[D_Malley]

what happened with the 18th hole at glenmaura, which i think is sometimes played as the 9th.  it really leaves a bad taste in your mouth, after a somewhat decent work on other holes

[Emmy]

While I've had a chance to read some of MH's published work, it's also nice to review the recent posts on his projects.

Back in the mid 90's I met Mike at a Golf and the Environment Summit at Pebble Beach. It didn't take long for me to discover his bright, kind, and visionary ways. Earlier this year our paths crossed again at a meeting we both attended during the GIS in Atlanta. Mike was on hand offering encouragement and sound advice to a small huddle of folks from a non-profit golf organization. Everyone listened closely as he provided guidance in an astute yet thoughtful manner.

Ten years may have passed since our initial meeting yet Mike remains the same today. He is both genuine and true in his volunteer efforts surrounding golf. Yes, golf is better because of him.

[Chris_Blakely]

Doug,

The story about The Oaks GC in Kentucky answered a lot of my questions.  I could not help but think when playing the course, "why do they not put a little more money into maintenance??"  I absolutely loved the course.   Some absolutelyh wild holes and wilder elevation changes.  What is there right now is pretty sad, they do not have even 1 maintaned bunker (all grassed over).  It would have been quite an experience to play that course if it was private!

[Jim Johnson]

Just wondering if anybody has the book...
"Selected Golf Courses by Hurdzan-Fry", with foreward by Tom Lehman.

And if so, a few comments on the book...

Thanks.

JJ

[Doug Ralston]

Chris;

I see you are in NW Ohio. How did you come to play 'The Oaks'? I ask because I have an aquaintance on golfkentuckylinks.com who is from the Toledo area, and plays in Eastern KY pretty often. Great courses over there, and few know it.

Doug

[Doug Braunsdorf]

Re: Militia Hill @ Philly Cricket



When there was talk of a PGA Tour event coming to town, it was mentioned as a possible venue since Brian Roberts of Comcast(majority owner of The Golf Channel) is a member there and the Militia Hill course has more space but obviously Philadelphia is not a major market for golf.

This sounds a little too close to that line in Spinal Tap saying words to the effect that Boston wasn't a big college town...  

[Jim Franklin]

I will be in Rhode Island next week and have time for a round. Is Shelter Harbor worth the visit?

[Doug Ralston]

Looked up the site, looks nice anyway. Hurdzan generally provides nice, playable courses. Enjoy.

Doug

[Matt_Ward]

Jim:

Play Carnegie Abbey if time and opportunity works.

Solid effort by Donald Steele.

[Patrick Hodgdon]

Wow as a Calusa Pines caddy and admitted homer this old thread has interest to me... I am surprised however that no one mentions having played Hamilton Farms. I have heard it is one of their better designs along with CP, Erin Hills, Shelter Harbor and Paintbrush.

Has anyone played Hamilton Farms and if so what did you think?

[Guy Nicholson]

I played Dundarave during a trip to PEI two years ago. It's one of two destination courses on the east side of the island, with Tom McBroom's Crowbush Cove. CC has a much higher profile nationally due to a stretch of dunesy holes by the ocean, but Dundarave compares very favourably over less spectacular land.

It has some smart strategic holes and a couple of memorable ones, including the 8th, a short par-four cape hole over an inlet. Unlike Crowbush, it uses the local red soil in its bunkers, which makes it fit the landscape a lot better. Doak 6, maybe?

(I've also played Bond Head but understand it was the work of an associate.)

[Dan Boerger]

I've played Fieldstone in Delaware numerous times, and really enjoy the course. A few observations:

First hole is fairly weak, with a road running  across the fairway about 50 yards in front of the green. Also this first green has some pretty severe runoff that seems out of place with the rest of the green complexes.

Second hole is a really nice par 5, that narrows at you get closer but with a valley like fairway is often forgiving. This theme is repeated on the 10th.

Starting with the 3rd hole, nice group of par threes (3,6,8,13 and 16 I believe), although 6 and 13 are somewhat similar drop shot.

A number of excellent par fours. Highlights include the reachable 11th (great risk reward) and the downhill 15th.

Lots of elevated tees, which make for some really dramatic views and shots, but also make it a difficult course to walk.

An excellent course IMO.

[Tom Yost]

Other work in SW Ohio:  third nines added to Shaker Run and the Hamilton Elks club.  I have not played either.


Tom

[Dan Herrmann]

Wren Dale in Hershey, PA is really fun course.  Certainly not world class, but it's a very fine golf course routed over tough topography.

[John Burzynski]

My only experience with his work is Blackthorn in South Bend, probably considered our best area course (although I am partial to Warren at ND).

I haven't played the course in a while, but Blackthorn is a nice mix of holes, rolling terrain (I don't think much earth was moved, as this is the general terrain in that end of the county), and a nice mix of a couple of tree lined holes and wide open fairways , which I love.  The 5th hole has an oak right in the middle of the hole (which is a hazard I have just never understood on any hole), but other than that to me it is a very nice course, especially considering that it is a municipal course and has somewhat of a private course feel to it. 

[Joe Bausch]

I've only played two of Hurdzan/Fry layouts:  Militia Hills as part of the Philly Cricket Club and the public course out near Lancaster called Pilgrim's Oak.  I started a thread on PO last fall after a round there.  I really think this course in under appreciated.  Here is that thread with plenty of photos:

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,31888.msg624453.html#msg624453

[Tim Leahy]

I have played four of his courses, two in Colorada, Raven and Heritage, and two in Palm Springs, Desert Willow, Firecliff and Mountain. I really enjoyed them all. Raven is in a spectacular mountain setting with many elevation changes. Heritage at Westmoore is a prairie type course with great greens. Desert Willow Firecliff is very good, and considering the site, flat desert, was quite an impressive design utilizing natural plants in the rough to make a visually beautiful course. The Mountain course is more of a desert resort layout with many traps and palms.

[JLahrman]

Walden Ponds and Cooks Creek are both better than I was expecting.  I like quite a few of the holes at Walden Ponds, not crazy about the subdivision setting nor the plaque on one of the tees proclaiming "Welcome to the signature hole at Walden Ponds".

Did he design Blue Ash or do some work on it?  Seems like it has been around for a long time.

Not a fan of The Vineyard.

I've also played Lassing Pointe once, don't remember much about it.

[Gerry B]

have played the following:

Calusa Pines - played it last month for the 1st time really enjoyed it - was a very windy day which added to the excitement

Devils Pulpit -very good

Devils Paintbrush - very good

Philly Cricket - Militia Hill - not very good - if i had to play 10 rounds at Philly Cricket - would be a 10-0 shutout or 9-1 in favour of The Wissahickon course aka Flourtown Course

Club at Bondhead - the older course of the 2 - some great holes -overall a very good course but  not very walker friendly - which could be fixed with some stategically placed footbridges and paths cut through the fescue

[Brad Tufts]

JJohnson,

I do have the book you ask about, and it is more of a coffee table book than anything.  However, there are beautiful pictures, and a brief blurb on how each course came to being.  None of the course features are particularly spectacular (with a couple exceptions), but all look fair, attractive, and interesting.

From the list, I have played:

Eagle's Landing:  A solid if not spectacular course set through wetlands and a coastal forest.  The finish has several holes around the inlet to the intercoastal waterway.

Shelter Harbor:  Fun, different, with several great strategic holes.  This course will compete with the classic-era stalwarts in RI.  The hole previously mentioned is a short par four downhill with bunkers, mounding, and a hugely wide fairway and TINY green.  I thought of Strantz or Engh when I was on this hole.

Turner Hill:  Martin has covered the highlights/issues pretty well.  18 does look like an afterthought as a 145-yd par three headed back into the following group's approaches to the awesome 17th in front of the former monastery.  The course is built for carts.  I really liked #9, an uphill split-fairway par 5 with a false front green.

Widow's Walk:  I don't want to get into it...too narrow, not playable.  I've heard the enviros really stuck it to the developer/designer when it was built, making it the way it is.  It might be better just left as a bird sanctuary or something.

[Garland Bayley]

For me, Bully Pulpit is one of those courses that you want to immediately play another 18. The last six holes are a great finishing stretch.

[Rob_Waldron]

I have had the opportunity to play several H&F designs. The courses have all bee very good. However what is the deal with all of the fescue??? Nearly every H&F course I have seen is burdened with an overabundance of tall, thick fescue lining the holes. It makes for a long day of looking for errant shots not to mention the frustration of numerous lost balls!

[Fred Gray]

I play a H&F course (The Ledges in Huntsville) about twice a week work and weather permitting and am happy with the course.

Pluses: Width, on most holes there is a good side and a bad side of the fairway with room off the fairway for recovery before getting deep into the woods. Risk/Reward, on several holes there is a cliffside to worry about but often playing close helps the next shot. Multistage thinking, to play most of the holes well, pin location determines where you want to hit your approach from which puts demands on the drive. No Mickey Mouse Holes, nothing seems too contrived. Half Par holes, #2 is really a par 4.5, the green is very difficult to hold in most places and it plays uphill for average to short drives while #15 is also a par 4.5 being a par 5 that almost everyone can reach but lots of doubles lurk for over aggressive play.

Minuses: Long Ride between 2&3 and 6&7. Needs a short par 4, hole 5 is a basic par 3 and everytime I play it I think how nice it would be if the tees were push 150 yards into the woods.

One note: Skyline Greens. There was a long series of posts here about the missed chances to have several skyline greens. To get the permits to built, agreements were signed about maintaining trees and protecting views from the valley floor. Slowly some of the trees have fallen yielding more skyline but it is something that must happen "naturally".

[Bill Shamleffer]

I have played 3 HF Courses
1. Crystal Highlands – near Crystal City, MO.  Unfortunately, NLE, just too far from enough golfers and too much mid/upper tier competition.  Had it been closer to StL, it would have done much better.  Pretty good piece of land, probably a bit too hilly, but fun.

2.  Annbriar.  One of my favorite courses in St. Louis.  “Links” (since it is in S. Illinois, probably “Prairie” is more apt) style on the front 9 and in the woods on the back.  Greens have movement, but not too wild, good bunkering and a good bit of strategy can come into play on many holes.  http://www.annbriar.com/

3.  St. Albans/Tavern Creek.  To me, the property was a little too tight in some places, but overall a good course.  I only played it once, so I don’t have a lot of detailed recollections.  Not sure how this is #1 in Missouri, but that is for another day.  If Jeff S. sees this thread, perhaps he could weigh in as he has played it a few more times than I.

I agree with your comments per Crystal Highlands and Annbriar.

I always enjoyed playing Crystal Highlands and I thought it was a fantastic public course.  However, I stopped supporting the place when they made carts mandatory.  (Carts may have only been mandatory during peak times.  Nevertheless, the customer should always have the option to walk, as long as the customer is only charged a walking fee no greater than the lost profit margin from the cart revenue.)

As to Annbriar, it is hands down the very best public course in the St. Louis market.  In addition the rates are very reasonable for the level of quality of the course.  (Although, once again I do have an issue with the fee including cart rental.)

2008 Regular Rates
Includes Cart Fee

Monday thru Friday (9 Holes)  $27.00
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays (9 Holes )  $37.00
Monday (18 Holes)  $42.00
Tuesday thru Friday (18 Holes)  $52.00
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays $72.00

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()