The Tour is at Mystic Rock this week. I've never been there but I will be there in a few weeks when we hold our Fall Meeting of the PA Golf Association at Nemacolin.

But one can get a pretty good idea of the course on TV. To me it's got that usual Pete Dye look of super shaping with penal features demarked with close rocks and close wild angles, severe vertical dimensions to them and such. Pete Dye's style surely is in a dimension all its very own (other than perhaps Hurzdan and Fry which does generally look a bit softer than Pete).

The green grades seem interesting with reportedly very little front to back tilt to the backs of any of them, and it appears there're all kinds of interesting little contours within them.

The shot values seems unbelievably high too which would probably explain why there's some unusual scoring separation this week in even the PGA Tour pro field.

The course looks about as demanding as a course can get and as usual it has that typical Dye almost "Theme Park" look to it.

I see a lot of similarity in the styles of Pete Dye and Hurzdan and Fry courses. Both generally have all kinds of interesting and distinct optional strategies using lots of great angles and such but the look of their styles!!----OH MY----it doesn't get much more artificial looking in not all ways but a lot of ways!

There is little question that Pete Dye has developed a very distinctive style and if you look at Nemacolin and Bulle Rock, it is obivous that they are the product of the same architect.  
What I am looking forward to is a trip to see the Dye Preserve down in Jupiter, Florida.  It was originally built about 20 years ago and was a really good course but in some respects was a bit over the top with the mounding and it was called Cypress Links.  About two years ago the owners had him go over the course and change whatever he felt was necessary to make it a better course.  I wonder what he changed as  it is unusual for a designer to have the opportunity after 20 years to have a free hand to chage his original design.  

Jerry:


Pete Dye did an excellent job and turned a tricked up course into an enjoyable shotmakers course.

Cary

Tom,
  I was playing golf with Jim Yonce of Yeaman's Hall at Long Cove-It was his first time playing there and he commented several times how Pete Dye is the modern day Raynor.

Tony Nysse
Asst. Supt.
Long Cove Club
HHI, SC

TomD:

Honestly, would you say there is a Seth Raynor style of architecture or would it more accruately be C.B. Macdonald's unique style? If not, what's the difference really?  

I, too, found the comparison to Hurdzan/Fry interesting. In fact, as I was driving home from a day spent at the tourney yesterday, I was struck by the feeling that Mystic Rock reminded me, in feel, of Olde Stonewall. Neither is particularly compelling to me, neither make very interesting use of the terrain, save a few holes on each, but each is somewhat saved by very interesting greens and green complexes. (I say somewhat, because for the exhorbitant sums charged by each of these courses, in my book it takes more than interesting greens to be completely saved.)

#1 has grown on me as an opener, #s 2-7 are rather boring to me, 8-15 is an interesting stretch, except for the "signature" 12th (am I crazy, or did they add that water intrusion separating the green into 2 distinct parcels?), and 16-18 do next to nothing for me. All for the grand bargain of $175 - a discounted rate since I stayed at the expensive yet enjoyable resort - and that was pre-84 Classic, I'm sure they've raised the rates since then. Not a course I'll be returning to play anytime soon.

BTW, Pampling flat out kills the ball for a relatively small guy. I watched the last half dozen groups, plus a few others, and he had the longest drive I saw on several holes. It's always amazing to see not just how far these guys hit it, but their touch around the greens as well. I don't know if anyone saw yesterday's telecast, but I was standing right next to Appleby when he hit out of the left rough on 13. And I was standing next to Justin Leonard's wife on a few holes, too - what a cutie.

george,
the green at 12 didn't get separated. The green is only the left half now. the right half is gone. the green is tiny now. it seems like a better hole than before. It made for interesting tv viewing, that's for sure.

george,
the green at 12 didn't get separated. The green is only the left half now. the right half is gone. the green is tiny now. it seems like a better hole than before. It made for interesting tv viewing, that's for sure.

Matt, the right have which was the front of the green still exists and is used to cut down the wear on the left green.  Both times I've been there this year it was being used as they were saving the newer green for the tournament.

There is one major difference between Raynor/Macdonald and Dye.  You can usually play R/M's courses with one ball and I doubt many people below tour level can do that at a typical Dye course.