As far as wacked out greens go, if anyone has the chance to play Trestle Creek, about an hour or so west of Edmonton, do it. Some of the craziest greens I've ever seen.
Yah I played there this summer. Smart of them to make the greens the way they did because the course is pretty lacklustre otherwise being still fairly young.
-Visually stunning. Some great views and some amazing views (both of the course itself and the landscape beyond). But take out 75% of the trees that were planted. Some of the plantings are kind of cool, but most of the trees will just block views and block shots, the latter of which the course doesn't need.
-I wouldn't want to play it all the time, but I'd definitely want to play it at least once a season. Not sure how it will do as a private course (if membership sales were were going so well, they wouldn't be letting people tear the place up for free), I think it would be far more successful being public because every serious golfer in the province would make a trip to play it and local ones would definitely keep it near the top of their list because it isn't a place that will attract a lot of hackers.
-The driveable Par 4s will be great golf, but will make pace of play a challenge (a worthwhile tradeoff. I figure pace of play is a problem at all golf courses, so it might as well be for something interesting).
-If you're a good golfer, there's a lot of opportunities for some fun golf (picking how much of a hazard to cut off, going for the green on a Par 4, picking between landing zones for your next shot). But if you're a mid-to-high handicapper I think a lot of it will seem like a grind because even with the good teebox variety, we just can't take advantage of those same opportunities.
-The greens were shockingly thatchy considering they were recently seeded. They look nice but play like crap, which was a shame because everything else exceeded expectations.
Would I play it again and play relatively regularly if given the opportunity? Absolutely. Would I consider joining? Absolutely not. Between Windmill's track record at not putting money into their courses, and a supposed $50M+ of construction debt that is dependent on housing sales to put a dent in, I fear the course will be on a downward right from it's official opening (and given the greens, they'll be working from behind already). I'd say if you get a chance to play it, do it as early as possible because it's definitely a unique experience and is a place every serious golfer in the city should make a point of trying to play. But I just wish there were a different group in charge because it's a course that deserves elite conditioning, and they just won't be given the resources to provide it.
An environment in which a person encounters only beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own, so that their existing views are reinforced and alternative ideas are not considered.
Got to play Cherry Creek which is a private course in Denver and what a treat that was. Course was great, in amazing shape, allowed us to play as a 5 some, mens only lounge. Country club life is where its at.
So I guess that's that for golf on Calgary this year. Seeing lots of posts on Facebook of courses closing for the season.
I'm off to California on Sunday. Going to play Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz. Super pumped to finally get to play an Allister McKenzie course. Then going to play Pacific Grove Links with the wife.
__________________ It's only game. Why you heff to be mad?
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I’ve decided to get my atrocious swing form figured out, so I registered for 16 sessions of golf lessons at GolfTec in Midnapore after the wife got me a free swing evaluation for my birthday. The swing evaluation was eye-opening, really enjoyed the lesson.
At some point I’ll get my club fitting done and score some better clubs than the dinosaurs I have now.
__________________
-James
GO FLAMES GO.
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All playgolf courses open again tomorrow as well, on reduced rates. I was surprised by the post saying it looked like that's that for golf in Calgary this season, to be honest.
With the hit they took on revenue in late September, early October I figured almost everyone would scrounge together whatever late season revenue they could muster up.
Ever had a bad day on the course? Ever had 58 penalty strokes on a weekend? Ever birdied the last hole to shoot a round of 127?
Quote:
The rules have changed since the last time Lee Ann Walker competed in an LPGA-sanctioned event. She found out the hard way.
Walker shot rounds of 85 and 74 at the Senior LPGA Championship.
That was before she had to add 42 penalty shots to her opening round in French Lick, Indiana, and 16 more to the second round, giving her scores of 127 and 90.
So I guess that's that for golf on Calgary this year. Seeing lots of posts on Facebook of courses closing for the season.
I'm off to California on Sunday. Going to play Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz. Super pumped to finally get to play an Allister McKenzie course. Then going to play Pacific Grove Links with the wife.
Pasatiempo is one of my favorite courses. Played it a few years back when I did the Pebble loop and it was my favorite of the bunch. Enjoy it!
BTW... Tiger played there once and took a snowman on 16 (you'll understand when you play the hole). Said he would never go back!
Pasatiempo is one of my favorite courses. Played it a few years back when I did the Pebble loop and it was my favorite of the bunch. Enjoy it!
BTW... Tiger played there once and took a snowman on 16 (you'll understand when you play the hole). Said he would never go back!
There's the green on 16. Three tiers of craziness!!
Hard to see but the pin is back left on the upper tier. I hit a perfect driver into the hazard and made a nice bogey after a penalty drop.
Second picture is the tee shot on #7 that they talk about on the NLU video. It's so unbelievably tight off the tee.
Green fee is a bit pricey with the exchange rate on top, but it's a bucket list type course. My only regret is I let the staff talk me out of walking the course. It's very definitely walkable.
__________________ It's only game. Why you heff to be mad?
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^^^ Glad you enjoyed it. It has a real soft spot in my heart. I went snowman-snowman on 11-12 (got left on both) and was ready to commit serpuku. The members I was playing with helped me get the ship righted and get me caring again by 16. Talked me into hitting a 4 iron off the tee to the top of the hill and let it release down to the rough - everyone else was in the junk left. Hit a wedge into the backing and pulled it back to about six feet, and made the birdy. That's when they told me about Tiger's visit. Must have motivated me as I birdied in including almost holing out on 18. Save for two holes was a memorable round that has put Pasatiempo near the top of course to play "one last time."
Did you stay at the "hotel" at the course? That definitely adds to the charm of the experience.
