I made this statement on a Seminole thread almost 2 years ago:
That being said, I would join Crystal Downs over any club in the world and you can only play that 6 months of the year. (Maybe my opinions would change if I ever played ANGC or Seminole...)
I was extremely lucky to have played Seminole this past Sunday. I was also lucky to have had the chance to play it with Patrick Hodgdon (a.k.a. my punching bag). We enjoyed a great day, even though our tee time was delayed due to abnormal morning rains. That was fine because I got to over-indulge on ginger snaps while gazing at the bags from Shinnecock, Augusta and more sitting on the bag rack. Suddenly my Pacific Dunes bag wasn't so impressive
After receiving the call from Patrick on Friday night that Jones-Hodgdon 3 would be taking place at Seminole on Sunday morning I proceeded to read everything I could find on this site and externally. There is no way my expectations could have been higher; they were exceeded. In various threads I read that the course did not live up to the clubhouse, it was more about the club than the golf course, etc. Those statements are nonsense.
The routing of Seminole is unbelievably impressive. The use of the dune ridges on the west, north and east parts of the property is phenomenal. Ross takes you up, down, across and along the ridges at various points in the round. At 4 different times in the round you visit the same part of the ridge and yet it doesn't feel crowded or forced. In addition to that, there are very few places where 2 holes play in the same direction making the effect of the wind a constant part of your strategy throughout the round. Our wind started out as west/northwest but by the 4th hole settled into a west/southwest wind for the rest of the round. Pat Mucci is right that the wind has a cumulative effect throughout the round, which causes you to play a variety of shots. I was literally forced to hit almost every club in my bag with seemingly alternating between fades and draws often times on the same hole where a draw is required off the tee and a fade is favored into the green.
Second to the routing, and a very close second, are the green sites. The bunkering is strategic, the angles reward certain positions in the fairway and there is enough internal movement to make you think yet it is not overdone. This is good because the wind affects not only your approach shots but your putting as well. Several times the caddie said "this wont break as much as you think because the wind is holding it up." If the greens were overly undulating or severe the greens would be ridiculous. They are fast but not too fast and with the wind and certain pin placements, they really play 1/2 the size that they are. The bunkers are hugely deep and pictures do not give them credit. The bunker short left of #5, which is shown in one of the threads on here, is much deeper than it looks. I was in it and I could only see the flag from the bottom of the bunker. Many of the bunkers have crazy tongues and are amoeba-esque reminding me of the MacKenzie bunkers.
Lastly, and this goes again to the routing, the course uses the ocean perfectly. At various points throughout the round you get to see it either from afar or from very up close yet the course remains independent of the ocean in its architecture. I now understand why Pat Mucci says that a course must stand up architecturally apart from the vistas of the ocean. Seminole does. It uses the wind and the elements that come from being on the ocean without relying on it for eye candy. There were several times throughout the round that I had no conscious realization of my proximity to the ocean yet it affected my play, whether it be the sand dune my ball was in on 6 or the wind.
In sum, Seminole is fun, strategic, sporty, intoxicating, stimulating, perplexing, invigorating, frustrating, amazing and fantastic. And did I mention the ginger snaps? Or the crackers and cheese spread? Or the Lobster Bisque? Or the fact that I had a conversation with someone there about Tom Paul? Or that you are smacked in the face with Pat Mucci's name when you walk into the lockerroom? And yet all of these things (well, maybe not Tom Paul) take a back seat to the golf. Someone once said that they know a golf course is great if they walk off the 18th tee and want to immediately walk back to the 1st and go again. I felt that way on Sunday and when we walked out and I looked back at the first tee, all I wanted to do was join the group who was teeing off.
Favorite holes - #2, 4, 5, 6, 12, 13, 15, 17 and 18.
Back to my opening statement, I haven't figured out whether Seminole has changed my position on Crystal Downs, all I can say is that it is the only course I've ever played that has made me consider it. I can only pray that I am fortunate enough to play there again.