I’d like to do a picture series of Sutton Bay basically hole by hole, and make some comments along the way. I'll have to do this over a couple of days and save comments for the end. But, I'll also try to respond to your impressions... Thanks to Brad Swanson for lending me his home page server space. Yet I will need more to finish the last 3 holes.
An opening tee shot par 5, from tips 661 and middle tees 581, with a long downhill forced carry. One sees a sliver of fairway past a notch of native grass and stone terrain. Management indicates they are going to widen the left first LZ. Always downhill – this hole, the second shot has plenty of room up right side and a big target green slightly fall-away to left.
The second, par 3 at 151 or 141, is to a deep green, narrowing as it recedes back to the bunkers seen straight away. A staircase of grass bunkers along left side of the green falls from putting surface about 30ft. The elephant in the yellow shirt opted for a 5 iron spanked crisply into a strong wind.
The third, par 4 of 395 or 376, gives you a generous and rumpled fairway up right, but don’t hook or be off line on a greedy left direct line at green. A skyline green is guarded close at right entrance or from further out on left.
The fourth, yet another long 651 or 553, with very long back tee carry to fairway. Once again, a tumbling downhill fairway from 2nd shot, to a fall away skyline green guarded on left and right entrance, with a surprise just over the seen right fronting bunkers. Check your yardage books!
The fifth, at 173 or 165, up on the shelf, multi-tiered with backboard, false front, mean fronting bunker.
The sixth, 434 or 407, great driving hole, to a generous top right shelf lay-up safe, or drive to a speed ramp tumbling down left to lower left shelf and open shot at green. But, if you don’t make it deep up leftside on direct line, or miss speed ramp by hooking left, you are deader than whoever is buried in Grant’s tomb. No recovery from there, hit a provisional, make your own rule for a drop or go back to the tee.
The seventh, 405 or 386, again downhill to narrowing fairway slot and swale until an uphill rise to a well contoured green open on left. I know a certain fellow that is helping me host these pics that would be thinking of driving this hole at 405!!!
The eighth - can it be? Another, or third 608 or 573 yard hole? Yup. Lots of room out there off the tee; next play short or right of an encroaching from left mounded nest of bunkering, guarding a long and deep angled front right to back left green, still a ways beyond the mounds. Oh, and this one ain’t a tumbling down the draw easy 600 yarder either!
The nineth, at 206 or 178, is a reverse redan if one were somewhat upside down. The lower tier is front left, with redan like bunkering guarding right front side, with uphill rear tier. Thus, no kick plate to back rear pin placements. A treacherous green to putt. Sorry, the only picture I have of 9 is a fat grey haired guy hitting a shot to lower left tier with pin perched on upper right side.
The tenth, 393 or 345 was a puzzle to be figured out for this writer. It appears to slope steeply from high left to down right. A grass depression mid fairway bunker in the fore landing zone, is to intimidate but easily cleared with a comfortable drive. A ball sailing over the right side of the depression one would think would have to tumble down right. Guess again! Each time I hit that shot, I would find my ball somewhere up the left high side. A big driver of the ball can get down a speed ramp to a front row chip up to the green. But, a drive remaining up on left high side has an inviting look down to the green that has a cradled front left pin pocket and a spine separating to a back right runaway rear area.
The eleventh, 562 or 535 has a narrow entrance with native grass and rock fields encroaching from left and right to the first landing area, that broadens wide if you get to it. The second shot is to a widening field of play with a nest of bunkering somewhat in middle high left of fairway, with room further left for an approach from a high side left sort of around the field strategy of play, or a wider lower right side. The mid-fairway nest of bunkering here, like back on 8th hole is well crafted.
The twelfth, 401 or 368, higher left to lower right fairway, falling into a large field of bunkering on lower right. Green approach favors left side but a false front if you come up short and challenging high right side approaches over massive bunkers to back right pins.
You can take a break here at Swampy Graham Marsh’s Shack if you didn’t stop after the 6th hole.
The thirteenth, 214 or 187 plays down through a gap between rocky, grassy terrain. Guarded at entrance by bunkering on both sides.
The fourteenth, 419 or 376 has a tee shot through Mae West like mounded gap to widening fairway landing area. The second must play up and over a massive bunker fronting the somewhat skylined green complex that is falling high left to down right.
The fifthteenth, 531 or 507 has familiar high left to down right fairway LZ with plenty of forgiveness room down right for short and sliced shots. Second shot sets up to favor approaches from left. A massive mound of South Dakota hard scrabble rock and native grass partially hides the back right of green. Bunkering wraps around the base of that fronting mound.
I will have to stop and leave the last 3 holes for tomorrow. My host hasn’t got the last load of pictures up on his server. I regret I probably crashed his memory allotment.
I’ll save my overall comments about what I think is the big picture at Sutton Bay and personal impression of how I’d rank this course until a later post.