Jags,
My first post here will unfortunately be photo-free, but I had to write about the round Mark Ehling (who 30%+ of you know) and I played today. (photos forthcoming on future posts)
It was at the Hyland Ski & Snowboard course -- which, if you saw Leonard's video link, was the Sunday round of the Minnesota Majestic tournament (that had the playoff between "the kid" and some other guy). The course is not to be confused with the 9-hole Highland Park in St. Paul (which Leonard has played).
Here is a link to some basic stats: http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=307
There was only time for one round as they were closing the course at noon. They actually let us in for free (it's $3 round or $5 day normally). Aside from a few holes which have some ugly ski equipment stashed along the sides of the fairway, the course is quite a spectacle.
The conditions:
Weather = 75
Wind = modest
Bugs = a plenty
The course is par 58 according to the scorecard. It is the only course i know with a Par 5 hole - a 545 foot straight uphill monster. There were 15 par 3, 2 par 4s, and the 1 par 5. As with most pay courses, it was well labeled and extremely well groomed.
It is also the only course I've played with a 700+ foot hole (Hole 18 - which has a spectacular view of a lake, the Minneapolis skyline, and, well - you can see forever).
Mark and I have been playing weekly since Madison. He has been beating me pretty regularly since he got some fancy plastic a month ago. I was 2-4 against him so far this year heading into today's round.
Mark decided to try out a brand new Wraith, which disappointed him greatly today. He has been throwing a Valk something fierce all summer though. And putting like a madman.
This was my first round testing out the "pro" putting style (though i had not had a chance to practice that style before the round). Overall, in this low 'n' sample of 1 round, I did find my long putts (30+ feet) to be much more on target -- almost all of them hitting metal (and none going in).
The front nine had 1 or 2 birdie holes, of which Mark nailed one. I was out in 32, he was out in 31. There were a couple blinds drives, and a few up some severe slopes of...well, I need Leonard to judge, but i would say just shy of 45 degrees (and there were some rough slopes off the fairway in excess of 50 degrees).
The back 9 proved more difficult, though it had the best holes. There were several pins precariously placed at the top of some woods which, unbeknownst to us, frequently had severe slopes if you overshot or rolled. I had one triple and one double on the back 9. Mark avoided triples and doubles (his two 5s were on a Par 5 and a Par 4).
There is perhaps the most beautiful hole I've ever played. Ander, who has played this course once, described it thusly: "A big hyzer drive, down onto a little plateau of a green that's covered by trees." Mark and I both jagged it with bogeys, but it was breathtaking.
In addition to gnats, endurance played a big role today -- the hills really give you a workout. We were both pumped at hole 18, though, in all its 710-foot glory. Straight downhill -- it turned out to be my only biridie of the day (a 3, it's designated as Par 4).
Final scores:
Mark: 68
Eric: 70
We'll definitely be tackling this beast again, with camera in hand...
4 comments:
Great. Yeah, this is a fun course. It's a little bit overreliant on the hills for my taste (the best holes are the ones where there are obstacles, the trees on the ridge in particular, and some of the best holes, as you mention, are on the back). Downside: when I played this course the scorecards and posted distances on the signs were not even close on some holes. So DO NOT throw according to the posted distances. Maybe they were in the middle of changing pin positions or something. It is also a haul uphill and down as Eric mentions. And I suppose this is closed during the snow season, but that's probably for the best, since it would be a bitch to find discs with elevation in play.
Excellent post. And welcome to the blog, SrJag.
Great post, E. And I second that not-to-be-overlooked observation: this course seriously tests your legs and lungs. I noticed more than a few times that after huffing up those huge hills my putts didn't have that extra spring from the legs. That, and I could also be a pussy.
ASM: true dat. The posted distances are way off. At one tee box--10 or 11 or 12--someone had scratched off the existing distance and written in with a sharpie: FAR.
Sad we forgot the cameras, but thank god there's flickr.
Nice 3 on hole 18, Eric. That's the same score some of the pros got on it during the Minnesota Majestic tournament.
Post a Comment