The Bridge is Grand. How the whole experience can affect the golf experience.

[mike_malone]

Thanks to Jeff Warne for his hospitality yesterday. The Bridge is a visual stunner from the clubhouse down through the course to the Peconic Bay. The sense of place made my experience of the golf enjoyable before I hit a shot (which often ruins my experience!).
  While I was unfamiliar with the original course the one I played was a pleasure.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I played there last year and thoroughly enjoyed the course. It has great undulating terrain, is well bunkered, has fun tee shots, demanding shots into the greens, and some of the fastest greens I have ever played. The views from the men's locker room over Noyac Bay and Shelter Island Sound are breathtaking.

[mike_malone]

I played there last year and thoroughly enjoyed the course. It has great undulating terrain, is well bunkered, has fun tee shots, demanding shots into the greens, and some of the fastest greens I have ever played. The views from the men's locker room over Noyac Bay and Shelter Island Sound are breathtaking.

I guess I got the wrong body of water.

[Michael Morandi]

The Bridge looks very different from its original design. And much better. They should take Jones off design credits and replace him with Warne and Stanley.

[Joe Bausch]

Give me a bit to get my photos processed from this spectacular day. And it was a great day. Jeff Warne and his team really shined.

FWIW: I iggled 18 and aced the 2nd hole on the short course.

Grin.

[Joe Bausch]

Some of us arrived a day early and played three public local 9-holers and had a blast.

The most noted being the first, the regulars call Goat Hill.

Go here if you wish:

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/ShelterIsland/index.html

And

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/SagHarbor/index.html

And

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/Poxabogue/index.html

[mike_malone]

Give me a bit to get my photos processed from this spectacular day. And it was a great day. Jeff Warne and his team really shined.

FWIW: I iggled 18 and aced the 2nd hole on the short course.



Grin.

As my father used to “that ain’t bad”.

[Tim Martin]

FWIW: I iggled 18 and aced the 2nd hole on the short course.

School is out

[jeffwarne]

Give me a bit to get my photos processed from this spectacular day. And it was a great day. Jeff Warne and his team really shined.

FWIW: I iggled 18 and aced the 2nd hole on the short course.

Grin.

and I didn't get a free drink?

[jeffwarne]

Some of us arrived a day early and played three public local 9-holers and had a blast.

The most noted being the first, the regulars call Goat Hill.

Go here if you wish:

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/ShelterIsland/index.html

And

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/SagHarbor/index.html

And

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/Poxabogue/index.html

Nice pics of The Goat.
It can be fiery.


Very nice pics of Sag Harbor_ I was a member there for years for my family, but I haven't played there in 10 plus years.

[Peter Gannon]

Yes, huge thanks to Jeff for hosting us.   


The terrain is way more rugged and rustic than the courses in Southampton, yet the setting us surreal and tranquil.   Some great, dramatic shots (downhill par 3 5th one of my favorites, tee shot on 11 I could hit all day, massive "kicker" slope left on 16, and 17 just super enticing)....


I loved the waste areas vs certain death off the tee.   Overall, the changes Jeff and our caddie told us about made it a very enjoyable day, when it just seemed severe and not much fun before.  Pictures of before and after are one thing, but being able to play it is another.


A lot of iron shots keep you off balance; however, the entirety of the grounds help lock in a smooth tempo.  The short course was a fun addition, especially the pit of punchbowl second one.  Be fun to play that one again.

[Chris Hughes]

I caddied in the 2010 US Mid-Am...


...Atlantic was the host-course and The Bridge was the stroke-play co-host.


Both were awesome but The Bridge really made an impression -- in a big way -- we loved it!!

[Richard Hetzel]

It was an awesome day of golf. I can't stop thinking about it. Jeff is definitely the coolest golf pro around.

[Michael Morandi]

That’s not the Bridge i played when it first opened. Kudos to Jeff and Greg Stanley.

[Michael Felton]

That’s not the Bridge i played when it first opened. Kudos to Jeff and Greg Stanley.

It's not the Bridge it was 3 years ago either! Three years ago, it definitely had width, but that width was surrounded by brush that was basically automatic lost ball and retee. Now they've cleared away a lot of that stuff and it's so much more playable as a result. I think it's vastly improved. There is width and it's actually usable now. You can pick a side if you want to on many of the holes.

[cary lichtenstein]

I played the Bridge shortly after it opened, seriously not impressed, hope it has gotten way better

[jeffwarne]

That’s not the Bridge i played when it first opened. Kudos to Jeff and Greg Stanley.

There is width and it's actually usable now. You can pick a side if you want to on many of the holes.

That was the whole idea.
The strategic allies we created over the last 10-12 years weren't really viable until we made the risk reward equation make sense.
No smart player risks a certain lost ball for a power alley or angle.


Thanks to all who participated and made the trip out.
It was great seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
And thanks for the kind words about the course.
Gregg Stanley has truly transformed the property and the playing experience.

[Joe Bausch]

A complete hole-by-hole tour of The Bridge can be experienced at this URL:

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/TheBridge/index.html

I had wonderful time. Thanks, Jeff!

[Joe Bausch]

I'll feature the par 4 4th hole within this thread.

All pics are clickable to a larger size.

Tee view:



You stroll along to be treated to this view:



A real big drive that rolls out down the hill leads to an approach shot view like this:



I loved this green complex where I was short of the green in two with this view and used a putter to swing around off the hill for a tap-in. Jeff hooked up my group with two fantastic caddies, one being his son!



View from over the green. FYI: pieces of modern art are scattered at the course!

[Richard Hetzel]

I played the Bridge shortly after it opened, seriously not impressed, hope it has gotten way better

Wow. My experience was is the polar opposite. It moved to my new #1 course out of 599! In fact I am trying to figure out a way to go work there without my wife being upset with me.

[Tim Martin]

Great pictures!!! The contrast of exposed sand, native grass and green playing surfaces is appealing along with the long views. It looks like a lot of fun to play.

[Nate Oxman]

I'll feature the par 4 4th hole within this thread.

All pics are clickable to a larger size.

Tee view:



You stroll along to be treated to this view:



A real big drive that rolls out down the hill leads to an approach shot view like this:



I loved this green complex where I was short of the green in two with this view and used a putter to swing around off the hill for a tap-in. Jeff hooked up my group with two fantastic caddies, one being his son!



View from over the green. FYI: pieces of modern art are scattered at the course!

I purposely hit my second shot over the center of that bunker and it ended up just behind the pin. It was a ton of fun. Our caddies told us that the piece of art by that green was made from pieces of the Eiffel Tower.

[Jim O’Kane]

The picture under "You stroll along and come upon this view" is incredible.

[Nate Oxman]

I neglected to mention that Peter Gannon also hit his approach (pretty intimidating shot the first time you play it) over the bunker on the right on #4. His bounce wasn't as lucky as mine and his ball ran through the green and into a waste area to the right of the sculpture in Joe's last photo. He hit a fabulous flop shot over the sculpture.


I really liked the options off the tee from the blue tees (about 6,300 yards) throughout the course. You can take on some fairway bunkers and be handsomely rewarded, you can take less than driver and play more conservatively, you can play off some slopes on the edges of the fairway, lots of fun.

[Peter Gannon]

There was indeed a Miracle there that day.  Thanks to Mark Fedeli, I have it immortalized in a photo and will use said photo many years down the road for my obituary.  I was actually interested in what it would sound like when I was surely going to clank it off the Eiffel Tower scrap iron sculpture.  Glad we never found out!  All part of the Westworld/surreal/otherworldly setting of The Bridge.  Great day.