Rankings
Golf Digest: #91
Golfweek: #73 Modern
A college-roommate reunion led me to Kohler, WI in late summer of '15. As a golf destination, Kohler was a great venue for our eight-man trip. We stayed at the Inn on Woodlake since The American Club (the ritzier venue) was sold out. The Inn was quaint - kind of a woodsy Residence Inn. We played three rounds in two days and then headed off to Erin Hills. Since I'm penning this a year after my trip, it'll be lighter on details and heavier on my big-picture takeaways.
Whistling Straits is a links venue, while Blackwolf Run winds through woods, a river, lakes, etc. It is apples to oranges, but equally as impressive. The Blackwolf pro shop is understated and doesn't feel like a big resort. Perhaps our week was less crowded than others, but we did not feel like we were a bunch of sheep being herded through the turnstiles (Whistling felt a bit like this gearing up to tee of on #1).
Blackwolf has 36 holes, the River and the Meadow. We played the River course, but had to skip the Meadow for scheduling reasons. After deciding to play the tips, we quickly found that driving it straight is more important at Blackwolf than at Whistling. While both courses give you trouble if you're off the beaten path, a wayward drive on the River course can be in such dense trees that you can't attempt to find it. Hence, my score reflected the countless Pro V1s I donated.
The River was in amazing condition, and the greens were quick. We took carts, which is not preferable on top golf courses, but there are a number of long drives in between holes that necessitate a cart. The River's holes didn't feel redundant, and at 7,400 yards from the tips, there wasn't an opportunity to leave the driver in the bag to focus on hitting fairways. Second shots were brutal on many holes, even with great drives.
The course offers some tee shots that are not intuitive, and with caddies that are unfamiliar with your game, it can lead to confusion when picking your lines. Playing the course a second time would be optimal to feel comfortable over the ball. Even some lay-up shots can be a little confusing playing blind. However, the course is not unfair. It is simply a demanding layout and having any uncertainty over the ball can lead to disaster.
I'm a fan of lush, parkland style courses, and Blackwolf did not disappoint. I'd definitely take another trip to Kohler to play this one, especially with so many great courses nearby.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
The Valley Club of Montecito
Rankings
Golf Digest: #80
Golfweek: #38 Classic
The Valley Club clubhouse sits on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean near Santa Barbara, CA. I played the course a couple times in U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifiers. The first time I birdied the last three holes to shoot even and missed qualifying by a shot or two when the last group on the course had two guys break 70. Tough luck.
Despite my near miss, the course is incredible. There are two distinct sides to VC. The 1st, 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th are on one side of the street situated in a meadow-like area. The other side of the course winds through trees and runs along a creek. Both sides are a great experience, although I enjoy the meadow holes more. The clubhouse is old-school with lockers that seem to be a throwback to a simpler time. They don't feel dated, they feel vintage. Is that the same thing?
Regardless, the Alister MacKenzie design is pure. The greens complexes have a lot going on and I enjoy the mounding and closely shaved areas where you need to decide to putt or chip. And boy are they fast. This is definitely a must-play if you can pull off an invite. I could play it daily and not tire of the layout.
Golf Digest: #80
Golfweek: #38 Classic
The Valley Club clubhouse sits on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean near Santa Barbara, CA. I played the course a couple times in U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifiers. The first time I birdied the last three holes to shoot even and missed qualifying by a shot or two when the last group on the course had two guys break 70. Tough luck.
Despite my near miss, the course is incredible. There are two distinct sides to VC. The 1st, 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th are on one side of the street situated in a meadow-like area. The other side of the course winds through trees and runs along a creek. Both sides are a great experience, although I enjoy the meadow holes more. The clubhouse is old-school with lockers that seem to be a throwback to a simpler time. They don't feel dated, they feel vintage. Is that the same thing?
Regardless, the Alister MacKenzie design is pure. The greens complexes have a lot going on and I enjoy the mounding and closely shaved areas where you need to decide to putt or chip. And boy are they fast. This is definitely a must-play if you can pull off an invite. I could play it daily and not tire of the layout.
Bandon Trails
Rankings
Golf Digest: #70
Golfweek: #19 Modern
My trip to Bandon was such a whirlwind, these reviews will be short. I pulled off a late night flight from a conference in Vegas into Eugene - drove the 2.5 hours to Bandon in the pitch black - and rolled in at ~3am. First tee time at 9am...welcome to Bandon!
Trails was the third course I played, and the most traditional. It feels as you'd expect of a Coore/Crenshaw design. I may have enjoyed Trails the most - it was picturesque even though it sits a bit inland. Elevation changes and doglegs kept things interesting, and the wind was no joke - as you'd assume at Bandon. A caddie was critical for a first timer, and from what I understand most of them are solid at the resort. However, we had the same caddies the entire time, and they were a lot of fun. A lot of them are great players as well.
I spent three days at Bandon, and would have liked to have spent one more day. But, you take the invite when it comes. It's a special place for golfers - it's just golf, nothing else. I love it.
Golf Digest: #70
Golfweek: #19 Modern
My trip to Bandon was such a whirlwind, these reviews will be short. I pulled off a late night flight from a conference in Vegas into Eugene - drove the 2.5 hours to Bandon in the pitch black - and rolled in at ~3am. First tee time at 9am...welcome to Bandon!
Trails was the third course I played, and the most traditional. It feels as you'd expect of a Coore/Crenshaw design. I may have enjoyed Trails the most - it was picturesque even though it sits a bit inland. Elevation changes and doglegs kept things interesting, and the wind was no joke - as you'd assume at Bandon. A caddie was critical for a first timer, and from what I understand most of them are solid at the resort. However, we had the same caddies the entire time, and they were a lot of fun. A lot of them are great players as well.
I spent three days at Bandon, and would have liked to have spent one more day. But, you take the invite when it comes. It's a special place for golfers - it's just golf, nothing else. I love it.
Dallas National
Rankings
Golf Digest: #61
Golfweek: #41 Modern
How I got on: I had the head pro from my home club call and set me and a friend up for a round. DNGC does not allow unaccompanied guests, so we needed to play with their assistant pro. That proved helpful since we didn't know our way around.
It was crazy hot and I have a hard time remembering the course because I was spent after the round. I do remember it being fairly typical Fazio with more elevation change than is typical for Dallas. Conditioning was superb, and is a must play if you get the chance. I'll have to take another whirl at this one when I'm not suffering from heat stroke!
Golf Digest: #61
Golfweek: #41 Modern
How I got on: I had the head pro from my home club call and set me and a friend up for a round. DNGC does not allow unaccompanied guests, so we needed to play with their assistant pro. That proved helpful since we didn't know our way around.
It was crazy hot and I have a hard time remembering the course because I was spent after the round. I do remember it being fairly typical Fazio with more elevation change than is typical for Dallas. Conditioning was superb, and is a must play if you get the chance. I'll have to take another whirl at this one when I'm not suffering from heat stroke!
Old Macdonald
Rankings
Golf Digest: #55
Golfweek: #5 Modern
I showed up at Bandon after having been told by many folks that Old Macdonald was their least favorite course of the four. Perhaps it was my low expectations - who knows - but I really enjoyed Old Mac. It was unique and offered some fun shots requiring creativity. Other than the blind shot over a hill on #16, it's all right in front of you other than all the elephants buried in the greens. The course is wide open and you can generally hit it anywhere, but I was able to find some gorse when I was WAY offline (it happens too frequently). With no real protection from the elements, the wind really whips across Old Mac. That also helped demand varying shots into the wild green complexes. I found myself numerous times waffling between various shot options, and that was the fun of it.
I'm not sure I have a ranking of the Bandon courses. I think I need to have another go at them. No favorites yet, they're all great.
Golf Digest: #55
Golfweek: #5 Modern
I showed up at Bandon after having been told by many folks that Old Macdonald was their least favorite course of the four. Perhaps it was my low expectations - who knows - but I really enjoyed Old Mac. It was unique and offered some fun shots requiring creativity. Other than the blind shot over a hill on #16, it's all right in front of you other than all the elephants buried in the greens. The course is wide open and you can generally hit it anywhere, but I was able to find some gorse when I was WAY offline (it happens too frequently). With no real protection from the elements, the wind really whips across Old Mac. That also helped demand varying shots into the wild green complexes. I found myself numerous times waffling between various shot options, and that was the fun of it.
I'm not sure I have a ranking of the Bandon courses. I think I need to have another go at them. No favorites yet, they're all great.
Scioto CC
Rankings
Golf Digest: #50
Golfweek: #56 Classic
How I got on: A good friend's stepfather set us up with a foursome during a golf trip that also included a round at Muirfield Village. I'm not sure how our round was arranged, but our caddie didn't seem to be too excited to forecaddie for four guests.
The course layout was challenging and would have played LONG from the tips, but our caddie wouldn't have any of that despite my friend and I shooting in the 70s from the tees we played (I don't recall which ones, but they were something of a hybrid between white and blue). The course has a modest amount of trees, but not dense enough to prevent you from seeing a lot of the course from most holes. The greens were very quick and in great shape. It was obvious the course would be a perfect "play every day" track.
Golf Digest: #50
Golfweek: #56 Classic
How I got on: A good friend's stepfather set us up with a foursome during a golf trip that also included a round at Muirfield Village. I'm not sure how our round was arranged, but our caddie didn't seem to be too excited to forecaddie for four guests.
The course layout was challenging and would have played LONG from the tips, but our caddie wouldn't have any of that despite my friend and I shooting in the 70s from the tees we played (I don't recall which ones, but they were something of a hybrid between white and blue). The course has a modest amount of trees, but not dense enough to prevent you from seeing a lot of the course from most holes. The greens were very quick and in great shape. It was obvious the course would be a perfect "play every day" track.
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