Inverness Club

[Mark Chaplin]

Just watching some highlights of the US Senior Open just noticed they've flipped some holes as 5 appears to be the 14th.
What order did they play the course in and anyone know why they flipped it around?

[Jeff_Brauer]

Mark,

The club (not the USGA) flipped 3-6 with 12-15 for this tournament, in hopes of making the back nine tougher.  They are hoping to attract the 2020 open (which I think should go to Myopia for linguistic reasons) which is the 100th anniversary of their historic 1920 Open.  The course has been lengthened, playing to 7,143 for the seniors (although not all yardage was used every day) but even then, it appears there are some back tees that could get it over 7300 yards for the US Open.

As you may know, holes 1-3 and 10-12 parallel each other, so it was a simple crossover after 2 and 11 to the two par 3's.  Then, old 7, now 16, played right up to the parallel 8 (Hinkletree hole) and 17 so they flip back.

A few walks, but then, the old walk from then 3 to old 4, and a big walkback to then 5 was still big, as was the walk from 6 to the historic Ross 7th.  Historically, the holes Fazio built (then 3, 5, 6) were the ones that started the Ross Society, given their poor reception in 1979. They still look out of place, but the bunkers have softened somewhat into more of a meld.  

I spent Saturday watching the tourney there, and am still impressed with the course and most of the renovations.  They kept many Ross fw bunkers, and added back tees and scattered bunkers down the fw to bring them in play.   Art Hills added the fw bunkers, but I don't think they changed many if any greens.  You can tell the difference in detail and scale of some of the original Ross bunkers over the Hills bunkers, which are bigger in scale, and slightly more bland.  They are more practical, and do keep the typical Ross steep grass faces, even if not all the original Inverness bunkers really had them.

[Mark Chaplin]

Thanks Jeff, I've played Inverness a few times and it is a very good course although the third is a little out of place. I'll never forget pitching and chipping with hickory clubs to the 18th green at midnight, under floodlights with a couple of bottles of red wine to hand. Happy days!

[mike_beene]

I spent some time on google earth last night trying to figure out the routing before Fazio. I know the 7th or maybe 16 last week is the old 5 th, and I assume the old 12 is now 4. I can't find the space for the other holes. I assume the 8 th which was 17 this weekend was more than one hole.Were there always only 3 par 3 holes.A strange feature for a fairly cramped property.All the parallel fairways look mundane from above but on tv the slopes look interesting. who owns all the open land? is the club on the outskirts of town?

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jeff,

What did they do to the Fazio holes ?

[Brent Carlson]

I spent some time on google earth last night trying to figure out the routing before Fazio. I know the 7th or maybe 16 last week is the old 5 th, and I assume the old 12 is now 4. I can't find the space for the other holes. I assume the 8 th which was 17 this weekend was more than one hole.Were there always only 3 par 3 holes.A strange feature for a fairly cramped property.All the parallel fairways look mundane from above but on tv the slopes look interesting. who owns all the open land? is the club on the outskirts of town?

Mike - check out this older routing below.  There are also some nice Inverness photos second below (credit Mac Plumart).

http://lh5.ggpht.com/-vb9OLokW3uA/ShrZpv0QUHI/AAAAAAAAal4/DLcH6ic-NZ4/s720/Inverness%25252021.jpg

http://picasaweb.google.com/InPursuitof1000/Inverness?feat=directlink#

[mike_beene]

Brent, thanks. Now I even see the remnant of the old par 3.Sure like the old routing. It is ashamed they thought they needed to change it.Great set of pictures. Mike

[Brent Carlson]

Yes Mike, I also like the original routing. The question is - would Inverness have been able to host majors without the changes?  Maybe so.

Watching the tourney yesterday it just looked fantastic; with that classic Ross look.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Pat,

Not sure I understand your question.  They haven't really changed the Fazio holes since being built, but the bunkers don't seem as starkly different as they did when they were new, maybe because edging procedures sort of blend them together?

Another little fact I was going to mention is that legend has it that Ross presented a routing with 17 holes, and then had to stick the little 13th in by the 18th hole (shown on the old black and white photos).  It went away at some point, as did the 8th, another par 3, but if you look, it appears they kept those tees, now the back tees on the still short 18th hole.

[Charlie Visconsi]

They lost two par 3s; the 14th hole I think was a short par 3 with a steep drop off to a grove of pine trees beyond the green.  You can see the tee boxes if you look behind the 13th green.  They then combined the old seventh and eighth holes (If I remember correctly) into the now eighth hole.  The eighth hole was suppossed to be the best par three on the course (a long par 3) and the seventh hole was a 90 degree short par four over a valley that Ted Ray drove in the 1920 Open.  I forget the other hole that was lost but it is a straightway par four (short through a chute of trees).  The reason for removal of these holes was too many tees and greens in a very small area on the course.  If you stay in Inverness' overnight lodging there are some books showing the lost holes.

 I dont have much of an issue with the new holes except for number 3 -- the lake is completely out of place and number five the par four really fights the terrain. They could fix these two holes as there is alot of space to the right of both of them.

[Charlie Visconsi]

To answer the equestion / comments about lengthening the course, these are the comments I received when I was visitiing Inverness last month.  If they can get an Open or PGA, I think they could lengthen the course pretty easily.  Move #1 and #10 tees into the parking lot and sink these tees by about ten feet.  Hopefully, fix / change and redo number 3 and number 5.  Lengthen #7 to over 500 yards.    The only issue I see are the par fives.  Both are very short -- the senior tore up #13 (#4 for the tournament) -- may need to shorten to a par four.  Then course would only have one par five which cannot be lengthened very much.

I would love to see the regular tour back at Inverness.  The course would fare very well.

[Andy Troeger]

What are the thoughts on all those parallel holes? I thought #1 and 10 were really cool starting holes for each nine, that #2 and #11 felt like the same hole, and that the middle of the back nine where you went back and forth five times was not quite up to the front nine hole quality. But #4 and #7 are two all-world par fours, especially #7.

[jonathan_becker]

I thought #1 and 10 were really cool starting holes for each nine, that #2 and #11 felt like the same hole, and that the middle of the back nine where you went back and forth five times was not quite up to the front nine hole quality. But #4 and #7 are two all-world par fours, especially #7.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

[Dan Moore]

Mark,

I'm sure the welcoming and generous character of the club makes up for any flaws in the routing! 

[Mark Chaplin]

Dan - you are right Inverness has a great bunch of members.

The old 13th is quite easy to make out on the ground. The 5th and 6th do add a little more space to the property and 5 is a very good hole with a gentle dog leg and the creek guarding the green, 6 is just a long par 3 and not great just like the 3rd. The strength of the course is the great par 4s especially the shorts such as 10 and 18, having hit my second shot within 10 feet on the 10th on three occasions it's a great hole!