Sherwood Country Club

[DTaylor18]

I'm sitting here this snowy sunday watching the Target World Challenge and enjoying a course that for the week has challenged the top players more than many of the regular season events.  Despite the conditions, this is impressive considering the quality of the field.  I have never played this course, but have enjoyed watching it as it is visually appealing on tv.  Has anyone out there actually played it?  A looks to me like a course that may be less enjoyable for the average player.  There are many forced carries, a typically challenging Nicklaus course.  I am amazed at the number of holes where the approach shots are either blind or blocked by trees, requiring you to work the ball or take it in high.  are there too many of these holes?    

[Patrick_Mucci]

Dan,

I've played it, enjoyed the experience, but wouldn't give it high marks because tour players are having a difficult time.

It is unwalkable from a practical perspective, has some good holes and some ho-hum holes.

I'd say that it's certainly worth playing, but I wouldn't want to play it every day.

[Tim_Weiman]

Dan,

I've walked Sherwood during a tournament but not played the course. Nothing stood out in terms of encouraging me to want to play it. I'll admit being turned off by the whole atmosphere of the place; it's a bit too much like walking down Rodeo Drive for my taste.

Sorry if that doesn't say anything about the actual architecture. Sometimes the environment is enough to turn me off completely.

[Steve Lapper]

Dan

     I've played it 3 times and have to agree for the most part with Pat. The tour players have to put themselves in fairly tight spots to get to the pins and driver has to stay in the bag too often.

    But it is a nice place(yes,with a little bit of Rodeo Drive to it) with some very good Nicklaus holes and others that just take up space.

It is definingly a second club for most who belong. Sounded to me like they had given Curtis Strange, et. al. a membership already!

I wouldn't give it more than a Doak 6-6.5 at best.

[buffett_guy]

Great Quotes from today's coverage:

"This is going to be a very tough shot from a tough angle. It will be very tough for Davis to get this within 20-25 feet of the hole." - Curtis Strange

Davis proceeded to hit a short iron to about 15 feet with a 3/4 swing.

"This course has 5 par 5s and 5 par 3s which is absolutely unique in the world of golf." - Ian Baker Finch

I'm moving to a golf community that has the same thing.

[klangone]

Besides Big Horn.......you get the worst bang for your buck at this place.  I don't understand the money game sometimes......a few multi-million $$ homes and all of a sudden you have a great course??  I don't think so..........

[Bob_Huntley]

A forgettable course, but one very attractive locker room.

[Wayne Freeman]

  Sherwood is pretty fantastic.  The fairways are so nice you feel guilty taking a practice swing and making a large divot. And the greens are like pool tables.  I have played it twice and think the layout is excellent.  Lots of beautiful trees and a lot of variation and changes in elevation.  Yes there are some blind shots and big doglegs, but it's still fair and very tough.  The par 3's are really good and the par 5's give you a chance to make some birdies. The place is very Hollywood-ish, with a very high profile membership. In fact in their beautiful clubhouse, the locker room has a separate rotunda with lockers for each president along with selected actors and famous sports personalities.  Supposedly, Rupert Murdock built it because he was denied membership at another exlusive club in L.A. and just decided to have his own course.  I certainly wouldn't pass up a chance to play it.

[Paul Richards]

I would have to tend to agree with lwaynef.  This is a course that was on the Top 100 lists and has fallen off.  It has plenty of 'eye-candy' - beautiful man-made waterfalls, etc.  However, I think that the eye-candy actually detracts from the interest that the course holds in terms of actual golf.  

The front nine is completely different than the back- built basically around the water, whereas the back is thru the canyons.  There are plenty of different holes and looks throughout and the course holds your interest from start to finish.

The fact that it isn't just a 'four-fives' and 'four-threes' course is actually a benefit, not a detraction.

The closing holes from 15 on are really quite good and frankly, I dont' think it should have slid out of the Top 100 lists.

[Lynn_Shackelford]

lwaynef
I think you mean David Murdock of Dole Corporation.
He supposedly interviewed Jack Nicklaus about designing the course and asked Nicklaus what his background was in golf.
I used to attend the event in the 80's when it was the Greg Norman shoot-out.  I watched some today and was amazed at the growth of the trees.  They have really narrowed the course.  It has gone from average to bad.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Here's Sherwood from above, which was AOTD #268 (thread:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=2071):

[Tommy Williamsen]

While I am not enamored by Nicklaus courses I found Sherwood delightful.  I walked it with my wife (and caddy).  I thought the shots were varried and interesting.  I didn't find that I had to bend shots around trees to get to the green.  If I would like to see anything changed it is the bunkering around the greens. I found the par threes varied and interesting.  The par fives were indeed varied.  Some were reachable and some not.  The par fours doglegged left and right were varied in length and difficulty and had interesting greens to put.  The land itself was undulating and beautiful.  And while the houses were beautiful they were too close to the course on some holes.  The staff in the pro shop were gracious as were the staff in the locker room.  The locker room is one of the best in the country with the usual amenities plus grill room and formal dining for a small group.