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Jud_T

  • Karma: +0/-0
Steve,

Glad that you enjoyed yourself.  IMO you need to come back and play 8&9 in firmer conditions.  8 is one of my favorites.  Wonder what you think is lacking here.  Does it take driver out your hands?  I can assure you that the approach in firm conditions has quite a bit of pucker factor.  As does 9 under any conditions.... :)
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

Bill Seitz

  • Karma: +0/-0
Steve, by Tuesday morning, the course had firmed up quite a bit more than the early part of the weekend, and in our last round, I got "Kingsleyed" a number of times.  The most dramatic came on #11.  The pin was cut on the upper tier, and my ball landed just below the flag about 10-12 feet, pretty close to the middle of the green.  We sat and watched as it rolled all the way down into the bowl on the right, leaving a 30-40 yard chip, which of course rolled back again.  Though after about 160 holes in 4+ days at that point, I was probably wearing down a bit.

I was asked a number of times about my favorite hole, or my favorite nine, and it's just so hard to choose.  Every time I thought about my favorite stretch of holes, it seemed so unfair to leave out the holes before, or the holes after.  I think my favorite hole is #2.  From the left tees, you don't see the full size of the green (which is pretty small to begin with) as it sits around eye level, with whisping grass in between.  For me, the anxiety one feels after hitting the tee shot is unmatched anywhere, followed by either the relief of landing (and staying!) on the green, or the anguish of finding the trouble.  Just a wonderfully fun hole to play.  

With regard to #4, the swale on the right side of the fairway, leaving a blind approach, felt like a second home after a couple days.  That will happen when you play from there eight out of ten rounds.  The bright side is that I now know exactly which tree to line up to without having to walk up the slope to get a look at the green.  And as you mention alternate tees, don't forget playing six from the blue tees on #2.  Really opens up the look of the tee shot and makes the hole a little easier.  I think DeVries got it right with where he set the traditional tee boxes on #6.  

I posted my thoughts on #13 on another thread, but that back pin was just too much fun.  Probably the first time I've made bogey on a par four after hitting it into three different greenside bunkers, finally getting up and down from arguably the toughest one.  On Monday afternoon, I was looking at about a 20 footer for birdie to that pin from the fringe just above the left bunker.  I walked to the green with both putter and sand wedge in hand.  I had no intention of playing that shot with a wedge, but the odds of rolling my putt over the green into the back bunker were too high, and I didn't want to walk back to my bag to grab the wedge.

This was my first visit to Kingsley, and I though the whole facility was phenomenal.  How fun is it to stay on the property, play down #18 as a warm up hole in the morning, and back up #10 at night?  Unassuming clubhouse, friendly staff, and don't even get me started on the fire pit.  ;D
« Last Edit: September 09, 2011, 10:29:37 AM by Bill Seitz »

Scott Szabo

  • Karma: +0/-0
Steve,

Kingsley must be quite good for you to go 6-4 or even 5-5 with Ballyneal, as I know how much you love Ballyneal.  What did you shoot during your time there?
"So your man hit it into a fairway bunker, hit the wrong side of the green, and couldn't hit a hybrid off a sidehill lie to take advantage of his length? We apologize for testing him so thoroughly." - Tom Doak, 6/29/10

Steve Kline

  • Karma: +0/-0
Kingsley is really, really good. I had no idea how good as didn't really look at anything about the course ahead of time. I would be equally happy playing at both clubs for the rest of my life.

First round we played the blues and I shot 73. Second round was from the golds and I shot 71. Third round was from as far back as you could play it on every hole (almost one in the rough) and I shot 69. The next two were around 80. I lost interest in those rounds early, stopped keeping score and focused on the architecture. The last round was from the blues and I shot 72. All of those rounds could have been substantially better as I was hitting it really close to the hole and made nothing the whole time.

Tim Bert

  • Karma: +0/-0
Glad you guys had a good time.

Steve - It is remarkable how you and I share the same opinion about the course in total but some of the details are exactly the opposite. For example, I always tell people I prefer the front nine to the back nine as a whole but that I think some of the best individual holes on the course are on the back nine. Almost word for word opposite from you. Seven is probably my favorite par 5 on the course (well except for 1 and 14!!) and 8 might be my favorite par 4. 3-8 is probably my favorite stretch with 12-16 not far behind.

Wish you had seen it a bit firmer. Would have been fun to see if it would have cost you a couple of strokes in the gold vs red match. Some fire pit conversation for next time.

Chris DeNigris

  • Karma: +0/-0
My favorite stretch is 1-17...don't remember much about 18 but that might have something to do with my pre-shot routine on that teebox...

Bill Seitz

  • Karma: +0/-0
My favorite stretch is 1-17...don't remember much about 18 but that might have something to do with my pre-shot routine on that teebox...

If that routine involved a certain mailbox, then I, as a regular visitor to said mailbox, can understand.  ;D. Each subsequent visit went down smoother and smoother.

Steve Kline

  • Karma: +0/-0
Glad you guys had a good time.

Steve - It is remarkable how you and I share the same opinion about the course in total but some of the details are exactly the opposite. For example, I always tell people I prefer the front nine to the back nine as a whole but that I think some of the best individual holes on the course are on the back nine. Almost word for word opposite from you. Seven is probably my favorite par 5 on the course (well except for 1 and 14!!) and 8 might be my favorite par 4. 3-8 is probably my favorite stretch with 12-16 not far behind.

Wish you had seen it a bit firmer. Would have been fun to see if it would have cost you a couple of strokes in the gold vs red match. Some fire pit conversation for next time.

It must be because you are left handed and I am right handed.  :)

I think our opinions are different on 7 because our games are different. You are interacting with the challenges of the hole in completely different way than I am. I think the tee shot on 7 would be more interesting if you had the chance to clear the hill on the right to get home in two or if there was some fairway to the left behind the trees at a higher elevation that gave you a view of the green. Then I might be tempted to hit driver past those trees, which could lead to a bad lie in the trees.with the fairways running the tee shot isn't much more than a hybrid off the tee. Another alternative would be to move the gold tee back and to left. The tee wuld be lower and on an angle that a straight shot would leave you directly behind the mound on the right with a totally blind shot but a draw with a driver would get you further down the hole with a slightly better view and angle to lay up. One of the rounds from the blue tees I hit hybrid off the tee and tried to hit 3 wood to the green from aroind 260. There's something not quite right to me on a par 5 when I hit a shorter club from the tee than I do in going for the green.

I am hopong I will see the course next year in its usual firm and fast condition.

Jud_T

  • Karma: +0/-0
Don't want to take anything away from the Dismal Lovefest, but the colors at Kingsley this weekend were simply too good not to pass a few pix along to help get you through those long winter nights...




















« Last Edit: October 11, 2011, 02:15:32 PM by Jud Tigerman »
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

Chris_Hufnagel

  • Karma: +0/-0
Jud,

Thanks for posting - the photos are amazing and makes wish I could drop everything and make the drive right now.

We were up there two weeks ago for three days and noticed a pretty significant movement in color over that time period - but it looked nothing like the photos you posted...what a special place.

Chris.

Morgan Clawson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Jud -

Looks like a perfect "peak colors" day.

Thanks for posting.

Mark Saltzman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Jud,

Those pictures are phenomenal.  It's amazing how much more color there is than just one week ago.

However, your pictures left out the one downside to fall golf...









FROST!


Howard Riefs

  • Karma: +0/-0
Jud,

Thanks for sharing the superb photos. Look forward to your Kingsley coffee table book.
"Golf combines two favorite American pastimes: Taking long walks and hitting things with a stick."  ~P.J. O'Rourke

George Freeman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Mike - how much tree clearing did you have to do on the back nine??
Mayhugh is my hero!!

"I love creating great golf courses.  I love shaping earth...it's a canvas." - Donald J. Trump

Jud_T

  • Karma: +0/-0
Kingsley Spring Update...

Look from the new back tee on 17.  Let's see you Chuckleheads clear the hill from here... ;D



a bit of tree clearing to the left of 7 for the whiners who can't hit driver from the tips

Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

Eric Smith

  • Karma: +0/-0
Awesome. Thanks, Jud. It's amazing seeing pics of golf courses looking so prime time in northern Michigan this early. Enjoy!

Morgan Clawson

  • Karma: +0/-0
A thread I never tire of...

George Freeman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Kingsley Spring Update...

a bit of tree clearing to the left of 7 for the whiners who can't hit driver from the tips


Jud - how many trees did it look like they took out??
Mayhugh is my hero!!

"I love creating great golf courses.  I love shaping earth...it's a canvas." - Donald J. Trump

Jud_T

  • Karma: +0/-0
Kingsley Spring Update...

a bit of tree clearing to the left of 7 for the whiners who can't hit driver from the tips


Jud - how many trees did it look like they took out??

George,

2.  The one you see nearest the fairway and one in the back right of the picture towards the bunker.  At least as of last week.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2012, 07:54:18 PM by Jud Tigerman »
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

Dan_Lucas

  • Karma: +0/-0
Those 2 were trees that blew down last year. We just got the stumps ground this spring.

Brett Hochstein

  • Karma: +0/-0
Kingsley Spring Update...

Look from the new back tee on 17.  Let's see you Chuckleheads clear the hill from here... ;D



a bit of tree clearing to the left of 7 for the whiners who can't hit driver from the tips



Insane there is green on those treetops.  I was lucky enough to be back in southern Michigan during the spell of 80 degree temps, and trees were flowering and even shooting new leaves--a full 6-8 weeks ahead of normal.  It was far better weather than both California and tropical China. 

Dan,
I see 1 with mature native and 10 with it mowed down.  What is your schedule on cutting it down, and are you doing anything else to keep it thin and playable with burning, spray, or otherwise?  The native is a bit thicker and difficult on playability, but it is among the more beautiful and colorful/textural stands you will find anywhere.  The balance is always the hard part.  Hope I can get up there during playing season sometime again soon.
"From now on, ask yourself, after every round, if you have more energy than before you began.  'Tis much more important than the score, Michael, much more important than the score."     --John Stark - 'To the Linksland'

http://www.hochsteindesign.com

Jud_T

  • Karma: +0/-0
Those 2 were trees that blew down last year. We just got the stumps ground this spring.

Dan,  thanks.  There goes my Aloha Press on 7 tee.... ;)
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

Dustin Ferrell

  • Karma: +0/-0
Man I love that place.  Just came across this thread again and it quickly reminded me of my one round there this past fall.  The course absolutely sparks your imagination and you see all kinds of different shots to play and ways to play holes.  Would love to spend a weekend there for 36-36 and stay on property to really soak it all in.  If I was up north more often (Ann Arbor here), I'd have a hard time not trying to join this place. 

Its just what golf is supposed to be to me, w/o the frills and pagentry of many of the more recognized names....just perfect.  I've played just about all of the great courses in MI and for golf alone, its top 3 for me all day. 

Dan_Lucas

  • Karma: +0/-0
Jud

Sorry to blow your scoop. ;D

Brett

We mow it down in the fall and spot spray herbicide in spring.

Hope to see you up here soon.

Dan

Jud_T

  • Karma: +0/-0
Some pictures from this weekend, posted on Jackson Chen's behalf:















Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

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