Sam Weitzman-Kurker
Great point, totally agree... what were your thoughts from North Berwick?
Link to commentDan Griffith
One of the great what-ifs from that '89 Masters is if Crenshaw manages a par at 18 and joins the playoff. We'd still be talking about that birdie he makes on 17 if he won (hitting lumber into 17!).
Link to commentDan Kilgore
I just returned from a trip to Ireland and had the privilege to play Lahinch. Wow, just wow. I am absolutely enamored by the course, the village, the setting… all of it.
I could happily play Lahinch every day for the rest of my life. Neither words nor pictures capture how great it is (although Darragh and the FEG team do a noble job of trying).
Link to commentBrian Decker
Oh my goodness, that's heavenly! And yeah, after playing North Berwick the day before I was kind of expecting a similar 18th hole, but I thought it was kind of a clever way to make two same-length holes with similar topography play slightly differently, and honestly I'm glad it's like that.
Link to commentSam Weitzman-Kurker
Never thought about 17 and 18 that way, but great point. I wonder if that's why 18 is what it is. I've always been surprised the tee isn't on the other side of the 3rd green. The hole would then be ~300 yards. The OB right would come into play, and with the hollow short, it would be very similar to 'Home' at St. Andrews and North Berwick.
Not to make you jealous, but I was back a couple of weeks ago and got the last tee time out. It was only 1:30pm though so I didn't have to contend with darkness. I hit probably 20 shots a hole. I would drop balls in the fairway from angles I wanted to try out. I did the same around the green. On 10, I dropped 11 balls from the top of the hill and hit a shot with each club. Holed out with my 8-iron! Truly a spiritual experience. I don't know what I did to be lucky enough to have that experience.
Link to commentBrian Decker
Loved this. Had a chance to play it in some truly awful weather last month and found myself grinning ear to ear during the experience. Felt like some sort of rite of passage being out there on a 'can't stand up your bag because it will blow over' kind of day. I really liked how 17 and 18 are understated, but still solid golf holes offering varying takes on the same left-to-right sloping piece of ground.
What I'd give to go back and hit a small bucket of approach shots into some of those front-to-back greens...
Link to commentWilliam Rankin
I have heard Andy say one of his goals is to have the best coverage in golf media for one of the majors each year. I just want to say, y'all are crushing it. FEGC just continues to get better and better and better.
Link to commentAdrian Mazzarolo
Hey John!
I'm also in Toronto and have adopted a new love for playing with hickories. Let's try to get some rounds in this season!
Link to commentJohn Matthew Iv
61, no kids, no interest in fighting, huge interest in playing golf with antique hickory clubs. I live in downtown Toronto so I must travel to play.
The season is starting soon, would love to play with fellow podcast listeners.
Link to commentKevin Smith
I second Dan’s suggestions! Jeffersonville and Glen Mills are definitely worth a play. Also, if you’re out by Reading, check out Galen Hall. It has a lot of charm.
Link to commentWill Knights
Good color here. Thanks for the note. The punchbowl was something I would have loved to see for sure. From everyone I talked to it seemed like it was one of the highlights of the round
Link to commentWellman Brady Hughes
One recent history note: ACC has had 2 significant projects in the last 10 years. The 1st, in 2017-18, was related to ANGC land purchase, and more of a comprehensive renovation involving resurfaced fairways, new fairway bunkers + several new greenside bunkers, and major routing/design changes to holes 8 and 9. The 2nd, in 2022-23, primarily involved construction of current Tift-eagle bermuda greens and surrounding aprons. I mention here b/c, except for 8 and 9, the 1st project left intact the then-existing bent grass greens--constructed in ACC's last major renovation, allegedly from 'discovered' Ross plans--which had more visible internal contouring, and were (in this commenter's humble opinion) overall more interesting, and had more variety/quirk, than the current greens. For instance, there were several Raynor-like square fronts, some severe false fronts, and others w/ more obvious tiers and waterfalls. Notably, # 16 was a really cool punchbowl green, which might have been the most memorable hole on the course. However, many of those features (e.g., punchbowl 16th) were softened or removed in the 2nd project, which (to be fair) was time-required, and had a reasonable basis for upkeep and playability reasons. That's nothing to detract from the routing, land profile, and overall design principles, which are mostly still there, and make ACC a really fun place for daily play. Though, those interim years b/w the 1st and 2nd projects--when the course stabilized from the 1st project changes while still benefitting from prior bent greens--might have been the course's recent peak in design/playability. As with the now, long-lost Raynor-designed "Lake Course": such is the nature of time and change.
Link to commentTerry Wisse
#18 Jasper Park Lodge. Big sweeping down hill par 4 to a 40 yard deep green with the Rocky Mountains for backdrop.
Link to commentPearce Barringer
I'm scared to give my roster a clever name for fear of the Green Jackets removing my name from any future ticket lottery.
Link to commentPearce Barringer
I've got another one, can't help myself.
ANGC is known for naming things after people. We've got Rae's Creek, Butler Cabin, the Sarazen/Hogan/Nelson Bridges, the Eisenhower Tree, Berckman's Place, the MacKenzie Bunker, and Ike's Pond.
I feel like we are due for a featured named for Jack, but I'm struggling to think of a good option. My best pitch is the pond on 16. He's got history there, plus I can already hear the announcers telling us to tune in to watch the competitors skip balls across Nicklaus's Pond on 16.
I'm not sold though. If you had any sway, what would your pick be?
Link to commentMatt Rouches
City Park is really solid but nothing really jumps off the paper there imo. There is a cool redan par-3, a few other interesting holes and an egregious design disaster worthy par-5 between two ponds.
Link to commentBeau Scroggins
I have to imagine that there's gonna be a lot of similar picks to the ones you and I made. 🤪
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