I got my first taste of a Jim Engh course last week when I played Snowmass Golf Club. I got in six rounds over eight days. The course is a complete redesign of a former Palmer layout. It had way too much containment mounding for my taste, but otherwise I found it to be very, very fun. The scenery of the surrounding mountains is so incredible it almost looks fake.
This was also my first experience playing golf at a high altitude. Sure makes you feel like a he-man. I eventually turned over all club selection decisions to my caddie, who was damn good.
I never quite got used to figuring out the valley effect on my putts. More often than not I would swear the ball was breaking uphill. Again, I defered to my caddie.
The opening hole is a long par 5 (570 yards) that curls around a pond. This photo is taken from the right side of the pond—the tee is back to the left. Each day, I bit off more and more of the dogleg. On the final day, I cut the corner so much that I had a 9-iron to the green—and then three-putted.
The par 4 third is a short hole that narrows considerably the farther you advance the ball. I would lay up with an iron to leave a wedge in. The approach is blind, as this deep bunker and surrounding mounds obscure the view. A front hole location is tough, forcing you to hit a very delicate 80-yard feel shot.
The 7th is the second of five par 5s on the course. I blew it through the fairway each day until finally I got smart and played it down the adjacent 8th fairway—leaving a blind 200-yard 5-iron to the green. Of course, I missed the subsequent four-foot eagle putt.
The 8th is another relatively short par 4. The green sits well below the fairway and is protected by very deep bunkers. The amphitheater look is typical of many greensites at Snowmass. While it is very forgiving for errant shots, it slows up play because the old dudes have a really hard time climbing out of there.
The 9th is a fun little par 4. What you can't see is that there is a pond that fronts the green. Depending on the wind, I would hit a 5-iron and be left with an easy wedge—off a downhill lie to a funky, shallow green. Despite its simplicity, this was one of the most difficult holes on the course.
Making the turn, the 10th is an uphill par 4 with a pond to the left of the green and a bunker to the right. The green has two very distinct levels and is difficult to navigate.
More deep bunkers surround the green on the par 5 11th. After a good drive, I was left with 225 to the hole—about a 5-iron at altitude—but chose to layup because of the dangerous approach.
Perhaps my favorite green on the course. Another short, dogleg left par 4. A hazard runs across the fairway, so I would lay up with a 4-iron. It's possible to fly the hazard, but it is a huge risk and doesn't get you much. The green slopes severely from back to front. The slope to the left offers some forgiveness, but anything right or long is dead.
The 15th is a downhill par 4 with another amphitheater greensite. This bunker is about 100 yards out and was a magnet for my ball when I tried to play smart and lay up in front of it. Eventually, I just took out driver and blew it over everything and was left with about 20 yards to the hole.
Another cool downhill hole. The 16th has a rumpled fairway that yields awkward lies. The green is surrounded by danger, with both a pond and bunkers.
On the par 5 18th, you find yourself teeing off from the side of a mountain down to a valley below. The ball hangs in the air forever. This was a hole that required a few plays to get the right line. My first go-round, I aimed at the bunker on the left to make sure I stayed out of the driving range to the right. That was a bad line, and I ended up in the gunk long and left. The next few days, i aimed down the middle, which resulted in some funny bounces. The last two days, I took it over the bunker on the right and had a wedge one day and a 9-iron the next for a second shot.