Southern Highlands GC (RTJ1&2)

[Jon Spaulding]

While in Las Vegas last month I  had a few hours to blow so took the opportunity to play Southern Highlands. It was the last design which the elder Jones worked on.....and one of the better "pre Chambers" RTJ2 designs that I have seen.......provided one can get past the superfluous and strip-like water features, many of which are not in play.

The course is a brute from the back tees; 7600 yards, with some short 4's on the card. Ample width is allowed between overly large bunker clusters which generally appear like RTJ2 style bunkers, just 3-5 of them strung together. Generally not in play but imposing as one stands on the tee.

The strength of the course lies in some fairly strong risk-reward holes; #'s 3, 4, 5, 13, 16 come to mind....with 16 being an excellent hole no matter who's name is on it. There are also a few traditional RTJ "brute" holes which actually balance well with the strategy found elsewhere on the course.

The weakness would lie in the aforementioned water features, a fairly bland set of par 3's, the obnoxious clubhouse....

The 18th hole is an enigma; way too much going on visually for me, but I "could" be convinced that there's some decent strategy there.

plaque


3rd tee shot


inside left bunker cluster on 3rd


4th tee shot with 240yd carry on the right, safe area on the left


5th tee shot with 270 carry on the right at the green, safe area on the left with difficult angle to green


7th tee shot


7th approach shot


8th hole


9th tee shot


9th approach - obnoxious "new" water feature on left with greensite move from the side of the hazard to behind it


10th tee shot


11th tee shot


12th tee shot & green




13th tee shot


14th tee shot


14th approach


15th tee shot


15th approach


16th tee shot - well done




16th hole from behind


18th tee shot - someone please confirm a WTF please


18th, part 2 - can there be any more going on visually on a golf course in existence?

[David Stamm]

18th, part 2 - can there be any more going on visually on a golf course in existence?

I think I'm getting motion sickness looking at this. Good grief! What's ironic, it doesn't need it as far as I can tell. Is there an advantage to either fw? There is so much going on I can't tell.

[Jon Spaulding]

There is a pretty decent advantage being in the left fairway on the 2nd shot. Very similar concept to #7 on your favorite course......"the" Monarch Beach GL .

[Mike_Cirba]

Can we start a moratorium against these kind of bunkers?

My lord, I feel like I'm looking at the equivalent of watching the 5000th rip off band of KC and The Sunshine Band in the 1970s at Studio 54.

[Kyle Henderson]

I have no problem with this style of bunker shape-wise, aside from the fact that it is used on so many courses that "monotony" doesn 't begin to describe the situation. The real problem is that there are so many of these bunkers on each hole. They might as well make the course out of alternating jigsaw pieces -- half of them grass, the other half sand, man-made waterfalls adjacent to each green.

How is it that Trump wasn't involved with this project?

[Patrick_Mucci_Jr]

Kyle,

Originally, Arthur Goldberg, from Bally/Hilton was behind the efforts to create this golf course.

He was a rival of Donald Trump's.  He was written up in Barron's as "THE" most efficient casino/hotel  operator of his time, ahead of Wynn, Trump and others.  He wanted to create "his" Shadow Creek after he saw what Wynn had done.

His development of the project came to a grinding halt, when shortly before the board meeting to appropriate funds for the project, a well known big time gambler hit them for a big win, and the board decided not to go ahead with the project.  Proving once again, that timing is everything.

Mike Cirba,

Sometimes, function dictates style.

I suspect that the bunkers look the way they do because there was a desire to berm the perimeters, blocking the visuals of what lay behind/beyond them, and thus, the bunkers were cut into those berms, allowing them to serve a dual function.

[Jed Peters]

I dunno, I really think this'd be a fun course to play.

thanks for the great shots!

[Peter Wagner]

Southern Highlands ("SoHi" per some of the caddies) is a fun place to play.  Nice layout (with the exception of #18), great conditioning, good caddies, and nice clubhouse.  All this and 20-25 minutes from the LV Strip.

I like the first 17 holes... the 18th is just silly IMO.  I know many of the members feel the same way and I'd be surprised if it isn't changed.  It's not reflective of the rest of the design

Patrick,
Yes the perimeter is well burmed to block out some of the homes.  You can see examples in some of the pictures above. 

[Jon Spaulding]

Can we start a moratorium against these kind of bunkers?

My lord, I feel like I'm looking at the equivalent of watching the 5000th rip off band of KC and The Sunshine Band in the 1970s at Studio 54.

All 1500 of us could boycott RTJ1 & 2's work......the fiscal impact would be staggering on the respective clubs.

[David Stamm]

Can we start a moratorium against these kind of bunkers?

My lord, I feel like I'm looking at the equivalent of watching the 5000th rip off band of KC and The Sunshine Band in the 1970s at Studio 54.

All 1500 of us could boycott RTJ1 & 2's work......the fiscal impact would be staggering on the respective clubs.

Oh come on, you like some their work Jon, as do I. As far as the bunkering, yeah, I don't care for it much. Which brings up a question for you. If you HAD to choose, which is more acceptable to you, the ones seen here or the ones RTJ did at Pauma Valley? And in case you forgot, here's some reminders....

[Bob_Huntley]

Played here a few times with a member and had a good time.

I thought the 18th hole quite over the top.

A year or so ago, my host was out playing a couple of balls on his own and was joined by a young man in his late twenties. They got chatting and after a few holes it appeared that the guy owned one of the huge mansions off of one of the fairways. He said he no longer worked and played golf daily. It appeared he had been in town briefly, visited a casino, plopped a coin in the slot and won the Mega something or other for  twenty odd million dollars paid out over a number of years.


Bob

[Jon Spaulding]

DS; Pauma hands down. I would choose that course if I lived within a tolerable distance.....better golf course, better setting, better bunkering. I doubt that RTJ was heavily involved in the design of the complexes @ SH; as mentioned they look like huge clusters of normal RTJ2 bunkers....but less in play than normal RTJ2, due to the width of the fairways. I think the distraction/berming concept mentioned by PM is fairly on target.

Bob; interesting story. I might take the loot elsewhere...but to each his own. The 18th was certainly offensive. SH is a nice place to spend the day while in town; it was empty the day I was there, and they allow walking with a caddy, who also walks (unlike Shadow Creek). No finer way to rid the body of toxins the morning after than a brisk walk.

[David Stamm]

DS; Pauma hands down. I would choose that course if I lived within a tolerable distance.....better golf course, better setting, better bunkering. 
 

Agreed. The SH bunkers are really wild, even for RTJ jr.

[Sean_A]

Would the photos entice me to play either course?  Hmmmm, I don't think so, but its always grand to see what is happening/happened in the world of gca.  Thanks for posting Jon.

Ciao

[Jon Spaulding]

No problem; given the lack of quality courses in San Diego and Clark counties....you'd be relatively pleased with either SH or Pauma. Neither is worth a special trip unto itself, but if you find yourself in the area both are worth the time.

[Matt_Cohn]

I played SHGC three times over the weekend and really enjoyed it. Is it fake and artificial? Well obviously—anything on that site that wasn't completely fake and artificial would have been terrible! And you know what? This isn't terrible at all. It's actually very good. SHGC has some of the best width-based holes I've played in a long time (though they're not really the ones pictured here). How many golf courses have you played with at least four different holes where your line can change 50 yards from day to the next?


The vegetation and landscaping really add to the course. With just a couple of exceptions, it's pretty well out of play, but it gives the golf course a lot of texture and a sense that the golf course belongs there, if that makes sense. Considering that every inch of it was put there by hand, it's pretty amazing.


18 is...well, it's one of the harder par-5's that I've played. I don't think it's unfair or anything, but it's 3 hard shots in a row, which is unusual. And all of the greens are tough.


Happy to answer questions if anyone's interested.



1


3 tee. These bunkers look ridiculous from above, but good from the ground.



3 approach—one of the spots where your line can change by about 60 yards. A safe layup is left of the left edge of this picture.



3 green



3 green—the hole goes around the lake in the right side of this picture. 4 fairway in the background.



4 tee—the kid in a few of the pictures is Max McGreevy from OU.



6 tee. This is the worst thing on the course. (Also that's not Max.)



8 green



9. This green was redone a number of years ago and it's really squeezed in between the lake and the clubhouse area. There's about a 15 foot tall slope immediately behind the green so steep that it's tough to walk on. A little awkward. The old green was just outside of the left edge of this picture—more sensible, but apparently a bit too short to be a legitimate par-5 for very good players.



10 green—the only place on the course where the desert feels close.



11 tee



17. I saw this lighting and hit the brakes on the cart fast to take this one!



18 fairway—from where a good drive would be.



18 green

[Paul Jones]

Matt,

Which tees did you play?  How long was those tees?  Is 18 a true 3 hard shot hole, or just from the back tees?

P.S. - I have not played the course but it does look like one of the better ones in Vegas.

[Matt_Cohn]

Matt,

Which tees did you play?  How long was those tees?  Is 18 a true 3 hard shot hole, or just from the back tees?

P.S. - I have not played the course but it does look like one of the better ones in Vegas.

We played all the way back other than maybe 4 holes, so around 7,300. The ball flies an extra 4-5% so it's basically like 7,000.We played 18 at 620, but I think that's the slightly longer way down the right side maybe. We also played it into the wind. But even from a forward tee, neither side is overly wide on the tee shot. The right side is very wide for the second shot, but it leaves an uphill semi-blind approach over water and rocks. It's one of those holes where even for a very good player there's no foolproof way to make a par.

[Paul Jones]

Black   76.1/145   
Blue   73.4/143   
White   71.3/141   
Green   69.6/134   75.7/142
Gold   67/120   72.1/131

WOW - That is an extremely high Course/Slope rating.

[Scott Weersing]

Ok, so this course is not one of RTJ Sr best designs.


I think he used up his good ideas with the RTJ Trail in Alabama, http://www.roberttrentjonessociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/RTJ_Course_List.pdf


I am not sure what his is best course but I do like Golden Horseshoe Gold with a good variety of holes in a tight bit of space.


So which architect had his last course as one of his best? Strantz or one from the golden age?

[Paul Jones]

Ok, so this course is not one of RTJ Sr best designs.


I think he used up his good ideas with the RTJ Trail in Alabama, http://www.roberttrentjonessociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/RTJ_Course_List.pdf


I am not sure what his is best course but I do like Golden Horseshoe Gold with a good variety of holes in a tight bit of space.


So which architect had his last course as one of his best? Strantz or one from the golden age?

RTJ Sr best... I would vote for Peachtree Golf Club

Last course as one of his best... Dick Wilson with Pine Tree.

Was MPCC Shore Strantz last course?

[Matt_Cohn]

Ok, so this course is not one of RTJ Sr best designs.

In what sense?

[Mark Kiely]

I played Southern Highlands last summer and I'm still kicking myself for taking my caddie's advice instead of trusting my intuition on my second shot on 18. I hit a good drive to the left fairway. When I got to my ball, the caddie advised me to just take it up the left, but I let it fade a bit and it went into the creek. The shot I should have played was across the hazard to the right fairway, a much more forgiving shot, although it would bring the water more in play on the third shot. In short, that hole gives the player a lot of options.


At any rate, I really enjoyed the course, too. It wasn't until later that I realized how odd it was that that one hole on the back has the tee situated to hit over the residential street that goes to some ultra-high end homes.

[AChao]

I think the course rating is way too high -- the course plays much easier than a 76.1/145 from the tips.  Ball goes farther ... course is usually fast and firm ... greens are pretty pure and easy to make putts on, etc.

With respect to 18, a lot of the issue comes from how long you are and how fast the fairways are.  In the summer, a long player can get home in two going up the left fairway.  Most of the time, the left fairway and then the left fairway again is the only realistic chance to make birdie unless the hole location is along the back left of the green.  When the hole location in on the back left of the green, it is still possible to make birdie from the right approach fairway.  (Also, there is no need to go to the left fairway if you are just planning on laying-up to the right fairway.)

Most of the time, it's a fairway wood to the right fairway, fairway wood to the right fairway, and then a wedge or short iron 30 feet past the hole and 2 putts. 

For slightly higher handicaps, it's pretty easy to make a 7 on the hole. 

P.S.  Donald Trump doesn't have anything to do with the building of the course, but he is a member.  You can see his name on one of the Member Boards in the clubhouse.

[Jim Nelson]

A couple of comments on Southern Highlands.  On #9, the members have the biggest beef with this change.  Most would like the green put back where it was and perhaps (but not necessarily) making the second shot a bit higher risk.  The previous green was probably the most undulating and challenging green on the course, so getting on in two did not guaranteed a two putt.  The current location does not reward a good tee shot, as it is almost impossible to get the second shot to hold.  Southern Highlands hosts a major collegiate tournament and very, very few go for this green in two.  They'd rather wedge it close and make their birdie.  Good members can hit a good tee shot and then hit an A wedge and an A wedge.  Probably the worst hole on the course now which also does not have a legitimate two shot par five for decent member play.


#18 does bring a lot of thinking into play when you reach the tee box.  Neither side is a clear favorite.  If you tend to draw probably go left, if you fade probably go right.  With lots of things going on, the head does start to get in the way which makes it tougher on weaker minds.  When Ryan Moore played here, he told me he hit right, 2 iron, 2 iron, wedge to the green, birdie putt.  Simple.  Going left makes your third shot easier, but it is not all that easy to get into the correct position, as  a pretty precise second shot is needed if you go left.  Going right, second shot is pretty easy, but it better be deep enough to have no more than a 9 iron or it is tough to hold the green, particularly if the hole is placed high right.