Being the compulsive list maker that I am I thought I would share my experiences from the year 2005 in golf. Not that I'm necessarily done playing for the year, but I'm essentially out of vacation and almost out of good weather here in northern Indiana, so playing anyplace else new or exotic is unlikely.
I keep a list of all the courses I play, with my own personal rating system to rank all the courses. I don't claim its the end-all system; I've pulled bits and pieces of it from various sources, but it works for me. The average course is rated a 50 out of 100. While most of this batch are rated higher, 55 out of 100 is about the average overall. I'd be curious to hear any thoughts on the system or courses, or any recommendations for future play based on whats' below. I'll try to post some pictures when I get more time.
Note!--for those of you who don't like first impressions don't read on, since I only got to play all these courses once.
First...the system. Each rating is out of 100 points, with weighting as follows:
Memorability of Routing 25%
Fun 24%--would the course be fun to play every day
Shot Values 24% (or think difficulty/playability)--does the course test all facets of the game, risk/reward, options.
Aesthetics 12%
Condition 10%--does the course play the way it was designed to play (whether that be firm/fast, soft, green, brown, etc).
Finishing holes 5%
Now...the courses, in the order I played them and a couple brief thoughts.
FEBRUARY
Palisades GC, Clermont FL (Joe Lee) 50.73. Too many homes for my liking, but not the typical flat Florida course. Tiny greens the most interesting aspect of the course.
World Woods--Pine Barrens, Brooksville FL (Tom Fazio) 88.70. Great course, loved #4 and #15. Great fun.
World Woods--Rolling Oaks, Brooksville FL (Tom Fazio) 79.58. I concur with the general consensus: good, but not as good as PB.
APRIL
Indian Lake Hills GC, Eau Claire MI (
) 33.58.
The Brassie GC, Chesterton IN (Jim Fazio) 38.93.
Blackberry Patch GC, Coldwater MI (Ernie Schrock) 55.93. Housing course again, but not many homes of yet. I'd recommend playing now before they're built. Many forced carries from tees would make it difficult for shorter hitter/weaker player.
MAY
The big trip of the year for me! Went with my Dad and friends up to Kohler for an amazing weekend!
Whistling Straits--Irish, Sheboygan WI (Pete Dye) 71.69. I didn't like this one as well as the other three. Too contrived I think for my liking, and the last four holes were too severe for me.
Whistling Straits--Straits, Sheboygan WI (Pete Dye) 91.73. It will surprise some that this is not #1 on my list. I loved the place, but not as much as a few other courses. Made me realize just how good the pros are, I played decent from the back tees and shot 88 with an 8 on #18 (worst hole on course by far).
Blackwolf Run--River, Kohler WI (Pete Dye) 94.87. My favorite course of the year, absolutely spectacular setting and great par fives. Many chances to hit heroic shots, which I like even though I didn't pull many of them off as I'd planned!
Blackwolf Run--Meadow Valleys, Kohler WI (Pete Dye) 82.33. This one likely suffered from being played after the Straits and River. I did like the last 7 holes though, and had many of the same characteristics that I liked on the River (which makes sense for obvious reasons!)
JUNE--another trip, this time up into Michigan!
Arcadia Bluffs GC, Arcadia MI (Smith/Henderson) 90.07. Played here a couple weeks after the others. I thought this course was more visually striking than the Straits, but I ended up rating the golf at the Straits a little better due to more really good holes IMHO. Could be argued either way.
St. Ives GC, Stanwood MI (Jerry Matthews) 84.45. Pleasant surprise in a beautiful setting. More aerial golf than would be wanted here, but fun to play.
Tullymore GC, Stanwood MI (Jim Engh) 93.26. Biggest surprise of the year for me. I expected good but was blown away. This one had many of the characteristics I liked at the River Cse, including rewards for bold play. I hit some of the heroic shots here, but paid for it with two 7's in the last three holes. Course giveth, but taketh away!
Kemper Lakes GC, Long Grove IL (Nugent/Killian) 78.74. Having seen the last few holes on TV, I expected more out of the earlier set. Loved #11 par five though. Not bad by any means, but not someplace I'd rush back to for the green fee.
JULY
Limberlost GC, Rome City IN (
) 19.52.
AUGUST
Angels Crossing GC, Vicksburg MI (W. Bruce Matthews) 77.42. Another course that I could have said was a pleasant surprise, but I have to admit that I expected good things going up there. Loved the HUGE greens (except #13 due to the pin position) and the variety/options. The final two holes are among the best on the course, with the #18 being a great finisher with the very long green. Firing at back pins there would take some strong stuff! I could see this one getting a better rating with more plays as I get to know the course better (and there will be more plays!)
Kampen GC, West Lafayette IN (Pete Dye) 61.60. This one was just too brutal to be any fun for me. The long grass that was all over the place was an immediate lost ball. We found no golf balls in there, let alone any of our own. Many long par fours that started to seem similar after awhile. Still much improved over the last time I was there! Admittedly not much to work with originally, quite a marvel at what they did with a basic field.
Coyote Crossing GC, West Lafayette IN (Hale Irwin) 70.12. Again a fun course with more aerial shotmaking than is loved here. Worth playing and a fun day, wide enough playing corridors to make for a good challenge, but many forced carries that would frustrate the shorter hitter.
SEPTEMBER
The Fort GC, Indianapolis IN (Pete Dye/Tim Liddy) 84.25. Rated highly amonst public courses in Indiana for good reason. #11 par five was a great hole, and a fun variety of holes. I unfortunately only got to play 12 before dark, but drove the rest on my way in. Still combines with Sultan's Run and Rock Hollow as my favorite publics in Indiana.
OCTOBER
Creekside GC, Valparaiso IN (Don Childs) 51.51. Fun 9 holer and training course. Good test from the back tees.
Long Beach CC, Michigan City IN (William Hall, others) 72.13. Fun country club with some great par threes. Probably one of the best in northern Indiana that few have really heard much about. Homes come fairly close to the course for an older course.
Paa-Ko Ridge GC, Sandia Park NM (Ken Dye) 93.77. All the positive reviews on this site didn't really even do the course justice. Wonderful views and even better golf and greens. Swirling winds and high elevation made club selection fun all day long, would love to get back!
Signal Point Club, Niles MI (Robert Bruce Harris) 54.74. Unique 9 holer with two tees and two pins for each hole. Made for an excellent variety of holes when playing the course twice from the different tees (which were from different yardages and angles). Great fun.
Overall: #1 Blackwolf River, #2 Paa-Ko, #3 Tullymore, #4 Straits, #5 Arcadia, #6 Pine Barrens
Most pleasant surprises: River, Paa-Ko and Tullymore, also St. Ives and The Fort
Least pleasant surprises: Irish, Kemper Lakes, and Kampen.