I just came across this article about the third course at Lakewood Ranch CC that recently opened in October. The first two courses there are Palmer designs. The comments from Rick Robbins are particularly intriguing to me in light of recent threads about the bogey /par golfer and new course development:
Course architect Rick Robbins of Cary, N.C., won't be offended if golfers describe Country Club East as easy. With most fairways measuring 55-60 yards in width, no formal sand traps (they're played as waste bunkers, allowing golfers to ground their clubs) and a virtual absence of forced carries, the 57-year-old designer's intent is plain.
"I don't want it to be penal. I won't get real upset if someone says 'It's easy, and I scored the best I can,' " said Robbins, who created the course on a site where tomato fields used to flourish. "I don't do golf courses to beat people up. To me, there is no reason in the world people need to lose a lot of golf balls or play particularly slow.
"I do want to challenge them, because I think golfers enjoy a challenge," said Robbins, noting Country Club East plays 7,339 yards from the championship tees. "I really want the course to be as flexible as it can be for the greatest number of golfers."
Head professional Brian Branch found the layout to his liking, shooting a 1-under-par 71 to establish the course record.
From the non-he-man and forward tee markers, the difficulty - hey, this is golf - lies in shaping tee shots to provide an optimum angle of approach to the green and with the subtleties on and around the putting surfaces. Greens are open in front, allowing players to resort to a ground strategy, but the fairways are designed to play firm and fast, making club selection critical to success.
Elements of risk and reward abound, such as on No. 8, a par-4 of 299 yards from the members' tee. Long hitters are tempted to go for the green, but water down the entire right-hand side and trees left of the fairway make such a game plan problematic.
"The idea was to create a dunes-type course that rolls up and down and has a lot of movement to it," said Robbins. "I think people are going to want to keep coming back because there are so many different ways to play these holes. The real challenge on this golf course is going to come around the greens, which have all kind of bumps and hills."
Country Club East features a pair of double greens. Nos. 2 and 7 and Nos. 9 and 18 share putting surfaces that are about 26,000 square feet apiece. There are also family tees on each hole; the so-called short course, great for beginners, kids and some seniors, measures 1,898 yards.
The course - the third at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club, joining Cypress Links and King's Dunes, both designed by the Arnold Palmer Course Design Co. - has Celebration Bermuda grass on the tees, fairways and rough and TifEagle on the greens. Celebration is highly regarded for durability and turf quality.
Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club superintendent Brian Lentz and Mike Gilmore were responsible for the grow-in and preparation for Tuesday's official opening. Country Club East will remain open into November (Cypress Links is closed for overseeding), then close for a few weeks to work it into pristine shape for January's peak-play season.
Club director of golf Scott Lamoureaux said more than 200 rounds were played Tuesday and Wednesday and members have been enthusiastic in their response.
"I love it because it is so different from anything else - not only from what we have here at Lakewood Ranch, but in the state of Florida," Lamoureaux said. "The wind is going to be a huge factor. Even when it is calm at (King's Dunes and Cypress Links), when you drive a couple miles east, it always seems to be blowing a lot."