My son and I had the privilege of playing Woodhill yesterday.  It was a joy.  Donald Ross did it in 1917.  He was active in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area during that time frame.  Among others he did Minnekhada, White Bear Lake Yacht and CC, Interlachen, and some work on Mpls GC.  The star is White Bear Lake.  It is built on rolling, turning, bumpy ground. So is Woodhill.  You never really have a flat lie.  Growing up on that course will give you a complete education on playing off different lies.  The bunkering is great.  The bunkers are well placed, not over done, both deep and shallow.  The greens have wonderful undulation and slope that keeps the player attentive at all times.  No gimmes here.

the terrain on the second hole gets you prepared for the day.      


The greensite on 2


There are a lot of tree lined holes.  And I know you wanted to get a look at my legs.








A par three that is a little awkward.







The tee shots are fun.  Hit it over this hill and you get thirty yards of roll.  I think my son outdrove me here.


Judging the distance to the greens can be difficult.  This bunker is about twenty yards short of the green.


Typical looking tee shot.  Blind or semi blind.

Just  a little help for some of you out there who haven't had the privilege to play Woodhill.   I grew up in the Minetonka area and took my first lesson from Phil Reith when I was 10.  

Phil is still there and I'm 52.  I left minnesota several decades ago but still have a warm spot in my heart for Woodhill, although from the pictures, those trees they planted when they lost their elms are getting a little out of hand.  

Photo #1&2 is actually the par three second.  A nasty  volcano green that while only a 9 or wedge always struck fear....

#3&4 are the sixth hole where a long tee shot leaves a mid iron to a very narrow entry.  Always one of my father's favorites.

#5 is looking back from the seventh green.  Which is pictured in the next pic.  This green is very severe and pretty small.  

Next two shots are of the 9th green with the pro shop behind.

#8 with your son driving looks like the Par 4 11th.  With the next photo I assume the green.  

And finally the 17th which is a drive over a hill and then a short iron to a perched green site.  

While I have always loved Woodhill, the only two holes that keep it from being a GCA darling are the 9th which requires a big slice or a mid iron off of the tee.  Some try to take 5 wood up over the elevated parking lot, but none of the options are really very good.  And 18 is a dog leg left with a fairway wood down the hill and then a lofted shot to the once again elevated green.  

With the exception of those two problems, the rest of the course holds fond memories.

Thanks for sharing the photos.

His father held the course record at Woodhill with Arnold Palmer for years.

The pro gave him his nickname.  

Is this Tim Herron's home club?

He's always listed as being from Wayzata, MI...

It's actually Wayzata, MN -- but close enough!

I thought Lumpy's home course was Wayzata Country Club. Wasn't it, W.H.C.?

I used to play Woodhill a lot when I was in college. I had a rich friend whose father was a member (actually, his father was the rich one -- and "rich" grossly understates the matter) and didn't mind unlimited guest fees showing up on his account. (We never saw another golfer on the course. It's a VERY small and exclusive membership.)

The course was huge fun -- except for that goofy No. 9, and for the fact that Nos. 1 and 10 were so much alike that I can't remember which was which. I don't remember thinking that No. 18 was a bad hole.

And No. 6? The par 4 through the very tight woods? Loved it. Possibly the most claustrophobic hole I've ever played -- but I loved it for that distinctiveness.

Woodhill is a very wealthy Club with a superb old clubhouse and the bones of a classic Ross course. There appears to be a reluctance among the members to do a wholesale removal of trees.

The trees have done more than encroach they have redesigned a number of holes. # 17 is a good example. The trees have moved the fairway nearly 60 yards to the right changing the way in which the hole was meant to be played.

There are some wonderful grees on this course, although one of the par five holes has a green that has a bit too much slope. This limits the pin positions to one or less.

Woodhill, nonetheless, is a fun track to play.

After I had finished playing, i asked the head pro if they had thought about removing any trees.  His reply was, "The last storm felled 18 trees."  They love the trees and I suspect most think of them as an integral part of the design.  They are beautiful trees, but they do encroach on play.  I think it would be easier to take out a memorial window in my church than to take down a tree at Woodhill.

Got to play this for the first time.  Great fun.  I had a few thoughts

1. Many tee shots are blind.  I do not think it detracts from the course at all and actually think I prefer a blind tee shot to a typical visible one.

2.  These greens are about as good as it gets, although they were pretty slow.  When fast they must be extremely difficult.

3.  This course has a lot of low lying wet areas.  It must be amazing when firm.

4.  I imagine the days when the course is firm are extremely rare.  Has any course successfully firmed up despite existing on a lot of low level ground>

When I played it in September, the greens were firm and fast.   You needed the touch of a safe cracker on and around the greens.  Get above the hole and holler, Uncle."  The fairways were not firn but did run a little and you had to either shape shots off the tee or play the slope of the land.

It was great fun and better than I had expected.

Over 3 million people live in the Twin Cities area and never play Woodhill. It is so small and so private, it makes Somerset look like an overrun muni.

I was fortunate enough to play Woodhill once, about 20 years ago, and had a wonderful time. It's a course you want to go back and play right away because local knowledge is really helpful. Alas, it looks like once every quarter-century is going to be it for me.

I was also fortunate enough to play a round with Carson Herron a few years back. He was a cigar-chomping, wise-cracking, ball-striking original.

Hi Jason and thanks for bumping this. Can you elaborate on point #2?

Also curious to know re point #3 how club prefers to maintain it.

Thanks
Mark

PS did you get around in 1 ball?