Well, I've decided to hold another GolfclubAtlas.com get together

[Patrick_Mucci]

Bill,

That's a good point, which I had forgotten since I only play the combination when others in my group play it.

Usually I play the blues, but, if the course is dry and I'm with the right players, we'll play the blacks.

Those wishing to play the combo can do so, provided their game is sufficient to the challenge.
I'll have the Pro, Len Siter, outline which tees comprise the combo course.

In September, those fairways and greens should be firm and fast making the combo course a good challenge.
But, those hole locations will be dicey.

Mountain Ridge has perhaps one of the finest set of green complexes anywhere.

And, while some might regard it as cruel, I want you to see all of those greens and I'd like you to see them in a competitive light, meaning that I'd like them to present a good to extreme challenge.  The nice thing about most of the holes is that you can run your ball into the green from 100 yards out.  Very few greens have fronting features/ hazards that act as impediments to the ground game.

[Patrick_Mucci]

I was thinking about the Sept 27th get together today and felt that this might be an ideal opportunity to view the general program as a "Case Study"

In Mountain Ridge we have an almost untouched 1929 Donald Ross course that's been pretty much flying under the radar for 80 years, or certainly for the last four or five decades, or longer.

We have a Donald Ross expert/author in Brad Klein, another Donald Ross expert/architect in Ron Prichard and a very talented Superintendent charged with maintaining this Donald Ross gem. 

In advance of the get together, I'd like to try to solicit questions from everyone, attendees and non-attendees, that I could present to our panel for comment.

In addition, I thought it would be interesting to have a post-play session after golf.
That way, each golfer, upon observing and playing the course might have new questions for our panel, questions that could be presented during the after golf function

Perhaps a visit to www.Historicaerials.com  might help you to see some of the changes in Mountain Ridge over the last 80 years.
Unfortunately, the early aerials lack a good deal of definition and the most recent aerial doesn't reflect all the work that's been done over the last few years, but, again, it's a good starting point.
The address is 713 Passaic Ave, West Caldwell, NJ  07006.

Earlier, Donald Ross's 1929 schematic was posted.
That can be compared to the aerials taken at various intervals and the course as you find it on Sept 27th.

Please forward your questions and I'll present them to the panel on Sept 27th

Thanks

[Mike Cirba]

Patrick,

I'd love to know how the panelists feel about adding new back tee yardage during a "restoration", and what other methods they feel might help to make the course play more as it was originally designed in this day and age of almost preposterous distance gains through technology.   

Thank you.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Patrick,

I'd love to know how the panelists feel about adding new back tee yardage during a "restoration", and what other methods they feel might help to make the course play more as it was originally designed in this day and age of almost preposterous distance gains through technology.   


Mike, I can't answer for the panelists, but, I can answer for myself, having played Mountain Ridge for close to 60 years.

Without adding back tees the course would be largely irrelevant in terms of competitions.

Mountain Ridge has hosted the Met Amateur, Met Open, State Open, a mini-LPGA event and will soon host the 2012 USGA Senior Amateur

Without the addition of length the golf course would NOT play as Donald Ross intended.

The course has very wide fairways.
Given that fairway width and their firm and fast condition, modern tech would render the course a pitch and putt course, even though the greens remain a daunting challenge.  Hitting a mid to long iron into some of those greens requires a different skill set, versus hitting sand wedges into the same greens, especially when some of the par 5's are so short (under 500).

I think you'll find that the tee "offering" allows the golfer to bite off as much as he feels he can chew, and with today's modern golfer, additional length is needed.  During a recent tournament, golfers were getting home on # 17 with driver and long irons, and, it's a daunting dogleg.
Without the added length, it would have been driver 6-7-8 iron, and I don't believe that was ever Ross's intent.

The talented superintendent has the course very firm and fast when Mother Nature permits, just ask TEPaul and Ran who played there during and after it rained.  When you combine wide fairways with F&F and modern tech, you need length to present a challenge suitable to the field.

The members can always play from tees forward of the championship tees.

[Patrick_Mucci]

For those traveling and wanting to spend the weekend, perhaps playing other courses, there are a good number of hotels/motels very close to Mountain Ridge.

[Brian Brown]

If there is still room, I would love to attend.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Brian Brown,

Openings are still available.

Please send your checks in the amount of $ 120, payable to Patrick Mucci Jr, to

Kim Fitzgerald
C/O  Mucci Companies
Suite 201
1135 Clifton Ave
Clifton, NJ  07013

Some checks have been received that were payable to Kim Fitzgerald.
Please make them payable to Patrick Mucci Jr.

Thanks

[Eric Smith]

FYI - If you are inclined to stay in the area a little while longer, there is an opportunity to play Shinnecock Hills on the following day.  

[Mike Hendren]

Might just make a week of it.  Can someone please provide me with proximate off-peak drive times to East Caldwell from LaGuardia, Philly and Islip airports.  Please IM.  Thanks.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Mike,

Without traffic, Laguardia to West Caldwell is less than 45 minutes.

Newark to West Caldwell about 35 minutes.

Philly and Islip two hours

[Patrick_Mucci]

Some good news.

Mike Davis has indicated that IF his schedule permits, he'd like to attend and participate.

He's going to check his schedule and get back to me next week.

I've asked him to discuss his philosophy on course set up as it applies to the US Open, Women's Open, Junior Am, Am, Mid-Am, Senior Am and Senior Open and how he'll integrate that philosophy at Mountain Ridge for the 2012 Senior Open given Mountain Ridge's wide fairways, difficult rough and highly contoured/sloped, fast and firm greens.

The Mid-Am is at Atlantic the week of the 27th, but, I'm hoping that Mike's schedule will permit him to spend the day or half a day with us.

I'll keep you posted.

Mike's participation would round out the program nicely.
With Brad Klein, Ron Prichard, Cliff Moore and Mike, we'd get great variety and all the components necessary for an actual case study of a 1929 Donald Ross hidden gem that's reconnecting with its architectural origins.

[Rob_Waldron]

Pat

The interary sounds great! I am attempting to assemble a foursome. How many confirmed do you have?

Rob

[ed_getka]

Patrick,
    Put me on the definite list. I'm sending the check in the morning. Thanks for your efforts in trying to add Mike Davis to an already strong lineup.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Pat

The interary sounds great! I am attempting to assemble a foursome. How many confirmed do you have?



Rob,

At the present time we have room for your foursome.

[Neil Regan]

Pat,

  Please count me in.

[Mark McKeever]

Pat,

Ill get a check in the mail for myself and a guest.  Looking forward to it!

Mark

[Patrick_Mucci]

Pat,

Please count me in.

Neil, you're in.

And, you'll love the fact that almost every green is open in the front, allowing you to run your putter in from 150+ yards, and, as TEPaul can attest, Mother Nature permitting, Cliff Moore keeps the golf course FAST & FIRM, encouraging that type of play.

[Lynn_Shackelford]

In looking at this quickly, I did not see a confirmed date.  Is there one?
Thanks.

[Bill Brightly]

Monday 9/27/10.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Kelly Blake Moran,

Hey, I had dark hair and was relatively lean in 1991, what happened over the last 19 years ?

I think we're all standing where the new back tee on #  1 was about to be built.
Mike and Rodney have a puzzled look on their face.
Bob and I look relatively calm.

[Patrick_Mucci]

GREAT NEWS,

Mike Davis, Senior Director, Rules & Competitions for the USGA, the man responsible for course set ups, has agreed to join us and will make a presentation.

Our morning program will probably be structured as follows.

 7;00 -   7:45     Breakfast
 7:45 -   8:00     Introduction    PM Jr
 8:00 -   9:00     Brad Klein        Author and Architecture Editor, "Golfweek"
 9:00 - 10:00     Ron Prichard    GCA
10:00 - 11:00    Cliff Moore       GCS
11:00 - 12:00    Mike Davis        USGA

Mike Davis's participation rounds our our program.

The theme of the program will probably be a case study of Mountain Ridge, from inception in 1929 at the hands of Donald Ross, to the changes over the intervening 70 years, to the retention of Ron Prichard and his restoration plans, to Cliff Moore and his efforts to achieve the "maintainance meld" vis a vis agronomic and maintainance practices, to Mike Davis and course set up and how Mountain Ridge will be prepared for the 2012 USGA Senior Amateur.

If the 2012 USGA Senior Amateur goes well, who knows, maybe Mountain Ridge would entertain and be selected to host the USGA Senior Open.

Lunch will follow the morning presentation at noon with the targeted tee off time for golf being 1:00 - 1:15.

After golf, cocktails, hors d oeuvres and good conversation will be served on the patio overlooking the golf course and mountains to the west.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Interestingly enough, Mountain Ridge debuted in 1929 as a 6,594 yard golf course.
Which is pretty long in 1929.

I think I'll have one set of tees set up at the yardage the course opened at, 6,594, in 1929.

Those wishing to play the course from that distance can elect to do so.

[Patrick_Mucci]

I also forgot to mention that Ran Morrissett and TEPaul will be attending.

For those who have never met Ran and would like to hear him beg and whine for more shots, this is your opportunity.
He's really perfected the art of groveling for more shots.

As for that Idiot-Savant, TEPaul, I'm having a driver pick him up early in the morning at HappyDale Farms and drive him to Mountain Ridge and then back to HappyDale.

I was fortunate enough to negotiate a 24 hour release from HappyDale Farms based on my guarantee that TEPaul would be supervised the entire time.  However, I've had to install glass partitions for the speakers and TEPaul will be searched for tomatos, fruits, vegatables and any contraband that can be thrown as TEPaul has been known to smuggle these objects off the farm.

[JMEvensky]

I also forgot to mention that Ran Morrissett and TEPaul will be attending.

For those who have never met Ran and would like to hear him beg and whine for more shots, this is your opportunity.
He's really perfected the art of groveling for more shots.

As for that Idiot-Savant, TEPaul, I'm having a driver pick him up early in the morning at HappyDale Farms and drive him to Mountain Ridge and then back to HappyDale.

I was fortunate enough to negotiate a 24 hour release from HappyDale Farms based on my guarantee that TEPaul would be supervised the entire time.  However, I've had to install glass partitions for the speakers and TEPaul will be searched for tomatos, fruits, vegatables and any contraband that can be thrown as TEPaul has been known to smuggle these objects off the farm.

You're not going to make him wear one of those Hannibal Lecter masks,are you?Gotta be awful hard to swing a golf club.

[Patrick_Mucci]

JMEvensky,

TEPaul has a classic swing that is unaffected by what he wears, be it masks or skirts.

In light of our list of panelists and their respective fields of expertise, perhaps we should entertain posing questions from those who can't attend.

Those in attendance will get the opportunity to pose questions to the speakers after their presentations.

But, those not in attendance may some questions that they'd like answered.

While we're thinking about videoing and making a DVD for distribution, there may be some great questions that emanate from those who can't attend.

Our Speakers are.

Brad Klein who will discuss Ross restorations, "Golfweek" ratings and any other subjects he wants to address.

Ron Prichard the consulting architect who will discuss what he found when he visited Mountain Ridge for the first time, what he learned subsequently, and what he proposed in his first and second five year plans.  I'd like to know what his first "vision" for Mountain Ridge was.

Cliff Moore the superintendent who came from Caves Valley to Mountain Ridge as a young man, (he still is a young man) will discuss his views on Mountain Ridge and the playability benefit from keeping Mountain Ridge F&F.  Cliff will also discuss the implementation of Ron Prichard's Master Plans.

Mike Davis from the USGA will discuss his philosophy on course set up for USGA events, from the U.S. Open to the USGA Senior Amateur and how his philosophy will be implemented at the 2012 Senior Amateur conducted at Mountain Ridge.

I think the list of speakers is outstanding.

I feel lucky to have such talented men participating in the event, especially since they all have their specialties, which all involve Mounrain Ridge.

So, if you can't attend and have some questions for the speakers, please let me know what they are and I'll relay them to the appropriate speaker.

Thanks