Want to start off by giving a standing O to George F., what a fantastic weekend of golf it was. The course and company were top notch and we even dodged the forecasted 70% chance rain/thunderstorms. Aside from my partner not showing for Saturday's round (and Bill Seitz and Rick Shefchik giving me a best ball tag team, top rope body slam style beatdown) everything worked out perfectly. Also, much thanks to Dan M. for the well prepared (I mean he had Langford's daughter on the phone!) and informative L&M presentation Sat. night. As a GCA newbie, I still have a lot to learn regarding golf course architecture but I can now say that I am at least moderately knowledgeable of L&M.
I can't say enough good things about the course, most of which have been covered extensively by previous posts but I will add a few things that I found interesting after all said and done. I was following the mashie thread closely for the few weeks leading up to the event and must admit I was a little skeptical of the 6 hole, par 5/par 3 stretch beginning on hole 9. After playing the 14th hole for the first time, I couldn’t believe how much variety those 6 holes had. No feeling of redundancy whatsoever. I agree 14 would be a stronger hole w/o the trees but after getting beat up on 13 both days it felt good to have a more inviting target from the teebox.
Just like most of the fellow mashies, the blind tee shots did not bother me much other than the first time around. Coming from a guy that has never had an easy time finding the fairway, my playing companions this past weekend will attest to that, blind tee shots are typically unbearable. Not this weekend, at least not so much on Sunday, the fairways were wide enough and there were definitive targets that clearly marked the holes. I brought 18 balls with me on this trip, always planning for the worst of tee weekends, dont laugh, and I came home with 12 new balls. That made the weekend that much more enjoyable and inexpensive!
My favorite three hole stretch would have to be 6-7-8 or maybe even 7-8-9. Hole 8 is one of my top 3 favorite holes on the course (in addition to holes 13 and 15) because the wide open tee still needs to be precise in order to come out with birdie. Most balls will have a short iron into the green but the angle and distance of your approach will greatly affect your score. The difference between a 9-iron and sand wedge approach on that hole is substantial. I haven’t heard many people on this thread give love to hole 9 yet, is there a reason? I think the down hill tee shot is a lot of fun and knowing that the second shot will be demanding it has you thinking how far right you really can take it. The second shot is blind and extremely difficult with the gigantic bunkers pinching the fairway but the tall, bare tree right in back of the green allows you to more confidently swing away. Those that miss the carry will struggle to make par while the others will have a great look at birdie. Love that hole even though I played it like crap.
I feel very fortunate to only be 3 hours from Green Lake because a return trip up to Lawsonia will happen again soon. It was great meeting so many of you this past weekend and I’m already itching for my next GCA trip. Have to quickly comment on Rick Shefchik’s post about the bratwurst tray, I read that at work and spit out water on my keyboard, well done sir.