24 Hours of Donald Ross

[Tom_Doak]

Starting last evening at 6:00 pm, I took my intern Riley Johns to four Donald Ross courses on our way to a consulting visit to Oyster Harbors tomorrow.  We walked Wannamoisett yesterday evening, Whitinsville first thing this morning, played Rhode Island Country Club at lunchtime, and walked Sakonnet in the late afternoon.  63 Ross greens in one day, and all I can say is wow.

I've played Whitinsville a couple of times, but every time I go back I'm amazed ... if you judge a course by its worst hole (as Ran suggested recently), that is one of the best courses I know.  The seven holes on the clubhouse side of the road are just perfect, and the two across the road are better than I remembered [especially the fourth].

I'd only walked Wannamoisett once before, and was impressed, but this time I was more impressed.  I think Ron Forse has done a bunch of work there in between, and it showed ... great job on the mowing lines and restoring the bunkers, getting a narrow course to feel big.  Some awesome greens just laying on the ground, and some others built up in the air.

Bruce Hepner was kind enough to arrange a game for us at RICC, where we played through an off-and-on drizzle.  It's a really good routing on pretty gentle property, with a few abrupt features that come up unexpectedly.  Good variety of holes, but there's a bit too much bluegrass around the bunkers for my tastes.

Last but not least was Sakonnet, where Ross had his summer home.  It looked like it started off as a nine holer, then expanded to 18 holes par 68, and then Gil Hanse converted it to a par-70 a few years back by adding two new holes at the 9th & 10th.  The best of it for me is still the first six holes, and especially the par-3 6th which is the highlight of the trip for me so far.  There's a sharp swale in front of the green ... sort of like a Biarritz hole with only the back part as green ... but the bunkers to the right and the sharp rough mounds just at the left front of the green take it to another level.  I want to build something like THAT someday.

[Tom_Doak]

I envy Donald Ross for having the chance to build so many cool golf courses in one little corner of the world.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Tom Doak,

Do you see any "Dornoch" influence in the Ross courses you observe ?

If so, how so ?

[Greg Tallman]

I envy Donald Ross for having the chance to build so many cool golf courses in one little corner of the world.

laments a guy afforded the opportunity to travel to all corners of the world looking at the best pieces of golf property remaining...  

[Bill_McBride]

Pat, I've seen none of those courses, but Tom mentions "built up in the air" greens.  I'll bet those are evocative of Dornoch, where greens like 2, 9, 10 and 12 definitely have that built up in the air feeling, with 14 even more so.  

[Mark Steffey]

i love wannamoisett.   best course in new england.

[Cliff Hamm]

Can't resist commenting on Whitinsville.  Wow! Currently ranked 97 on Golfweek's classic courses.  Unbelievable for a 9 hole course.  Even more unbelievable is that you can play it for $50 on GolfNow, altho I hate to advertise that.

It is a spectacular course.  Only 9 holes, but what a 9 holes.  Agreed, not a weak hole.  The 9th gets the press, but I love the 6th as a challenge.  For a bogey golfer a very tough par 4 but I can par it from time to time.  The 9th on the other hand I just can't reach in 2.

Wide fairways, great conditioning, superb greens, many options, enjoyable for all levels of play.  Low key New England  What more can I say....I love the place.

BTW they removed trees on 1 about 100 yards or so from the green on the left, which brings a small creek more into play.  The only other tree removal would be the trees to the left off the 8th tee.  It would allow long hitters to take a chance at going for the green.  I spoke with the pro/gm and he said they can't do it because of balls that would head for the 9th tee and hence be a danger.

Anyway, just wish it was closer to me as I would join immediately.

[Joe Hancock]

That intern will not understand the value of those couple days until later in his career. I hope he asks a lot of questions.

Joe

[Mike Sweeney]

Last but not least was Sakonnet, where Ross had his summer home.  It looked like it started off as a nine holer, then expanded to 18 holes par 68, and then Gil Hanse converted it to a par-70 a few years back by adding two new holes at the 9th & 10th.  The best of it for me is still the first six holes, and especially the par-3 6th which is the highlight of the trip for me so far.  There's a sharp swale in front of the green ... sort of like a Biarritz hole with only the back part as green ... but the bunkers to the right and the sharp rough mounds just at the left front of the green take it to another level.  I want to build something like THAT someday.

I have not played Sakonnet but I have biked down there a bunch of times while staying on "the other" island/peninsula. It is a fabulous "place" and Little Compton is right out of movie set. Not sure it is number 1 on the list to see but I certainly want to play it some day.

As it is less than a mile away from Oyster Harbors, I suggest you take a look at the 10th hole at Wianno which is right next to the golf house. Eric Steindel is the new pro and I am sure he would love to hear your opinion on the Ross vs Ross-protege holes (which came later).

[Peter Pallotta]

I'm glad I clicked on this thread.

I don't know the area or the topography at all -- is it all of one piece (i.e. basically the same basic type/topography) across the region? If so, I can't help but wonder if working often in one little corner of the world helped Mr. Ross get more and more comfortable with (and insightful about) how that type of topography could best be used for golf? Put another way: I wonder if today's architects, while benefitting from the qualities of different sites in different locations on different terrains, may not also be challenged by these differences, never having the chance to work for a long time on a certain kind of site/land.

Peter

[Eric Morrison]

Tom,
If you are coming through CT after your site visit on the Cape and would like to see more Ross greens, you are more than welcome to stop by Shennecossett in Groton, just over the RI border. Send me a pm if you have time.
Eric Morrison, CGCS

[Jonathan Webb]

"but there's a bit too much bluegrass around the bunkers for my tastes."

Tom, what exactly do you mean by too much bluegrass?  Prefer higher sand and less turf?

[John Foley]

I've done the drive by at Sakonnet & it looks really cool - old school place.

That area from SE CT thru RI & The Cape to South of Boston has some of the best / under-appreciated architecture anywhere.

[Chris Buie]

I envy Donald Ross for having the chance to build so many cool golf courses in one little corner of the world.

I can't help but wonder if working often in one little corner of the world helped Mr. Ross get more and more comfortable with (and insightful about) how that type of topography could best be used for golf? Put another way: I wonder if today's architects, while benefitting from the qualities of different sites in different locations on different terrains, may not also be challenged by these differences, never having the chance to work for a long time on a certain kind of site/land.

Tom and Peter, what you're talking about reminds me a bit of Andrew Wyeth. He basically worked within a couple of very small areas. But it was probably by acquiring a profound understanding that comes from keeping the focus within narrow parameters that he was able to take his work to a completely different level than someone whose viewpoint was far more diffuse. That type of vast understanding is likely to produce something quite a bit different from the more wide ranging perspective. Our culture generally likes to skim the surface - and by doing so misses a great deal - not that they are bright enough to be aware of that. Both have their merits and drawbacks I suppose but I do think the highly extended knowledge from which Wyeth and Ross were generating their work from is probably one of the reasons what they turned out was so often brilliant.

[Tim Martin]

i love wannamoisett.   best course in new england.

Mark-It is a superb routing on a tiny piece of land. The outward nine has one of the toughest sets of par fours of anywhere I can think of. For years 4 was rated the number one handicap hole which pales to the difficulty of 2 and 9. Recently it was rerated to make  2 number one. Last year a guy on this board who will remain nameless called me to talk about his first round there and how enchanted he was with the golf course. He said that he didn't know what all the fuss was about the difficulty of the 2nd hole as he made a 5. I told him that was pretty good but that if he looked at the scorecard a little more closely he would see that it was a par 4. By the time I walk off of 9 green I feel like I got junk punched.

[Peter Pallotta]

Chris - you know your Ross, and I don't, but I do think it true that working like Wyeth did does bring a kind of depth and excellence that, even if the conscious mind doesn't perceive or appreciate it and/or even if we're unable to articulate it, does sink in and resonate -- as if the richness of understanding (even if not fully expressed all the time) is always communicated. It reminds me of reading Lord of the  Rings, the depth of Tolkien's commitment to the work bubbling up in seemingly simple and straightforward references or exchanges between characters that seem to hint at a whole world of meaning/history just beneath the surface.

Peter