I got a chance to play the new Capitol City Club's Crabapple Course in Atlanta this week.
They are well into their preperations to host the American Express World Championship on the World Tour schedule in early October. This is the event that has been at Valderamma the last couple years.
The course is in great shape and the rough is going to be unbelievable. When I played this week it was grown up to about 3 inches and you had trouble finding your ball, and they have 6 more weeks, and intend to have the rough at about 5" for the tournament.
The property that the course sits on is a wonderful rolling piece of property, which somewhat surprised me as it is literally a few miles as the crow flies from White Collums according to a couple people. And although it has been sometime since I saw Whiite Collumns, I remember the property being a little more severe hills than Crabapple.
Crabapple is a well manicured, well bunkered, and visually stunning layout.
The second shot on the Par 5 12th. A large center bunker complex divides the larger and lower fariway from the slightly more narrow upper fairway option. If you are definiely playing a layup shot the left fairway would provide the most room, but the worse approach to the green. If you are going to try to go for it you probably need to take it up the right side with a little draw. The fairway there extends all the way to the green and there is an opportunity to roll one up through the front onto the green from that direction.
The view from the par 4 17th (which incidentally is also the view from one of the main patio areas of the clubhouse). It is a somewhat unique layout in that once you leave the 1st you do not return after the 9th. Actually the 16th returns very nearly to the clubhouse, then the 17th plays ajacent to and away from the clubhouse, then the 18th plays back on the other side of the clubhouse. Those three holes kind of snake their way around on property slightly below but fairly close to the clubhouse which is elevated just slightly on a small hill between these holes.
Make sure you take a shower after your round in the Merion look alike showers. The sheer volume of water will astound you. The perfect way to refresh after a good round of golf. Dont look up while showering or you might drown.