Before we go on any further, there is nothing minimal about the site of The Retreat. Sitting on the edge of the Clevland National Forest, next door to the Todd Eckenrode-designed, Eagle Glen, this site was about as inhospitable to golf that I have ever seen.
The purpose of posting these photos is simply to show how an architect can sometimes be faced with one of the most difficult of challenges. The Retreat.
The Retreat is, and as the images will indicate, a sporty golf course faced with many challenges. Most of all of them vertically. In fact, I would call it the poster child of vertical golf. But this is the real world. The Retreat is a master planned community which means that housing, schools and parks take a precedence over golf on all accounts. I usually call this throwing all common sense out the window. Because of maturity, and mostly the economy, I don't fault the designer either. In fact, it would be hard to fault the developer also. He was just maximizing his investment, regardless of what I think!
The housing at the Retreat ranges from, and this is a guess, mid-size starter homes (which means they are unaffordable) to somewhat more lavish, more grandiose homes for the executive. (which means that are totally unaffordable.) Taking a guess, I'm going to say anywhere from $650,000-$1.5 Million. Once again, this is a guess of current "new" SoCal housing prices. figure your 45 minutes to an 1 hour away from Newport Beach, via the ridiculous toll roads through some of the most beautiful natural places in Orange County.
So with all of that, one, without knowing many facts of the golf course itself, can figure out what is going to be going on there. Once again, the site is nearly inhospitable for golf.
Surprisingly, the Nicklaus Group, sold as a Bill Leary design have created something that should be a study by any architectural enthusiast. In fact, I don't think many could have done much better. to sum it all up in one nutshell, I have never been on a course that made me, and I'm talking me--the somewhat short knocker--take the driver out of my hands effectively.
I know what your all thinking! Scary isn't it?!?!
But the fact is this site was going to be one that
HAD to do that. I found myself throughout the round using fairway woods for half shots to get some upward pop on the ball, to even using six irons from 20 yards away. Playing from the blue tees, playing as a 469 yard downhill then uphill par 5, I played 5 wood, 5 wood, lob wedge, after pulling my second shot into the abyss of whatever lay between it and the hole. After holing out a downhill 10 footer, I still managed a bogie six to save myself.
On the downhill, cross-bunkered, 17th, I hit 3 wood, 4 iron and had less then 40 yards in.
Again, I made bogie. All of it was due to arrogant play on my part!
So, I ask myself, Is this the way golf was meant to be played?
Reminding myself of the heat stroke-affected comment Bob Huntley made during the King's Putter Cup,
"this is the type of course they should be making Skilling & Lay play during their incarcerations...." Heaven's no, but the thing is they have created a pretty dramatic looking and fun course to play making the best out of a horrible piece of land, albeit a dramatic one--that really beautiful site. So, if I'm going to jail, then I hope the jailhouse course presents some certain challenges, just like The Retreat!
To the architecture nut or aficionado like myself, it would be a mistake to avoid this golf course. There is much to learn when presented with similar situations and cut the designers some slack.
There are also some certain features here that pulled off inspirations from certain course I'm thinking of, where blindness, as well as sportsmanship are key. These factors make up for a enticing challenge. While the unknowledgable, unschooled golfer will praise the difficulty, or what looks like difficulty, many will also condemn it simply because it makes them think and doesn't allow them to use the greed stick(driver) on most every hole. The course is more then user friendly, in fact, it's the friendliest, hilliest course I've ever played.
In the big world things of Golf Architecture, I can't think of a more refreshing change, albeit one you can only hope works in the minds of the developers to develop better golf sites, more hospitable to the situation.
Below is a view up the canyon of holes #2, 3, 4 and partial of the 6th. the images following it, the approach on the 3rd, which is the hole with the tree directly in back of the green. This green is a shallow one and it puckers your petard thinking how your going to hold it. the image following it taken directly from the 4th tee looking at the green from the left, showing the fun putting contours throughout the course.#10--
The 4th, a 180 yard uphill (185 for us, from the tips, 201) par 3 which I played my favorite shot of the day, off of the side of the hill. It reminded me of what the shot at the famed 16th @ George Thomas' La Cumbre must have been like. the green was pretty cool too. mind you an two-tiered number that had you dancing on the tee at the sight of your golf ball dancing on the green.
The approach and the green of the par 4, 6th, the first hole one can really go at with a driver! Still it was interesting because playing like that made one feel so much different. I mean, how may golf course can anyone think of where Joe Hack is not hitting a driver till the 6th?(Now that I'm thinking of it, i did hit driver off of the 1st hole, but wouldn't do it the next time!)
If your right and don't make the ridge, then you have a blind second to a green-site that is protected by a finger of hill that guards the left. The green runs left to right, and if Jim Lipe is reading, I would say that cutting down the Bermuda jungle and the drainage swale that are left of the green as a much more daring and harrowing play. I know this from experience! (I simply flopped a wedge to two feet and made par, only after a really good shot short right of the ridge in the fairway 220 yards away!) A really fun hole.
The 5th green from upon high.
Following images in order: The 7th, 8tjh, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th & 15th. the stars here are the uphill 11th and the entertaining 15th, which for the most parts is a Redan par 4, reachable from the tee for a really long hitter. I'm not 100% sure if the blinding Redan kicker is in the right place, but the hole is certainly fun to play. the green isn't so much sloped as it is a reverse two-tier number that works effectively. 
