OK, this one was looong overdue. Things have been busy and I just have not had the time to get this one done.
The last day of our trip to Giants Ridge is traditionally played at the Quarry. After the windy day we had at the Legends the day before, our round at the Quarry was under sunny skies with little wind.
The Quarry, is in my opinion the finest course I have played anywhere. We Minnesotans are extremely lucky to have this course in our state. Built in 2003, since it opened it has consistently been the top 1 or 2 public courses in the state and ranked as #20 in the US for public courses by Golf Digest in 2010.
The course is cut out of an old mine quarry (hence the name) and much of this character has been left intact with large waste areas that hearken back to the lands original use.
Hole 1 starts out with a 409 yard par 4. Tree lined on both sides off the tee you must find the fairway which is quite large at over 50 yards across.
The fairways were absolutely perfect. Being on them is a bit surreal, like walking on AstroTurf of something - they are so smooth and uniform.
If your tee shot clears the hills off the tee your second shot will be slightly downhill with bunkers protecting the front.
I parred the opening hole.
Hole 2 is my favorite hole from the tee that I have played. A 558 yard par 5, the hole is divided into a landing area for the tee shot. From there you can try a massive carry towards the green in 2, that requires carrying a huge waste area and bunkers short, or you can play over the stand of trees to the second fairway.
The green is heavily bunkered short to make a shot on in 2 very difficult. bunkers left also guard the green. A backstop right can be used to funnel your ball towards a pin located where it was when we played.
From the back of the green you can see the hill (on the left here) that can funnel balls to the green. Long will run off the putting surface though.
I was able to utilize the back stop and had a tap in par after missing my bird.
Hole 3 is a long 405 yard par 4 that plays straight. A break in the fairway about 100 yards out divides the hole. The tees are elevated and offer a great view of the hole. The green is sloped pretty severely on this hole and long is trouble into the woods. I made bogey here after missing the green short and not getting down from there.
Hole 4 is the first par 3, a bear, at 228 yards. The hole is straight and there is plenty of room to come up short on the hole. Bunkering on all sides but the font protect this large green. I popped up my tee shot here with a hybrid 3 and had about 180 yards in which I cam up just short on. After an ugly three putt I had my first double of the day.
The 5th is short par 5 at 485 yards. From the tee you can decide if you want to try cut the corner over the large left side bunker. If you do you can attempt to reach this one in 2. If you play safe away from the left it becomes a three shot hole.
I hit a blast of a drive over the bunker and only had 170 yards in. I hit it fairly tight but missed my eagle putt and had a tap in bird.
Feeling good after my bird we headed to the 6th with me being 2 over now. The 6th is a 346 yard par 4 that requires an accurate tee shot to carry a large deep waste area off the tee. The green is an elevated shelf that offers plenty of problems if not close to the pin. Short of the green is long grass that is nearly impossible to hit out of, much less find a ball that lands there. I managed to hit my shot fairly close and hit my birdie put for back to back birds! A fist time for me doing that. Now I was down to 1 over for the nine!
Hole 7 is a 175 yard par 3 that requires carrying all the way to the green over a large waste area and up over the large embankment in front of the green. A daunting tee shot but if you just focus on the distance it is not bad. A fairly large backstop behind the green as well as a shelf on the green allow you to hit long and play it off these slopes if the pin is located below the, That is what I did to make par.
Hole 8 is a 455 yard par 4 and the hardest hole on the course, due to the length and trouble on either side. You must hit the fairway off the tee or you will find the woods. A large waste area right off the tee makes you think. The green is extremely deep so factor in the extra distance needed to carry to the back. T he green does fall off in the back. Today the pin was in the very front but it was not enough for me to save par on. My second came up short of the green and I failed to get up and down and scored a bogey. Back to 2 over.
Hole 9 is a 353 yard par 4 that always seems to trip me up. I refer to this hole as "the chute" because of the tee shot which looks like you have to hit into a tunnel. With hills on either side it seems impossible to be in a good position off the tee. The fairway does actually open up quite a bit in the landing area, especially right but going too far right blocks a good look at the green. The green has a false front and a lot of undulations. Today the pin was in the back left corner which is a harder spot to hit then you might think. I hit a good tee shot, but again came up short and my ball rolled off the front of the green on my second. I chipped on but required two putts to find my bogey. Still that gave me an out score of 39!
Hole 10 is not near the clubhouse so the turn really doesn't exist at the Quarry. There is a little tent selling hot dogs and hamburgers beside the 10th tee. The hole itself is a 347 yard par 4 that tempts you to cut off as much distance off the tee as possible over a lake on the left. If you hit driver you need to carry that water for if you hit right you will run out of fairway and find the trees. If you can clear the water it is possible to be 30 yards or less from the green. Thee green is protected on the right by a bunker.
Hole 11 is a par 3 at 142 yards that again requires carrying a waste are front and over long grass on the embankment in front of the elevated green. Today the pin was hanging on the far right which is the only place you can come up short as there is a small fairway landing area on that side. Make sure you take enough club as long is better than short. I missed just right of the green but was able to putt from just off and made par.
Hole 12 is a 436 yard par 4 that requires another straight tee shot to avoid the trees on either side. The tee shot needs to be a good one on this long hole. This is one of the narrowest fairways on the course. The green falls off right but banks on the left side can funnel balls onto the putting surface. I managed to find the center of the green in two and made my two putts for par.
Heading to the 13th I was even on the back. 13 is one of my favorite holes I have ever played, only slightly behind hole number 2 on this same course. One of the reasons I love this hole so mush is the challenge it offers to try go for the green off the tee. I have made the green 3 out of 5 times I played here. However I have never made anything better than par as the green is huge and even getting on in one can offer an easy 3 putt opportunity.
A view from the tee. From left to right: Me, my father-in-law Bob, and my brother-in-law Jeremy.
Me on the tee. My drive was a beauty high and dead straight. I landed on the green and stuck nearly where it landed. I was right of the pin, slightly downhill and some 30 feet away.
My eagle putt was pathetically short and I had about 10 feet left for bird. As I lined up my second putt I kept thinking unless you make this, that tee shot is for naught. Luckily I hit a good stroke and my putt dropped for bird! No I am looking at 1 under on the back. One of the very few times I have been below par on a side.
Here Jeremy lines up his birdie putt. He hit his drive short but stuck his second close and had this putt which he made.
Hole 14 is a 499 yard par 5 that requires a good drive to clear more waste area short. Fairway bunkers on the left are placed to collect tee shots hit to that side. They did their job on my shot and I found myself in the second closes bunker.
The second shot is to set up to a green that is elevated and protected by a tree just short of the green. Going for this green in two is hard since the green is elevated and running the ball up is not likely. The green itself has some big contours and is fairly small. I managed to get on in regulation but had an ugly three putt to suffer a bogey. Back to even on the back.
Hole 15 is a 431 yard par 4. it is a fairly strange hole as it requires you to lay up to only about 220 yards out from the pin off the tee as the fairway ends and drops off a cliff. From the edge of the fairway you must then hit a looong iron shot onto the green. The green is relatively flat but is protected on all sides by bunkering except for a the front side. The left side bunkers are sand, the right are grass.
This hole always seems to be a three shot hole with one chance to get down for par. I failed that (as I have every other time) and scored another bogey. Now to one over on the back.
Hole 16 is the second par 5 on the side at 502 yards. The tee shot is another challenging look that requires something less than driver off the tee. You can hit driver to the left side but if you miss right, the fairway runs out and you can find a waste area on your second.
The green on 16 is divided in two left to right and requires hitting to the correct side if hoping for an easy couple of putts. I made par here after getting on in three, and making my two putts from the correct side of the green. Still one over.
Hole 17 is a par 3 over water at 181 yards. The hole always seems to play longer as it is usually into the wind. The green is huge and relatively flat. The tee shot is also even with the green so no elevated tee advantage here. I hit the green but was a long way from the pin. I did make my two putts for par. Still one over.
My dad on the tee.
My dad from just off the front of the green. The pin was in the middle of the green, giving some idea of the size.
Onto the final hole, the 448 yard par 4 18th. This hole is always a puzzle to me off the tee. A dogleg left, you see from the tee the the Embarrass Mine lake past the fairway. You have a choice of trying to cut the corner or play to the dogleg and having a long second in. With my score at only one over I decided to play safe and hit 3 iron off the tee. I wanted to cut the corner slightly but not get near the danger that lies to far left. I pulled my shot a little and left myself out to the right of the dogleg in the fairway.
My drive was to the right of where the carts in the picture above were. I was left with some 230 yards
to the green. ON the second shot you have a nerve racking approach to the green. Right is dead and if the pin is right you must carry some of that doom to reach near the pin. There is a hill to the left that you can play off of to funnel the ball onto the green. Last year Jeremy played that hill and made an eagle to finish. I decided to stay away from the right and try to use the hill like he did. I hit a really good 3 iron but my ball hit the front side of the hill and didn't reach the green, instead coming up just short.
From the front of the green I failed to get up and down when I chipped on and my putt lipped out; but I had a tap in bogey to finish the back at a two over 38.
You can see my ball just short of the green in this picture. I missed my par attempt.
A view of the final hole, looking back.
So the trip up north has come to an end. I played the best golf of my life this weekend. It is always really fun to be able to play golf with my family. Too bad my wife injured her thumb and was unable to play with us too. At times it felt like I was possessd by another person, hitting the shots I did. I shot rounds of 77, 82, and 77. While not my lowest score ever (76) they were by far the best rounds. Especially the round at the Wilderness where the pins were in the hardest locations imaginable and I still shot 77.
One more shot from the round at the Quarry, the deck overlooking Embarrass Mine lake. Try find this view anywhere else.
