Fircrest

[Sean Leary]

I can't imagine what possessed the Golfweek raters to drop it out of the top 200 this year.

I guess it means that it's just not very good. 

Yes, I know they had to make room for all those strategic, cart path hidden, Fazio courses.

Lots of those Fazios on the GW Classic 200 lists. 

I really hope they let Jeff do his thing. Fircrest could be something unbelievable if they do.

[Brent Carlson]

Today I was fortunate to have a game at Fircrest, and like many of you I was greatly impressed.  Macan is definitely underrated.  Of his many NW courses I enjoyed Fircrest the most.  The routing is strong - the green complexes exceptional.  The turf is the best on which I have played in Washington.  My host pointed our many areas where trees were removed.  Unusual for a NW course, Fircrest is not over-treed.  They are strategic on some holes.  There is a nice open feel, along with forested and native areas.  One member of our group was a tiger - routinely having flip wedges into par 4s.  Even he barely broke 80.  There is plenty of challenge.  I highly recommend a game if the opportunity presents itself.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Fircrest is a treat. Glad you enjoyed it, Brent.


As you probably noticed, we've restored bunkers at a handful of holes. We'll be back this fall/winter, too, doing the same .. slowly but surely it's a privilege to be lightly polishing what I believe is Mr. Macan's best golf course.

[Brent Carlson]

Fircrest is a treat. Glad you enjoyed it, Brent.


As you probably noticed, we've restored bunkers at a handful of holes. We'll be back this fall/winter, too, doing the same .. slowly but surely it's a privilege to be lightly polishing what I believe is Mr. Macan's best golf course.

Jeff - well done.  The bunkering is very nice.  Please keep us updated.


Here is a picture of the 17th - the Volcano!  Really fun.

Fircrest #17 by Carlsson10, on Flickr

[Jeff_Mingay]

Neat photo, thanks for posting!

[Steve_Lovett]

Jeff,


Do you think Fircrest is superior to Inglewood in terms of Macan's work? If so, why?


Steve

[Jeff_Mingay]

Steve,


Fircrest and Inglewood are both really excellent pieces of golf architecture; specifically the routings. At Inglewood, Macan's routing makes remarkable use of a pretty severe property. Fircrest is also an excellent routing .. over a better property for golf, which I think makes it a slightly better course.


For me, it's all about the inherent site characteristics in this comparison.

[Bill_McBride]

Jeff, where do you rank Columbia Edgewater in Macan's work?

[Jeff_Mingay]

Bill,


Good question. It's been too long since I've visited Columbia-Edgewater, I need to get back there. As I understand though, Mr. Macan's original design's not very well preserved there. I think a lot of work has been done at Columbia-Edgewater since Macan's days, especially when compared to Fircrest, which is almost entirely intact. There are a number of original bunkers missing at Fircrest, but we're in the process of putting (most of) them back. Only two original greens (7 and 12) have been redone there, and my Master Plan has them being restored as well; hopefully sooner than later. 


The original routing at Inglewood is intact, too. But at least 9 greens have been rebuilt by others over the years. And, of course, many of the original bunkers are gone too. We're working on that plan, and its approval currently, with work having recently been completed on holes 3 and 4.

[Steve_Lovett]

Jeff,


Your work at Holes 3 and 4 at Inglewood is exceptional, especially the fairway bunker on the left of #3 that encroaches into the line of play. A couple of other questions about Inglewood:


Is the routing original in the areas of holes 7, 8, and 9 where some groovy 60's-70's real estate encroaches very closely (especially the 7th)? I could envision an original routing without condos/townhomes having a larger practice ground, and the 9th hole along the Sammamish River/Slough. Is there any evidence of that?


You guess that maybe 1/2 of the greens have been altered at Inglewood - which do you think are original and which do you think have been altered?


Thanks,
Steve

[Jeff_Mingay]

Steve,


Thanks for your complaint on our work at Inglewood. I'm very happy with the results as well; especially at #3. That's a neat little par 4 that I think we've made much more strategic with our recent work .. especially the green surface restoration/expansion, which has brought back a few neat fringe pins that really ask for tee shots to be played along the margins of that fairway.


The entire routing at Inglewood is original Macan (1919), with some assistance from Seattle Golf Club's head pro at the time, Bob Johnstone. The 9th hole was originally the eighteenth (the nines were reversed in the 1930s, I think it was .. a long time ago anyway). The Army Corp. of Engineers lowered the level of Lake Washington, back in the 1920s (or before), too. So the lake water used to be up much closer to the 9th fairway and green, at Inglewood. The development you mention, along the left side of the 9th hole these days, is built on some reclaimed land. 


Imagine the ninth as the 18th hole ~ a lakeside hole, playing up to that beautiful clubhouse, as Inglewood's finish today? Gives me the chills, but unfortunately impossible to restore!


As for the greens: 1, 2, 13-16 and 18 have definitely been altered. I'm also suspicious of 9 and 10, though I'm not exactly sure what was done to those original greens over time, if anything. So 3-8 (I think) are original, along with 11, 12 and 17.