one more spot claimed by @Twowaymiss , one spot open.
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I need to get out there so bad, but I think my marriage may not survive if I tried to join with my work schedule for the next month.
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Unless this was already claimed I should be able to join. @Creags check your inbox!
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Final spot is Mr. Cline’s!
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Also because I’m a gentleman, @methridge if you want any course advice from a shaky 9 hdcp I’m happy to oblige since I hosted @jack67 for our bracket match earlier this year. Feel free to hit me up, or if the masses are interested I’d be happy to do a short hole-by-hole primer.
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This would be absolutely delightful if you have time.
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Preferably in a tik tok video format.
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Damn, saw this too late. If someone drops out of the extra group i’ll hop in
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We should be able to make that happen.
Absolutely not, I’m too old for that shit.
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Same I watch tik toks that are a month old on instagram like the responsible adult that i am.
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I’m Switzerland as both finalists are top blokes. But, I may be digging for some Cleveland colors before I head down.
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Could not agree more with this. Going to have a deserving and well liked champion this year either way.
Jack feels like he should always been in the running for this one and Mike has been to the Final before.
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I think it’s worth noting that CCC put me into a putting blender for about 3-4 weeks after playing. I’m not sure if playing it once before is a good or bad thing for the psyche.
@Creag you’ll have to scout the stimping over the coming week to really get us amped!!
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Yeah, they punched the greens at the beginning of August so they’ve slowed down a bit since we played, that was probably about the peak speed wise.
They were in pretty good shape this past Sunday. Still got about 15’ above the hole on 7 and was pretty happy to only have 10’ on the comebacker.
I am truly honored to not only compete for the OATW match play cup, but also to engage an opponent as formidable as @jack67. Big thanks to @Albatrossity @Creags and the rest of the CCC membership for hosting the event. I will be dedicating my performance to all of the Ohio mothers and veterans; they’re the real heroes.
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Reading this I’m already sweating (not just because of the heat). I’m setting the over/ under on number of approach shots I leave short of the green because I’m trying to stay below the hole at 8.5.
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Going to try to keep this brief but fail miserably, TL;DR it’s a classic Donny Ross with some quirky features.
First from the Club website:
One of Columbus Country Club’s greatest assets is the golf course, built in 1907 by Tom Bendelow and re-designed by famed Donald Ross. Our course has been newly restored by Kevin Hargrave under the Master Plan of Keith Foster. Columbus CC has the most unique land features and routing amongst surrounding clubs in the area. CCC has hosted three professional events, including the 1964 PGA Championship, won by Bobby Nichols over the likes of legends Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
Some highlights:
- The original 1964 PGA Championship scoreboard is still intact and preserved in the clubhouse, really cool to check out for any golf sickos.
- Several historical layouts and renderings are in the locker room, including the original 1914 Ross re-design.
- The predominate feature is a ridgeline that bisects the property and comes into play on holes 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12 and 14.
- Course plays as a par 35/37, starts with 6 straight par 4s and then comes back with 3 par 5s on the back.
1: Generous downhill tee shot off the ridge with only real trouble on the left Second shot plays an extra club back up the ridge. Green slopes pretty good from front to back so want to stay below the hole if possible.
2: Playing back down the right a bunker on the right sits usually about 210-230 from the tee. Either lay back and have about 130-150 in or try to play past the bunker as the landing area tightens up. Miss to the right off the tee is better than left where OB comes into play. There is a ridge that runs from the back middle to front left of the green. Better to come in from the right. Tricky hole that you appreciate more each time you play it.
3: Tee shot on 3 is fairly flat but a bunker on the left comes in anywhere from 230-250. The choice is to either lay back and have a 130-150 shot back up the ridge or carry the bunker and have a half wedge in. Plays an extra club up the hill on the approach. Green is one of the more severe front to back slopes on the course, try to stay below the hole if at all possible. Savvy players take a peak at the pin when teeing off on 1 to get an idea of where you can/can’t miss.
4: #1 handicap, about a 430-440 par 4, lateral hazard all the way down the left. Miss right isn’t the worst place to be, you can usually get an opening, it’s not as bad as it looks off the tee. Starting about 50 yards out from the green the fairway starts to canter downhill towards the green so it does give you the option to run one up if you get into tree trouble. One of the bigger greens on the course with some break but fairly straight forward compared to the first 3.
5: Downhill tee shot off the ridge, par 4 with bunkers and heather on both sides, along with the ridge on the right . Usually about 240-250 to carry all the bunkers and have a wedge in or try to lay back just short of the bunkers and have 150-160 in. Green is flatter than most but right of the green is usually dead with a bunker and the heather covering the ridge, left or long you can get away with for the most part.
6: flat but deceiving tee shot, plenty of room further back but the bunkers (left) and Heather (right) start to pinch in the further up you go. Right side of the fairway gives a better angle but plenty of room to run a ball up if needed. Green has a tricky ridge that runs horizontal through the middle that gives the green a bit more nuance than at first glance.
7: first par 3, usually plays about 160 ish. Stay below the hole at all costs, getting above the hole makes this hole much more challenging. Short in the fairway or even the bunkers isn’t as bad as it seems off the tee, long is completely fucked.
8: first par 5, only about 480 but very tight off the tee, get it in the fairway and you can have a go at the green, miss the green and you’ll just want to punch back into play and give yourself a comfortable third. Bunkers off the tee are usually about 230-240 ish to carry (notice a theme? Mr. Ross knew how to place his bunkers). Green is small and decently sloped but not super tricky.
9: second par 3, usually plays around 160-180, right is dead with bunkers, left has a bailout short grass area that’s fine. If the pin is on the left you may get a tricky chip from the left side but usually manageable. Anything in the center of the green is a good shot with a reasonable birdie chance. Green is one of the more subtle on the course but has a ton of small bumps and mounds, one of the hardest greens to read as the break can vary greatly depending on where you are putting from and the pin location.
Difficulty really ramps up on the back, especially the last three.
10: dogleg right par 5, hole runs along the top of the ridge line and anything left off the tee is dead, good chance you can have your ball tumble all the way down to 5 with is about a 30-40’ drop. Directly over the bunker on the right is the ideal line but requires about a 250 carry, otherwise between the bunkers off the tee is good. Everything falls to the left up by the green, short left is as tough of an up and down as you can imagine as the fairway sits about 8’ below the green, right is tough as well because everything is going to be moving away from you on the pitch and will almost assuredly run off the green. Center of the green and a two putt is a good outcome.
11: Fun downhill tee shot between bunkers on the left and right, not really a lot to this hole. The green has some slope from the back right to front left but it’s manageable, bailout to the right is ok but will give you a little uphill chip off a tight lie.
12: Short 4 and my favorite hole on the course, bunker on the right is about 240 to carry if you want to take an aggresive line and get one close to the green. The alternative play is about 220-230 off the tee to the crook of the dogleg giving a full wedge in. Bunkers line the left side of the dogleg and lead to a full bunker shot in if your ball runs through the fairway. Green has some slope but isn’t bad.
13: Short par 3, usually plays around 130, really the only place to miss is short left, everywhere else is a tough up and down with the green being raised up quite a bit from some spots. Green is fairly big and has a good amount of undulation, anything on the putting surface is a good shot. Just as easy to make a 5 here as a 2.
14: Uphill par 4 with a blind tee shot, ideal line is over the bunkers on the right, about a 200 yard carry, between the big tree on the left and right side of the bunkers is usually a good spot. Left of the big tree off the tee could flirt with OB or heather and right of the bunkers is heather as well. The green is a bit of a funnel/saddle shape with both the right and the left moving downhill towards the center of the green. Bailout to the right is usually fine, bunker on the left isn’t great but manageable, and long is usually dead.
15: Straight away par 5 usually plays about 500-510. Tight-ish off the tee with bunkers on the right and heather on both sides of the landing area. Green is well guarded with a cross bunker about 50 yards out and then a bunker on the right and left greenside. The first bunker on the left is more of a visual distraction than actually in play, but makes you be thoughtful about laying up. Typically if you are in the fairway and can get a ball over the cross bunker up by the green, if you are in trouble laying up short of the cross bunker to a comfy number is the play. Green is small and slopes pretty hard back to front.
16: Hardest hole on the course imo, par 4 that usually plays about 430-ish. Tee shot needs to find the fairway with a bunker on the left and trees overhanging the fairway on the right that can chew up balls and rob you of critical distance, no real place to miss. Second shot will be anywhere from 170-200 to one of the more undulating greens on the course. the left side of the green is a fairly straight back to front slope, the right side is a bit of a punchbowl, the green is basically bisected in two sections. The proper miss is the side opposite the pin, if the pin is on the left the left bunker is dead, if it’s on the right the right bunker isn’t as bad but still not great. Just a really hard golf hole that usually swings a match one way or the other.
17: Longest par 3 on the course, usually plays anywhere from 200-220. Left and short miss are ok, right and long are going to be much more difficult up and downs. Green is raised and sloped back to front a decent amount so you can run one up if you’d like. Any par here feels like you are gaining a stroke.
18: The finisher is a long dogleg left par 5 that usually plays about 550 that wraps around the driveway back towards the golf shop. Anything in the fairway off the tee is in good shape and you can usually get it up by the green. Left is lined with trees, the houses on the left are OB, but once you get past the last one the range is not OB and you can find/punch out your ball if you go left. You can get a decent amount of roll out on the tee shot, and if you are feeling yourself you can give a driver off the deck a go as a few folks round these parts have successfully pulled off but usually this is going to be a three shot-er. Green isn’t overly tricky here and usually presents a good chance to finish with a birdie.
In my humble opinion it’s a great match play course that offer opportunities for a lot of back and forth action, should be a great finale!
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THIS is big time!! @Creags well done!
Many matches come to a close on 16 & 17 but 18 is such a great finisher for a match so fingers crossed it’s a meaningful hole when we get there.
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Hoping our hosts have requested the most diabolical pins possible in honor of this momentous occasion.
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