In warming up for the BUDA in NL in a week I'm just finishing a trip in the US that's just been amazing and I'd love to share with you all. From an architecture point of view it's just been full of highlights. From a meeting new people point of view it's also only been full of highlights including meet many GCA'ers for the first time.
Would love to discuss some of these courses with the treehouse and get your opinions positive or constructive. I have lots of photos but I don't have time to start posting them and I think you've all seen photos of these courses for the most part.
Here's how the trip has been:
Somerset Hills - great start to the trip, loved the front 9 back 9 was also good but front was better for me.
Oakmont - great experience, top 5 club house (in my book), very difficult, fast greens (13), hotter than hell, had the feeling the course was a touch industrial, large scale set up for pro events mainly.
Wolf Point - personal top 5 golf experience. Great course, super fun, excellent green complexes, great company.
Ballyneal - loved the course, great accommodation, most comfortable bed on the trip, some maintenance issues with the greens.
Sand Hills - love the course, country club greens which was the main difference between SH and BN. Fun routing with some great par 3's and a great finish. Played my best round ever. Shot 72.
Dismal River - Nicklaus and Doak. Personally I enjoyed the Nicklaus course more but merely from a fun factor perspective. The greens were all like punch bowls with backstops. While I don't think I'd want that on my home course it was a fun experience. Played through the weekend with a vertebrae out of place in my lower neck, which made full enjoyment a bit of a challenge but I did my best. The Doak course is also excellent, love the natural usage of the land and it's contours. Hate horse flies on the last 3 holes. They love me.
Colorado Golf Club - this was a bonus round, didn't have any expectations and was really impressed with the course. Simply a beautiful place and certainly a great members club. Loved the beginning and finishing holes working their way up towards and down from the club house.
Baltusrol - another historic place, large open set up. Tough rough. Large greens. Sweatiest day I've ever played. Until this point of the trip.
Pine Valley - finally, what an experience. I did all I could to keep the ball in play. Course was playing very soft with all the rain. I had trouble holding the balls on the greens even when I tried to take the spin off. Challenging for me being used to links golf as I can go a full year without having the ball spin back on me. Hit a couple shots past the pin and had them roll back into the rough or bunker and leave near impossible shots for up and down. Fairways were very fair and wide but missing is death. Played with one elderly gentleman and realized how tough the course is for seniors who are not long hitters. This member had trouble with nearly all the carries and was constantly playing the ball out of the hazards, deep rough or waste areas. It was so hot and humid I really felt bad for him but he seemed use to it. Others have explained this so well. Pine Valley is relentless. Hit good shots and you struggle. Nothing is easy about it, except enjoying it and remembering it. I'm sure nearly every hole on the course if put on another course would be their best or one of their best and perhaps most difficult holes. I guess it's awe inspiring. Not sure what else to add. I imagine a 5 hcp at Pine Valley is a + hcp'er anyplace else (with a few exceptions).
Plainfield (tomorrow) - will see....