This week Mike and I took on Mitch Eldorado and Brian Thul at the Columbia golf league. This week was the back 9. We pushed the first hole. Both Mike and I got pars and Mitch saved par for their team. After that Mike and I amazingly won every hole. Going into the week Mike and I were in second place, with 13 out of 15 points. One team had 14 points. With our success this week we won all 5 points so we should be in the top 1 or 2 slots still.
Mike and I played good team golf, when I stumbled on a couple of holes Mike was there to take the hole and vice versa. I played really consistently. I ended up with a 41, with 2 doubles and one bogey.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Playing Highland 9-hole
Tuesday I was able to get in a round after work with my Dad and my co-worker Mark at the Highland 9 hole course in south St Paul. The nine hole course is part of the ST Paul city courses and sits across the street from the refurbished Highland National course.
The nine hole is a fun one to play. There a lot of unique holes. The main difficulty on the course are the trees. There is no water hazards and only a few green side bunkers.
The course plays at 2791 yards from the back tees. It is a par 35, with 2 par 3s, one par 5, and 6 par 4s.
The first hole is a 467 yard par 5 which plays as a true par 5 not because of distance but due to the layout of the hole. The hole is a right dog leg, well actually dogleg is not right, it is like a giant C. You need to take on the hole in 200 yard increments. An unusual but fun hole to start off with.
The second hole is a 167 yard, slightly uphill par 3. Stay straight and avoid the bunkers on either side.
Hole 3 is a dead straight par 4 at 306 yards. To the left is out of bounds, where the local high school's track complex is. Hit to the right and you will be hard pressed to get out of the trees.
Hole 4 is a 371 yard dogleg left par 4. Around the corner two trees in the fairway make the hole visually interesting.
The fifth is another dog leg par 4 at 307 yards. If you can cut the corner over the pine tree you can get close to the green.
The 6th is a distance control hole. At 379 yards, to the top of the hill off the tee is about 200 yards to the center of the fairway. From there it is 180-200 yards to the green on a dogleg right. If you can hit the ball high enough you can cut off some distance but trees along the right make that a more difficult shot.
Hole 7 is the second par 3. It plays to 160 yards. Again a couple of greenside bunkers are the only danger.
Hole 8 is a dogleg right. You can cut the corner over the bunker but need to watch out for the taller trees there. Otherwise, 200 yards down the middle is a good play and leaves around 120 yards on this 318 yard par 4.
Hole 9 is a dogleg left at 317 yards. Cutting the corner is not a good idea as most of the way on the left is heavily wooded. A 240 yard shot just to the right of the left side trees is the best play on this hole.
The conditions on the course were "lush". With the heavy rains we have had the rough was really quite long. Not enough to truly be penal but long enough to want to stay out of. The greens were generally in good shape , though not too fast with all of the rain.
I haven't played this course in a while. I really think this is a fun course. It is not for bombers but that is why I think it appeals. It is a great course for practicing distance control. Sure you can cut off a lot of distance if you try but that brings the danger of this course into play, all of the trees. It seems to be a lot less busy than Highland National across the street. That course suffers from a lot of slow play. For a quick round after work this course is a fun alternative.
I played a round of 40. I had 2 doubles on holes where I got into the trees and another hole with a bogey.
The nine hole is a fun one to play. There a lot of unique holes. The main difficulty on the course are the trees. There is no water hazards and only a few green side bunkers.
The course plays at 2791 yards from the back tees. It is a par 35, with 2 par 3s, one par 5, and 6 par 4s.
The first hole is a 467 yard par 5 which plays as a true par 5 not because of distance but due to the layout of the hole. The hole is a right dog leg, well actually dogleg is not right, it is like a giant C. You need to take on the hole in 200 yard increments. An unusual but fun hole to start off with.
The second hole is a 167 yard, slightly uphill par 3. Stay straight and avoid the bunkers on either side.
Hole 4 is a 371 yard dogleg left par 4. Around the corner two trees in the fairway make the hole visually interesting.
The conditions on the course were "lush". With the heavy rains we have had the rough was really quite long. Not enough to truly be penal but long enough to want to stay out of. The greens were generally in good shape , though not too fast with all of the rain.
I haven't played this course in a while. I really think this is a fun course. It is not for bombers but that is why I think it appeals. It is a great course for practicing distance control. Sure you can cut off a lot of distance if you try but that brings the danger of this course into play, all of the trees. It seems to be a lot less busy than Highland National across the street. That course suffers from a lot of slow play. For a quick round after work this course is a fun alternative.
I played a round of 40. I had 2 doubles on holes where I got into the trees and another hole with a bogey.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Playing Brookview
Last weekend had some crazy weather in Minneapolis. On Sunday a tornado touched down in north Minneapolis. It rained all day Saturday and Sunday.
Sounds like a perfect weekend for golf! Saturday morning at 7AM I played Brookview in Golden Valley. Supposedly the forecast was for rain to start the round and then a break where it would be cloudy with the rain continuing in the afternoon.
I played with my friends Chung, Kieth and Raju. True to the forecast we started off in the rain on the back 9. I was able to truly test out my rain gear for the first time. I have played golf in showers but never rain and on Saturday there was a little of both. The first 4 holes we played in "showers".
I have another great product endorsement for you - FootJoy Rainsoft gloves. Like the warm weather gloves I used earlier this year, these gloves are specially designed to play in wet conditions. The gloves worked awesome. I never felt like the clubs slipped in my hands. While the gloves are not waterproof (my hands were plenty wet) they do their job well. I will definitely use these any time there is wet weather.
After the fourth hole, the rain did let up and actually stopped for a while. It is amazing how much better one can play without the distractions of rain and all the layers you wear to keep dry. It seemed like once the rained stopped the game got much easier.
The round continued but after hole 2, our 11th, the rain started up again. This time it was true rain and not showers. After about 3 holes of downpour my shoes succumbed to the weather and I played the rest of the round walking in what felt like sponges. On hole 7 the weather horn went off. Since we had endured so much misery we all agreed to keep playing the last three holes.
This was probably a mistake. The green on hole 7 had finally become water logged and casual water prevented any chance of real putting. This same would hold true for the last two holes. On all three holes I should have been able to par each but because of the putting conditions had no luck. Since handicaps don't take inclemental weather into account I had to take a 91 for the round. I played a lot better than that score and was overall happy, especially given the circumstances.
The course itself is pretty fun to play. Most of the holes are pretty routine and straight. There are not a lot of elevation changes on the course. Playing from the back tees the course is 6387 yards. There is a fair amount of water on the course and trees will get to you if you are not straight. Also several holes feature out of bounds that is easy to get into. All in all a fairly easy course if you play it straight- but then again you can say that about most courses.
Despite the rain. the course was in good shape. The greens rolled true and normally are pretty fast. During our round they were obviously a little slower with the wet weather. On the last three holes they finally became unplayable which was too bad. The fairways were mostly in good shape. A couple of the lower lying fairways were flooded. Especially bad were holes 14 and hole 1.
The month of May has been pretty crappy for golf on the weekends as it seems to be sunny all week until the weekends come. Then the rain rolls in. Hence, most of the golf this month has been a little soggy. here is to a drier June.
Sounds like a perfect weekend for golf! Saturday morning at 7AM I played Brookview in Golden Valley. Supposedly the forecast was for rain to start the round and then a break where it would be cloudy with the rain continuing in the afternoon.
I played with my friends Chung, Kieth and Raju. True to the forecast we started off in the rain on the back 9. I was able to truly test out my rain gear for the first time. I have played golf in showers but never rain and on Saturday there was a little of both. The first 4 holes we played in "showers".
I have another great product endorsement for you - FootJoy Rainsoft gloves. Like the warm weather gloves I used earlier this year, these gloves are specially designed to play in wet conditions. The gloves worked awesome. I never felt like the clubs slipped in my hands. While the gloves are not waterproof (my hands were plenty wet) they do their job well. I will definitely use these any time there is wet weather.
After the fourth hole, the rain did let up and actually stopped for a while. It is amazing how much better one can play without the distractions of rain and all the layers you wear to keep dry. It seemed like once the rained stopped the game got much easier.
The round continued but after hole 2, our 11th, the rain started up again. This time it was true rain and not showers. After about 3 holes of downpour my shoes succumbed to the weather and I played the rest of the round walking in what felt like sponges. On hole 7 the weather horn went off. Since we had endured so much misery we all agreed to keep playing the last three holes.
This was probably a mistake. The green on hole 7 had finally become water logged and casual water prevented any chance of real putting. This same would hold true for the last two holes. On all three holes I should have been able to par each but because of the putting conditions had no luck. Since handicaps don't take inclemental weather into account I had to take a 91 for the round. I played a lot better than that score and was overall happy, especially given the circumstances.
The course itself is pretty fun to play. Most of the holes are pretty routine and straight. There are not a lot of elevation changes on the course. Playing from the back tees the course is 6387 yards. There is a fair amount of water on the course and trees will get to you if you are not straight. Also several holes feature out of bounds that is easy to get into. All in all a fairly easy course if you play it straight- but then again you can say that about most courses.
Despite the rain. the course was in good shape. The greens rolled true and normally are pretty fast. During our round they were obviously a little slower with the wet weather. On the last three holes they finally became unplayable which was too bad. The fairways were mostly in good shape. A couple of the lower lying fairways were flooded. Especially bad were holes 14 and hole 1.
The green on hole 14 looking back down the fairway. You can see how the fairway between the two ponds is flooded over.
The tee from the par 5 15th. 560 yards. A pond is in play left of the tee and a creek forces a lay-up on your second.
The 414 yard par 4 18th. A risk reward hole. Cut as much water as you think you can to make the hole shorter. The safer you play off the tee, the longer the hole will play. That is not snow on the ground, just a crab apple tree's flowers.
The month of May has been pretty crappy for golf on the weekends as it seems to be sunny all week until the weekends come. Then the rain rolls in. Hence, most of the golf this month has been a little soggy. here is to a drier June.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Columbia Golf League Week 5
Week 5 at Columbia actually found improved conditions on the course.
Still the slow greens play havoc on my putting. I missed 3 putts inside of 3 feet. Totally awful. On the 9th hole, we were tied with oour competitors, Jay and Paul, for the second half of the match's points. Whoever won the hole would get the points. Both Paul and Jay hit safe short shots. Mike hit to the right up in the trees and I hit a good 3 wood down the middle. My ball actually rolled through the fairway and was in the rough. Only problem is the ground it was sitting on was like a rock. My club bounced of the ground and I ended up sculling my shot over the green, and hence down the hill on the backside about 40 yards too long. I was able to get back up on the green but I rocketed my putt for par past the green nearly as far as I had to begin the putt. Truly awful.
Still I found out Mike and I are leading the league after 2 weeks and we still managed to take 3 out of 5 points for the week.
Still the slow greens play havoc on my putting. I missed 3 putts inside of 3 feet. Totally awful. On the 9th hole, we were tied with oour competitors, Jay and Paul, for the second half of the match's points. Whoever won the hole would get the points. Both Paul and Jay hit safe short shots. Mike hit to the right up in the trees and I hit a good 3 wood down the middle. My ball actually rolled through the fairway and was in the rough. Only problem is the ground it was sitting on was like a rock. My club bounced of the ground and I ended up sculling my shot over the green, and hence down the hill on the backside about 40 yards too long. I was able to get back up on the green but I rocketed my putt for par past the green nearly as far as I had to begin the putt. Truly awful.
Still I found out Mike and I are leading the league after 2 weeks and we still managed to take 3 out of 5 points for the week.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Single digits!
So my USGA handicap through GHIN came out on Sunday the 15th and I officially made my goal this year (just barely). I am now a 9.9 handicap. My goal was to get my handicap down to single digits this year. I did not think it would happen so quickly but I am hoping I can continue the trend even lower.
The only thing I am nervous about is getting my handicap too low. Every year I play in a big tournament in July and the players are ranked in A-D tiers. Each team has one player from each tier. I really don't want to be an A player because I don't feel I am consistent enough. The tourney is for some fairly large money and that is a lot of pressure. Maybe if I continue to play well my confidence will be high enough to feel like I can anchor a team.
The only thing I am nervous about is getting my handicap too low. Every year I play in a big tournament in July and the players are ranked in A-D tiers. Each team has one player from each tier. I really don't want to be an A player because I don't feel I am consistent enough. The tourney is for some fairly large money and that is a lot of pressure. Maybe if I continue to play well my confidence will be high enough to feel like I can anchor a team.
Playing the front 9 at Inverwood
Last weekend I finally was able to get my wife out on the course. We played with my dad and brother. My wife Lisa is not as avid (obsessed) a golfer as me so she does not want to play until it warms up. I really enjoy playing golf with her and I am always happy once she agrees to start playing in the year.
We decided to play one of my favorite courses around- Inverwood. I feel like this course is a secret and I don't know why. Inverwood is not the hardest of courses but the two great things about Inverwood are 1) You can get on almost any time. 2) You can play 9 holes on the championship course any time on the weekend.
While I would prefer to play 18, there are times when doing so conflicts with the schedule or with the wishes of my playing partners. Because of this, it is great to be able to still play 9 holes on a non-executive course and to still be able to hit a variety of shots.
As I said, Inverwood is not the toughest course but I think it is a real hidden gem. It has a lot of variety on each of the holes and is kept in tremendous shape. The greens are always fast and true and they keep the rough a little bit long as a true hazard. Played from the blue tees the course is a respectable 6724 yards. We usually play from the whites which is 6194 yards. The green fees are only $36 for 18 which I think is a deal on a this course. I bet we end up playing the course about 10-15 times a year, either 9 holes or 18 because of the ease of tee times, the course layout and condition, and the price.
Lets get on to talking about the course.
The first hole is a 3 shot par 5. Playing at 536 yards it is not the longest of holes but a dogleg left at the end to the green prevents second shot approaches. The best play is to stay on the right side of the fairway on your first tow shots. Just don't go too far right as a hill drops off once you leave the fairway. The third shot is to a slightly elevated green.
The second hole reminds me of a northern Minnesota golf course with the stand of pines to the left side of the hole. A downhill par 4 at 349 yards. The fai4rway slopes right towards a large pond that is hidden from the tee. Keep the ball left fora safe second shot to a large green.
The third hole is a tight par 4, 363 yards, that looks like you have less room off the tee than you do. The fairway opens up a little bit past the trees but you need to stay straight as right will block your approach to the uphill green and left risks the woods. The green is fairly deep front to back with two levels. Keep an eye on where the pin is.
The fourth hole is a slight dogleg right 352 yards par 4. Hitting the fairway is critical here. A large dead tree marks the start of trouble on the right. Playing left is OK but there is a fairway bunker to catch a lot of balls on that side. The green is protected on all sides by bunkers and the back of the green drops off towards the fifth tee. Don't go long. The left side also falls downhill.
Hole 5 is a tricky downhill 409 yard par 4. A large pond is to the right of the fairway. A red and white stake is visible from the tee that marks the edge of safety on the right side. Playing safe and hitting short of the water leaves a long second shot to a green that is well protected in front with sand and slopes away making shots hard to hold. Tree surround the green further back. By far the best play is a long shot to the left side of the fairway. If hit well you can get some roll off the hill and end up being a wedge away from the green. If you mishit this shot right it will be wet and left will be in some long grass or pine trees.
Hole 6 is a long 206 par 3 from the tips or a mid shot 160 yard variety from the whites. A small bunker in front is the only danger. The left side of the green drops off downhill and long will find a tough shot of a downhill lie.
Hole 7 is the second par 5 on this side and requires an uphill blind tee shot to a black and white aiming stake in the middle of the fairway. Do not try to go past the stake as danger comes in to play on all sides if you do. Miss the tee shot right and you will be in either a bunker or fescue grass. Miss to the left and your ball will be out of bounds or in some tough fescue. When playing from the whites I usually hit a 3 wood to the aiming marker which is out 250 yards. From the blue tees this marker is 270 yards. Once you reach the marker your second shot is over a cliff to a green located dead ahead. The green has bunkers on either side in front. A pond is at the bottom of the hill on the right and trees will swallow up your ball if you go right. From the aiming marker you are 250 yards from the pin so the safe play is to go at the green in two.
Hole 8 is a monster of a par 4 which plays most of its 453 yards up hill. The tee is elevated and requires you to miss the stand of trees on the right. Most likely this hole will be into the wind making it seem even longer. Your second shot is an uphill shot to the green, likely from about 200 yards. The green is bunkered on each side and has two distinct tiers, with the back of the green higher than the front. Not only do you have to worry about getting to the green you also need to place your shot to avoid a potentially difficult putt.
Hole 9 is a short par 3 but wind will affect which club is needed. A green side bunker is in play to the left. Don go long on the hole or you will likely be hitting your second from the first tee. The green is pretty large and offers a tough putt if you are not near the pin. In the picture you can see Lisa smiling because she hit her tee shot tight. She made her bird to finish.
We decided to play one of my favorite courses around- Inverwood. I feel like this course is a secret and I don't know why. Inverwood is not the hardest of courses but the two great things about Inverwood are 1) You can get on almost any time. 2) You can play 9 holes on the championship course any time on the weekend.
While I would prefer to play 18, there are times when doing so conflicts with the schedule or with the wishes of my playing partners. Because of this, it is great to be able to still play 9 holes on a non-executive course and to still be able to hit a variety of shots.
As I said, Inverwood is not the toughest course but I think it is a real hidden gem. It has a lot of variety on each of the holes and is kept in tremendous shape. The greens are always fast and true and they keep the rough a little bit long as a true hazard. Played from the blue tees the course is a respectable 6724 yards. We usually play from the whites which is 6194 yards. The green fees are only $36 for 18 which I think is a deal on a this course. I bet we end up playing the course about 10-15 times a year, either 9 holes or 18 because of the ease of tee times, the course layout and condition, and the price.
Lets get on to talking about the course.
The first hole is a 3 shot par 5. Playing at 536 yards it is not the longest of holes but a dogleg left at the end to the green prevents second shot approaches. The best play is to stay on the right side of the fairway on your first tow shots. Just don't go too far right as a hill drops off once you leave the fairway. The third shot is to a slightly elevated green.
The second hole reminds me of a northern Minnesota golf course with the stand of pines to the left side of the hole. A downhill par 4 at 349 yards. The fai4rway slopes right towards a large pond that is hidden from the tee. Keep the ball left fora safe second shot to a large green.
The third hole is a tight par 4, 363 yards, that looks like you have less room off the tee than you do. The fairway opens up a little bit past the trees but you need to stay straight as right will block your approach to the uphill green and left risks the woods. The green is fairly deep front to back with two levels. Keep an eye on where the pin is.
The fourth hole is a slight dogleg right 352 yards par 4. Hitting the fairway is critical here. A large dead tree marks the start of trouble on the right. Playing left is OK but there is a fairway bunker to catch a lot of balls on that side. The green is protected on all sides by bunkers and the back of the green drops off towards the fifth tee. Don't go long. The left side also falls downhill.
Hole 5 is a tricky downhill 409 yard par 4. A large pond is to the right of the fairway. A red and white stake is visible from the tee that marks the edge of safety on the right side. Playing safe and hitting short of the water leaves a long second shot to a green that is well protected in front with sand and slopes away making shots hard to hold. Tree surround the green further back. By far the best play is a long shot to the left side of the fairway. If hit well you can get some roll off the hill and end up being a wedge away from the green. If you mishit this shot right it will be wet and left will be in some long grass or pine trees.
Hole 6 is a long 206 par 3 from the tips or a mid shot 160 yard variety from the whites. A small bunker in front is the only danger. The left side of the green drops off downhill and long will find a tough shot of a downhill lie.
Hole 7 is the second par 5 on this side and requires an uphill blind tee shot to a black and white aiming stake in the middle of the fairway. Do not try to go past the stake as danger comes in to play on all sides if you do. Miss the tee shot right and you will be in either a bunker or fescue grass. Miss to the left and your ball will be out of bounds or in some tough fescue. When playing from the whites I usually hit a 3 wood to the aiming marker which is out 250 yards. From the blue tees this marker is 270 yards. Once you reach the marker your second shot is over a cliff to a green located dead ahead. The green has bunkers on either side in front. A pond is at the bottom of the hill on the right and trees will swallow up your ball if you go right. From the aiming marker you are 250 yards from the pin so the safe play is to go at the green in two.
Hole 8 is a monster of a par 4 which plays most of its 453 yards up hill. The tee is elevated and requires you to miss the stand of trees on the right. Most likely this hole will be into the wind making it seem even longer. Your second shot is an uphill shot to the green, likely from about 200 yards. The green is bunkered on each side and has two distinct tiers, with the back of the green higher than the front. Not only do you have to worry about getting to the green you also need to place your shot to avoid a potentially difficult putt.
Hole 9 is a short par 3 but wind will affect which club is needed. A green side bunker is in play to the left. Don go long on the hole or you will likely be hitting your second from the first tee. The green is pretty large and offers a tough putt if you are not near the pin. In the picture you can see Lisa smiling because she hit her tee shot tight. She made her bird to finish.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
A couple more shots from the Johnny Open Club-n-Cancer
A couple of shots my brother took of the tournament last week. Some pictures of me golfing!
Hitting the second from 196 yards out on the par 5 4th. Too bad I hit it 230 yards :(
My brother Mike
Me
Cart crash, one fatality.
Me on the 13th. 110 yards out. I hit it close and made the bird.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Columbia golf league week 4
Week two of match play was this week. Mike and I took on team 9 which was represented by Luther Salveson. His partner could not make it so he ended up going it alone.
The conditions at Columbia continue to be as bad as ever, possibly even worse. The fairways seem to be one of two extremes: Either vast dead brown swaths of winter kill or mushy mud holes. Apparently Columbia put in a irrigation system last year but what they seem to need to work on is drainage. Several of our shots this week ended up being submerged in standing water in the middle of the fairway. One particularly well hit 3 wood I hit landed squarely in a puddle and stopped dead. Had it been a normal course an additional 20-30 yards could have been had.
On an up note the greens are starting to grow in. The aeration marks that from last week have mostly recovered. However, the greens continue to be incredibly slow and bumpy. A couple of strokes were lost when the ball hopped off line from the hole this week. The other problem with playing greens like this is you need to "hit" the ball to the hole instead of letting it role out. This is really bad practice once you go play another course, where putting like that would result in hitting the ball entirely off the putting surface.
I did hit the ball really well. I had two bad putts and two bad chips that resulted in a score of 40. This was with one double and two bogeys. I did scramble well a couple of times and saved par with a couple of one puts.
Luther did not have such a fine day. he spent a lot of the day in the rough or hitting trees. Mike and I ended up winning all points possible for the match. We are now tied for first place with 6 points, the most possible after two weeks.
The conditions at Columbia continue to be as bad as ever, possibly even worse. The fairways seem to be one of two extremes: Either vast dead brown swaths of winter kill or mushy mud holes. Apparently Columbia put in a irrigation system last year but what they seem to need to work on is drainage. Several of our shots this week ended up being submerged in standing water in the middle of the fairway. One particularly well hit 3 wood I hit landed squarely in a puddle and stopped dead. Had it been a normal course an additional 20-30 yards could have been had.
On an up note the greens are starting to grow in. The aeration marks that from last week have mostly recovered. However, the greens continue to be incredibly slow and bumpy. A couple of strokes were lost when the ball hopped off line from the hole this week. The other problem with playing greens like this is you need to "hit" the ball to the hole instead of letting it role out. This is really bad practice once you go play another course, where putting like that would result in hitting the ball entirely off the putting surface.
I did hit the ball really well. I had two bad putts and two bad chips that resulted in a score of 40. This was with one double and two bogeys. I did scramble well a couple of times and saved par with a couple of one puts.
Luther did not have such a fine day. he spent a lot of the day in the rough or hitting trees. Mike and I ended up winning all points possible for the match. We are now tied for first place with 6 points, the most possible after two weeks.
Happy Friday
"I could not help saying that I never had played golf with anyone, man or woman, amateur or professional, who made me feel so utterly outclassed."
- Bobby Jones on Joyce Wethered, with whom he played a casual round at St. Andrews during his "Grand Slam" year of 1930
- Bobby Jones on Joyce Wethered, with whom he played a casual round at St. Andrews during his "Grand Slam" year of 1930
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Johnny Open Club-N-Cancer at Deer Run
Last weekend I had the honor in taking part in a Charity Golf event at Deer Run in Victoria, MN. This is an event that officially started this year by John Ericksen, a 20+ year cancer survivor. This year he decided to do a golf fund raiser to help raise money and provide the proceeds to a family who is battling cancer. He was able to raise a couple thousand dollars for Jim Crandell and his family. Jim has medullobla
After the round Johnny had a steak dinner and hosted happy hour. Unfortunately I was unable to stay as it was my mother-in-law's birthday so I made a quick exit after the round.
The course was in great shape. Especially the greens which were the most grown in and smooth I have played, even more so than Rush Creek. Though to be fair it has been a warm week for grass growth so I imagine the Rush Creek's are even better than when I played them.
Deer run is not a long course (6292 from the back tees). You can still use driver on most holes though doing so introduces a lot of danger that could be avoided if you were to stick with long irons off the tee. If you do use driver then you likely will only need driver and a wedge on almost every hole.
Here are some picks of the course:
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Playing Rush Creek
Tuesday I had the priveledge of playing Rush Creek in Maple Grove, MN. I have played this course three times now. The last time I played here was when they were redoing the greens in 2007. At that time they had temporary greens set up that were just parts of the fairway they had shaved down and turned into temporary greens.
Normal rates at Rush Creek are $109- a steep pill that does not include carts ($19 for 1/2 cart). They do have an awesome twilight rate of $49. For that rate it can be considered a pretty good deal.
I was really impressed with the course conditions. Unlike all of the other Minnesota courses I have played this year there was very little snow damage. The greens were nearly all pristine. I am told that in the summer the new greens can be like lightning. They were not too fast yet but were exceptionally smooth.
Twilight rates start at 4PM and I can imagine are very popular since you can shave off $60. We were able to get a 4:20 time, the earliest available slot for the day. For May early may the days aren't quite long enough to ensure finishing 18 before dark but luckily the day was sunny and there were no groups ahead of us to hold us up.
The Rush Creek web site is a little lacking on the course details. A shame as they should be bragging about thier course. A couple of the holes on the course (especially 13 and 18) remind me a lot of similar holes at Chaska Town Course- my favorite city course. Hole 18 is a nearly identical par 5 finishing hole with a dogleg left around a lake. At Rush Creek, the hole adds more pressure than Chaska as from the tee the landing area looks a lot smaller than at the Chaska finish.
Since the Rush Creek site is thin here are some additional details about the course from my round.
The course first opened in 1996 and was designed by Bob Cupp and John Fought. There are 5 sets of tees. The back tees called "The Duncan" that play to just over 7300 yards. Since it is still early in the year and since none of our foursome earns a living playing golf, we moved up 2 to the blue tees at 6550 yards.
Hole 1 is a 399 yard par 4. Water is off the tee to the right but should not come into play. Aside from a slightly elevate tee shot to be placed onto a hidden fairway with hills to the left and right, the hole plays straight. Two green side bunkers give a hint of the myriad of traps that you will see on the course.
Hole 2 is a dogleg left par 5 at 497 yards. The left side of the hole is a lake so water comes into play the entire length of the hole. A fairway bunker on the right always seems to catch my second shot, as it has done every time I have played this hole.
Hole 3 is a pretty non-descript par 3 at 157 yards. The green has several bunkers surrounding as the only threat here.
Hole 4 is another par 4, playing to 322 yards. Going for the green off the tee is discouraged by trees along the right side that shield the hole. The hole plays uphill most of the way.
Hole 5 is a downhill par 5 that offers a view of one of the few houses on the course and it is a doosey. I think that a member of the Cargill family owns the house. The hole played to 374 yards. The tee shot must be played away from trees on the left. Trees also line the right side but there is more room there. A couple of large fairway bunkers stare at you from the tee. As long as you play short of them the hole is pretty easy.
Hole 8 is a medium length par 5 at 548 yards. The tee shot should be aimed over the trees to the right to cut some distance off. Water will come into play on the left for your second shot and runs all the way to the hole. If you are going to bail, do so right. Any pins on the left edge of the green should not be challenged as the water is not far off the putting surface.
Hole 9 is a 418yard par 4 with several fairway bunkers to collect tee shots. You can play the ball extreme left as I did and avoid them but you run into some long wild grass areas if you stray from the hole. The green here is guarded by water right.
Hole 10 is a short par 5 at 518 yards. Simply avoid the right side of this hole where march land waits any unfortunate balls.
After 11 things start to get a little hairy. The level of difficulty ramps up a bit.
Hole 12 is a short medium length par 3 at 164 yards. Water comes into play on this peninsula green.
Hole 14 is an uphill par 4 that plays a long 440 yards. The tee shot must be long and straight to give a reasonable chance at one of the harder greens to hit. It is protected by water and a large hill in front.
The pressure eases on the par 3 169 yard 15th. With only some bunkers to worry about it.
Hole 16 (par 4 404 yards) is back to a large fairway welcoming your drive just stay away from the right side.
Hole 17 is a shorter 384 yard par 4. A dogleg left, if you can cut the bunker at the corner (about a 250-260 yard carry) then your next shot is a wedge over a couple front side bunkers.
All in all Rush Creek from the Blue tees is not too long. Most holes offer really generous fairways off the tee. Those couple of holes that do not (13, 18) really shrink in your minds eye since you are used to looking at such open spaces on the rest of the holes. From the blues, one of our foursome commented the course is really pretty easy as long as you hit your shots straight. The holes are short enough that most second shots do not require mid or long irons to reach the greens. Choose to step up and take it back a tee or two and this course could be a monster, even with the wide fairways.
With the excellent conditions and the great twilight rate I highly recommend Rush Creek. If you are playing during prime time there are better options out there for less, unless your company is picking up the tab.
For our round we just were able to get in our round. We might have been able to play one more hole before darkness but it would have been really close. We were able to be treated to a great sunset on the last hole.
BTW, the clubhouse has one of the best patios in any golf course in the cities. The food is pretty good at the restaurant too.
Here is a picture of the course layout:
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