Garrett Morrison
Interesting to hear. There are a few sections of longer, fescue-type grass that might brown out later in the summer, but immediately around the holes it's very monochromatic. It's a little hard to believe that the club's agronomy team will allow nature to take over pretty much anywhere on the property. That's just not their ethos. So even if they do develop a few alternative grass types in the rough, I would expect the results still to feel very... curated.
Link to commentGarrett Morrison
I must admit that I was obsessing over the green's construction (surprisingly built up!) rather than contemplating its place in history when we were finishing out on 11. But I believe there's a Bobby Jones plaque by the tee.
Link to commentSam Levin
I was told last year that the club is experimenting with a variety of grass types in the rough. The goal was to present a less uniform color/texture in the rough, but more importantly to create varied lies that are difficult to predict. Not sure how much truth there is to that, but it would make sense and align with some of Garrett's critiques about naturalized and varied rough. And also align with Andy's take that unpredictability is one of the best ways to challenge elite ams and pros
Link to commentReed Passafaro
What was it like to stand on the 11th green? Is there a plaque there to mark the history, similar to the one on 18 for Mr. Hogan’s shot?
Link to commentGavin Cosgrove
Me and friend looking into traveling over to Colorado/Nebraska from Ireland next year for a golf trip. Looking at early September hopefully it might line up with a FEGC event 🙏🏻
Link to commentJeff Thomas
KVV, any precedent for athletes having equity in the league they are playing in? Seems like that could get messy even if it actually becomes a viable product.
Link to commentJustin McCarthy
Thanks for writing this! I decided to take a 24 hour trip to DC from NC a few months ago to see East Potomac and I am so glad I did. If people were actually being genuine when they talk about wanting to "grow the game" then the golf world would invest in more facilities like this.
Link to commentAndrew Schaefer
I had the chance to play Ballybunion way back in the summer of 2004. We made the trek only the be greeted with the worst weather I have ever golfed in. Steady rain and strong wind for at least half of the round made it both difficult and amusing. It's a fantastic treat to play and I have never seen anything like it to this day. The scale of the land is truly wild in person. I loved the variety of holes, varying undulations, and many visits back and forth from the coastline.
Link to commentNicholas Fotiu
Spending a day here seems like it would be pure delight! Love the quirks!
Link to commentChris Hampshire
Great review of the top public course in the DelMarVa seashore area in my opinion. Rum Pointe was always first on the list when my old golf trip group would set up our annual early season visit to Ocean City. Thanks for sharing your personal memories of this memorable and affordable track.
Link to commentJeff Baxter
As a resident of Bethany Beach, DE, I can say that Rum Pointe is the best public access course at the beach. Happy it means this much to you Kevin! Next time you are at the beach, let me know and I'll take you out to play my club - Cripple Creek Golf & Country Club - just outside of Bethany.
Link to commentDale Miller
I really liked that last question and last response. It helped me not to just see a name and think it must be a great course, but to realize that even the greats created duds. His analogy with the Beatles was spot on. Awesome article!
Link to commentPhilip Benedict
Hey Garrett did you play County Sligo while you were in the area? I loved it!
Link to commentMatt Rouches
Thanks for reading Eddie. Please review our “how we rate courses” article. 1 Egg is very high honors and just my personal opinion.
I visited the course multiple times over two years,
spent many hours with the club historian and Tom Doak and produced a 20 minute video highlighting Crooked Stick’s history and its significance to Pete and Alice and their architecture. I’d like to think I fully understand the profound significance this course meant to them and golf course architecture broadly.
That being said, I prefer to focus on the golf course itself with my rating rather than putting too much stock in historical significance and its wider influences. I’ve read a lot of what Doak has written about Crooked Stick over the years and most of it refers to previous iterations of the course. During a recorded conversation with Tom he said he thinks that the course from the 1980s was more compelling than it is today because Pete’s flair has been subdued over the years to accommodate the modern game and high level championships.
Link to commentJerry Simmons
I travel to Indiana for work monthly, and I absolutely love the Warren Course. Best $65-75 for a round of golf thats an easy walk. It’s great having projects in Lafayette, South Bend and SW Michigan, the travel benefits when traveling with clubs is well worth the time on the road.
Link to commentJerry Simmons
I know I’m late to the party here, but I’m a Duke member, and I live 20 minutes from all three of the RDU University courses. Lonnie is currently closed, replacing the bent grass greens with Bermuda. Finley has been closed for the last 3-4 weeks for summer maintenance and reopening in the next week to 10 days. The new layout is fun but the first hole is a par 3, and there are 2 par 3 holes in the first three holes. Really awkward start, but it starts to flow much better after the 4th hole.
Duke is a great classic RTJ layout that doesn’t fit any part of my game, but my HC travels well.
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