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A.G._Crockett

  • Karma: +0/-0
A pretty good week of GCA...
« on: July 28, 2007, 09:05:44 PM »
Just finished my annual trip to the NC/SC coast, and here was my rota:

Day 1:  Parkland at the Legends.  This was the only one of the three Legends courses I hadn't seen; it is more or less an accidental Doak-Strantz joint effort (though neither man's name appears on the scorecard) and therefore worth seeing.  Very enjoyable; not up to Doak's Heathland course, but vastly better than the PB Dye Moorland train wreck.

Day 2:  36 holes of Strantz with True Blue in the am and Caledonia after lunch.  If there is a better way to spend a day public golfing without moving more than a couple of blocks, I don't know what it is.  I did get a new perspective on why some are so critical of Strantz, though.  We played with a couple; the woman was solid golfer, but couldn't hit the ball high and found TB to be almost unplayable.  She didn't have much fun, and won't be back.  Still, TB is a thrill ride.
     Caledonia continues to grow in my estimation.  Like Cuscowilla, you just see more and more to the golf course each time you play it.  In a drop-dead gorgeous setting, Strantz crafted a masterpiece.

Day 3: Shaftesbury Glen, a relatively under-the-radar design by Clyde Johnston.  I think most on this board would love this course; wide angles off the tees, with the realy excitement coming at the greens.  It is a little farther away from where most people stay at Myrtle, but is well worth the ride, perfectly conditioned, and very affordable.

Day 4:  Cape Fear CC in Wilmington, Ross restored by Kris Spence.  I've posted on that in another thread, but it was just wonderful in every respect.

Day 5: Glen Dornoch, another Clyde Johnston course in Little River, SC.  Excellent condition, and a very demanding course in terms of accuracy off the tee.  Clyde, if you're reading this, I'm really, really mad about the two balls I lost on #16, and well as the bunker I went into on the left fairway on #18! ;D.  The three finishing holes just kicked my butt.

Day 6: The Pearl West, a Dan Maples course that is an idiosyncratic personal all-time favorite.  I love this layout, and love finishing my week with Pearl West.  The last 4 holes are wonderful, and the 18th is a chance to end the week with an eagle try with an approach over water.  The greens were redone last year with L93 bent, and are by far the best they've ever been.

BTW, the total nut for the 7 rounds was a little under $400, which is really hard to beat for the quality of golf and GCA involved.  That just makes a great trip that much better.
"Golf...is usually played with the outward appearance of great dignity.  It is, nevertheless, a game of considerable passion, either of the explosive type, or that which burns inwardly and sears the soul."      Bobby Jones

Clyde Johnston

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Re:A pretty good week of GCA...
« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2007, 09:18:25 PM »
A.G.

The last 3 holes at Glen Dornoch were designed to kick your butt. The land dictated the finish. I'll be glad to replace your two lost balls.... with Top Flights!

Tim Gavrich

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A pretty good week of GCA...
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2007, 09:37:53 PM »
AG--

I've heard from many people that Shaftesbury Glen is quite a snooze.  Everyone seems to say that the holes are very repetitive (fairly straightaway with many-fingered bunkers on one or both sides of the green).  Did you find any such repetition.  I will say that I always hear positive words about it conditions-wise, but nonetheless people seem to think it mundane architecture-wise.

Cheers.
Senior Writer, GolfPass

A.G._Crockett

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A pretty good week of GCA...
« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2007, 11:04:36 PM »
Tim,
I don't think Shaftesbury is mundane at all.  It isn't characterized by doglegs, certainly, but I don't find the holes to be repetitive at all.  Fairway bunkering is sufficient to make tee shots favor one side or the other on many of the straight holes, and the elevations, sizes, and bunkering of the greens are varied well.  

I'd urge you to get out there the next time you're in the area and see for yourself.  I think it's worth the effort.
"Golf...is usually played with the outward appearance of great dignity.  It is, nevertheless, a game of considerable passion, either of the explosive type, or that which burns inwardly and sears the soul."      Bobby Jones

Mike Boehm

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A pretty good week of GCA...
« Reply #4 on: July 28, 2007, 11:30:31 PM »
I couldn't agree more about True Blue and Caledonia.  I played 36 back-to-back days the first week of June and it was a great experience.  It was almost shocking how much the movement of tees and pin positions overnight changed the character of so many of the holes on both courses.  These two immediately jumped to the top of my list for the strand.

I was not as big of a fan of Shaftesbury Glen.  It was quite wide, which is good for my game, but I found the approaches somewhat repeptive.  A solid course, but not in the same class as Glen Dornoch, which my group has always enjoyed.

I've never given Pearl West a chance before, but might try to get it in next years lineup.  Sounds like a worthwhile round - how is the East course there?

A.G._Crockett

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A pretty good week of GCA...
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2007, 07:27:50 AM »
Mike B.
I've said this a number of times here, so forgive me for repeating myself, but for one man to have built two courses so different from one another, and yet both great, right across the street is just a tremendous work of art in GCA.  

Pearl East is fine, but far, far less of a personal favorite of mine than the West course.  As I said originally, Pearl West may be a pretty idiosyncratic choice by me, but I just really enjoy the back nine there as a way to finish my yearly trip.

Again, I would disagree concerning Shaftesbury.  I didn't find it repetitive at all.  It does lack the spectacular scenery found on the back nine at Glen Dornoch, and you don't have to do a lot of math to figure out what club to hit on the forced carries/layups that Glen Dornoch and other courses along the waterways have.  But to me, that doesn't detract from the traditional nature of the Shaftesbury's open angles off the tees, and interesting greens complexes.  That Glen Dornoch and Shaftesbury were done in the same area by the same GCA (Clyde Johnston) just makes the contrast that much more interesting, IMO.
« Last Edit: July 29, 2007, 07:35:08 AM by A.G._Crockett »
"Golf...is usually played with the outward appearance of great dignity.  It is, nevertheless, a game of considerable passion, either of the explosive type, or that which burns inwardly and sears the soul."      Bobby Jones

A.G._Crockett

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A pretty good week of GCA...
« Reply #6 on: July 29, 2007, 07:50:05 AM »
A.G.

The last 3 holes at Glen Dornoch were designed to kick your butt. The land dictated the finish. I'll be glad to replace your two lost balls.... with Top Flights!

Clyde,
They are great holes, and in my case, they did EXACTLY what they were designed for!  I actually came out o.k. on both golf balls and my score.  I had turned at +1, and came to #16 at +3.  I hit a good drive to the edge of the drop off, and had a 7 iron to a back pin from a good lie.  I just choked like a dog, though, and hit it in the marsh, as I did with a drop on the second ball.  That was THE single most intimidating shot I faced all week, and I mean that in all seriousness.  

On #17, I double-crossed a 6 iron to a back right pin, but dropped and got up and down for a 4.  My drive on #18 was very poorly hit and fell back into the little savior bunker at the edge of the left fairway, but I got up and down for a par, so I ended up with a 78 IF I give myself a 6 on #16.   ;)  (I picked up due to pace of play considerations...)

The good news is, though, that I found a half a dozen balls while I was looking for my three lost balls and while I was waiting for my playing partners to play on #18.  So keep the Top-Flites; I using ProV's gratis for the next week or so!

Regards,
A.G.
"Golf...is usually played with the outward appearance of great dignity.  It is, nevertheless, a game of considerable passion, either of the explosive type, or that which burns inwardly and sears the soul."      Bobby Jones

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