Eugene Country Club--Wow

[Chris Cupit]

I am at the NCAA this week at Eugene CC having had no preconceptions about the course.  What a great surprise.  Very interesting fairway contours and terrific greens.  Par 3's are awesome too.  Some of the bunkers are a little "amoeba-ish" for my taste and the trees make some of the holes seem repetitive but I really, really like the entire look and feel of the course.


Anyone else had the pleasure of playing/touring this course?


Chris

[J_ Crisham]

Chris- hopefully Gray Grieve will chime in, that's his home club. Its good to be him! As I understand the history of the club,  the holes were all reversed at one point, greens are tees and tees are greens.

[Jeff_Mingay]

I don't know the course well, but have always been fascinated by its history: Trent Jones literally reversing a Chandler Egan routing. I'd like to walk both ways someday.

[Carl Nichols]

I got sucked into the very end of the women's match-play finals because of the situation--with just two matches still on the course, Washington was in control to win its first title for its coach (of 33 years), then choked to have two matches go to extra holes, was on the ropes in the extra holes, and then ended up winning.  From what I saw, the course looked very good.   

[William_G]

Chris,

Hope to see you this weekend

[Tim Leahy]

See the Kings Putter thread below for discussion on Eugene CC. GCA group played there in March.

[Bill_McBride]

Terrific course in the Pacific NW tradition, too many trees but wonderful poa annua greens.  When the course was built, several ponds were in front of tees, now they are in front of greens.  It can be a brute. 

[Wayne Freeman]

Great club with a classy head pro (was asst. at my club Old Ranch in SoCal).. was top 100 for many years
  prior to the Bandon courses being built.. nice flow and variation with wonderful greens.  Worth a visit
  if you're in the area or not flying directly to Bandon.

[David Davis]

In my experience it ALWAYS rains there.


Ok so I've only been there once 


Great course.

[Garland Bayley]

It's going to get better. At KP, we saw a few architect proposals, at least one which will turn that stinking (l call all artificial ponds on courses stinking ponds even if they don't stink, even at Bandon Trails) pond on 5 (14 for NCAAs) back into the little stream it used to be. It would seem they may come out of the dark ages of GCA.

[Garland Bayley]

Oh, and Bill is right, there are too many trees. I certainly found places where I couldn't hit my natural cut off some of the tees as the trees infringed too close on the right. It appeared to me righties faced the same dilemma with trees on the left on some tees.

[Chris Cupit]

It may seem odd for me to say this as an avowed "tree hater" but I thought the trres were managed quite well.  The trees make sense to me in this location and while some holes are a little narrow, there is plenty of room to play.  Much like the Olympic Club which I assumed would be claustrophobic until I actually saw it, the trees are majestic and fit vey well into the entire look and feel of the course.


It was interesting to see the pictures of the Egan routing versus the Jones.  I did notice the creek to pond change over the years.  Just to be a pain though, how many lakes and/or ponds on golf courses are natural?  I suspect very few.


I do vote for creeks over lakes/ponds in general though.


Chris

[Pete_Pittock]

Oh, and Bill is right, there are too many trees. I certainly found places where I couldn't hit my natural cut off some of the tees as the trees infringed too close on the right. It appeared to me righties faced the same dilemma with trees on the left on some tees.

They could cut half the trees and you'd still have a problem. By the way, your cut isn't natural, your swing is unnaturalhttp://golfclubatlas.com/forum/Smileys/classic/smiley.gif
Chris,
As I 'remember' the fairway contouring is pretty natural, an earlier river bottom of the Wlllamette or a tributary.
If they are planning a creek in front of 5 (14 this week)  I can't figure out which way it would run, and dropping the lake create problems for the ravine running the length of 4 (13 this week) 

[William_G]

all water flow is controlled through the golf course as since the 1950's the Army Corps built dams in the area to prevent flooding

many of the huge cedar trees you see are 100 plus years old

the site of the golf course was once an active fruit orchard with nearly 100 year old apple and pear trees lining the approach to the championship's 18th hole

the fairways remain undulated as shaped by the hand's of God as it is old river bed with it tributaries and left nearly untouched by dozers

[Chris Cupit]

W,

Good to know re Corp and flooding issues. I thought I read where there was a plan to change the pond on the par five back from the pond to a creek but if flooding is an issue I don't see them being allowed to do that.

Again, I'm the least likely tree hugger on this site but they look good on this course. There is always some thinning to help turf to be done but overall the trees add far more than they detract on this really good course.

Favorite holes are 6 and 7 (15 and 16 normally). What terrific greens.

[Jeff Shelman]

I've been fortunate enough to play their twice. I think it is really good.

It's a strong course, but it doesn't totally destroy you. And I think they have done a better job with trees than some of the other clubs in the PNW that I've seen.

[William_G]

Chris,

Great to see you out there today and yesterday 

The conditions are phenomenal!!

Great TV over the next few days with an exciting team medal/match format, wow is right!

Yes, the club could take out some more trees and it will, no doubt

as to changes to the course, not a lot happening for now, as the club is focused on renovating the clubhouse, but Jackson/Kahn will keep tuning it up

[Charles Lund]

I was a volunteer caddie there in 2008 in the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship and played in the PNGA Amateur there back in the late 70s. 

The women loved it.  I caddied for a woman who finished fifth in stroke play and won two matches to get to the round of 16. 

Since playing the course many years ago, I have been especially partial to his courses and designs.  I traveled to the Costa del Sol in Spain where he did a lot of work and played Valderrama and Sotogrande.

Difficult Par is an interesting biography.

Charles Lund

[Pete_Pittock]

Five teams tied for the final two spots. Louisville and Oklahoma advanced. TCU, Clemson and Georgia were the other teams at +27.

[William_G]

great format...now the 15 teams compete to make the final 8

[William_G]

https://www.facebook.com/294833300589086/videos/1101282633277478/

Happy Memorial Day
nothing like our National Anthem followed by a combat jet flyover   

[Pete_Pittock]

Grey - thank you.

How do team line-ups get selected for match play.
I know in the first two rounds it is 5-4-3-2-1 based on team seeding.
The 3d and 4th rounds are ordered by tournament scoring, with the top scorer going last each day.

[William_G]

Pete,

I don't know

I do know what Chris told me today...that for the 15 team cut...they went to the 5th player's scores

should be quite a finish for the team cut today

[Chris Cupit]

Actually it is a cool process.  For the matches the coaches pick--the higher seed announces his first player out (they may have the option of deferring) and then the other coach picks which if his players will "match up" against him.  This alternates back and for between the coaches until the matches are set.  There can be a significant amount of strategy (or attempts at strategy I suppose).

[Sean Ogle]

Having grown up in Eugene, it's weird to think that ECC is one of the only top courses in Oregon I haven't played. Finally looks like it will happen in the next month or two.


Everything I've heard about the course has been really good, and it was fun to see it on TV for the NCAAs - representing Oregon well!