As Mark Twain said, when some people get a batty idea in their head “there’s no getting it out again.” Czabe misses the boat completely by completely ignoring the agronomy. The added trees were KILLING the greens. All those roots were leeching nutrients form the soil. The leaves were shading parts of the greens relying on sunlight. Every...
My U.S. Open preview piece is here. From the article: There’s another factor that will definitely affect play this year: over 4,000 trees were removed from the property. Almost all of the trees in question were not originally part of the golf course. Some were added for “beautification,” while others were planted in dedication of a deceased member...
I told you it was the best new private last year. When all is said and done, it will be one of the best in history. Oh..and did you catch “Grateful Dunes?” I vote for a big par-4 17th called “Morning Dew” and a reachable, but stunning par-5 18th, “Sugar Magnolia.” Other holes I NEED to see…Jack Straw, Eyes of the World, Dark...
I’ll write more when I get time, but I had a pleasant and interesting round on one of Tillinghast’s lesser-known but excellent designs on Long Island. Southward Ho is everything you’d want a private club to be: collegial members, an interesting design with solid greens, not too hard, featuring excellent caddies (ask for Pete) and reasonably...
Two bits of golf news today: First, Liberty National, just across frpm Wall Street in New Jersey got their wish and landed the 2009 Barclay’s tournament. Many of the old guard mourn the loss of Westchester from the schedule, but hey, the PGA gets much closer to the deep pockets of Wall Street. Follow the money. I reviewed LibNat (as she is affectionately...
[Author’s Note: This piece was supposed to be published as my 2007 Hootie at Bulls Bay wrap up, but between work at both jobs, tax season and other articles, it fell by the wayside until tonight. I hope you like it.] The members of Bulls Bay Golf Club in Awendaw, South Carolina are blessed with a privilege unique in the world of golf. They belong to the only...
AWENDAW, SC – Charles Dickens wrote in his classic novel A Tale of Two Cities:  Sadly, sadly, the sun rose; it rose upon no sadder sight than the man of good abilities and good emotions, incapable of his own help and his own happiness, sensible of the blight on him, and resigning himself to let it eat him away.             Dickens was wrong. ...
Golf and rock and roll frequently work well together. Granted, they are not meant to be fused at the hip or married at the altar. Quiet, solitude and relaxing commune with nature are the essential therapeutic attributes of the game. Nevertheless, like a great rock concert, golf can also be exciting, electrifying and euphoric. The “roaring on the pines”...
Since it’s the holidays, it’s time to wind up the year with the Annual “Jay’s Golf Awards” a.k.a. the Jazzys. Today – Best New Private Course. This one was easy. At Ballyneal Golf and Hunt Club, Tom Doak built the O’Neal brothers a brilliant rejoinder to nearby Sand Hills and a terrific sister course to Pacific Dunes. The...
BALLYNEAL GOLF CLUB One Ballyneal Lane Holyoke, CO 80734 970.854.5900 info@ballyneal.com Architect: Tom Doak Par – 71 Excitement Level – 12/12 Difficulty – 9/12 Cost – NA/Private Memberships – start at $50,000, but will increase. Call Ballyneal for more details. Design – Seven stars (all ratings out of seven) Conditioning –...
HOLYOKE, CO – Life sure looked good through Eddie Peck’s rose-colored glasses today. After setting down his trademark Connecticut wrapper cigar and taking that Iron Byron swing of his, Steady Eddie, owner of Black Mesa Golf Club outside Sante Fe recorded the first hole-in-one of his life. He aced the 5th hole, a 171 yard par-3 with an 8-iron. What a...
Here’s the breakdown for the Fall tour. I’ll be reporting live from three different areas of our great golf nation. Part 1: Denver – Red Hawk Ridge, Pradera, Fossil Trace – The “Jim Engh” leg of the tour. Happily, he’s been building in a more expansive area of the country now, so people are getting to see his work. His design...
BAYONNE GOLF CLUB One Lefonte Way Bayonne, NJ www.bayonnegolfclub.com Architect: Eric Bergstol Par: 36-35=71! Excitement: 10/12 Difficulty: 7/12 Design: Six stars (out of seven) Natural Setting: Five and 1/2 stars Conditioning: Six stars Value: NA/Private, $125,000 Initiation Overall: Five and 1/2 to Six stars Eric Bergstrol is a real estate developer in the Tri...
We’ve already reviewed Liberty National. Later today I’ll have visited and reviewed its neighbor and rival, Bayonne Country Club, designed by Eric Bergstrol (the genius behind the $85 twilight fee and $125 public rounds at Pine Barrens, Twisted Dune and others.) This time Bergstrol wisely skipped over having Roger Rulewich design the course. Perhaps its a...
Competition is tough this year for the awards for best new courses – both public and private. Let’s take a close look at some of the favorites and dark horses. 1. Private Remember this name – Ballyneal. You will see it again for a long time. Word on the street is that this course is the strongest design of this year’s crop of private courses...