US Mid-AM @ Stonewall North & Old ( Doak) Sept. 10-15

[Joe Bausch]

Tom, not that it changes things much, but doesn't the Old 4th hole play about 400 yards?

[Tom_Doak]

It could be, Joe.  It's been a long time since I played the back tee there.  I used to hit 1-iron [probably off the second tee] and then a short iron to the green back in the day, so in my memory it's around 360 yards.


That was a tough hole to build.  We didn't have legitimate construction access to the fairway, with the small creeks on both ends cutting it off; so we couldn't haul in dirt to fill up the fairway.  We just had to cut away from the hillside on the left, and generate enough to build up the landing area, which was all low and borderline wet.  We had a dry year to build the course, but in the first year of construction, the start of the fairway was so wet they couldn't mow it for a month or two!

[Matt_Cohn]

Hardest hole on the North Course?  The par-3 2nd.  Only one birdie all day, and lots of big numbers.  Let me guess:  back right pin?

Yup. I think I tossed my hole location sheet but there were some interesting ones!


1. Middle-left on a mound behind a mound, 3 from the left edge. Hard.
2. Back right tier, 210 from tee uphill
3. Back right with a little roll just to the left of it so if you were pin high left it was hard to stop your putt close
4. Left pocket, easy
5. Back right, every pin on that green is pretty tough
6. Back right
7. Front-middle right, about as close as you can get to the false edge
8. On top of the mound back center
9. Front left
10. In the valley in the middle - one of the easier ones from the fairway but harder ones to putt to because they're all downhill
11. 3 from the back, just right of the little knob
12. Back middle-right, hard to keep it on that shelf into the wind
13. Front right - probably easiest spot on that hole
14. Right side in a low area but behind a knob
15. Back center in the saddle between the two mounds
16. Right side, downslope in front but upslope behind
17. Front left
18. Front left, one of the easier ones.


I think there were 7 or 8 pins today I actually aimed directly at.

[Matt_Cohn]

4 on Old is 397

[Tom_Doak]

I think there were 7 or 8 pins today I actually aimed directly at.

And that's probably all you should have aimed at.  Good round!  Good luck tomorrow!


The group I walked with Thursday afternoon on the North course was Claudio Consul and Sean Barrett.  Claudio must have been listening closely, he shot 68 up there today.  I guessed wrong on where the hole locations would be on #1 and 2 and 4 - I didn't think they would make it that hard - but I got a lot of them correct, including the last three.

[Eric Hammerbacher]

It could be, Joe.  It's been a long time since I played the back tee there.  I used to hit 1-iron [probably off the second tee] and then a short iron to the green back in the day, so in my memory it's around 360 yards.


That was a tough hole to build.  We didn't have legitimate construction access to the fairway, with the small creeks on both ends cutting it off; so we couldn't haul in dirt to fill up the fairway.  We just had to cut away from the hillside on the left, and generate enough to build up the landing area, which was all low and borderline wet.  We had a dry year to build the course, but in the first year of construction, the start of the fairway was so wet they couldn't mow it for a month or two!

I'm sure Old #4 was a tough hole to build, but I remember standing up on the 5th tee thinking " How did this tee box even get built? By hand?" 

Looking at the stats from the rounds, I figured 17 on the Old course would be tough, but I was surprised 16 played so difficult.  I remember it being a tough green, but I wonder where the pin was.   I'm looking at my old scorecard and it says 16 is the 12th toughest hole...that can't be correct from the back tees at almost 500 yards.  It has to be 300+ yards to get to the top of the hill.  Ok now I realize why it played as the 2nd hardest hole    Only 1 birdie on 16 all day!

[Eric LeFante]

Tom,


I know you guessed the front left pin on 4 North correct (I played with Sean yesterday and he told me about your discussion). Like you said, better to be off the green left than 25 feet right of that pin.


The pin on 2 North was very difficult. The green runs towards the back for that section so if you get over that slope its very easy to trickle into the rough.


The pin on 15 North was very tricky. With those two mounds, a putt with poor speed could catch a mound and move 8 feet away from the cup.

[Joe Bausch]

It could be, Joe.  It's been a long time since I played the back tee there.  I used to hit 1-iron [probably off the second tee] and then a short iron to the green back in the day, so in my memory it's around 360 yards.


That was a tough hole to build.  We didn't have legitimate construction access to the fairway, with the small creeks on both ends cutting it off; so we couldn't haul in dirt to fill up the fairway.  We just had to cut away from the hillside on the left, and generate enough to build up the landing area, which was all low and borderline wet.  We had a dry year to build the course, but in the first year of construction, the start of the fairway was so wet they couldn't mow it for a month or two!

I'm sure Old #4 was a tough hole to build, but I remember standing up on the 5th tee thinking " How did this tee box even get built? By hand?" 

Looking at the stats from the rounds, I figured 17 on the Old course would be tough, but I was surprised 16 played so difficult.  I remember it being a tough green, but I wonder where the pin was.   I'm looking at my old scorecard and it says 16 is the 12th toughest hole...that can't be correct from the back tees at almost 500 yards.  It has to be 300+ yards to get to the top of the hill.  Ok now I realize why it played as the 2nd hardest hole    Only 1 birdie on 16 all day!

16 Old played pretty long today with the wind.  My 3 guys all hit good drives and had 200+ in.  From that distance you don't have a clean view of the green, me thinks.


Pin was a bit back of middle, slightly to the left, IIRC.

[Eric Hammerbacher]

Yeah I can see how 16 would be a beast into the wind.  I'm guess that's why they played 13 at 460...uphill into the wind from the tees at 508 would be tough too.  Didn't Tom Doak once say Jay Sigel was the only one he ever saw reach the top of the hill from the back tee on 13?

[Tom_Doak]

Yeah I can see how 16 would be a beast into the wind.  I'm guess that's why they played 13 at 460...uphill into the wind from the tees at 508 would be tough too.  Didn't Tom Doak once say Jay Sigel was the only one he ever saw reach the top of the hill from the back tee on 13?

And that was the old tee, which wasn't even 460.


When the club added length in preparation for this event, they put in the two tees mentioned on #13.  The 460 tee was the one I approved of; the other one was put in anyway, but I was told they don't intend to use it this week.


The back tees on #5 and #8 North were also ones I didn't agree with.  Both are harder, yes, but neither is as interesting. 

[Pete_Pittock]

Matt is at +1 after the first round. If the scoring average is the same tomorrow, then +5 might be the playoff number.
Play well Matt.

[Ben Stephens]

I think there were 7 or 8 pins today I actually aimed directly at.

And that's probably all you should have aimed at.  Good round!  Good luck tomorrow!


The group I walked with Thursday afternoon on the North course was Claudio Consul and Sean Barrett.  Claudio must have been listening closely, he shot 68 up there today.  I guessed wrong on where the hole locations would be on #1 and 2 and 4 - I didn't think they would make it that hard - but I got a lot of them correct, including the last three.

I have actually played a match against Claudio Consul in the Grafton Morrish a old public schoolboys foursomes tournament held at Hunstanton and Brancaster. One thing I remember is me and my partner was 2 up going down 9 and Claudio's partner nearly went OOB just over the 10th tee and then Claudio proceeded to hole the shot for an eagle.


One of my old school teachers did not mention that I was playing against the current German Amateur champion until after losing by 2&1 and made me realise if I had eliminated the mistakes that I did on the back nine I would have been victorious.


Claudio is a steady player and I hope he plays well in the Mid-Am.

[Jon Cavalier]

A couple photos from today (Sunday), on an absolutely perfect day for golf. Both courses are playing tough in the wind, with greens running a shade over 11. Stonewall is proving to be a terrific venue.


No. 18 Old




No. 2 North



No. 7 North






No. 8 North






No. 9 North



No. 15 North



No. 17 North






No. 18 North






No. 3 Old






No. 6 Old (from new tee on top of hill):



No. 9 Old



No. 16 Old



No. 18 Old

[Pete_Pittock]

Congratulations to Matt Cohn who easily made match play (+4, T23). Both courses scored slightly less than 2 strokes harder on the second day.

[Joe Bausch]

Congratulations to Matt Cohn who easily made match play (+4, T23). Both courses scored slightly less than 2 strokes harder on the second day.

One word answer for the higher scores:  wind

[Matt_Cohn]

So yeah that was difficult and stressful!


You have a field of pretty darn good players and the Old Course averaged 78.3 today against a par of 70. I cruised along without a whole lot of craziness. I hit it into the right trees on 8 (my 17th) and had to take an unplayable, but I had room to absorb a double at that point.


The hole locations were not as tough on the Old Course relative to what they could be. After all they need to have 5 different hole locations on the Old Course this week but only 2 on the North, so the USGA could use a lot of hard ones on the North for stroke play.


The one place I really stole a shot or two was on 16. I hit a very good drive and a 6 iron from 230; you're literally trying to land that ball 45 yards short of the pin, and the shot plays about -15 because of he hill anyway. It rolled up nicely and I curled in a 25-footer.


I play at 1:10 Monday afternoon against Kenny Coakley, whom I don't know.

[Rob Marshall]

Congrats Matt, one of your playing partners is from my neck of the woods. Jim Scorse has won everything in my town. Looks like he made it on the number. He lives for tournament golf.

[Matt_Cohn]

Congrats Matt, one of your playing partners is from my neck of the woods. Jim Scorse has won everything in my town. Looks like he made it on the number. He lives for tournament golf.

Yeah, super nice guy! And pretty obvious why he wins everything around there. He made a ridiculous birdie on 8, fed a mid-iron shot off a slope to a foot. Gave him room to make bogey on the tough 9th and still squeeze in.

[Tom_Doak]

But the course isn't long enough to challenge great players!  /sarc


Play well tomorrow, Matt.

[Matt_Cohn]

But the course isn't long enough to challenge great players!  /sarc


Play well tomorrow, Matt.

Thanks! Ben caddied for me this afternoon. Between us we got it figured out pretty well!

[Andy Johnson]

Great playing Matt, I played out there this weekend, shot 74 on Saturday at the Old Course before a disappointing 79 on the North Course on Sunday morning. I played the last 8 at 7 over, shooting myself out of contention. I played the practice round at the North course in hot but benign conditions, when you throw in the wind it becomes quite the test of golf. Tom built two great tests of golf that are still playable for the everyday golfer, most especially the North Course. While many players were shaking their heads at some of the green complexes, the width affords them the opportunity to drive it to where you have a wedge in your hand and no excuse for leaving themselves in a bad place.


As to why 16 on north was playing so difficult, on Sunday the wind was howling to the right, throwing tee shots into the right cabbage.

[Matt_Cohn]

Well, today was a rather unmitigated disaster. Still a cool week though. 

[Jeff_Lewis]

I haven't jumped that high since either my last hole-in-one or the last time the Giants won the Super Bowl.  My friend Stewart Hagestad won the Mid-Am today in absolutely epic fashion, coming from 4 down with 5 to play.   Incredible stuff.   LOVED the course on the tube, loved it.   

[Mike_Trenham]

Loved the storyline that he was playing for a stong chance at a spot on the Walker Cup at his home club and wearing a cap from that event!


Stonewall looked great on TV, that is one hard golf course.  I am sure the partners are happy with how this week went.

[Tom_Doak]

I haven't jumped that high since either my last hole-in-one or the last time the Giants won the Super Bowl.  My friend Stewart Hagestad won the Mid-Am today in absolutely epic fashion, coming from 4 down with 5 to play.   Incredible stuff.   LOVED the course on the tube, loved it.

Wow!  I was out hosting a group at Crystal Downs yesterday, and did not get to watch the mid-am live.  A friend called to say he hoped Hagestad was going to make a comeback so he could see the rest of the course on TV ... I guess he got his wish.  I just watched the highlight package on the USGA web site, and it's quite something ... Hagestad shot 66 the last round on the Old Course, despite 4 bogies, and then won the playoff with a 2 at the 9th!  [Kudos to the USGA for choosing that hole for sudden death, right by the clubhouse where everyone could watch.]


Too bad the powers that be have decided I can't design tournament courses.  I think maybe I already have!