While not a registered member of the Royal Company of Rustic Canyon Apologists
, I like Rustic Canyon immensely and was therefore motivated to seek out Gil Hanse's Capstone Club of Alabama during a recent 600 miles day trip through the state of Alabama. Thanks to John Goodman I enjoyed some better than average barbecue at Tin Roof and was regaled by Brother Oliver on the radio as he back-stabbed both Tommy Tuberville (aka "Ears) and Gene Stallings - no small task. But I digress.
The club touts itself as the home of Alabama's golf team and includes a nice subtle "Roll Tide" on the scorecard. I penciled in "Over" between those two words and headed to the first tee.
Unfortunately, the course received approximately one inch of rainfall overnight and was soaked. One inch might not seem like much, until you realize what lies just below the dormant bermuda grass, as indicated on the hill in the distance of this photograph:
Overall the site is relatively rugged and Hanse does a nice job negotiating it with his routing. While no easy walk, there are no green to tee death marches and very few forced carries of any real consequence. There is substantial bold movement in the fairways, with Hanse compensating through extremely generous fairway width and hole corridors. Inexcusable to tree a golf ball on this course. The ruggedness and fairway width are typified by tee shot at the uphill 471 yards (middle tees totaling 6657 yards) 4th:
From about 150 yards out on the same hole, Hanse's artistry is typified by the left hand bunker complex that must be carried to reach the green in two. A strategic element still confronts the lesser talent who is laying up short of the green. The small center-line bunker about 50 yards out adds interest to what is otherwise an almost irrelevant second.
After a friendly opener, things get interesting at the 421 yards second hole where the better play is down the left hand side of this dogleg right. Otherwise, the dramatically uphill second shot is totally blind due to a hillside that encroaches from the right about 300 yards from the tee. The blindness is even more problematic given the massive size of the green and severe internal contouring. The approach is from the left of the following photograph:
The photograph also reveals the extended aprons surrounding many greens, particularly from the high sides. Dressed with their own tight knit turf, they accomodate and infact invite the ground game much like their Moorpark cousins.
The par three third is my favorite on the golf course. At 190 yards it appears relatively tame off the tee but is slightly uphill playing across a ravine. I'd call is a closet Redan, as there is ample opportunity to sling the ball in from the right side to avoid the steep drop-off left of the green. Unlike the traditional Redan, the green is not set at an angle however, with its straight left edge parallel to the line of play. Hanse ingeniously built up the back left corner, however, to mask the fact that putts break right to left on the green. Only Lookout Mountain's Redan is more deceptive in my limited experience.
This photo is from the right side of the green. The putt is LEFT edge:
The 399 5th features this drop shot second after a blind drive:
Absolute death left. They don't call me Bogey for nothing:
Deep down, everybody wants to be The Donald, as evidenced by this waterfall behind the green (see why they call it the Iron Bowl?):
Moving ahead, the 8th hole, at 430 yards uphill has a fascinating green complex that is relatively unprotected. No photograph could to it justice. Think of a dinner plate, slightly curled upward at the edges. Now slice off the top half inch of the fat end of a hard-boiled egg and place it left of center. That's the 8th green. Extremely difficult to judge pace.
I felt the golf course began to lose a little luster thereafter, though I'm hard pressed to say why. The internal green contouring turned a little pedestrian thereafter with the exception of the 17th, shown here from the front right of the green:
The 17th is touted on the club's website as their signature hole, but it was a little over the top for my liking: 429 yards, alternative fairways bisected by a creek, hell's sixteenth acre natural/bunker area short of the green and the same creek hard against the right side of the green. This hole has more going on than Stacey's Mom. From their web-site:
http://www.capstoneclub.com/capstone.asp?id=241&page=5915The 198 yards 14th plays uphill and better than any other hole captures the rugged natural beauty of the area. The stairstepped bunkers up the right-hand side are extremely deep, but a much better fate than the small trench on the left which yields an impossible downhill bunker shot that suggests the game of Annie Over is on:
As a notorious low-ball hitter and Texas Wedge afficionado (i.e, I blade a lot of wedges), I hope to return when the conditions are firm. The golf course is full of fun shots. The ground game contouring around the greens is surprisingly natural and of real, practical use. This, coupled with the generous fairways yields a universal opportunity for an enjoyable game. I enjoyed the golf course, notwithstanding my absolutely horrid play.
Overall, the hilly terrain seemed to neutralize Hanse's handiwork. I sensed he wisely chose not to compete with the terrain on occasion, but the result is too many ordinary, if not indifferent holes. The course has not been heavily touted. Perhaps that's the reason. Or maybe, the Hillbillies - me included - just don't "get it."
Mike