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Joe Bausch

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Morgan Hill (w/ pics) New
« on: June 19, 2008, 03:08:39 PM »
I've not seen much detailed chatter here about KBM's Morgan Hill.  After playing Lederach last week, I went for the Moran double and went to Morgan Hill yesterday, which I had not visited in a few years.  It has matured quite nicely and is a blast to play.  I brought along three fellows from the area that belong to private clubs (Rolling Green, Lehigh, and Silver Lake) and each of them enjoyed the trip.  All expressed a real admiration for the layout on a piece of land so hilly.

I semi-joked on the first tee that, like Lederach, it is almost better to miss the greens at MH because the shots required to get up and down are so much fun.

Morgan Hill has many photos on their web page, but many of them are small and/or heavily compressed.  Perhaps if you've been thinking about visiting (or re-visiting) MH, or live in some other country and would enjoy a little virtual tour, here are some photos for your enjoyment:

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« Last Edit: March 21, 2011, 04:04:32 PM by Joe Bausch »
@jwbausch (for new photo albums)
The site for the Cobb's Creek project:  https://cobbscreek.org/
Nearly all Delaware Valley golf courses in photo albums: Bausch Collection

Steve_ Shaffer

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Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2008, 03:17:49 PM »
Joe,

Morgan Hill was discussed here at length a few years ago after it opened. The major consensus was that it is not walkable unless one is a cross country skier.

Not an ideal property, KBM did an excellent job of finding a golf course there.
"Some of us worship in churches, some in synagogues, some on golf courses ... "  Adlai Stevenson
Hyman Roth to Michael Corleone: "We're bigger than US Steel."
Ben Hogan “The most important shot in golf is the next one”

Joe Bausch

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Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2008, 03:41:47 PM »
Joe,

Morgan Hill was discussed here at length a few years ago after it opened. The major consensus was that it is not walkable unless one is a cross country skier.

Not an ideal property, KBM did an excellent job of finding a golf course there.

I looked very hard for detailed threads dedicated for MH, but could not find any.  If you can dig them up, please add them to this thread.  This will help the newer arrivals to GCA.com.  :)
@jwbausch (for new photo albums)
The site for the Cobb's Creek project:  https://cobbscreek.org/
Nearly all Delaware Valley golf courses in photo albums: Bausch Collection

John Foley

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Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2008, 03:52:25 PM »
Joe

Thanks for the pics.

I was there a few years ago and can't wait to go back. Those are as fine a set of greens you'll find in the public world. IMHO the 10th green is one of the best I've ever seen. We need more of them.

How did the first timers like the place?

Integrity in the moment of choice

Joe Bausch

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Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2008, 04:03:24 PM »
I was there a few years ago and can't wait to go back. Those are as fine a set of greens you'll find in the public world. IMHO the 10th green is one of the best I've ever seen. We need more of them.

How did the first timers like the place?

The greens really are fun, and I would agree the 10th green is superb.

One of my three first timers (the RG member, and not having the initials MM!) absolutely loved it.  The other two fellows I think were sort of in shock from it.  I don't think they expected this from a public course.  Funny, one of them is a 4 handicapper and this place really got into his head, particularly b/c you get plenty of non-flat lies, and he didn't come close to breaking 80!  But these other two appreciated the difficulty of putting together something on this property.

I've invited them all along to experience Lederach next week.  I'll report back on that afterwards!
@jwbausch (for new photo albums)
The site for the Cobb's Creek project:  https://cobbscreek.org/
Nearly all Delaware Valley golf courses in photo albums: Bausch Collection

Mike Mosely

Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2008, 04:08:25 PM »
I walked it just fine.  I had a great day and really enjoyed the greens too.  Great job Kelly, great thread Joe.

Dan Herrmann

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Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2008, 04:13:08 PM »
Wow - what happened to the trees behind #12?  I know it's not the course's fault, but it's a shame to see the store framing the view.

Looks like the grow-in went quite well.


Joe Bausch

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Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #7 on: June 19, 2008, 04:52:27 PM »
Perhaps I should have put these at the beginning:

Here is a Google maps aerial 'terrain' view if you want an idea of the elevation changes:



And here is the routing (I think I have this correct!):

@jwbausch (for new photo albums)
The site for the Cobb's Creek project:  https://cobbscreek.org/
Nearly all Delaware Valley golf courses in photo albums: Bausch Collection

Steve_ Shaffer

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Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #8 on: June 19, 2008, 05:00:03 PM »
"Some of us worship in churches, some in synagogues, some on golf courses ... "  Adlai Stevenson
Hyman Roth to Michael Corleone: "We're bigger than US Steel."
Ben Hogan “The most important shot in golf is the next one”

Joe Bausch

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #9 on: June 19, 2008, 05:01:36 PM »
Missed the green on 15 Joe, you're fired.

Figure now corrected!

Strangely, I missed the green there yesterday too.  ;) 

But I didn't miss many others and shot 78 with two doubles, by far my best round there.
@jwbausch (for new photo albums)
The site for the Cobb's Creek project:  https://cobbscreek.org/
Nearly all Delaware Valley golf courses in photo albums: Bausch Collection

Phil McDade

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Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #10 on: June 19, 2008, 05:04:18 PM »
Joe:

Great pics; looks like a fascinating course.

Question about hole #8 -- it looks like a really neat driveable risk/reward par 4. Do the trees on the right -- about halfway down, it looks like -- interfere with a golfer's ability to hit something of a power draw in an attempt to drive the green? do you know roughly the yardage on #8? That bunker front left of the green is something else.


Jeff_Mingay

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Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #11 on: June 19, 2008, 05:04:38 PM »
Kelly,

I'm guessing it's simply the angle of some of Joe's photos, but some of your greens here look REALLY slope-y. I'm interested to hear any comments you have re slope in the greens at Morgan Hill.

Thanks in advance,
jeffmingay.com

Joe Bausch

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Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #12 on: June 19, 2008, 05:08:56 PM »
Question about hole #8 -- it looks like a really neat driveable risk/reward par 4. Do the trees on the right -- about halfway down, it looks like -- interfere with a golfer's ability to hit something of a power draw in an attempt to drive the green? do you know roughly the yardage on #8? That bunker front left of the green is something else.

From the tips #8 plays about 350...so maybe Tiger, after a surgically repaired knee, downwind could reach it.  From the white tees it is just over 300.  One of my guys tried to reach it yesterday from the green tees (about 330) and pounded a high slight draw that hit the hill short and rolled back down.  So, yes, those trees are near but they can be avoided.
@jwbausch (for new photo albums)
The site for the Cobb's Creek project:  https://cobbscreek.org/
Nearly all Delaware Valley golf courses in photo albums: Bausch Collection

Matt Varney

Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #13 on: June 19, 2008, 05:22:46 PM »
Morgan Hill looks cool but, god help you if you decide to walk that course.  Do you get a pair of hiking boots when you pay to play.  It looks the architect did a great job finding 18 holes on this property and I hate it when you see a nice golf hole and a big ass water tower in the distance.  It would be amazing to see what this architect could do with some rolling farmland that also had some areas of woodlands.

I am not knocking the course just the property was probably very challenging on those slopes.

Matt_Ward

Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #14 on: June 19, 2008, 05:26:40 PM »
Joe:

The pictures look great !

Couple of quick comments -- the 1st is such a tempting target for the bigger hitters but should you bail too far left the reality of getting an up'n down birdie from that position is quite demanding.

The 2nd is also well done -- starting with the split fairway and the way the green is protected on the far right side.

Kudos to Kelly for taking a VERY SEVERE site and transposing it into a fun layout that always keep you guessing. Power is rewarded at MH -- but the ability to shape shots works even more so -- see the downhill 11th as a great example. The dropshot 12th is one of the more disappointing holes because it was sacrificed in order to get from one part of the property to the other. The far better dropshot par-3 is the 7th with the tongue area that extends to the far right spot.

Two of my favorite holes at MH are the dog-leg right 6th with its chain reaction bunker that cuts the fairway in two and the uphill par-3 14th with its narrow green that gives you one look from the tee but when you arrive at the green actually looks quite a bit different.

Don't have more time at the moment to mention a few other things but I'll say this certain -- anyone in the immediate area of Philipsburg / Easton had better have MH at the top of their play options. It's better than the highly touted Architect's just across in Jersey and it never bores you. For those who are classic school types the only downside from your perspective is that carts are a must. Anyone capable in walking MH deserves to be an airborne ranger.


George Pazin

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Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #15 on: June 19, 2008, 06:25:12 PM »
Joe,

Morgan Hill was discussed here at length a few years ago after it opened. The major consensus was that it is not walkable unless one is a cross country skier.

Not an ideal property, KBM did an excellent job of finding a golf course there.

I looked very hard for detailed threads dedicated for MH, but could not find any.  If you can dig them up, please add them to this thread.  This will help the newer arrivals to GCA.com.  :)

Took about 30 seconds. :)

Morgan Hill--Could you build a golf course here?

I liked Morgan Hill, you should too (now supercharged w/ pictures!)

Morgan Hill Redux

Ya just gotta know where to look.
Big drivers and hot balls are the product of golf course design that rewards the hit one far then hit one high strategy.  Shinny showed everyone how to take care of this whole technology dilemma. - Pat Brockwell, 6/24/04

Joe Bausch

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Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #16 on: June 19, 2008, 07:42:30 PM »
Thanks George!
@jwbausch (for new photo albums)
The site for the Cobb's Creek project:  https://cobbscreek.org/
Nearly all Delaware Valley golf courses in photo albums: Bausch Collection

Joe Bausch

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #17 on: June 20, 2008, 10:02:14 AM »
Jeff, are some of the greens slope-y?  Yes.  Are any of them too slope-y for me?  No.  In all the times I've played there I must say that on some of the very contoured greens the pin positions have been excellent (i.e. playable).  I would imagine care must be used in selecting hole locations on a few greens.

For instance, on #1 yesterday I was on the top tier and the pin was on the other tier.  I had to come down the slope and it was no issue stopping the ball near the hole.

On #3 two of my playing partners had difficulty chipping from the mowed area short and right of the green up to the pin on the left part of the green where the swale in the green had to be negotiated:



They simply did not hit the proper shot (and they must not have ever read Pelz's book where you learn to land chips on the flattest part of a green whenever possible!) and could not make it up the slope and rolled back into the valley of fatigue.  One then didn't hit his first putt hard enough and it ended up back at his feet.  But this green is not unfair, IMO.  In fact, it is really fun.

On some of the greens are simple little spines that really make putting interesting.  For instance, near the front of the green on #7:



And this photo from the drop-shop par 3 12th, with another little spine that runs from the center of the back of the green to approaching the middle:




@jwbausch (for new photo albums)
The site for the Cobb's Creek project:  https://cobbscreek.org/
Nearly all Delaware Valley golf courses in photo albums: Bausch Collection

Dan Herrmann

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Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #18 on: June 20, 2008, 03:04:50 PM »
One item I really liked at MH as the church pew bunkers.  A very nice feature.

mike_malone

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Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #19 on: June 21, 2008, 02:18:55 PM »
 I'm not surprised that Byron, the Rolling Green member , got the idea of the course. He's a friggin' psychology professor!
AKA Mayday

David Stamm

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Re: Morgan Hill (w/ pics)
« Reply #20 on: June 21, 2008, 02:34:20 PM »
I'm blown away by the boldness of this course considering it's public. Vey impressive, KBM! :o
"The object of golf architecture is to give an intelligent purpose to the striking of a golf ball."- Max Behr