From the category archives:
Golf Course Reviews
Headed For RTJ Golf Trail
A couple of friends and I are headed down Thursday night to the RTJ Golf Trail courses at Hampton Cove outside of Huntsville, Alabama.
After a leisurely dinner at Outback that night, we’ll play The River Course on Friday morning. If we’re not too worn out from a lack of playing any this year, we may play The Short Course or head over to Muscle Shoals to play Fightin’ Joe.
Another Outback steak is in the plans for Friday night and then on Saturday morning, we’ll tackle The Highlands Course for 18 before the 4 hour trip home.
I’ll have a picture or three, some tips and reviews and maybe even a new cuss word to tell you about after we get back.
We only have three players, so if you’re available to play on Friday and Saturday, shoot over an email or leave me a comment.
{ 2 comments }
Best New Courses of 2006 - Travel and Leisure
Just got wind of the release of this info.
Travel + Leisure’s golf section has this to say:
” It wasn’t long ago that America’s leading golf architects proclaimed an overseas building boom. Given the game’s growth in rapidly developing places like China and Dubai—and the availability of amazing parcels of land unencumbered by environmental red tape in remote locales such as New Zealand and Tasmania—the greatest courses, they argued, were increasingly being built in far-flung corners of the globe. What a difference a few years makes. If the roster of the best new courses to open in 2006 proves anything, it’s that—Ryder Cup futility notwithstanding—America has hardly become barren ground for golf. Eight of the ten courses on our list were laid out on U.S. soil in areas as diverse as the craggy sandhills of Colorado, the rolling farmland of Wisconsin and, believe it or not, the industrial waterfront of New Jersey. In varying ways, each course pays homage to classic design principles and at the same time sets exciting new standards for the craft. “
Their Top 10 looks like this:
-
Colorado Golf Club, Parker, Colorado
Click thru and enjoy reading about some of the best new golf courses and see if it helps you dream away the snow, the sleet, the ice, the cold …
{ 0 comments }
Cambridge Golf Course Revisited
I recently had the great pleasure to revisit the golf links at Cambridge Golf Course just north of Evansville, Indiana.
The wind was blowing VERY strong, maybe 20-25 MPH and it was bright and sunny.
The greens were in tremendous shape after their recent aerification, which I could only guess at, not see.
Tony has the zoysia fairways in perfect shape, the rough, which I only heard about, never really saw, must have gone south for the year.
The tee boxes are as good as some greens I’ve played this year.
The maintenance staff was very friendly and never interferred with our play. I can’t blame the piss-poor 80 I shot on them. My friend Rob Condo, from Louisville, shot a smooth 73.
The best part of the day was catching up to Ray Wright, the owner, in the grill room. Mr. Wright is as gracious as any southern gentleman I’ve ever met and his ownership and guidance these last 3 years ( or so ) have taken this course off life support and put it at the top of my favorite courses to play.
Heath and his staff in the pro shop are very friendly and they even remembered my name from my last visit.
The new clubhouse is as impressive as the great ones like at Muirfield Village and Troon.
The views from up high, of the southern Indiana countryside are regal and relaxing.
If you get anywhere near Evanville and need a player, email me and I’ll be glad to join you for one of the tri-state’s best golf experiences.
Thanks to everyone that made mine and Rob’s day.
{ 0 comments }
Hampton Cove - RTJ Golf Trail In My Future
I have a feeling that I’ll be playing some Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail golf this month.
I also have a feeling that it will be at Hampton Cove in Huntsville !
The Highlands course, which is home to the 5th hole shown in the photo above, is an American-style links course.
Did you notice the old mule barn that the designers left in place ? I think that was a touch of class worth noting.
The River course is about 180-degrees in the other direction. Not a single bunker. Not one. It may be the only Trail course without one, as far as I can remember.
It’s laid out in an old soybean field in the floodplain of the Flint River.
It’s not one of my favorites because of the way it was built. They did it the old fashioned way, by just pushing up dirt to form the greens and I hate raised greens, unless they are humongus like at the Old Course at St. Andrews, not the small raised greens we do here in the States.
Golf was not meant to be played on a turtles back.
{ 0 comments }
Mineral Mound State Park Golf Course Review
I recently had the good fortune to play the golf course at Mineral Mound State Park in Eddyville, KY for about the fourth time. I made the trip down with 3 friends from western Kentucky, Bill Knapp, Ronnie Bourland and Steve Miller.
It was H-O-T ! Around 100 degrees with the heat index and very humid, even for the Ohio Valley in the summer. We teed off at 9 am and it was already sweltering.
The first hole is a fairly safe par 5 of 471 yards fron the #2 tees. Steve and I would have preferred the tips, but the other two guys aren’t long hitters, nor are they big ol’ boys, so we moved up a set to help them out and make it playable for them. There’s a ditch thru the fairway about 219 out from those tees, with about a 271 carry, so be aware of the yardages for safe tee shots when you play. Our buddy Bill snuck in a birdie putt and won a skin on us there.
TIP : If you play a Kentucky State Parks golf course, spend the dollar for the yardage card. You’ll be dead-meat without it.
The second hole is a fairly benign par 4 of about 371 yards, but there’s trouble left, so favor the right side and take a birdie putt from the middle of the green. Par’s a good score here, even though it’s only the #7 handicap hole.
Number three is a very deceptive 137 yards. I’ve eased a 9-iron over the green and into the woods several times, so play for the front third of the green and take your par and run.
Hole number four has to be the toughest hole in the state. I’ve tried driver, I’ve tried 3-wood, 3 iron hybrids…everything but the fairway, which I’ve never tried before. This is the toughest fairway to hit I’ve ever had the displeasure of playing. There’s no advice I can give you here except bring several golf balls, because the second shot is not any easier…nor is the third into the world’s toughest par 5 ! 510 yards of pure agony and it looks as tough when you get to the green ( finally ) and look back towards the tee box. We had 3 7’s and a snowman ( mine ). How’s that for a foursome on one hole…29 strokes.
Number 5 is a downhill par 4 of about 336 yards, with a landing area out about 200-225 yards. Any more and you’re on a very steep slope down to a green that’s fronted by an inlet of Lake Barkley. Short and right beats long or left. Par’s a great score and will win you a skin for sure.
Hole #6 demands you to play middle to left side of the fairway, as the right side slopes off to the woods.
Number 7 is an uphill par 3 of about 157 yards and it plays longer than the yardage..for me, anyway. right’s better than left.
Having hole #8 as the number 1 handicap hole is an outright joke. It’s a fairly easy 414 yard par 4 and offered no real problems.
Hole #9 is a severe dogleg right par 4 of about 363 yards and you do not want to hit a straight ball here if you’re gonna hit it over 250 yards. A 220 yards, faded 3 wood or hybrid is just right and leaves you an uphill shot of around 140-150 yards and a fairly easy par.
TIP : Take plenty of cold drinks and ice when you leave the clubhouse as you don’t go right past the clubhouse after 9 and the water jugs on the course are usually not filled. We had four very thirsty, very hot guys who found out the hard way about their lack of keeping the water jugs refilled on the course.
The back nine is basically out on a peninsula in Lake Barkley and you have views of the water on every hole. You hear the sounds of people and watercraft, you get a nice lake breeze and it’s totally different from the outward nine. This nine alone is reason to play this course and it’s worth the drive from anywhere.
Hole #10 is gorgeous and fun. It’s a 450 yard par 4 with a downhill, dogleg left tee ball to a rock wall the bisects the fairway. Then it’s uphill to the green and a par 5 is a great score.
Number 11 is a short risk-reward par 4 of 273 yards, uphill and a draw works very nicely here. I drove the green and won a skin here. That was my first time using driver and I’ll be doing that from now on.
#12 is a great little par 3 of about 148 yards. If the pin is up, hit to the right and a slope will kick the ball left towards the flag.
TIP: The Kentucky State Parks use 3 colored flags - red is front, white is niddle and yellow is back.
Number 13 is a reachable, 445 yard par 5. You need a draw for your tee ball or a well placed second shot to get it home. You cannot see the green from the fairway and must run it over a well-placed fairway bunker on the corner to hit the green. Five is a good score, but the green feeds the ball to the hole and you can get a birdie here with a good tee ball and a good approach.
Oh, yeah, the drive is over water to a perpendicular fairway, so that does make it a wee bit tougher !
#14 is a very tame par 4 of about 359 yards and should not be the #2 handicap hole. ‘Nuff said.
#15 has an uphill landing area about 200-225 yards away, then plays straight downhill about 100 yards or less, to a small green and is another short, risk-reward hole that makes golf fun.
Number 16 is a downhill par 3 of about 148 yards and plays about one club short..maybe a club and a half if you go after it hard. A par is a great score and will get you a stroke or two over your playing partners if you just play safe and watch them implode. I did.
#17 is a tricky dogleg left par 4 of about 336 yards and the tee ball is the key. You need to carry the bunker on the left and stop the ball in the fairway. A high draw or straight 3 wood that sits down quickly is a great play here.
Number 18 is 367 yards of fun. Mostly because you’re glad to have survived a great golf course that ate your friends for lunch, while you used these tips to score like knew what you were doing ! Nice straight drive up the hill about 270 yards leaves you out about 100 yards. Make sure to carry the ball all the way to the flag and beyond, as the view doesn’t let on to the false front and a chip shot that you didn’t want after 3-4 hours and 75-100 strokes.
Now run to the clubhouse and demand that they let you play again at a reduced rate. We did, after going in to Eddyville for a great lunch at the Bluegrass Grill. 3 different meats and you can choose 3 veggies from a list of 7 or so. Great sweet tea, great cornbread and great service for about $7.25 !
It’s well worth your time to travel to the Land Between The Lakes area of Kentucky for vacations, golf, food and fun.
For more info, check out these links :
{ 0 comments }
Review Of Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park Golf Course
Great golf, tremendous scenery, friendly people, dang good food, extremely fair prices. That’s just a few of the phrases that come to mind after having played Dale Hollow’s fairly new golf course.
I drove down ( 3 hours ) and got there in time for a 2 PM tee time. My friend Ken Collova from Lexington ( KY ) had business in the area, so we jumped on the chance to play this jewel.
We played it from the tips, 7023 yards, and the first hole was a little 376 yard downhill par 4, like a lot of the holes on this visually stunning jewel of a golf course. We both bogeyed, me with a 3 putt and Ken with a wedge that went over the green and down into what could only be described as a wooded ravine. If you visit, be sure to look behind the first green and check out this scenery. Daniel Boone would’ve been at home down there !
The first par 3 hole was #3 and from the tips it was 240 yards, all downhill and almost all carry. My local pro, Mike Franklin had told me to hit 4 iron and believe and that’s what I did. I hit it and it sunk about 3 inches into the front part of the green when it came down like an asteroid ! Ken tried 3 iron and went long, into the woods and took a 5. Don’t go long here, as there’s really a landing area that you can’t see from the tee and you can hit about 50 yards short and be fine for a pitch on and putt for par.
Here’s a shot to show you what the green and the landing area looks like. From 240 yards above, you can’t see this at all.
And for a view from the tee, click here.
The fourth hole was a 533 yard par 5 and I hit driver and 3-wood to about 20 feet and 2 putted for a nice birdie. It was extra sweet with Ken’s bogey and me grabbing a couple of strokes.
Here’s a view from where my ball sat before that 3-wood. Tell me that ain’t a long way and a great view !
And here’s shot of some of the natural stone that the golf course architect, Brian Ault, left in place while designing this true test and true delight of a golf course.
This shot show’s you that even though the view from the tee’s sometimes looks tight, there’s actually a very w-i-d-e o-p-e-n golf course down below that is a real treat to play. This shot’s from the fairway back towards the tee on the par 5 12th hole, 618 yards of fun and beauty.
The 15th hole is 194 yards, all carry and with some of that natural stone left in place to terrorize you to no end ! I cut a hybrid 3-iron in to about 25 feet and 2 putted for a very fortunate par. Poor Ken was a tad long and left and took a double bogey.
And here’s the prerequisite shot of The Travelling Golfer, in his UK blue hat, after 18 holes, 7023 yards, 3 hours and 15 minutes and more strokes than I wanted to remember. That’s 250 lbs of Hillbilly Golf Star out of control !
The guys in the Pro Shop, Bruce and Kent, were two of the friendliest guys and most helpful guys you’ll ever meet. The food at the Mary Ray Oaken Lodge was absolutely fine ! Good catfish and smooth sweet-tea ! The people along Highway 90 are also very nice, so stop in and visit some of the general stores and local shops.
I will be going back for their Stay-n-Play, Tee’s-N-Zee’s golf package…very soon.
There’s a reason that they were ranked #8 in Kentucky by Golf Digest Magazine in 2005 and ranked #6 in the Best New Affordable Public Courses category in 2004 by Golf Digest Magazine.
{ 0 comments }
Review - The Links At Novadell - Hopkinsville, KY
I had the pleasure of returning, somewhat, to my roots yesterday. I was born at Ft. Campbell, KY, while my father was stationed there as part of the 101st Airborne, during the early ’60’s.
The Links at Novadell is located just a few minutes from the front gate and many of those stationed at Ft. Campbell live in and around Hopkinsville.
I travelled down from my home, picked up a couple of friends in Madisonville ( KY ) and headed down for our 10:30 tee time.
We got there with enough time to spare to allow me to peek around the facility. Impressive, clean, nice, friendly…those are the first words to come to my mind. The word friendly was brought to my mind several more times during the day…from the guy who came after our bags, to the maintenance workers, to the Pro Shop employees to those behind the counter in the grill room. To a person, they were bursting with good ol’ Kentucky friendliness !
To a man, EVERY worker around the course, on a golf cart, tractor, mower or using another piece of equipment waved and smiled. I have never had that happen. Ever. The place was in great shape and I see why, the people were happy to be there and to be doing what they were doing. And there were plenty of workers out there. They seemed to be fully staffed, for sure.
I made the days first mistake by waltzing in to their Pro Shop with denim shorts on. It was my first day of 8 days off from my day job and I had no thoughts of proper attire. Most of the clubs around home have gotten over the ‘no denim’ rules, since we no longer have guys wearing cut-off jeans. That went away, mostly, several years ago. My Levi’s shorts cost more than most khakis and look pretty good, but it was their house and I had to play by their rules. The young man behind the counter was extremely nice and very professional about it and even offered to sell me some khaki’s at 50% off to help me conform. Even though I’d have rather thrown a fit and left, just to speed up the ditchin’ of this silly policy, I complied nicely and now and the proud owner of another pair of khaki golf shorts. Wheee !
Off to the putting green we go and it’s in great shape. Plush is about the best way I can describe it. Lots of cups at different angles to practice putting to and you’ll need to practice ‘em all, as the greens at Novadell are very well defended by angles, mounds and slope.
The first hole was a very easy to play 350 yard par four, pretty straight and fairly easy to envision a 3-wood and a wedge. that’s exactly what I did and came away with a 3 putt par as I hit my 25 foot putt about 18 feet. The green looked like glass and played like velcro. Kinda wet and slow after last nights rain. That was the story of my day, could not get the ball to the hole. I left 10 putts, easily 10, a foot short and in the jar.
There’s not really any tree trouble, as it’s a links style course. Some patchy high weeds WAY around the edges, but it’s as fair a golf course as you’ll find. Very generous landing areas and room around the greens for when you’re a little off target.
Stay below the hole on the greens and hit the proper side for an uphill putt and you will not find anything to complain about here. Very plush, very fair, in good condition, despite the Japanese beetles trying their best to take root.
The wind was about 10-15 mph at all times and gusted to about 25 a time or three. I hit a 6 iron from 150 ( my normal 170 club ) and came up 15 yards short, if that helps you imagine what the wind does to the ball when it has nothing, like trees, to slow it down.
There were plenty of yardage markers in the fairways to make club selection easy enough, if the wind had not been so strong.
There’s enough water in play to keep you honest, but not enough to be offensive.
Lots of panoramic views of light brown tall grasses and green fairways. Lots of blue Kentucky skies and there was enough water jugs on the course to keep you cool, your towels wet and your golf balls clean.
If you’re near the Hopkinsville, Ft. Campbell, KY area and want a challenging golf course, a fair price, VERY friendly people and an overall great time, drop by The Links at Novadell and tell ‘em Mike sent you. Or shoot me an email and I’ll meet you down there !
{ 0 comments }
Indian Hills Country Club
I recently had the opportunity to play Indian Hills Country Club, located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was a Chamber of Commerce Scramble and I enjoyed it as much as any scramble I’ve ever played.
Several things contributed to this enjoyment :
1) The course was in tremnedous shape. Especially considering how wet of a spring we’ve had here in south central Kentucky.
2) The greens were PGA Tour quality. May have been in the top 3 of all greens I’ve ever had the good fortune to play.
3) The course was well designed. The architect did a fantastic job of varying the lengths of par 3’s and the difficulty of the par 4’s and 5’s.
4) My playing partners were as good a group of guys as has ever been assembled. Charlie Henry of Lee Brick & Block in Bowling Green, KY. Jim Ivey of RBS Design Group Architects in Owensboro, KY and Barry Bland of BA Architecture Associates, Bowling Green, KY.
5) The weather was as bad as you could have dreaded…until we started to play and then it turned into an outstanding day for golf.
If you ever get the chance to play this 50 year old gem, don’t hesitate to give it a try.
{ 2 comments }
Chariot Run - Caesars Indiana - A Review
I made it over to Chariot Run on Friday, April 14th. It was Good Friday, but it was a tough Friday for golf. At about 5:30 AM a storm blew thru and the winds stayed with us all day. Was about 20 mph at all times and gusts to 30 + were common. Even though we didn’t play til noonish, it was still tough to play a links style, albeit an American links style, golf course in those kinds of winds.
I had a tough time on the front, with a 44. Having never been there and not being sure of where to hit it, I was uncomfortable enough to have a bogey-double bogey for holes 2 & 3. Holes 4, 5 and 7 also got me.
I found my game on the back and shot a 40, for an 84 round. About 6 strokes more than I should need.
It didn’t help that they had aerated the greens about a week ago, so they were a bit like a Chinese Checkerboard. Better than almost every other set of aerated greens I’ve played this year, but still tough to putt. The only place I’ve ever putted aerated greens that were smooth and slick is the Jeffersonville ( IN ) Elks Club. My friend Bob Burgan lives there and they know how to do it better than anyone else.
The course there at Chariot Run is still fairly new, about 3 years old, so the grass isn’t as full and lush as it will be in a few years. They need about 2 more years to get it to where it will be THE place to play in southern Indiana.
As for the service, there were more maintenance people on the course than there were golfers. I’m sure Caesars has more than enough dollars to make sure there are plenty of bodies to go around. I doubt if they need for the course to pay for itself right away.
The Bag Drop boys were very courteous and the Pro Shop employees were outstandingly nice.
The Starter had a very nice script, which he kept reading, even though we told him we’d be good. He read it all the way thru 2 of us trying to hit. Must have gotten points for reading it all the way thru, otherwise he’d have hushed so we could play. First they tell you to be fast, you’re on the clock, we’re watching you and then they read you a bedtime story. That part they can cut out for my part.
The course was really well marked, as almost every sprinkler head had a yardage to the middle of the green and the sheet in your cart gave you a plus or minus yardage to the pin that day. This should be done everywhere and done this well. These were the easiest yardages I’ve found in a long, long time.
I really don’t like hitting into every landing zone with maintenance workers out there either, but every fairway had a little green vehicle and two or three people in it. Kind of disconcerting for those of us who hit the ball a long way.
Of course, I didn’t hit it that far INTO THE WIND. I had one drive I nailed go a whopping 225 yards. About 50 less than my average drive.
The greens were well built and well thought out by the architect. They were generous in size and had enough slope to make you work hard, but felt like they were fair.
Same with the fairways, generous and well maintained. Just not as mature and full as they will be in a couple more years.
The turf under the bent grass fairways was the best I’d ever seen. Really well built and my visors off to the maintenance staff.
There’s more than enough sand to make your life a living heck and there’s some water to get you if you aren’t careful.
That’s the one element that we Americans overdo when we try and design a links style course. Too much water. Too much Pete Dye trickery. When the dang wind is gonna be as strong as it will be on this course, with no trees to slow it down, you don’t need as much water as they have.
If I’m not mistaken, there’s water on 9 holes and that goes against links courses as far as I’m concerned. You’ll really have to flight your golf ball well, if the breeze picks up and that may be a little too much to ask of the casino goers who’ll be paying top dollar to play this gem.
The rolling Indiana farmland, and this dude is WAY BACK IN THE BOONIES, is beautiful and the scenery will calm you down in a Hoosire minute.
I’m looking forward to playing it again. I’ll know more about where to hit it and where not to. I’ll know when to go long and when to go short. The greens will be really good in about 2 weeks and the fairways will be even better than they were. There were a quite a few scraggly spots and that’s not something I expect when it costs this much to play golf.
I’ll keep you posted about this course and how it develops thru the year.
If you do go, make sure and spend some time in the casino. I’m sure they are using the gambling dollars to make the course into one of the best in southern Indiana.
And if you happen to be going to Louisville for The Kentucky Derby, bookmark this site or subscribe to the RSS feed, as I will be giving out some gems for those heading to Louisville.
Dining, golfing and lodging tips galore, coming up !
{ 1 comment }
Eagle Creek Golf Club - Orlando, FL
As a former resident of the state of Florida, I still have a few friends down there and most of them are in and around Orlando.
I also still get florida golf info in my email inbox and today’s email brought word that Eagle Creek would be hosting the 2007 Florida Public Links Championship.
That’s mighty high praise for a course as new as Eagle Creek.
Some of it’s other accomplishments are :
” Top 10 New Florida Courses Of The Decade ” by Travel & Leisure Magazine…
One of six courses in Orlando to achieve “4-star” status by Travel & Leisure…
Grill Room named among the “Top 10 19th Holes” by Orlando Magazine…
Selected to host the Buick Scramble National Finals…
Named host site of the Golf Channel’s Mutual of Omaha Drive, Chip & Putt Junior Challenge…
Click here and visit their website and if you’re nearby, play a round and let us know how it was.
{ 2 comments }
