Official Streamsong 2013 GCA Outing Pairings

[Michael Whitaker]

I just looked at the scorecard for the red and the Black Tees play around 6600 yards but the front is 3000 and the back is nearly 6600 - it is going to be a beast on the back with some really long par 4s.  Hopefully they are downhill and the course is firm and fast.

Jerry,

When I was there a few weeks ago the starter told us lots of guests play the Black tees on the front and the Silver tees on the back when playing the Red. I played the Black on both sides and did OK, but the Silver on the back might be more fun.

Mike

[Jud_T]

So when's the Calcutta auction?

[Howard Riefs]

I just looked at the scorecard for the red and the Black Tees play around 6600 yards but the front is 3000 and the back is nearly 6600 - it is going to be a beast on the back with some really long par 4s.  Hopefully they are downhill and the course is firm and fast.

Uh Oh, the negotiations for stroke adjustments has begun.

Watch out for Jerry; he's a shrewd one!

And he has the 4th best handicap (tied, actually) among the 16 of us!

[Doug Wright]

Try not to tear up the place too badly gents--I will be there in a couple weeks....

[Bill_McBride]

Try not to tear up the place too badly gents--I will be there in a couple weeks....

Hopefully you weren't planning to use the bunkers!

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Gents..I am giving alot of shots away, its going to feel like welfare day in Florida, pick up your checks on the first tee.
Cannot wait to meet you all, and have two days of great golf and equally quality company.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

anybody know what sort of practice facility they have at Streamsong

[Richard Choi]

I just want to take this opportunity to thank Howard Riefs for arranging such a fantastic outing. Fun was had by all, and as usual, all participants could not have been more enjoyable to spend time with.

Team Blue eeked out an 11-8 victory over Team Red, even though that sandbagger, Jerry Kluger, did everything possible to put Red Team over the top (he went 4-0!!!).

I will remember the late night chat (over very stiff drinks, thanks to Chris!) with Chandler and Shaida, all the missed 3 footers from Sturges (and subsequent bunker punchings), Kluger kicking my ass even though I had the BEST front 9 of my life, Whitaker carrying me during our four-ball match, McBride's gentle guidance, Wilson's suspenders, Wharton-Palmer's miraculous ability to go up and down from almost anywhere, Fleisher's ability to pack 3 people and their luggage into a Mini Cooper, Dean's coolness, Pete draining birdies left and right, Mallard's MC Escher reference to the Blue course, and mounds and mounds of BBQ that I had no chance of finishing.

I will post some photos of folks when I get a chance.

P.S. We took a straw poll on Sat night to see which course people preferred. It was a blowout to Red - 11 voted for Red, 3 voted for Blue, and 2 thought they were equal. I must say, this was quite surprising coming from GCA crowd...

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

I certainly second all of Richard's remarks.
It was a marvelous weekend with a great group of guys.
Glad that Mike W recovered to meet us for dinner on Saturday night, and delighted to get the opportunity to meet gca members I have only previoulsy read about.
Super golf courses, great barbq evn if Howard and myslef wondered a little about some cartilage issues!!!

[Jerry Kluger]

It certainly was a fantastic time and I cannot wait for the next GCA event that I am able to intend.  3 of my points were a result of having great partners who carried me around the course - Pete, Michael and Jonathan.  With respect to my match with Choi, he took dead aim at me and made certain we would play each other in the singles matches.  He had me down 3 after 10 and then proceeded to totally implode and lose 3 and 1.

I hope that I can remember half of what I learned about how to play the game from Michael.

For the rest of the attendees I wanted to point out something that I found interesting.  I remember a discussion where we concluded that Doak preferred uphill holes and I happened to be skimming through his book " The Anatomy of a Golf Course" and I found this statement: If the clubhouse is located on the highest point of the property, it automatically requires a tiring uphill walk on the 9th and 18th holes; since it is difficult to build a good uphill hole, this design cliche' should be avoided.

[Chris DeNigris]

From personal experience I think the following equation applies: Richard minus Victor=often spectacular but ultimately vulnerable 

Okay- fess up, who voted for which course in the straw poll.

How was the experience/vibe of the group staying in the Clubhouse?

TD refrained from the uphill finisher at Dismal...he just made the 18th green a mile and a half from the clubhouse    Can't do that everywhere.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Red..Doak 7.6
Blue.. Doak 7.2

Something as close as that for me.
I just found the sight lines off the tee on the Red so much more interesting, probably in response to the narrower fairways.
That been said my favourite holes...par 3...number 10 Blue
par 4 Number 12 ...Blue
par 5 number 17..Blue
Go figure!

[Jud_T]

More importantly, how was the damned $12 Hot Dog?

[Bill_McBride]

Red..Doak 7.6
Blue.. Doak 7.2

Something as close as that for me.
I just found the sight lines off the tee on the Red so much more interesting, probably in response to the narrower fairways.
That been said my favourite holes...par 3...number 10 Blue
par 4 Number 12 ...Blue
par 5 number 17..Blue
Go figure!

No argument about those hole selections.  #17 might be the most beautiful par 5 I've seen in years, loved the cross bunkers across the face of the ridge.  Doak's homage to Mackenzie at Streamsong in my view.  It was too much fun putting into that front bowl by aiming 90 degrees away from the hole!

I really enjoyed our match, Michael.  I'm going to start working on shortening my back swing and increasing my shoulder turn!

(Michael might be the best sport on GCA.  As a +3 he was giving up a stroke a hole to most of the rest of us choppers while playing a tee or two back, with never a whimper!)

[Howard Riefs]

No argument about those hole selections.  #17 might be the most beautiful par 5 I've seen in years, loved the cross bunkers across the face of the ridge.  Doak's homage to Mackenzie at Streamsong in my view.  It was too much fun putting into that dront bowl by aiming 90 degrees away from the hole!

I really enjoyed our match, Michael.  I'm going to start working on shortening my back swing and increasing my shoulder turn!

(Michael might be the best sport on GCA.  As a +3 he was giving up a stroke a hole to most of the rest of us choppers while playing a tee or two back, with never a whimper!)

Agree with beauty of Blue #17. There were blue paint outlines of what looked like two bunkers in the fairway around 200 yards out from the center of the green; that's what my caddie thought they were previously going to be. Any idea what the current (or previous) thinking is/was for that? it would've been a heck of a target to hit a shot between the two sets of bunkers.

Playing with Michael was great. I just wish I was able to apply what I saw to my own swing. And I played with him twice.  

In the first match with Michael as my partner (sorry, Michael), he actually had to give up two shots to Jim Dean on a hole or two. On #11 Blue, Jim was 50 yards from the green sitting line zero.

[Tom_Doak]

P.S. We took a straw poll on Sat night to see which course people preferred. It was a blowout to Red - 11 voted for Red, 3 voted for Blue, and 2 thought they were equal. I must say, this was quite surprising coming from GCA crowd...

Just curious if there was any pattern to which players liked Blue over Red.

The feedback I've gotten so far is that the conventional wisdom is backwards from what's been said about them so far.  The strongest notes of praise I've gotten about the Blue course have come from the lower-handicap players, when all the early guesses were that the higher-handicap players would like the Blue better, because it's wider.

P.S. to Howard:  If there are plans to build more bunkers on the 17th hole, they are not mine!  I think the paint outlines you noted are only areas where they want to re-turf or fix a drainage problem.  That part of the hole was very low and wet originally, and it still doesn't drain as well as we'd like it to when the summer rains come.

[Richard Choi]

Tom, there is no pattern to which players liked Blue over Red. Most of the low handicaps liked Red and the same goes for higher handicaps as well. Mallard did point out the he greatly preferred the green to tee walk at Blue (and we all agree on that point).

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Tom,
Great to see you out there playing.
I think the closeness of everybody's opinions about which course they would play the most suggests that with more play that opinion could change.
The site lines off the tee on the Red are more defined but as Bruce said the best line of play on the Blue may not reveal itself until you have played a few times.
With the expanse of fairway the best line of attack to the green is clearly not as obvious, but due to the increased undulation on the putting surfaces versus the Red, probably even more important, but not clear after even two rounds.
The best example to me is number 11 which has a very heavily countoured green, massive fairway and I am still not sure which line in is the best to attack that green, I am thinking from the tighter left side of the fairway to avoid the rticky chip shot from left of the green.

The character of the Blue greens are certainly more challenging which again makes more analysis of whre to actually put your te ball so important.
Number 17 is a masterpiece, Mr Mackenzie is somewhere smiling looking down on those cross bunkers.

[Howard Riefs]

P.S. to Howard:  If there are plans to build more bunkers on the 17th hole, they are not mine!  I think the paint outlines you noted are only areas where they want to re-turf or fix a drainage problem.  That part of the hole was very low and wet originally, and it still doesn't drain as well as we'd like it to when the summer rains come.

Thanks, Tom. I certainly hope that's the case!

[Chris Shaida]

Thanks to Howard for a fantastic job organizing the event. The only possible thing to criticize him for his setting the bar so high that nobody will want to organize an event again?

The best shot I witnessed was Whitaker's shot on Red 16 -- his tee shot caught the top edge of the front bunker and rolled all the way to the reeds at water level.  Paw power (or orneriness or something) filled him and he crawled all the way down there and with a 2 foot backswing somehow got the ball to 10 feet and won the hole.

Some kudos are due to Choi for NOT mentioning that he twice landed n the green on Blue 7 and ended up rolling back left down into the water. (fwiw my current opinion -- admittedly after only 4 plays -- is the Blue 7 is the 4th best par 3 on the Blue. )

[Tom_Doak]

Tom,
Great to see you out there playing.
I think the closeness of everybody's opinions about which course they would play the most suggests that with more play that opinion could change.

Michael:

Thanks for your note, and it was nice to meet you out there, albeit briefly.  I really doubt people's first impressions will change all that much -- they seldom do -- but, perhaps with time they will come to appreciate some of our holes a bit more.

I don't know if you noticed, but I was playing with my wife in alternate-shot format.  She is a beginner and that's about all the golf she wants to play; I find it great fun because you never know what shot I might have to hit next.  [For example, I had to hit 5-wood approaches on #4 and #8 and #12, and managed to hit all of them onto the green; and I hit the left of the green on #6 from the second fairway bunker on the right!]  We somehow shot 97 including two birdies, on #5 [where I hit it to 8 feet] and #10 [where I sunk about a 50-yard chip shot].  

The main things I found out was that the course is playable for anyone [we only lost one ball, and it took some doing!], and that we did a piss-poor job of locating the forward tees on a couple of holes [which will give me a reason to go back one more time].

The funniest thing is that the thing my wife liked best about the course was the walk across the bridge on #7.  She thought it was really cool that people had to give up their carts there and walk across the bridge and get a feel for the place.

Regarding #11, I knew that it would not be the most-loved hole on site, but I'm mostly happy with how it turned out.  [I wish you could make out the green a bit better from the fairway.]  I do believe that a drive to the left makes the approach easier unless the hole is right in the front of the green, and then it doesn't matter so much.  The intent of the hole was to reward a player who hits two solid shots and gets to the front of the green, over players who miss a shot and don't get up, by making the chip shots very tough from 20-40 yards short of the green on the right.

Regarding #17, I didn't build the bunkers, any more than MacKenzie built his.  But I will pass the compliments on to my crew.

[jeffwarne]

More importantly, how was Hacienda in Bartow?
I tried to go there in January but it was being renovated

[Howard Riefs]

Some kudos are due to Choi for NOT mentioning that he twice landed n the green on Blue 7 and ended up rolling back left down into the water. (fwiw my current opinion -- admittedly after only 4 plays -- is the Blue 7 is the 4th best par 3 on the Blue. )

You give Choi too much credit.  From the other Streamsong trip recap thread:

One interesting personal note... I think I lost about 8 balls the first time I played Blue. I lost 2 or 3 on Red (both rounds). The second time I played Blue I lost about 4 balls (I lost 2 balls on #7 after hitting the green on both rounds!!!). But the third time I played Blue, I did not lose a single ball (even though I would have lost a ball on #7 (AGAIN!) if I didn't get plugged just short of the green).

[Richard Choi]

Howard, why u ratting me out?

[Jerry Kluger]

Jeff: Hacienda was okay but certainly nothing to go out of your way for.  Smokin Joe's Barbecue was an experience - more food than you could imagine for $13 cooked on the smoker in front of the place.