[Chip Gaskins]

I showed up with pretty low expectations...RTJ and all...BUT, wow, if there are 100 better courses in America I would love to see them.

Over the years they have moved some greens and tees around and now they have a very solid golf course!

Par 4 #6


Par 3 # 16


Par 3 # 9


Par 4 #18


Par 4 # 12


I may be wrong on the hole numbers, but long story short...RTJ is a pretty dog gone solid track by anyone's standards..

It is still an aerial game for the most part but several of the green complexes allow a player to certainly bump and run (hey, i played with a Brit that would putt from 50 yards) on many shots around the green.

[Raphael_Larson]

Chip -- I  played RTJ yesterday also.  My host and I were the first group off in the morning and did not see another group the entire round.  What time did you play?  From your pictures, you must have played long after we did b/c it was very cloudy with off-and-on rain yesterday morning.  I am fortunate to play RTJ as a guest on a fairly regular basis and agree with your with your assessment that RTJ is a very solid course that seems to be underrated in the current rankings. 

IMO, you'd be hard pressed to find a better course and club in the DC metro area.  The staff is friendly and helpful, the caddies are knowledgeable and diligent, and the course is always in impeccable condition. 

While I don't believe there are any "all-world" holes on the course, there also aren't any "dogs" that detract from the others.  I think the stretch of holes from 9-12 is really top notch.  My one minor gripe might be that the par 4s seem a little repetitive without a ton of strategy required off the tee.   The course rewards length off the tee and demands an accurate aerial iron game to ensure makeable uphill putts.  All-in-all, an exacting and fair test of golf.     


p.s. I think the first photo is the tee shot for the par 5 fith hole, not the par 4 sixth.

[Joel_Stewart]

How much of RTJ is Kyle Phillips?

[Paul Carey]

It is a fine golf course and a great test of golf but Raphael's comment is exactly why it is a bit disappointing....it could be so good!  It has so few strategic decisions in 18 holes.

'My one minor gripe might be that the par 4s seem a little repetitive without a ton of strategy required off the tee.   The course rewards length off the tee and demands an accurate aerial iron game to ensure makeable uphill putts.  All-in-all, an exacting and fair test of golf. "

[CJ Carder]

This is really the first time I've seen any pictures of RTJ without all the President's Cup hoopla and it's about how I've always envisioned it.  I've been to all 3 PC's there and while I've never gotten to go to back outside of the PC, I've always really enjoyed my time there seeing and walking the course. 

Chip, did they have the par 4 10th playing short enough to go for it?  I thought that was one of the more strategic decisions they made during the last PC (similar to what they did with #14 at Torrey Pines this year). 

ps - thanks for the pics!

[Raphael_Larson]

Paul -- I agree with you completely, the property that RTJ sits on is spectacular and the course could have been even better with more variety and strategy incorporated into the design.  That being said, it is still a very good golf course and golf experience.  I've only played Congressional Blue once so I'm not terribly qualified to compare the two courses, but based on my memory, RTJ and Congressional are similar in toughness and strategy; however, IMO RTJ easily surpasses Congressional from a golf experience standpoint. 

CJ -- From the blue tees in the wet morning, the 10th hole was not reachable.  Not sure if it was reachable later in the day as the course dried from the heat.  Regardless, I think the hole plays much easier playing safe off the tee and having a wedge into the green rather than risking going for it and potentially pulling it left onto the hillside (or into the lake) or going right onto the hill behind the 11th tee. 

Raphael

[Chris_Clouser]

A friend of mine at work is from the area originally and loves the course.  He usually has pretty good judgement about design.  If in the area I would give it a shot. 

The only thing I would say from the photos you posted is they need to cut down some trees.  There were several views that looked blocked that have no strategic significance.  The par three going towards the lake is a great example. 

[John Kavanaugh]

The only thing I would say from the photos you posted is they need to cut down some trees.  There were several views that looked blocked that have no strategic significance.  The par three going towards the lake is a great example. 

I don't agree...Trees to the right with water in play on the left makes the choice of shot selection much more strategic.  Far too many 0 to 6 handicaps can only hit a draw and this type of situation can really get in their head.  Removing the trees would make the hole less strategic because it would take shot shape out of the equation.

[Carl Nichols]

Chip:
Thanks for the pictures.  I agree that RTJ is pretty daggum good, and that the overall experience is really good.  But with the caveat that I've only played it once, I don't think the course qualifies as great (very solid, yes, but not great).  To pick up on a separate thread going on right now, I didn't think there was a lot of variety to the course, and unlike courses I've played that I would consider great, I have a hard time remembering several holes.  That's not to say that it shouldn't be ranked higher than it is (I think GD has it #6 or #7 in Virginia), but I don't think it's top 100 in the U.S.

[Chip Gaskins]

Overall I showed up with low to no expectations....not sure why, but I did.

Well I was wrong and I know the anti-Fazio/RTJ/Rees/etc crowd will bash me for this, but I thought it was a very good course.  I played with a member of Congressional and honestly as we were walking off the 18 green I said "well, what did you think....I thought is was great, maybe even as good as...." and he jumped in and said "Congressional"

Was it the minimalist, scruffy bunkers, central hazards, shaved chipping areas we all love...no.  But it was still very very good from that different school of thought.

A few have asked about being able to drive a couple of the par 4s.  We played next to the back tees and I couldn't sniff driving any of them.

The course was in perfect shape.  Greens were fast and true and fairways were like carpet.  The rough was tough, but the fairways were plenty wide and never felt claustrophobic.

I never could keep the hole numbers straight because they used #1 and #2 as #17 and #18 for the President's Cup so what I had seen on TV wasn't the same numbers I played.

They have made a handful of changes over the years and seem to be making it better and better.  The 14th where Freddie made that bomb putt they have shaved that back mound down on the back side of the green and now there are about 10 more pin placements.  The also moved the 18 green from up on the hillside to right down by the water (which I usually hate water) and made it a fantastic finishing hole.

For it to be built on a man-made lake there was a tremendous amount of movement in the fairway.  One fairway had a hollow in it you could hide a car in and not see it, however if you scanned the horizon you could see most of the up and downs were truly natural ridges and thus none of it felt forced or contrived.

Again, if there are 100 better courses in America I have need to see them.

[Chris_Clouser]

John,

I can see what you're talking about if you are looking hole 9.  I was thinking more along the lines of those trees behind the green on hole 16 that if eliminated would open up more of a view of the lake and perhaps allow more wind to be in play around the green. 

[Chip Gaskins]

A few more...











and the egregiously large clubhouse

[Jed Peters]

whoa. Nice second set of shots.

One thing I think that puts Kyle PHillips up there amongst the top designers/architects in the modern era is his ability to be diverse--to work with a site location and make the most out of it, fun for all levels of golfers, from the pro to the beginner, and also be able to be diverse enough to work within what the club itself wants.

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