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Ally,
Glad you had such an enjoyable experience at Old Town, and thanks for wanting to spur discussion with some good questions/observations. I agree that OTC is on a shortlist of clubs that should be recognized for fully maximizing their course’s site and design’s potential on the basis of its presentation—not only for its playing surfaces, but for how the course ties into its surroundings. I know Mr. White has had a key role bringing that about!
OTC has a terrific, intricate routing. Although the land doesn’t feel that big, when I played I was quite surprised by the amount of undulation. There are spots where the heart rate can get up while walking (16!), but it remains a sporty, compact yet well utilized piece of ground. My own opinion, however, is that its scale is on the more diminutive end of the spectrum when compared against other highly ranked courses (Merion being an exception).
You brought up Crystal Downs, and the two courses pair well against each other. I wouldn’t argue with someone suggesting OTC has the better set of par 3s, and Maxwell nearly replicated the same par 4 5th! I do find the courses operate on different orders of magnitude, though, when it comes to the sense of scale—not just within the course but its greater surroundings. The front nine at CD strikes me as far more expansive; fairway widths may be similar, but at CD the holes have more space amongst themselves, more acreage of native/fescue areas, longer range views, and when top-flight designs are closely matched, those elements have tie-breaker appeal at least to me. I also appreciate the MacKenzie eccentricity of a green like CD 7. If anything, I wish CD had more MacKenzie style bunkering per his drawings. If only Robert Hunter had been keeping an eye on construction as well!
I myself have Old Town as a Doak 8, albeit towards the bottom of my personal grouping of 8’s (that includes Swinley Forest, Somerset Hills, Prairie Dunes, Cal Club, Maidstone, etc.).
Crystal, for me, is the most borderline 8 or 9 I’ve played, yet I can’t help but give it a 9 on account of how special the setting and scale of the front 9 is, plus its stunning collection of strategic short par 4s. It’s also a score that I think is upheld by the quality of a handful of back 9 holes, like 13-15 and 17-18. Though I think CD is the superior course, I agree that the rankings delta between the courses is likely not as wide as some publications have it.
In terms of rankings, Old Town appears to still be ascending. Why it took so long, since the resto/renovation has been around for a decade, I’m not sure. It was a new entrant in the current version of GOLF Mag’s World 100 at 92, and I don’t think it has reached its ceiling there. On Digest’s US 100 it rose somewhere around 40+ spots recently. GolfWeek is the most bullish at 22 for Classic, ahead of a number of pedigreed designs (Maidstone, Brookline, Cal Club, etc.).
Golf Magazine US 100
Old Town: 38
Crystal Downs: 20
GolfWeek Classic US 100
Old Town: 22
Crystal Downs: 13
Golf Magazine World 100
Old Town: 92
Crystal Downs: 29
Golf Digest US 100
Old Town: 54
Crystal Downs: 14
I haven’t played Southern Hills yet, and while I think there’s more creative ingenuity at Old Town than at Prairie Dunes, I nonetheless still hold PD in slightly higher regard. Even though I know, for my own game, I’d much rather have OTC as a home club than PD!
As for the greens, that’s high praise! My visit was during an early spring aeration, so I look forward to revisiting their surfaces again. What other sets come to mind that would be in the mix for you after OTC?
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