Brainerd, MN - The Classic
Some details of this design will make GCA purists cringe - eye candy bunkers, cart paths that have too much impact on play and the use of a trees as significant components in the design of certain holes.
Nonetheless, this design by the superintendant (with consultation from John Harris) features some of the most creative and interesting holes I have played anywhere. Furthermore, five par fives and five terrific par threes provide ample variety on a difficult golf course in an incredibly beautiful setting.
Jason --
I guess I need to get back up there. I have played the Classic only once -- and even though I'm not that much of a purist, really, I remember very well the vices you mention in your lede ... but not the virtues in paragraph 2 ... other than the beauty, and one memorably good par-3, late in the round.
When I got to the turn, I thought: I had no business hitting driver anywhere on the front 9. Should have left it in the car. And as you know, I'm a reasonably accurate driver. It was too tight; there was too much unrecoverable-from trouble awaiting any miss. It reminded me of playing the pre-pruned Minikahda when I was back in high school, and wasn't nearly so straight as I am now.
Dan - you need to go back. You must have had a bad day when there. The Classic is tight in spots but not ridiculously so. I would guess the playing corridors are typically 60 yards wide and underbrush has been removed over the years so that there is usually a good 10 yards in the woods with turf underneath.
In my view it has 18 holes that range from good to great:
http://www.legendarymarketing.com/page/174-58211. - Fantastic par five with a wide fairway that is reachable in two only if one takes an agressive line tight to the corner off the tee. If played as a 3 shot hole the hole presents a rarity - an interesting layup with options of conservatively running an iron down the hill or hitting a longer shot to a flat lie while taking on the risk of a fairway picnched by water at the flat spot.
2. Par 3 over water to angled green with bailout short and left.
3. One of the best cape holes anywhere to a green that slopes slightly away jutting out in the water. 3 options for lines off the tee and I often layup even with a 80 yard shot for the 2nd
4. Unique hole that requires one to either carry tall trees or hit a hole in the trees to have a 140 yard approach. Otherwise it is a 180-190 shot into a well guarded green.
5. Interesting tee shot to sloping fairway to hit to the 150 yard marker. Forced carry approach rewards agressive tee shot.
6. Another par five with an interesting 2nd shot - easy layup with mid iron to 110, all sorts of bunkers and slopes to well guarded green if you want to be agressive.
7 - brutally difficult par 3 - 215 over water often into the wind
8 - a hole that would be better if it were shorter in my book but a fantastic front to back right to left sloping green.
9 - well placed bunkers off tee challenge an agressive tee shot - length of hole causes a player to want to be agressive off tee
10 - short par five that is easily reached in 2 with 2 accurate shots but one can also play very conservatively and avoid risk of water
11 - short par 4 dogleg around water - tee shot distance and line heavily influenced by pin position
12 - great 215 yard par 3 with a giant knob in front of the green being the primary difficulty
13 610 yard par five that seems to play even longer - well placed fairway bunker challenges 2nd shot
14 - terrific par 3 with option to use slopes to feed to pin or aerial approach over bunkers
15 hard dogleg left par four with wide fairway but a 150 yard approach from an agressive tee shot and up to 200 yards if you delay
16 - great par five that is reachable in 2 shots if you use the slopes and hit great shots. Otherwise big green with lower tier behind the higher tier is unique challenge even for a wedge
17 - terrific short par 3 with interesting use of a hollow punishing a bail out long and left of a green angled left to right and sloped back to front over water
18 - punishing long par four that rewards agressive tee shot and allows for ground game approach
I would label 10 of the 18 holes as outstanding. I would consider the other 8 to be good holes.
The only criticism I have is that it can beat the player up. I would not, however, consider it more difficult than the Harvester.