees. #3 down the right side.
Scioto par 4s tended to all be straight and difficult with bunkers bracketing uphill greens. They were great and tough golf holes - but a little repetitive from a design standpoint.
Good to know. I might scroll back in time on Google Earth to see what it used to be like.
and the centerline bunker on 7 is new.
I like it. The guy we were playing with said "I hit driver here and I've never reached that bunker." My tee shot stopped six inches short of it, and the other guy in the group rolled a foot into it.
Assuming you played #8 as a par 5 - that hole has undergone many changes over the years;
Yes, a par five… reachable with a 3I or 4I.
#16 is incredibly fun to play, with a wide variety of outcomes in the Korn Ferry event. The only dogleg on the course that I find sort of boring is #18 - but that's a minor quibble.
16 I enjoyed a lot. 18 I hit it by the building way left. Took off a lot of distance, though, from the approach.
5. Scarlet from #9 to #16 is my favorite stretch on the course - with particular emphasis on #10 to #14.
No argument from me.
6. When it comes to the green sites I'm admittedly heavily biased in favor of Scioto - especially the new greens. Scarlet's greens are so massive that I end up three putting all day. Though that is obviously my problem, not the course's. Hahaha. Favorite greens on Scarlet for me are #2, #7, #9, #10, #14, #15.
I found more variety at Scarlet, not only of the shapes and sizes (Scioto has a little bit of the "geometric" thing going on, like a quasi-Raynor type green with many square fronts, which is not a penalty in my scoring system), but with different internal contours. For example, the big ridge on the second hole is really good.
8. I much prefer the par 3s at Scioto - they have more personality and variety.
Agreed. Though I think I hit three clubs around an 8I at Scarlet (on 5, 8, and 13).
9. Would you agree that Scarlet feels like a prime candidate for a restoration? Really wish they'd turn back the clock a bit on the design, along with some tree removal.
I think it felt pretty solid. I could see adding some interest to the fairway lines, mowing the fairways out to the bunkers more, and… removing trees, for sure.
10. Did you play Scioto before the restoration? Or just the "new" version?
August 2023. Post renovation. First and only time so far.
Thank you, Matthew.