Pine Brook in Weston

[hick]

Has Anyone played or have info on this course. I know its a stiles and van kleek and thats about it.

[Brad Tufts]

There's a profile of it in the Labbance/Mendik book on Wayne Stiles.

They are in our Met League, but I have yet to play a match there...

They are supposed to have very fast and sloped greens.

[Jay Cox]

I grew up right around the corner but have only played once.  The course is pretty short, with a lot of 380 yard par 4s, if I recall.  The land has quite a bit of movement to it in places, but otherwise I thought the long game was relatively uninspired in its own right.  But Brad's right that the greens are fast, sloped, and in great shape at least when I played, and there is definitely a premium on leaving your approach on the correct side of the hole.  I didn't do that and so shot a relatively high score even though the course never felt too demanding.

It's a nice members' course but not as ambitious a layout as, say, Taconic.

[Rich Goodale]

Jay

We've discussed this a little bit before, I think in one of the the "Jewish Club" threads.  I drove past Pine Brook many times when visiting my sister, who lived in Weston and belonged to WGC, and always thought it looked (from the road) a better course than her slightly mutilated Ross track further along that road.

Rich

[PCCraig]

Jay

We've discussed this a little bit before, I think in one of the the "Jewish Club" threads.  I drove past Pine Brook many times when visiting my sister, who lived in Weston and belonged to WGC, and always thought it looked (from the road) a better course than her slightly mutilated Ross track further along that road.

Rich

Rich-

Would that be Weston CC you are referring to?

[Rich Goodale]

Yes, Pat.  Me sloppy.

Rich

[PCCraig]

Yes, Pat.  Me sloppy.

Rich

Haha no problem. Why would you call it "slightly mutilated?" I played there this past fall, and while I wasn't crazy about it, I found it fun and interesting enough.

[Rich Goodale]

Pat

Glad you enjoyed it.  It's not a bad course, but for Donald Ross it's lower quartile mterial.

The "minor mutilation" was to eliminate what must have been a great drop shot par-3 from up the hill to the right of the 6th green (towards what is now the 7th tee) and then eliminate the hole that now constitutes the driving range and practice chipping green.  If you look cloesly you can walk up to that ex-7th tee and see both the steps and the tee pad, in the now woods).  In their place we have the Cornish 10th and 11th which weave their way around the very inappropriate pond.  On 11 you have to either lay up short of the pond or hit a sling hook to get closer to the green.  On 12 you just try to avoid having your ball land in the Canadian Geese Sh*t, get off the green without contracting salmonella, etc. etc.

Rich

[PCCraig]

Pat

Glad you enjoyed it.  It's not a bad course, but for Donald Ross it's lower quartile mterial.

The "minor mutilation" was to eliminate what must have been a great drop shot par-3 from up the hill to the right of the 6th green (towards what is now the 7th tee) and then eliminate the hole that now constitutes the driving range and practice chipping green.  If you look cloesly you can walk up to that ex-7th tee and see both the steps and the tee pad, in the now woods).  In their place we have the Cornish 10th and 11th which weave their way around the very inappropriate pond.  On 11 you have to either lay up short of the pond or hit a sling hook to get closer to the green.  On 12 you just try to avoid having your ball land in the Canadian Geese Sh*t, get off the green without contracting salmonella, etc. etc.

Rich

Fair enough. Don't forget though for someone who comes from the land of lower quartile Ross Courses...Chicago...that Weston is a Ross gem to me!

[Rich Goodale]

Thanks, Pat

I spent most of a couple of years in Chicago in the early 80's and wondered why nobody ever invited me to play a Ross course there.  Now I know why.....

rich

[PCCraig]

Thanks, Pat

I spent most of a couple of years in Chicago in the early 80's and wondered why nobody ever invited me to play a Ross course there.  Now I know why.....

rich

Much has been said about all the courses Ross "mailed in." However I have said that most of the courses he did in Chicago we not just mailed in...he drew them up while on the can!

[Jay Cox]

Rich,
I grew up in Weston, but as a muni golfer, playing a lot of Leo J. Martin and Wayland CC.  I've only played WGC once too, and I liked Pine Brook a little better but would put both in the Doak 4-5 range.

[Dave_Miller]

There's a profile of it in the Labbance/Mendik book on Wayne Stiles.

They are in our Met League, but I have yet to play a match there...

They are supposed to have very fast and sloped greens.

Good course and the greens are very good.
Best
Dave

[Sean Leary]

Rich,
I grew up in Weston, but as a muni golfer, playing a lot of Leo J. Martin and Wayland CC.  I've only played WGC once too, and I liked Pine Brook a little better but would put both in the Doak 4-5 range.

Jay,

How many times did you sneak on the back nine at Leo J growing up without paying? I played the back 20 times. Never played the front once...

[hick]

Thanks for the info on pine brook. Having grown up next to thorny Lea  i would like to play it . The greens do look interesting from the photos on the website .

[Jay Cox]

Jay,

How many times did you sneak on the back nine at Leo J growing up without paying? I played the back 20 times. Never played the front once...

I don't think I ever snuck on, mainly because my parents always dropped me off and would not have approved.  What I did do many times is, after playing 1-9, play the loop of 10-15 five or six times before playing 16-18 and heading in.

I always thought the back nine at Leo J. was pretty good, though perhaps that's just sentimentality.

When I wanted to play for free, I snuck on to an abandoned six-hole course behind the Campion Center on Concord Road, which I think used to be a small catholic college.  There were still flags stuck in leveled-off areas that used to be rudimentary greens, a few interesting hollows that probably were bunkers, and a few very interesting full shots to hit.  I miss playing golf that way.