There goes Doral.....

I find that the newer drivers, for instance I use a G30 LS Tec, seem to have about 300-500 less RPM of spin. You might be able to get even less with the right shaft.

Played Whistling Straights yesterday. Some thoughts about the PGA:

I played from the tips, which were 100% back on 15 or so holes, and 1 tee up on the others. I drove it terribly, but never really felt that punished. Fairways are already firm and will run a lot more when the pros get there.

All 4 par 5s are reachable for longer hitters. Hole 2 is ~600 but a lot of longer players will hit irons in (lots of run), 5 is ~600 but it's a dog leg. I hit a perfect drive and had a 250 carry in (it was about as far as you can hit it since you can't really take on the dog leg. 11 is 618 or so but if you hit it in the right spot it'll roll 100 yards. 16 is 550 or so and easily reachable for a lot of people.

In general I'd say holes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 16 can be very easily birdieable depending on the hole locations. Most of the greens are pretty flat and will be easy to make putts. 4, 8, 15, 17, and 18 are the only tough holes on the course and 15 is the only realllly hard hole I'd say.

It all depends on the wind though. If it gets blowing it'll get harder, but if it's calm the guys will eat it up. I didn't have longer than a 7 iron into any par 4 from the 7600 yard tees and I hit a lot of odd looking drives. It's an awesome course though.

Nice, get any pictures or anything?

Whistling Straits definitely on the bucket list. Is it worth the money?

What is the cost normally? like $150-$200 or is it way pricey

$385 + $65 (mandatory caddie) + ~$40 (caddie tip, per bag)


http://www.americanclubresort.com/golf/golf-rates

Yep I would say that is pricey

seems like if you're going to go there, it might be right to look at a package and play all 4 courses.
http://www.americanclubresort.com/packages/dye-abolical

I did a package deal a couple years ago. Stayed in the Carriage House, played all 4 courses. Cost me ~2k total iirc.

can't wait till I can afford expensive golf trips like that

Ever tried spikless? I got the Oakley Cipher 2 and I love them. I have a pretty fast swing and never slip and they are so comfy. Feels like you're wearing slippers almost. They have newer models now, but here is the ones I have...

http://www.amazon.com/Oakley-Mens-Ci.../dp/B008O4JHQW

I've heard Whistling isn't even the best course there.

I liked whistling way better than the river course. I've never played the other two.

Erin hills is really awesome too... played that on Monday. That'll be a really fun US open, some crazy greens and endless fescue.

I'll try to post some pics of both when I get a few.

Any good blog recommendations for guys trying to make it? Similar to pgc threads in 2p2 I'm looking for interesting blogs about people trying to improve and playing at high level. Doesn't have to be tour, could be high level Am stuff just as long as it's well written and about playing competitively.

Use this forum, there are some really good threads from the past

A lot of locals say that the Irish is the best, followed by Whistling Straits, but I sometimes get the feeling that this is just everybody trying to have a hot take. They're both amazing.

You can get on all the courses a lot cheaper in late September and early October. If you're thinking about a trip, go to the website and sign up for the email list where they'll advertise the reduced rates/specials.

The 2015 Van Courtlandt Club Championship has started again, it's Match Play and last year I did shot for shot rundowns of all my matches en route to an unlikely 2nd place finish. Figured I do it again...

Was matched up against a guy who looked to be about 40 years old, he walked with a pronounced limp and seemed to have something wrong with his left leg, this prevented him from getting his weight through to his left side during the swing and cost him some distance. Other than that his game was ok, but of the several people I've played in this event, he was the least skilled. On to the match:

Hole 1: Par 4, 370 yards
Me: 18 degree hybrid to middle of fairway. This was my first swing of the day, no warm up, and my swing was pretty tentative. I was just happy to make contact and get the ball airborne.
Him: Driver sliced into right rough, tree problems between him and the hole.
Him: Wedge into trees at about the apex of the shot, landed in the right rough well short of the green.
Me: 52* wedge from 116 to a back right pin. Didn't make the best contact and wound up on the front of the green with about 40 feet uphill for birdie.
Him: Poor pitch from about 50 yards short of the green, landed in the rough just short of the green.
Him: Chip to about 15 feet.
Me: Weak putt left about 8 feet short. The greens were slow and I had not hit any practice putts before the round.
Him: Missed his bogey putt, double conceded.
Me: Lagged the 8 footer to tap in range and won the hole with a 3-putt bogey.

1UP

Hole 2: Par 5, 619 yards.
Me: Decent drive to left rough.
Him: Poor drive to right rough, just inside some very tall native grasses which would often be a lost ball.
Him: Punched back in play, advanced the ball about 150 yards.
Me: Horrendous lie, I think I should have actually asked for relief it was so bad. Ball was in a deep crater with a shelf of compacted dirt and grass behind the ball making it basically impossible to hit the ball. The ground my ball was lying on was sunken about 2 inches from the ground surrounding it and the back of my ball was up against a wall. I tomahawk smashed a 21* hybrid through the soil behind my ball and basically exploded the ball forward on a cloud of dirt. The ball went 50 yards if I'm being generous.
Me: 3 wood from 280, SMOKED. Rolled it up to about 5 feet in front of the green. There were people on the green putting when I hit and I never thought I would get that close.
Him: Fairway wood or hybrid from at least 200 yards. He hit a good one and was about 10 yards short of the green, behind my ball.
Him: Chip to about 6 feet.
Me: Putt through a good 5 feet of fairway (I could have chipped or even hit hybrid) that I left about 7 feet short.
Me: Miss, bogey.
Him: Miss, bogey.

Hole 3: Par 3, playing 157 yards.
Me: Choked down 7 iron, told myself, "just don't hit it in the sand". Straight into the sand on a fly.
Him: Another poor strike and he is short of the trap I am in, short and right of the green.
Him: Decent chip to 6 feet.
Me: Excellent bunker shot that stopped on a dime about 4 feet from the hole.
Him: Miss, bogey.
Me: Made it. A very solid up and down.

2UP

Hole 4: Par 4 364 yards.
Me: Hit one pretty hard down the left side, rolled through fairway and into rough.
Him: Low bullet going dangerously left, hit the downside of a mound left of the fairway and caromed towards and OB fence.
Him: Provisional to middle of fairway.
Him: 1st ball was lost. Played 4 from middle of fairway to long left of green.
Me: Sand wedge from 76 yards in the thick rough. I put a nice 3/4 swing on it and landed it softly about 5 feet from the hole.
Him: Skulled chip over the green.
Him: Poor chip that just trickled onto the green, well short of the hole.
Me: Conceded birdie.

3UP

Hole 5: Par 4, 345 yards.
Me: 3 wood hit well just into the right rough.
Him: Driver pulled left, clipped some leaves about 150 yards off the tee but got pushed back in play.
Him: Really solid iron shot uphill to a blind green from about 200. Rolled up to 5 feet short of green, front pin location.
Me: 52* wedge from 107, uphill and into the breeze, but it was still a bit too much club. I shortened my backswing a bit, but as is often the case, this didn't seem to take much distance off and I made solid contact. Ball sailed about 5 yards over the green into some thick rough.
Me: Flubbed the chip, just trickled onto the green. Left me a 20 foot downhill slider for par.
Him: Chip to about 5 feet.
Me: Cautious putt guarding against a 3-putt, left it in the jaws about 6 inches short. Bogey.
Him: Missed it, ouch. Nothing is going his way. Hole is halved with a pair of fives.

Hole 6: Par 4, 295 on card, not playing nearly that long. I lasered the front of the green at 250.

Me: Cut driver that just caught the lip of a greenside bunker guarding the front left of the green.
Him: Good drive down the middle, just a little pitch left.
Him: Pitch onto the green, 20 feet left.
Me: Bunker shot I must have swung way too hard on. Flew the ball just over the green.
Me: Thick lie in the rough just off the green and all downhill to the hole. I didn't hit a very good one and it stops about 15 or so feet short on the downslope.
Him: Too aggressive with his birdie bid and he slid it 5 feet past.
Me: Another downhill putt where I'm guarding against the 3-putt and leave it just short. Bogey.
Him: Left the 5 footer for the par and the win short. He's throwing away holes left and right. Bogey, halve.

Hole 7: Par 3, playing 216 yards.

Me: 21* hybrid that comes off like a rocket on a much lower trajectory than I was looking for. Flew over the left side of the green and landed hard on a downslope which kicked it violently towards an OB fence.
Him: Landed short right of the green, straightforward pitch.
Me: Provisional that went much higher but still went right over the back left pin and over the green. This one landed much softer.
Him: Pitch to the middle of the green, 25 feet for par.
Me: Lost ball, I assume it went through the OB fence but I never found it. 4th shot was flopped up pretty nicely but just came down in the last foot or so of rough, I had no green to work with and needed to be aggressive anyway.
Me: 5th was a chip that ran 6 feet by the hole.
Him: Par putt to 3 feet. Conceded bogey.

2UP

Hole 8: Par 4, 318 yards.
Him: wood/hybrid to right rough.
Me: 5 iron to left side of fairway.
Him: Iron that came up 20 yards short of the green.
Me: 52* from 116, landed 12 feet right of the hole.
Him: Chip left 10 feet short.
Me: Missed, rolled out about 2 feet past the hole. Not conceded.
Him: Just missed, bogey.
Me: Par.

3UP

Hole 9: Par 4, 391 yards.
Me: Good drive down the middle.
Him: Decent drive just into right rough.
Him: Good shot out of a bad lie in the rough from about 150. Right at the hole but got a bad bounce off the front of the green. Wound up in left fringe.
Me: 52* wedge from 121, I hit it nicely and it stuck about 15 feet right of the hole, pin high.
Him: Rolled it up to about 4 feet.
Me: Pretty good putt but missed just on the high side. 2.5 feet past the hole.
Him: Par.
Me: Terrible stroke and it hit the right edge of the hole, did a victory lap, and dropped. I got away with it, but what an awful putt. Par.

3UP after 9.

Hole 10: Par 5, 475 yards.
Me: Overcooked a draw into the left rough.
Him: Nice drive down the middle.
Him: Slice into the right trees, 100 or so yards short of green.
Me: 21* hybrid from 215 in the rough. Airmailed the green. I have no idea what happened here, I definitely do not hit this club that far.
Him: Wedge just over the back of the green.
Me: Decent pitch that landed on the green and checked about 15 feet short.
Him: Bladed a chip through the green.
Him: Mediocre chip, 20 feet.
Him: Miss, conceded 7.
Me: Miss, conceded 5.

4UP

Hole 11: Par 3, playing 152.
Me: Smooth 8 iron that never left the flag. Stuck like a dart 3 feet right of the hole.
Him: Poor shot to left rough, well short of green.
Him: Chip to 10 feet.
Him: Missed. Hole is conceded.

5UP

Hole 12: Par 5, 572 yards.
Me: Ballooned drive to right rough.
Him: His best drive of the day.
Him: Solid 3 wood to about 120 short of green in fairway.
Me: Dead pull into the left trees. Ball came straight down under and behind the trees.
Me: Had no shot due to overhanging limbs and a tree trunk between me and the hole, I didn't even bother to get a distance. Played a closed 21* hybrid back in my stance and tried to swing a low hook under and around the trees. Ball came out whistling and glided like a laser, never getting more than 3 feet off the ground. It turned perfectly around the tree in front of me and ran through about 40 yards of fairway up onto the green tracking straight for the pin. Barely missed the hole and stopped 3 feet past. The ranger saw it and started clapping from his cart. Easily the best shot I've hit all year.
Him: Good wedge to 15 feet, he knows this is not his day.
Him: Miss, conceded Par.
Me: Birdie.

6UP, dormie.

Hole 13: Par 3, playing 162.
Me: Smooth 7 iron to the middle of the green.
Him: Front left of green, pin is back right.
Him: Weak putt left 15 feet short.
Me: Very nice lag to a foot on a severely sloping green. Match conceded.

6&5

Good start out of the gates. My next match should be sometime next week. I'll be sure to update the thread. Thanks for reading.

Thanks Brooktoon.

Man id love to play in something like that. You interested in a twoplustwo match play? Lol.


Also, love the write ups. One of my favorite things to read.

Are you handicapped into a bracket or is it luck of the draw who you play?

Ballpark yardage on

?

I'm in the championship flight, so we don't use handicaps. It is recommended that you be single digit to play in this bracket. There are 3 flights and a senior tournament. The other 2 flights are 10-19 handicaps and 20+.

The draw is random, no seeds.

Going to Sea Island for a week with family. For anyone that has been and played there I will likely play 2x. Which 2 to play between Seaside, Frederica and Ocean Forest (or any other)? Ocean Forest seems to be the consensus best down there but I am open to other thoughts.

Great write up and grats!

btw, those yardages are boss. what does the course play and what tees do you use?

and that guy was in the championship flight?