Golf Club Atlas
GolfClubAtlas.com => Golf Course Architecture => Topic started by: Rob Marshall on January 23, 2023, 03:08:22 PM
-
Pictures on the Ran's instagram are spectacular. It would be great if anyone who's played it could comment.
-
Rob-Jon Cummings is a member and I’ll reach out to him for some comments. I love the look of the 4th green and backdrop.
-
Always a risk to ask a member about his course :-)
By all accounts it's a grand slam. Members, guests, media - there is almost universal praise for the restoration. Check out Jason Lusk's article in Golfweek in Sept 2022. Jason was just here to play The West and is writing a follow-up article. After golf Jason stuck around and took 1000 drone shots of the course. Check out the golf historians podcast (Conner Lewis podcast series), recorded tonight with 70 golf industry types from all over the US all about the West redo after their round today. What was the best hole? They voted 9 of them! Finally check out our golf's most beloved's (the name us old farts remember as Ran's handle) Instagram on The West.
Time will tell. The course certainly needs a year or so to settle in.
The East course is going under the knife in a short 24 months. If it is as successful as it seems The West is, who knows but Belleair could potentially be one of the top 36-hole country club complexes in the US.
Again - don't ask a member ;-)
-
Always a risk to ask a member about his course :-)
By all accounts it's a grand slam. Members, guests, media - there is almost universal praise for the restoration. Check out Jason Lusk's article in Golfweek in Sept 2022. Jason was just here to play The West and is writing a follow-up article. After golf Jason stuck around and took 1000 drone shots of the course. Check out the golf historians podcast (Conner Lewis podcast series), recorded tonight with 70 golf industry types from all over the US all about the West redo after their round today. What was the best hole? They voted 9 of them! Finally check out our golf's most beloved's (the name us old farts remember as Ran's handle) Instagram on The West.
Time will tell. The course certainly needs a year or so to settle in.
The East course is going under the knife in a short 24 months. If it is as successful as it seems The West is, who knows but Belleair could potentially be one of the top 36-hole country club complexes in the US.
Again - don't ask a member ;-)
Jonathan,
Is it possible to find some length on the East? It didn't seem possible but I only played it twice.
-
Always a risk to ask a member about his course :-)
By all accounts it's a grand slam. Members, guests, media - there is almost universal praise for the restoration. Check out Jason Lusk's article in Golfweek in Sept 2022. Jason was just here to play The West and is writing a follow-up article. After golf Jason stuck around and took 1000 drone shots of the course. Check out the golf historians podcast (Conner Lewis podcast series), recorded tonight with 70 golf industry types from all over the US all about the West redo after their round today. What was the best hole? They voted 9 of them! Finally check out our golf's most beloved's (the name us old farts remember as Ran's handle) Instagram on The West.
Time will tell. The course certainly needs a year or so to settle in.
The East course is going under the knife in a short 24 months. If it is as successful as it seems The West is, who knows but Belleair could potentially be one of the top 36-hole country club complexes in the US.
Again - don't ask a member ;-)
Jonathan,
Is it possible to find some length on the East? It didn't seem possible but I only played it twice.
Unlikely to find more length on East (6200??). The original 3 Ross holes on the water won't be touched (including the 14th once voted one of the top 18 holes in America). The course may well end in a par 3. Also doubtful the East will feature sandy cop mounds like the new West does.
-
Always a risk to ask a member about his course :-)
By all accounts it's a grand slam. Members, guests, media - there is almost universal praise for the restoration. Check out Jason Lusk's article in Golfweek in Sept 2022. Jason was just here to play The West and is writing a follow-up article. After golf Jason stuck around and took 1000 drone shots of the course. Check out the golf historians podcast (Conner Lewis podcast series), recorded tonight with 70 golf industry types from all over the US all about the West redo after their round today. What was the best hole? They voted 9 of them! Finally check out our golf's most beloved's (the name us old farts remember as Ran's handle) Instagram on The West.
Time will tell. The course certainly needs a year or so to settle in.
The East course is going under the knife in a short 24 months. If it is as successful as it seems The West is, who knows but Belleair could potentially be one of the top 36-hole country club complexes in the US.
Again - don't ask a member ;-)
Jonathan,
Is it possible to find some length on the East? It didn't seem possible but I only played it twice.
From a historical perspective adding more length might be a disservice to what Ross designed. We think, the original East course, which tapped out at 5727 yards for 18 holes, may have been the shortest (non-executive) 18 hole course that Ross designed.
As Jonathan mentioned it ended with a par three…and in actuality in ended with back to back par threes.
While I adore the sandy cop mounds of our West Course, I agree with Jonathan I don’t think they will make an appearance on our East Course.
-
Always a risk to ask a member about his course :-)
By all accounts it's a grand slam. Members, guests, media - there is almost universal praise for the restoration. Check out Jason Lusk's article in Golfweek in Sept 2022. Jason was just here to play The West and is writing a follow-up article. After golf Jason stuck around and took 1000 drone shots of the course. Check out the golf historians podcast (Conner Lewis podcast series), recorded tonight with 70 golf industry types from all over the US all about the West redo after their round today. What was the best hole? They voted 9 of them! Finally check out our golf's most beloved's (the name us old farts remember as Ran's handle) Instagram on The West.
Time will tell. The course certainly needs a year or so to settle in.
The East course is going under the knife in a short 24 months. If it is as successful as it seems The West is, who knows but Belleair could potentially be one of the top 36-hole country club complexes in the US.
Again - don't ask a member ;-)
Jonathan,
Is it possible to find some length on the East? It didn't seem possible but I only played it twice.
From a historical perspective adding more length might be a disservice to what Ross designed. We think, the original East course, which tapped out at 5727 yards for 18 holes, may have been the shortest (non-executive) 18 hole course that Ross designed.
As Jonathan mentioned it ended with a par three…and in actuality in ended with back to back par threes.
While I adore the sandy cop mounds of our West Course, I agree with Jonathan I don’t think they will make an appearance on our East Course.
Connor
I don't know how many old guys and women members you have, but if there is a significant percentage, I would think reducing yardage might be an option worth exploring. Making something like the original length the back tees. Really offer a good course with few tees that can size down to a more sensible 5000ish yards. Help differentiate the courses.
Ciao
-
I have taken a poll of the guests I have hosted at Belleair. The diversity of favorite holes (I think) speaks well of Ross’ work and Straka’s restoration.
The current list of favorite holes according to my guests so far has been: #3 (my personal favorite), #4, #5, #6, #7, #9, #10 (my favorite green), #12 (perhaps the most challenging par 5 I have ever played), #14, and #15.
In short it’s a great walk unspoiled.
-
I have taken a poll of the guests I have hosted at Belleair. The diversity of favorite holes (I think) speaks well of Ross’ work and Straka’s restoration.
The current list of favorite holes according to my guests so far has been: #3 (my personal favorite), #4, #5, #6, #7, #9, #10 (my favorite green), #12 (perhaps the most challenging par 5 I have ever played), #14, and #15.
In short it’s a great walk unspoiled.
It's a great club Connor with a first class staff. If I lived in the area it would be the place to be.
-
I have taken a poll of the guests I have hosted at Belleair. The diversity of favorite holes (I think) speaks well of Ross’ work and Straka’s restoration.
The current list of favorite holes according to my guests so far has been: #3 (my personal favorite), #4, #5, #6, #7, #9, #10 (my favorite green), #12 (perhaps the most challenging par 5 I have ever played), #14, and #15.
In short it’s a great walk unspoiled.
I could spend an hour playing 12 from each Tee Box
-
I have taken a poll of the guests I have hosted at Belleair. The diversity of favorite holes (I think) speaks well of Ross’ work and Straka’s restoration.
The current list of favorite holes according to my guests so far has been: #3 (my personal favorite), #4, #5, #6, #7, #9, #10 (my favorite green), #12 (perhaps the most challenging par 5 I have ever played), #14, and #15.
In short it’s a great walk unspoiled.
I could spend an hour playing 12 from each Tee Box
To be fair it almost took you an hour to play it from the blues.
Sorry that was just left out there and I had to close the door:)
-
As a member of a Ross whose routing is completely intact from 1926, for which a complete set of the original Ross hole by hole graph paper designs exists, which commissioned a Kris Spence plan based on those designs and aerials, I am extremely envious. We probably will not do the restoration in my playing era (admittedly that is getting shorter) so seeing how Belleair turned out, just wow.
Congrats to all involved.
Ira