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Showing posts from 2017

Clear Creek Tahoe

I'll admit I have become a bit of a inland link aficionado in my Coore Crenshaw quest. Many of their courses are set up links-style (few trees, lots of natural undulations in the fairways and greens, etc.). However, Clear Creek Tahoe is so good that if I could play that course every day rather than a links-style course, I would! Nestled amongst tons of pine trees and not much else, CCT is one of the best, most relaxing courses you have ever played. The scenery is outrageous, the routing is fantastic and the course is challenging and fun which is the best combination of all. First off are the practice facilities which are some of the best anywhere. They have undulations, elevation gains and losses and chill Adirondack chairs just for sitting. Honestly you could spend all day just at the range. Every touch of this course strikes the right note with me, even right down to the tee markers. and then you step up to the tee and see that you are in for for the rest of t

Colorado Golf Club Review

Colorado Golf Club is an intriguing Coore/Crenshaw nestled in the undeveloped hills outside Parker Colorado. The course uses the topography in very interesting ways with several of the holes either descending or climbing the hillside and then leading to rather flat-ish holes in a valley before climbing the hill again. The views are impressive and the fescue is fierce but keep your eyes on the fairways and you will be fine. There are a lot of forced carries here at CGC which reminded me a lot of the C&C course at We Ko Pa. If the driver in your hand is working then you will score well at this course, otherwise you will be rooting through the fescue for your ball. One of the best aspects of the course are the short par 4s that Ben and Bill designed. There are two, one uphill and one downhill and each make you think about club selection, placement and pin position rather than just bombing and gouging it. Really fantastic stuff! The greens were in great shape (especial

Warren Golf Review

I never think of Indiana as the home of great golf courses but I won't think that again after playing the fantastic Warren Golf Course in South Bend, Indiana. The routing takes the golfer over a great mix of land between hills, ponds, streams and heathered rough leading to forests which gives it a very English vibe. The first hole is emblematic of the course as a hole. C&C frame where you need to go off the tee but thin out the rough and trees in case you miss the intended line. I played a lot of golf courses during my recent midwest trip but the greens at Warren definitely were the best. Fast but not too quick. Pure rolls off the putter. You could bump and run it or hold the green with wedge shots. Aside from the greens, you also have the amazing Coore/Crenshaw bunkers jutting out from time to time, keeping you honest as you knock the ball around the course. I also didn't realize how much water was on the course. From ponds to streams, water factors i

Sand Valley Golf Resort Review

Sand Valley resides in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin. Miles and miles of trees and corn and farm with nary a sand dune in sight. However, as you enter the resort, the sand seems to bubble out of the ground and golf comes to the forefront of your mind. The first and tenth holes of the Coore/Crenshaw course are elevated tee shots right below Craig's Porch (clearly modeled after Ben's Porch at Sand Hills) and you launch the balls into the stratosphere and watch them land in the various fairways or sandy blowouts around the course and you are off! The amount of elevation gain and losses at this course is impressive. There is an uphill par 5 modeled after the first hole at Sand Hills which just keeps going up and up. There are several holes (a very fun short par 4 and this incredible downhill par 3) that almost encourages you to job down the hill given the slope. The use of the natural sandy soil and Coore and Crenshaws shaggy bunkers is in full effect at Sand Valle

2017 Quest Update

The first half of 2017 has been a little quiet on the course-visiting front but on the course-planning front it has been full speed ahead! Here is what is going on for the second half of 2017: Up First- Hidden Creek : The only C&C course in New Jersey, I hopefully will be visiting this course as part of a trip back East to see family. The course is in Egg Harbor Township which is really close to the Atlantic Ocean but yet tucked in the Jersey pines which should give it a unique feel. Cross your fingers for me that the invite comes through!  Then- A ThreeFer : One thing about C&C courses is that they are spread out in out of the way places. As I don't have an unlimited amount of money, if I find myself in a certain part of the country I am going to make the rounds while I am there. In more or less proximity you have: Sand Valley (Wisconsin) Warren (Indiana) Colorado Golf Club (Colorado) I plan on hitting all three in a whirlwind trip and also

Trinity Forest Golf Club

At the end of 2016 when I played Trinity Forest, it was as new as you could get, having only opened in October of that year, and I had no idea what to expect. What I found was a fantastic inland links course that marries the best of Sand Hills and Ballyneal and birthed a challenging and super fun course. *Apologies in advance for only a few photos appearing of the course, both of my cameras went to the great beyond during this round so you may have to use your  imagination  for some of this.* The Front 9 : The front 9 (which may become the back 9 for tournament play) is a rock n rolling start to the course. Undulations abound on the fairways and on the greens. Often, I felt the greens were really oceans on a windy day. The tee boxes of TF are VERY similar to the style employed by Doak in Ballyneal, namely, the tee box is one continuous grassed area where tees can be easily set in interesting configurations each day. Hole 1 featuring plenty of fairway but with bunkers camouf