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Andrew Balakshin

Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« on: August 02, 2007, 03:10:01 AM »
Here are some pictures of Blackhawk golf course in Edmonton, Alberta. Before I had played the course I had seen very few pictures of it, and none on GCA considering how much it has been talked about.

The course is designed by Rod Whitman of Ponoka, Alberta, and opened a couple of years ago. The only other course Rod has designed is Wolf Creek in Ponoka, Alberta, although he has worked with Pete Dye and Bill Coore for many years.

To be honest, I was sort of blown away by how good this course is. Some of the strengths of this course are the routing, the variety of the holes, and the fact that the course has a “Stanley Thompson” feel to it.

I have to commend Duane Sharpe for doing an amazing job keeping the course in great shape and understanding how to correctly set up a course. Also, I thought Dave Axland, Jeff Mingay, and John Cavanagh did a great job shaping the holes.

I apologize for not including hole descriptions but I don’t want to give it all away! Enjoy.



Hole #1 (Par 4)



Hole # 2 (Par 4)



Hole #3 (Par 3)


Hole #4 (Par 5)



Hole #5 (Par 4)



Hole #6 (Par 3)


Hole #7 (Par 5)




Hole #8 (Par 3)


Hole #9 (Par 4)



Hole #10 (Par 4)



Hole #11 (Par 5)



Hole #12 (Par 3)


Hole #13 (Par 4)



Hole #14 (Par 4)



Hole #15 (Par 5)



Hole #16 (Par 3)


Hole #17 (Par 4)




Hole #18 (Par 4)




 

Marc Haring

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2007, 05:09:50 AM »
Blown away as well.

Looks like there's many different ways of playing those holes. Love the way he's hidden the cart paths. Great bunkering.

Sean_A

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2007, 05:21:01 AM »
Andrew

You gotta love that 2nd hole!  The course looks pretty cool.  Is the 9th tee shot as severe as it looks in the photo?  The green complex looks lovely.  Thanks for posting.

BTW Where is Alberta?

Ciao
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Brett Morris

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2007, 06:13:34 AM »
Nice, I love the shapes and contours he puts into greens which require a bit of thought.

Andrew Balakshin

Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2007, 06:46:42 AM »
Marc,
They really did do a good job of hiding the cart paths and putting them off to the side. A lot of the paths just went through the forest alongside the fairway and poked out from time to time. I agree, the bunkers do look great, and from what I understand Jeff Mingay shaped them all.

Sean,
I personally wouldn’t say the first hole was anything special, but when you get to the tee of the second hole you really realize just how good this course is. The fairway on the second hole is really wide and the green is built perfectly into the side of that hill.
Alberta is a province in western Canada by the way.

Brett,
There was so much contouring everywhere it would have been impossible for me to get a good look at it in one round. This is definitely one of those courses where you have to go back a couple times to see everything.

wsmorrison

Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2007, 06:59:10 AM »
That is one excellent looking golf course.  Does the 12th remind anyone of the 16th at Augusta?  Bunkering looks great and I second those that said the 2nd hole looks fantastic.  I like everything but the shirttails out.  What's that all about?  An Alberta thing?  Maybe it is relaxed out there, but come on guys, tuck those shirttails in  ;)
« Last Edit: August 02, 2007, 07:00:55 AM by Wayne Morrison »

Steve Kline

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2007, 07:05:50 AM »
Awesome looking course. The greens look to be really interesting with lots of contours. There were several holes that look to have some nice false fronts, others where the side falls away with shortly mown grass. The bunkering looked cool too. Some of the greenside ones looked to be very nasty and true hazards. While you said the first hole isn't much the green complex looked interesting in the photo you showed.

Mike Nuzzo

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #7 on: August 02, 2007, 11:13:51 AM »
A few of us played there after the GCA Banff trip.

I really liked 7.
Blind shot over the hill to a turbo boost to help reach in 2.
My 2nd shot wound up in a deep bunker...

Then we had some beers with Rod afterwards.
Thinking of Bob, Rihc, Bill, George, Neil, Dr. Childs, & Tiger.

Dan Moore

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #8 on: August 02, 2007, 11:40:06 AM »
Nice looking course.

Those bunkers remind anyone of the bunkers at Erin Hills?  
"Is there any other game which produces in the human mind such enviable insanity."  Bernard Darwin

Jordan Wall

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #9 on: August 02, 2007, 12:37:18 PM »
Andrew,

The course looks great.
I particularly like the backdrop to 11 and the bunkering on that hole.

How is the fairway movement and the green contouring throughout the course?

Is this a public facility?

Thanks for sharing!

Tyler Kearns

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #10 on: August 02, 2007, 12:55:34 PM »
Sean,

Yes, the 9th fairway is as severe as the picture shows. Along with #10, these two holes are the transition between the parkland holes #1-8 and the river valley holes #11-18. Alberta is the second most western province in Canada, with Edmonton being about 700km north of the US border.

Wayne,

Good observation regarding #12, except it plays about 230 yards, a little longer than #16 at Augusta.

Jordan,

Yes, the golf course is a public facility, although I had heard rumours that that could change in the future. Get there before all those monstrous houses go up alongside #3 and #4.

TK

Guy Nicholson

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #11 on: August 02, 2007, 02:16:45 PM »
Great pictures Andrew, one more reason why I'm dying to get out to play golf in AB.

Tim Pitner

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #12 on: August 02, 2007, 03:01:35 PM »
Looks like my kinda course.  How far from Banff?

George Pazin

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #13 on: August 02, 2007, 03:07:31 PM »
Thanks for sharing the photos.

Makes me really anxious for the first Cabot Links photos.

 :)
Big drivers and hot balls are the product of golf course design that rewards the hit one far then hit one high strategy.  Shinny showed everyone how to take care of this whole technology dilemma. - Pat Brockwell, 6/24/04

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #14 on: August 02, 2007, 03:31:26 PM »
Sean,

Yes, the 9th fairway is as severe as the picture shows. Along with #10, these two holes are the transition between the parkland holes #1-8 and the river valley holes #11-18. Alberta is the second most western province in Canada, with Edmonton being about 700km north of the US border.

Wayne,

Good observation regarding #12, except it plays about 230 yards, a little longer than #16 at Augusta.

Jordan,

Yes, the golf course is a public facility, although I had heard rumours that that could change in the future. Get there before all those monstrous houses go up alongside #3 and #4.

TK


Tyler

Thanks!

Alberta?  Is that where that famous guy played hockey?  I can't remember his name, but he had a Hollywood smile and the spray hold hair to match.

Ciao
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Matt Kardash

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #15 on: August 02, 2007, 05:56:43 PM »
This may surprise people (or maybe not considering who rod worked with in the past) but I find this looks like a Pete Dye golf course in a lot of ways.
the interviewer asked beck how he felt "being the bob dylan of the 90's" and beck quitely responded "i actually feel more like the bon jovi of the 60's"

Steve Lang

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #16 on: August 02, 2007, 06:19:29 PM »
 8)

no i wouldn't say it looks like a pete dye course.. sorry, and certainly it doesn't play like one..

if anyone is in the province.. a grand circle tour is calgary, west to banff, north to (lunch at LAke Louise) through therockies range to jasper, east to edmonton play BlackHawk, head south to play Wolf Creek, where Scotland meets Canada.. further south to Calgary that's what we did over a week..

Inverness (Toledo, OH) cathedral clock inscription: "God measures men by what they are. Not what they in wealth possess.  That vibrant message chimes afar.
The voice of Inverness"

RJ_Daley

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #17 on: August 03, 2007, 01:32:37 PM »
I am also interested in what they call a season there... average opening and closing dates.

It looks like a darn fine golf course with a little bit of everything to employ in your game.  I never met Rod, but he sure has some advid supporters and fans regarding his talent and golf design smarts.  
No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Tyler Kearns

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #18 on: August 03, 2007, 02:14:50 PM »
Dick,

A typical golf season in Edmonton would be around 6 months, running from mid-April to mid-October.

TK

Tyler Kearns

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #19 on: August 03, 2007, 02:27:07 PM »

Alberta?  Is that where that famous guy played hockey?  I can't remember his name, but he had a Hollywood smile and the spray hold hair to match.


Sean,

That type of ignorance is acceptable from any non-Canadian, but you have a Detroit Red Wings logo plastered under your name :'(, I sure hope you can pick Gordie Howe out of a line-up!!

That famous guy is WAYNE GRETZKY, the Michael Jordan / Tiger Woods of hockey. He played for the Edmonton Oilers.

TK

Greg Murphy

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #20 on: August 03, 2007, 03:22:21 PM »
Andrew,

Thanks for posting the photos. They bring back fond memories of a very memorable course. I don’t think there is another course I’ve played just once that has had so many easily remembered holes. The 11th and 12th are just about perfect to my mind and eye and their appeal comes through in the pics. The 7th and 8th are another fantastic 5-3 combo that the pictures don’t even come close to doing justice to. The 18th is also much better in person. (No disrespect to the photographer intended) :) The 9th is a bit of a blast of fun with a green that wil surprise.

The green at the second hole was not one of my favourites, but I think Rod may not have liked it all that much either because I hear he basically blew it up and redid the whole thing (I think it was made much larger and the bunkering seems much more extensive than I recall) shortly after the time I played it.

Curiously, the only holes I had trouble remembering prior to seeing the photos, were 13-15. I recall now that they hold plenty of strategic interest e.g., the bunkering on 15, but they don’t have quite the same “beyond the hole” features that I can’t help but find so appealing and some here seem to feel are so irrelevant to golf course architecture. Sometimes I wish I could better ignore such background noise (e.g., the buildings on the 6th hole) but in the main I’m happy to soak it all in and there’s plenty to soak in at Blackhawk.

Andrew Balakshin

Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #21 on: August 03, 2007, 09:13:02 PM »
Another interesting fact about Blackhawk is that it was made for only 2 million dollars (including irrigation!).

Bob Jenkins

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #22 on: August 03, 2007, 11:34:47 PM »

Andrew,

Thanks for your great pics!

I saw the comment about how Whitman hid the cart paths and then I started looking again. I would say that he has either done a masterful job of hiding the paths or they generally do not exist! I can only see a few spots where a path is visible which is great, assuming they are there. Is the path in the rough near the bushes I see on a lot of the holes?

By the way, are you still working at Sagebrush this summer and if so, are you guys making good progress. I am going by there in a few weeks and thought I may try to drop in for a visit.

Bob Jenkins

Duane Sharpe

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Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #23 on: August 04, 2007, 01:15:53 AM »
I finally have to chime in and give a few more facts of Blackhawk.
First off.
Thanks Andrew for posting the pictures and giving a personal perspective of Blackhawk!
After 6 years of tweaking Blackhawk, I must share some thoughts gained at dealing with the construction and maintenance of Blackhawk.
1. Bob- You are right, the cart paths are very rarely seen from the tees(especially the back tees). Rod did not route the cart paths until the course was completed. They are not necessarily constructed and routed for "the golfer" but are routed for the view from our back tees. He did not want any paths in view from the tee but this also makes for some very long walks if and when we keep carts on the paths.  A quick fact for the GCA is that 98% of golfers take a cart at Blackhawk because of the elevation changes. Walking is not encouraged due to slow play.
2. All par 3's play in a different direction. Depending on the direction of the wind, you are always contemplating what club to hit from the certain yardage.  I think this was a great design feature as too many courses have par 3's all the same yardage and all the same direction of play. Off the top of my head, the pro yardages on the par 3's are 185, 165,205, 235,and 170. What a great variety.
3. You can hit your driver on every par 4 and 5 at Blackhawk. This is a good thing. It may not be recommended on #10 but it is still an option.
4. There is no fairway bunkers that come into play on 4 of your 8 tee shots on par 4's and 5's. Very fun for the average golfer.
5. 2 of the 5 par 3's have no bunkers at all and are still extremely challenging.Good luck on #16.
6. I try to keep the greens running at 9-10 on the stimp most of the year and the ground game is the most important aspect for any golfer to master at Blackhawk.
7. Most greens surface drain in a minimum of 3 directions. In 6 years of working the course, I have never had to squeegy a green or remove water besides in the winter months regardless of the amount of rain.
8. There are only a handfull of spots that HOLD water during a heavy rain. Rod's attention to surface drainage was brilliant.
9. Jeff and John did construct 95% of the bunkers on the course and are a pleasure to maintain. We weedeat the lower edges only 4 times/year and keep the maintenance and costs to a minimum. We have never had to pump out any bunker after a rain.
10. It is true, the course was constructed for under 2 million dollars(irrigation in) and is consistently ranked in the top echelon in western canada.  This is a true testament to Rod and Jeff's philosophy of golf course design.
11. We had a two day pro series a few years back and the holes that ranked the toughest were #1 and #9. We find this strange that they are both par 4's under 400 yards. The obvious challenge must be around and on the greens.. Strange but true fact.

There are some features that are extremely tough to maintain because of the design but we deal with it. We have damaged 3 mowers that have dropped in the water on holes #11 and #16 greens but try to train  and educate the staff on the importance of keeping the design and learning to modify our mowing practices.

Blackhawk is a pleasure to maintain. We can mow the whole golf course in under 5 hours with our current equipment. The current membership loves it because they never see a piece of equipment on the course because we are done by 10 AM. Again, a great testament to Rod. We operate on a budget of $450,000 due to minimal grass to mow, water,maintain and fertilize.  It is  brillant design. Not many people complain when playing Blackhawk.  It is a true enjoyment for golfers of all levels and capabilities.  

If anyone has questions, please fire away and I will be pleased to answer. Anyone who wants to play Blackhawk, I encourage you to contact me directly and I will go out of my way to give you a good experience.

Sharpee

Superintendent
Blackhawk Golf Club

wsmorrison

Re:Blackhawk - by Rod Whitman (with pictures)
« Reply #24 on: August 04, 2007, 07:04:20 AM »
Duane,

Thank you so much for your valuable perspective!  It is most appreciated.

Thanks for the photos and commentary from players as that too is both informative and entertaining...not that yours wasn't entertaining, Duane  :)

The team that brought to life and maintains this golf course deserve accolades for making excellence and affordability not mutually exclusive.