Tom's Run and Harvest Hill

[Ronald Montesano]

http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f140/buffalogolfer/Harvest%20Hill/

Three years old, south of Buffalo, Hurdzan-Fry firm

http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f140/buffalogolfer/Toms%20Run/

Blairsville, PA (between Indiana, PA and Pittsburgh), about 15 years old, Love, Ault, et al.

Just found these...thought they were lost forever.

[Michael Huber]

Ronald,

I've played Chestnut Ridge next door, but never.  How do they  compare? 

I do recognize the hole pictured on the first two pictures on the left of the top row.  I recall watching a woman hit right into the bunker in the middle of the fairway. 

[JohnV]

Michael,  The two courses are quite different.  Chestnut Ridge is a contained course with trees on most holes.  Tom's Run goes around three sides of CR and with the exception of three holes down by the creek (2-3-4) is very open.  #4 at TR is an awful par 5 that could be a lot better with the removal of a few trees.  The tee shot has to be a snap hook layup to a fairway that gets very narrow.  Creek with trees on the right and OB on the left with tree blocking the left side of the fairway right in front of the tee.

Once you come up the hill from 4 (which is a tough walk), the course opens up and is really pretty easy.

Mike Van Sickle shot a 60 there in competition a few years ago.

I setup a US Senior Open qualifier there where I probably tucked the pins as much as I've ever done and the scores were still pretty decent.

It was fun to play, but not great architecture.

[Ronald Montesano]

I agree with John's assessment.  It has a lot of nice-looking holes that, when played, either don't play as nice or play simply.  The par fives are pretty easy, even from the tips.  The second hole, the drop-shot par three, has the dullest putting surrounds in the world.  It could have been a short, the Run (creek) could have been incorporated; instead, the architect dropped a blah green from Home Depot in and moved on to the par four third, which is a good short par four.  The hole with the bunker is #5, the first one you play when you come out of the hollow.  The rest of the course plays back and forth across the uplands.  I think I prefer the original course to the high-end one.