Minneapolis golf league - Columbia Week 2

Week 2 of our golf league was the last week of open play to establish league handicaps.  The turn out this week was much better than last week since there was no snow on the ground to start the day.  Last week I know of only one other two-some that was on the course besides us.

This week we played the back 9 on Columbia.  Having played the front nine the previous week I now have played both sides.  I would have to say the back nine is the more challenging of the sides.

Typical of a Minneapolis muni course, the course conditions are poor.  The course did not come through the winter well and a lot of winter kill has happened on the fairways.  The greens are also really bad.  There are a lot of bare spots on the greens that make putting through them a joke.  Hopefully the conditions improve dramatically as the weather warms but I am not holding my breathe.

The back nine offers a couple of holes worth noting:

Hole 11 is a par 5 that offers a test on your second shot to avoid water on either side of the fairway.  Unfortunately their was also a lot of standing water in the fairway too (and winter kill).

Hole 15 is another par 5 that is a beast of a hole.  Your score is all dependent on your first shot being straight and far enough to play your second shot around a dogleg left.  If you are not straight you are in the trees.  If you are too long you are in the trees.  If you are too short you can't advance your ball far due to the trees on the dogleg.  Even though the hole is not long it can play tough.  This is one of those holes that is typically either a par or a blow-up hole with little in between. This week I played the "blow-up hole" variety, scoring the first snowman of the year.  Yeah me.

Hole 16 is the best view on the course with an elevated tee and water to the right and trees to the left. A long par 4, your second shot is uphill to the green.

 16 to the left with 2 to the right.  A lot of winter kill can be seen.

Columbia is a fairly old city course.  Some interesting history on it can be found here. It was originally built in 1919 when the city responded to the popularity of the Theodore Wirth golf course by opening 6 holes at Columbia.  Originally the course had sand greens.  After a year it was decided 6 holes was not enough and they expanded to 9 holes, still with sand greens. In 1922 the course expanded to 18 holes.  It was apparently so popular that people had to be turned away.  Things went great until the great depression when all Minneapolis city courses except Gross saw business drop-off.  Gross was the only course with irrigation so its conditions helped to maintain its popularity. In 1935 as part of the federal work relief programs the course was upgraded to grass greens.  In the 1960s the course was lengthened to its current state.

Learning the history of old courses like this is always fun and makes me appreciate a course, even if its current conditions are so bad.

Playing Stonebrooke

Last Saturday I had a chance to play Stonebrooke with my college friends.  Like every other round so far, the Minnesota spring has yet to have sprung.  Temps were in the mid 40s.

Stonebrooke golf club is in Shakopee.  Conditions were still early season rough.  The conditions proved particularly hard on the greens as Stonebrooke has some enormous putting surfaces and with slower bumpy greens, putting was a challenge.  I managed to rack up 6, yes 6, 3-putts in the round.  Aside from my atrocious putting I was hitting the ball qiute well.  I actually hit 8 out of the first 9 greens in regulation.  Had I not had 5 of my 3-putts on those holes I could have had a really solid front.  My one blow-up hole was hole 8, the infamous lake carry.

Stonebrooke touts hole 8 as the #1 hardest water hole in the twin cities and I think it ranks right up there with a couple holes at Edinburgh USA.  The tee shot requires a carry of around 200 yards over O'Dowd lake.  The worse part of it is the tee shot is too short for Driver as you'll end up hitting through the fairway, but if not struck well, a 3 wood can get you wet.  I of course popped my 3 wood up in the air and landed just inches from the shore.  After getting across the lake I proceeded to hit a fairly easy approach shot right at the flag stick.  Once you clear the lake your approach shot is up-hill to the green.  The typical distance on your second shot is probably 150-120 yards.  I think I had about 130 yards and hit what I thought was a good shot.  Getting up the hill to the green I discovered that I had forgotten they have a little pond surrounding the back side of the green.  Any balls that go long of the green will get wet.  If this is your first time playing the course make note: DO NOT GO LONG ON 8.  So after dunking two balls I chip on the green and tapped in.

Oh well, the rest of the day was fun.  It is always great to get the guys together for some golf.

A couple of other holes of note on this course:

Hole 1- A short par 5 that has you start out from elevated tees and makes you decide right away if you want to lay-up short of the creek on your first or try to clear with Driver.  The second shot likely will require a lay-up as trees block an easy go at the green.  You third shot is to a wide open green.

Hole 3- A par 4 that requires you too either be very straight or hit a long iron off the tee.  The right side is marsh and if you hit too long off the tee you will find that area.  Your second shot requires you to hit a green that is tucked into the right of the hole with the marsh surrounding.  I like this hole.

Hole 5 - This is a par 5 that normally requires you to carry a cattail pond off the tee some 160 yards.  When we played the tees were in from of this area.  It made this par 5 into a 370 yard hole.  Not a lot of challenge to that one.  If the tees were in the correct location this hole is another animal.

Hole 11- A long par 3 with a massive two tiered green.  The two levels of the green are over 8 feet apart.  Kind of a gimmicky hole but if you are on the wrong level, a tough one.  I have a few friends who have made 5 or 6 putts to get down on this hole.


Hole 12- Another par 5 that had the tees moved way up when we played it.  Lame.  This played as a 322 yard par 5.  When the tees are back this hole is fun as you can decide how aggressive you want to get.  The fairway angles away from you normally and the further left you hit the ball the more you need to carry your tee shot.  Going left shortens the hole though making for some eagle chances.

Hole 15 is one of my favorite holes in the cities.   A par 4 with a creek in play off the tee.  Your second shot requires a shot to a green surrounded by water on the left.  Last year when I played this course with my dad and wife, a storm had passed through and as we hit our approach shots a super bright rainbow appeared as if it ended on the green.
 

 The 17th green

 Kris ripping one down the middle.  Typical.

Chung.  Big swing.  Ball not going far and going right.

Jim hits one on a rope.

Mike soon to find the evergreens left.

 

Again Chung.  Off the tee...Into the sand...To here...Almost to the green...

Ridonculous

Seriouosly?  They play a different game than us. 

Playing in the cold

I have yet to play a round this year where the temps have been above low 50.  At the start of the year I decided to try out the Footjoy WinterSof gloves.  I can't recommend them enough.  They have a thicker cover on the back of the gloves that really help to keep the wind off yuour hands and have done a good job keeping the hands warm even when playing in 40 degree temps.  The grip on them is fairly good.  I have not noticed any lack of grip while swinging.  And while I feel I loose a little feel with them while putting, it is not enough for me to want to take them off on the greens.

If you are tired of having cold hands while playing in less than optimal conditions I would highly recommend trying out a pair.  They are about $20 and are sold in pairs for both hands.

Review- Waveland Golf Course, Des Moines Iowa

My maternal grandparents lived in downtown Des Moines most of the time I can remember.  Only after my grandfather passed away did my grandmother sell the house and downsize into a condo nearby.  I remember fondly visiting their house growing up.  My grandfather was a tremendous gardener and I used to love seeing his rose bushes in bloom and spent a lot of time in the green house room on the font of the house.  After my grandfather died my grandmother planted a memorial garden in the front yard, at the base of the hill below the house.  On my recent trip down to play golf in Iowa I had the privileged of being able to stop by the house.
The memorial garden is still there.  Sadly the rose bushes are gone.  In the back yard is now one of those big Rainbow systems playground sets.  Time carries on.

I didn't take up golfing until I was in college.  All the while I was visiting my grandparents in Des Moines I had no idea that less than 1/2 mile away is the Waveland golf course.  An 18 hole course built in 2001, it is the oldest municipal golf course west of the Mississippi river.  Waveland is one of those great old school courses with huge trees, narrower fairways, and smaller greens.  Waveland is on very hilly ground and there are dramatic elevation changes on lots of the holes.  Despite the big hills the layout is nicely planned.  The result are very few blind shots.  On some courses, less hilly than this, it seems like you are constantly hitting blind shots over or down a hill.  Not so here.

 
I am told that this course gets over 40,000 rounds a year.  Being centrally located to the city and with its great terrain I can see its popularity.  This course reminds me of what the Theodore Wirth golf course in Minneapolis could be like.  The Minneapolis city courses offer some great golf but the maintenance on the courses is sorely lacking.  I don't know if it is poor funding or overplaying but their conditions are definitely on a downslide.  Waveland seems a lot like Wirth with the big elevation changes and big trees (like hole 8) but is in a lot better shape

The course is fairly tightly packed geographically but it does not feel like it when you are on the course.  It is not like some clubs where holes are side to side and any errant shots are likely to land on someone one hole over.  With the age of the course the biggest challenge is the ancient trees that line each hole.  Water and sand is not common, though strategic bunkers and meandering creeks do exist.  When we played there were several sand traps that looked like were under repair with large piles of sand randomly placed within the bunkers like some kind of crazy moguls.  I imagine this is typical early season maintenance and not likely an everyday condition.


The number one handicap hole is #3, a par 5 558 yards of testing how straight you can hit.  This hole is referred to as "the chute" and from the tee I can see why.  A seemingly never ending tunnel of trees welcomes your first shot.  Should you manage to hit your drive straight and avoid the woods, your second shot requires an even more precise approach as the landing area squeezes down even more between two water hazards.  The third shot finally opens to the green.  A par here is a nicely done job.

Waveland is also the first course I have played with a solar observatory nestled in amongst the holes.  The obervatory was built in 1920 and is still operated by Drake University.  It is the home to the Des Moines Astronomical Society.  It was dedicated to Dr. Daniel Walter Morehouse, and is actually the burial spot of him as well.  The observatory houses an 8 1/2 inch refracting telescope.  The observatory is even open to the public Friday nights in the spring.

2011 Green fees for Waveland are a ridiculous $20 M-F and after noons on weekends.  Before noon on weekdays the fee is just $30.  Carts are not included and you probably would want them unless you want a true work out on the hills.  A surprising number of people were walking the day we played, but the course says about 70% of people do get a cart.

If you are in Des Moines and can find time, I would definitely recommend Waveland.  Just hit them straight or you will be in the trees a large part of your day.

Review - The Legacy Golf Club, Norwalk Iowa

On last weekends trip to Iowa for some "warmer" golf we were originally going to play Waveland on Frinday and the Legacy on Saturday.  Waveland was rained out Friday so we rescheduled that round.  On Saturday we awoke to drier conditions but the wind still remained.  I told my brother when I looked out our hotel window "The good news is that the rain has stopped.  The bad news is that there are white caps on the puddles".  I wasn't kidding.  The Legacy is located south of Des Moines.  After a 20 minute drive from down town we found the course amongst the typical urban sprawl of cookie cutter housing developments and strip malls.  The course itself isn't wall to wall with houses, though some do border its edges.

Many people think Iowa is as flat as a pancake but that is not actually true.  A lot of Iowa has numerous rolling hills.  A lot of the state has more elevation changes than the glacier scraped land of Minnesota.  The Legacy club is set amongst some of these rolling hills.  I always had wondered what a golf course would look like in the middle of the fields of Iowa, should some farmer decide to sod their corn fields under.  Now I know.  Legacy was built in 2002 and designed by Jeffrey Brauer, the same architect who created the awesome courses at Giants Ridge and Fortune Bay in Minnesota.  I was really excited to play the course since I love his designs that I have played.

The course has large bent grass fairways and fairly large greens.  The greens are mostly flat but do have enough undulations to make them a challenge.  There is not a lot of water that really comes into play.  A couple of carries to par 3s over a pond and creeks that are scattered around the course but shouldn't really come into play unless an errant shot is hit.  Hole 2 is a par 4 with a second shot over water to the green, but in general you should not have a lot of balls lost in the drink.

I would like to give a more detailed description of the course and my playing experience, but the windy conditions beat us all to kingdom come.  Wearing 5 layers to combat the 40 degree temps doesn't lend itself to a free golf swing.  Add the two together and you have a pretty brutal experience that leaves you remembering more about the uncomfortableness than the round of golf you have played.  In conditions like we played, it is best to keep your head down and focus on the shot at hand.

I can recount that on hole 14, a 170 par 3 with a full carry over water to the green that three out of four of us in the foursome hit driver off the tee, straight into a headwind and only one made it up on the green.  The other two were wet.

The other holes went by in a wind-induced coma blur.  I do remember thinking how much I would love to play the course when the weather conditions were better.  The layout seemed fair and plenty of room was available on most shots.  I really can't comment on the length of the course (just a tad under 7,100 yards fro m the tips) since the wind made the lengths of the holes irrelevant.

The conditions of the course were really good, especially for April 13th.  Some of the fairways had some rough patches of slow to grow grass.  The greens were still a little rough but they rolled fairly straight, when the ball wasn't being buffeted by winds.  Give the course another month and I am sure the conditions would be excellent.

One other comment on the course- the staff.  From what I understand the Legacy is a family run business and everyone I encountered was first rate and very friendly.  There were no beverage carts but that was due to the weather, I am sure.

Overall the course is one I would defiantly play again. For $52, including cart the golf is a great deal.  This would be a $80-90 in Minneapolis. If you are in need of practicing up for Scottish golf or just like to develop a nice wind burn, you would have really liked the conditions we played in.  For me, I hope that the next round I play here will be a sunny and calm one.

A view from the clubhouse at number one

 Everyone bundled up on our first hole, number 10.

 Hole 14- Par 3 170 yards.  Against the wind, driver is not too much club.

The wind swept hills of the Legacy

Golf League

The Minneapolis men's golf league started yesterday.  Mike Vigen and I are playing this year at Columbia golf course.  Here is what it looked like the morning of the first day of our league.

Typical Minnesota.

Mike and I went off first, before we saw any other members of the league.  We played the front nine at Columbia.  During our round we saw a total of two other people behind us.  Apparently the snow kept most of the league away from the course?  Either that or I have a chance of finishing in the top four in the league!

Heading south for some warmer golfing

This last weekend I headed down to Iowa with my brother and his friends with the idea of enjoying some warmer weather and golfing on some courses that have had a chance to turn a littler greener then the courses in Minneapolis.


Nice Theory.

We took off early Friday morning with a teem time scheduled at 1PM in Des Moines at the Waveland golf course.  As we made the 3 1/2 hour drive down to Des Moines we watched the temperature slowly fall and the winds increase. As we reached about 45 minutes outside of the city the rain started.

We got to the course about 2 hours early and decided to check out  a nearby cafe, the Waveland cafe.  For anyone who ever has a chance, check the place out.  A local Iowa landmark they server some great breakfast and tout themselves as having the best hashbrowns in the galaxy.  A claim I don't know if I agree with totally, but they were good.  They actually go through 2 tons of potatoes a month there with the hashbrowns so they certainly are popular.

So after lunch the weather hadn't changed much. Not exactly the best conditions but I had seen the forecast and had planned for cool, possibly rainy conditions so I was not too worried. However, by the time we reached the course the temps were in the low 40s and still raining pretty heavily and the winds were 30-40mph.

We checked into the clubhouse and discovered the course was closed because they had received too much rain - 8 hours straight- and the grounds were simply too water logged.

On to plan B.  We sat in the clubhouse and had some brews.  One of the guys had brought a chipping game with golf balls that had badmitten like birdie attachments to them.  The course let us set them up in the main hall and we had a chipping contest for a while.

After that it we decided to go to a nearby indoor driving range since mother nature had thwarted our outdoor golfing plans.  A first for me. Hitting in a dome was a fun experience, although I loathe hitting of mats which, of course, we had to do.  Still, it was nice to work on the swing for the first time since getting back from Mexico.

Playing the Marina Club de Golf - Ixtapa

In March we took a trip down to Ixtapa Mexico.  This was our fifth trip to the area.  Ixatapa is a great place for a vacation for us Minnesotans.  A warm break from the snow is really nice to have.  This year we went at the end of March to coincide with our nieces spring break.  I had hoped that by going so late we would get back in time for spring.  Unfortunately we returned back to more snow on the ground.  Bummer.

At least when we were soaking up the sun we got a chance to golf.  Ixtapa has two courses the Palma Real and the Marin course.  The Marina course was built in 1994 by Robert Von Hagge.  Golfing in Mexico is always a different experience.  Generally flat with lots of palm trees.  Not unlike playing Florida courses.  The playing conditions can vary greatly.  Palma Real is the nicer of the two courses but the green fees alone were $30 more than the Marina course offered for green fees, cart, and club rental (for $115).  Palma Real does have one hole right off the beach (a par 4 that I greened once upon a day).  If my memory serves, the Palma Real course is a little more open than the Marina course.


The Marina course offers a lot of narrow and dog-legged holes.  Water comes into play on quite a few holes as it winds around the marina area.  Playing the course offers the chance to see lots of crocs and iguanas. Trying to keep a course lush in such a parched environment as Ixtapa is a challenge and the course was pretty crispy.  The greens were horrendously slow.  I imagine they don't cut them as often to try to keep them from frying up but they were REALLY slow.  I often had a 15 foot putt that I could only manage to get moving 10 feet.


For $115 I would be very disappointed if I did not frame this as a fun diversion and a chance to play golf in the middle of winter while in vacation in Mexico.  In the context of a course in Minneapolis charging this price it would never be able to compete.  Still, it is always fun to see how badly the golf swing has vaporized over the winter.  This year was actually not too bad.  I shot a 93.  With the greens as bad as they were (I think I had 5 3-putts) my actual play was pretty decent.  

 Don't bother with balls in the water...

 Hole number one's tee.

 Hole #6- 343 par 4.  On in one.

No clouds, no snow, golfing.  What a day.

Quote of the week

I used to hate the idea of being mediocre. I think I've changed. Now, I'd rather be mediocre at something I love, than brilliant at something I don't.
-Stewart Bell

I found this quote on another blog.  I can't say how profound I found this. 

Awesome golf photography

Since I can't play golf right now I have been living vicariously through the web.  One great site I found is of a local photgrapher who specializes in golf photography.  Peter Wong lives in Burnsville and some of the work he has done includes shooting promotional materials for the Giants Ridge courses.  He has some pretty incredible skills and has the evious job of being able to make some money creating some great art.  Check out his web site here

The Masters

The masters starts today!  For me this is the annual start of summer.  Not only the start of golf season but also when I can officially put away the winter coat and sweaters.  This year we will be having a Masters party at   our house for the second year in a row.  Lots of Arnold Palmers and John Dalys.

As for the tournament, I hope that Tiger somehow magically finds his swing or at least some consistency.  I would love to see him win again.  Phil is looking like he is on top of his game after last week in Houston.  I wouldn't mind him doing well either.  My other favorites would have to be Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson.

My dark horse this year is going to be Ricky Barnes.  He is paired with Tom Watson.  Tom winning would be unbelievable but probably not going to happen.

My bag

In my bag:

Driver : 2008 Cobra LD F Speed driver
3 Wood: 2008 Nike SQ Sumo
3 Iron/Utility: 2011 Adams Idea Tech v3 Hybrid Iron
4 Iron/Utility: 2008 Adamis Idea A3 Hybrid Iron.
Irons 4I-GW 2008 Cobra S9 II Irons
Wedge 52:  2010 Cleveland CG14
Wedge 56: 2005 Cleveland Tour Action 588
Wedge 60: 2009 Cleveland CG12
Putter: 2010 Odyssey Black #1

I am not really someone who wants to trade clubs in all the time.  I like to stick with clubs that are familiar to me.  Obviously back in 2008 I switched over a lot of stuff but since then it has really just been a couple of clubs.

I switched out an old original Adams Idea hybrid this year with the new v3 version.  This was done after consistently starting to favor my A3 4 hybrid over the 3 hybrid because of the feel of the club.  I haven't been able to actually play the new v3 yet but I am hoping it becomes one of my go-to clubs.

Also this year I added a 52 degree Cleveland CG14.  This was to try better fill the distance gap between my GW and the 56 Cleveland I had been using.

Another birthday present

Thanks to my brother for the sick putter cover.  I really like the Odyssey line of covers.  I wish more after market covers like this were available.  ComoCome! has some nice ones but they are pretty hard to find here in Minnesota.

Anyways this will look pretty nice on my my 2010 Odyssey Black #1 putter.  The standard cover that come with the putter was pretty bad.  The paint on the leather started coming off within the first 2 weeks of use.

Golf! Golf! Golf! Golf! Golf!

I just celebrated my birthday on March 30th and this birthday has been especially good to me.  My wife got me an awesome Nintendo DS after I hijacked my niece's while on a recent trip to Mexico.  I grew up playing Mario on the original NES and it is really cool to relive the past now on a portal device.
But I digress, the other really cool thing I got from my wife's parents is the Common Man golf card.  This is a really great deal that gives you 32 rounds of golf on 8 different Minneapolis metro courses.  The card allows for 4 rounds per course.  The courses included this year are

Loggers Trail - Stillwater
Sawmill Golf Club - Stillwater
The Links at Northfork Ramsey
Wild Marsh - Buffalo
Pebble Creek - Becker
Dahlgreen Golf Club -Chaska
Creeks Bend - New Prague
Mississippi Dunes -Cottage Grove

Of these courses I have played Creeks Bend, The Links at Northfork, Mississippi Dunes, and Wild Marsh.  I will be posting more about each of these courses as I start to get a chance to play them.

The golf card should allow me some great golf this summer. 

Welcome to the site!

Hey I started this blog today to let me talk about one of my true passions- golf.  I hope to be able to share with you my thoughts on my local golf experiences in the Minneapolis area.  Unfortunately right now there is still snow on the ground but  over the course of this summer and fall, I will be posting all sorts of stuff.