David,

I'm sure many will chime in here, as we held KP-IV there last April.

That being said...you are correct about the wind, it can really blow out there at times!

Might be hard to assess the course for you, as I'm pretty much a HACK and you are going there to play in a tournament, but overall I liked the course except for some maintenance issues regarding hairy fairway bunkers.

The hole orientations pretty well test the wind in all directions, lots of no-mow areas down the fairways so driving accuracy will be at a premium.  Ground game options are available on most green complexes.  A few forced carries off tees over either no-mow or marshy like areas, but nothing too severe.  Putting surfaces were very good.

Not much else to tell I suppose, but others will definitely chime in soon...

I played three rounds there during the King Putter matches last year. The plus side is that there's plenty of contour to the greens and the green surrounds are generally tied in well to the greens themselves and are kept at pretty similar speed and firmness to the greens. So there can be a ground game in play. Some interestingly shaped holes and just generally a nice routing, IMO.

The biggest downside is that the course is basically built in a sea of tall grass that is practically an automatic lost ball. For daily play they strongly suggest (as in the marshals try to enforce) what they call the "Savannah Rule" i.e. to treat all the tall grass as if it were a red-staked lateral hazard. That is one way to keep play moving among us bogey golfers but in an actual medal-play tournament you're going to be hitting a lot of provisional balls. I would expect the pace of play in your tournament to be truly glacial if indeed you catch an afternoon of over-20mph breezes.

There are also a couple of much commented-upon oddities such as the random strips of very thick rough just off some of the greens. Not sure what they're supposed to accomplish but they are a bit dissonant with the overall design of the green surrounds.

Lest this seem like a negative evaluation, I very much liked playing the course and would gladly do so again. For a pretty reasonably priced daily-fee course it's a very enjoyable place to have a game with your friends. It just isn't a very fun place for a stroke-play tournament, especially given that the winds do blow there often.

Just remember to avoid the tall grass - sage counsel always, REALLY wise at SR.

And if you think you failed to avoid the tall grass, taking 20 seconds to hit a provisional will probably save you from taking "the longest walk in golf" a few minutes later.

Jason - you can keep hitting provisions ad infinitum - you just have to VERY clearly state that each is a provisional, and VERY clear state which ball is which. Of course they'd all have to be different.  And of course this could get very confusing.

But make guys like us play a course like Stevinson from the tips in the wind in stroke play, and hell yes I could see it happening.

TH

David, I believe that there is a huge amount of local knowledge needed to compete at Stevinson. Most completely on the greens but certainly there are other advantages to seeing as much as you can before the event. Wind conditions and their affect on putting maybe primary. Especially if you know the general area of the pins for the event.

Although knowledge of the greens is extremely beneficial, knowing where to hit your tee ball may be as important.  And with the various doglegs and short par-5s, David should understand when he can step on the gas.  

Gents:

Not to be a jerk or anything, but in terms of knowing where to hit the ball off the tee, how is Stevinson any different from any other course?  And how would that knowledge not be gleaned from the yardage guide?

Oh heck yeah, if David has a day to burn, a practice round would help a lot.  But I'd say the same thing about Santa Teresa....

CAVEAT - I love Stevinson - I wouldn't have busted my ass planning the event there if I didn't.

I'm just having a hard time understanding this "local knowledge" thing.  I guess I think of it differently.  In a perfect world, hell yes all knowledge is good knowledge.  But in terms of mental preparation and prioritizing in an imperfect world where practice rounds might not be a reality, well...

I'd focus on the greens, and wrap my mind around the idea that there are a lot of places to lose golf balls, and thus gear toward conservative play.

TH

You guys cant see the forest through the trees. It's the brown shades that make everything work. From the black and blue clothing, to the green and blue in the background. Having the glasses right on the horizion is another  composition element that makes this greater than the sum of it's parts.

Huck, David did say he wanted to contend.

Alternatively you can go with black shoes, belt and hat but then what pants do you wear? These are puzzling dilemmas...

Brent:

Golf Digest has an article called "Ask Mr. Style | With Marty Hackel".   I think you should take his place.

I'm sure I was wearing black pants for those who want to know.  I also like the look of the collar inside the vest, this keeps me snuggly warm, almost like being in the womb.

Mi amigo Miguel:

Sorry man, I'm not buying it.  Stevinson doesn't have THAT many holes that are going to require that type of knowledge, and yes, on those where it is required, he could indeed use a range finder. I have no doubt that it will be legal for his event.  But the yardage guide works decently enough also.

And yes, he would also need that knowledge on each of these holes at Santa Teresa:

1,2,3,11,12,15,18

Perhaps it's not as crucial as at SR, but it would be helpful.

My point remains this:  of course if he wants to contend, he needs all of this knowledge and hell yes, he ought to come up and play 15 practice rounds - he's never going to get too much knowledge.  And hell yes he ought to mark for himself where to hit on the holes you have in mind; confirming the yardage guide through his own experience.

I would just continue to contend that if prioritization is required, then start with the greens and the mindset I suggest, because these yardages can be determined close enough via information on hand for one and all.

TH

I didn't find the greens to be all that overbearing, they were big but not over the top.  Perhaps you had more trouble with them because you putt like you are using one of those wooden shafted Clamity Jane putters ...  

TOUCHE!

I do think Adam was onto something... combine those greens with the wind, and if one isn't used to such, well.. that would be freaky, and thus would be a worthy focus.

TH

Damn you.  That does have a rather large importance.

Must be the wisdom of age.

 

Not sure about the wind in April.  Is it ever NOT windy out there?

TH