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Frank M

  • Karma: +0/-0
A great Ross course with some awesome bunkering and green complexes. The course played F&F, which is no surprise considering the dry season so far. Apart from being a great golf course, Monroe is a great overall club with an almost perfect family atmosphere. It was nice to see the juniors out in full force and I don't think there could be a better course for them to learn on.



Hole 1 - Par 4 423yds




Hole 2 - Par 4 353 yds








Hole 3 - Par 4/5 470 yds








Hole 4 - Par 4 417 yds








Hole 5 - Par 4 484 yds










Hole 6 - Par 3 213 yds




Hole 7 - Par 4 385 yds










Hole 8 - Par 3 149 yds






Hole 9 - Par 5 601 yds










Hole 10 - Par 4 433 yds










Hole 11 - Par 4 414 yds










Hole 12 - Par 5 492 yds












Hole 13 - Par 3 192yds






Hole 14 - Par 4/5 493 yds








Hole 15 - Par 4 371 yds








Hole 16 - Par 3 194 yds








Hole 17 - Par 4 397 yds










Hole 18 - Par 4 434 yds






« Last Edit: July 04, 2024, 05:24:48 PM by Frank M »

Dan Herrmann

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Pictorial: Monroe Golf Club (Donald Ross) All 18 posted
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2012, 07:07:12 AM »
What amazes me is how little respect Monroe gets in Rochester.  I have relatives up there  -  they were surprised that I was playing Monroe because they didn't consider it one of Rochester's best.  They knew all about Oak Hill and CCR, and even Locust Hill from their relationship with the LPGA.

I, for one, think Monroe is FANTASTIC!


Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +3/-1
Re: Pictorial: Monroe Golf Club (Donald Ross) All 18 posted
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2012, 07:31:29 AM »
That is a great-looking course.  I have wanted to get there for some time, but never find myself up that way.  When I was in school in upstate NY, 30 years ago, nobody talked about it at all.

What is going on with the fairway bunkers on #18?  All the other bunkers look great, but those seem strangely disconnected.  And is that a tee they're protecting?

Keith OHalloran

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Pictorial: Monroe Golf Club (Donald Ross) All 18 posted
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2012, 07:44:39 AM »
I also played Monroe recently and loved t. It turned out my host (a friend of a friend until that day) is a GCA lurker. He had a lot of information regarding recommendations that Hanse has made to continue the improvements. The course is already really good, any improvements now would be gravy.

Phil McDade

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Pictorial: Monroe Golf Club (Donald Ross) All 18 posted
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2012, 08:05:26 AM »
Frank:

Great tour of a course I've always wanted to see. I really like what appears to be some fallaway greens there on the backside, like that tiny green on #9.

Jeff_Mingay

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Pictorial: Monroe Golf Club (Donald Ross) All 18 posted
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2012, 08:07:09 AM »
I agree with Tom, Monroe is a great looking golf course... and one you could seemingly enjoy everyday without becoming tired of it. Beautiful landscape, great variety, cool greens with an elegant simplicity about it. Awesome.
jeffmingay.com

Brian Colbert

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Pictorial: Monroe Golf Club (Donald Ross) All 18 posted
« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2012, 09:00:43 AM »
I was fortunate enough to play the Monroe Invitational in 2011. I was thoroughly impressed with the course and even though it's of relatively modest length, when they set up the greens as fast as they can it's a great test. The first five par-4 holes are up there with the best variety I've ever seen from Donald Ross.

They do a couple fun setup things for the tournament, too. On the final Sunday, they move the tee on 13 to the 18th tee, making it about 220 yards. Both of the par-3s on the back nine have false fronts severe enough that if you putt it too hard you can end up 60 yards short of the green. They put the pins right on top of each slope. I played with a gentleman who hit his approach shot on 16 to about 3 feet. He then proceeded to putt his ball all the way off the slope down to the bottom of the false front, 50-60 yards away! Instead of going down to play the shot he informed us he would be taking an unplayable lie, replaced the ball and calmly knocked the 3 footer in for a bogey! I can't say I'd ever seen anything like that to that point.

John Foley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Pictorial: Monroe Golf Club (Donald Ross) All 18 posted
« Reply #7 on: July 11, 2012, 09:01:40 AM »
Frank - Great pics!! Looks like you caught a fantastic day! The work Hanse has done is first class. It has a great mix of tough & fun holes and some of the best greens around.

Dan - The golfers in Rochester are all in on Monroe - it's consistently spoken in the same breath as both Oak Hill courses & CCR for the best on the area. We are truly blessed with not only great top end privates but great publics.

Tom - 18 comes back into the clubhouse and the greensite is pinched on the right by #10 tee and on the left by #9 green and even # 1 tee a little further along.
Integrity in the moment of choice

Tim Gavrich

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Pictorial: Monroe Golf Club (Donald Ross) All 18 posted
« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2012, 09:14:27 AM »
It looks like there are some corners of a few greens that have been recently reclaimed. Is this an ongoing project? Is there still some original greenspace that could be added back in?

Maybe it just has to do with a given club's resources over time or the varying attention paid to preserving Ross' original shapes and all over the life of the course, but I sense a little bit of variation in the general aesthetic of Ross courses. Monroe, for example, from the pictures, seems to be a little softer and rounder than some Ross courses I've seen. I'd put Aronimink (which I've seen pictures of) and Sedgefield (which I've played) as a counterpoint. Sedgefield, especially, seems to have squarer greens and sharper slopes, especially down into the bunkers. In fact, there's almost a Macdonald/Raynor-type look going on there, I sense.  But Monroe--and Southern Pines in NC and Wampanoag and CC of Waterbury in Connecticut, to add other examples--seem more toned-down. Does this speak more to the attention paid to maintaining the course "as Ross intended it" or was there a good amount of variation during Ross' career?
Senior Writer, GolfPass

Will Lozier

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Pictorial: Monroe Golf Club (Donald Ross) All 18 posted
« Reply #9 on: July 11, 2012, 09:18:28 AM »
Does anyone know the acreage of the Monroe?  The aerial in combo with Frank's pics reveal and absolute masterful routing on seemingly little (but great) land.

Cheers

Mike Hendren

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Pictorial: Monroe Golf Club (Donald Ross) All 18 posted
« Reply #10 on: July 11, 2012, 10:10:54 AM »
That is one good looking sack of golf holes!  Time to send the traveling grovel britches (hereafter "TGB's")to the dry-cleaners.  Thanks Frank.  

Bogey
« Last Edit: July 11, 2012, 04:04:57 PM by Michael_Hendren »
Two Corinthians walk into a bar ....

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Pictorial: Monroe Golf Club (Donald Ross) All 18 posted
« Reply #11 on: July 11, 2012, 12:11:17 PM »
It must be me, because I am having a hard time seeing the course with all the bloody christmas trees etc strewn about.  These things seriously distract my eye.  That said, the green complexes look really good, especially for a relatively flat looking course.

Thanks Frank.

Ciao
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

David Bartman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Pictorial: Monroe Golf Club (Donald Ross) All 18 posted
« Reply #12 on: July 11, 2012, 08:05:16 PM »
Played in Monroe Invitational a long time ago, great traditional DR course !!

I'm sure if they haven't added length its become pretty short for the top amateurs, damn technology!!
Still need to play Pine Valley!!

Frank M

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Pictorial: Monroe Golf Club (Donald Ross) All 18 posted
« Reply #13 on: July 11, 2012, 10:54:32 PM »
Will: Do not quote me, but I remember reading Monroe is on about 190 acres.

David: I don't think the course is short (6900 yards) and either way it wouldn't change how good the course is for 90% of golfers.