Can we go early? Like 12-1?
Unfortunately I don’t think that early would work this week.
I can be fairly flexible next week. Let me know if there is a day that works for you, otherwise we can push it to the following week.
Tuesday next week?
Yeah, that should work.
What time? I’ll line up either Troy Burne or Stoneridge.
2-3ish work for you? But could do earlier if it works better for you.
I would love to see what KU is taking home, I’m still a member. My brain still likes playing for “free” when I go to the course.
The course that I grew up playing. Don’t get out there much, but the greens are almost always pretty pure.
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Might have from for one (or maybe two) for some twilight holes at Keller on Thursday night. Sadly the tee time isn’t until just after 6, so it’s probably only 11 holes and then a beer in the parking lot.
I probably need to adjust the tee time by Wednesday at 6 pm, so let me know if you are interested.
It’s $27 to walk.
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I played eagle creek about 5 years ago in a junior tournament and remember how good the greens were. Got any tips on how to play it? I think @LJP has mentioned that he was there for awhile as well. Any help I can get would be great.
Awesome!! Yes, I fell in love with golf out there. Started mowing greens when I was like 15 and worked out there for 6 summers in total.
It has been years since I played the course, but I doubt a ton has changed. The greens were always in phenomenal shape. Like you said, not a long course but it has some challenges. Here is what I remember about each hole (it has been a while, but this will be fun…)
#1 - Shortish par-5 opener, find the fairway and it is reachable in 2 for sure, get it to the top of the hill and it’ll roll a bit into probably long-to mid-iron in range. Pin location guess is probably middle right or left bringing either green side bunker in to play. Deep bunker right of the green can be tough.
#2 - Cool uphill little par-3. Probably a 8 or 9i, they can tuck some pins behind another deep bunker left, but middle of the green is solid and a putt. A bit of a false front, so short is not good. Pin location guess is front left or front right, bringing that false front into play.
#3 - Shortish par-4 well less than 400 I think. A drive along the left side of the fairway will kick right. If you go long and right you flirt with some water. I pretty much lived way right on this hole for some reason. A really big green to hit into and there are some tough pins, particularly on the right side of the green. That is my pin location guess. Middle right, tough little subtle ridge that runs along the right side of the green and can eject some bad chips that miss short right.
#4 - Longer but reachable, generally uphill and into the wind par-5. Hit a good drive over the water and then fire at the green. OB left, but you can miss right or short and still approach the green that is two tiered. Tough to get close in 2, but reachable. Otherwise, lay-up and wedge in and it is a birdie hole all day with a good drive. Pin location guess is middle left of green just on top of the second tier. TOUGH spot if so. Bunkers right and left of the green.
#5 - One of the tougher holes out there, longer par-4 with a dogleg right, protected by the water a bit. It is less than driver off the tee and a longer approach. 4 & 5 can be exposed to the wind as well. The approach can be over water depending on how you play it, but another middle of the green shot and a par on 5 is probably gaining strokes on the field. Pin location guess: Short right front edge of the green making the approach a little testy. A bunker sits behind the green left, which takes away just bombing in your approach because hitting out of the bunker onto a green that slopes slightly away from you toward some water can be testy.
#6 - Downhill par-3. Long is dead, water, but another somewhat false front-ish hole with a bunker left front. Bailout is right with green to work with coming back depending upon the pin. Pin location guess is either right middle, taking the right miss away a bit, or over the bunker left.
#7 - Shortish par-4 that has a slight dogleg right. It might be less than driver off the tee depending on how you are feeling. I always used to blow drives way right and go the “back route” which is in between #3 and the trees down the right side of 7. If you are far enough right you can get over them approaching the green. Otherwise it is a wedge in from the fairway to another tough green with a bit of a false front. Pin location guess: Back left side over bunker. Approach should be short right of pin.
#8 - Another shortish par-4 where I think the play is driver over the trees. If you pull that off it is a flip wedge over the ravine short of the green hitting into a tough narrow green. Miss right or left, not long or short here. Short is trouble into the ravine and long is a tough chip back onto a narrow green running away from you and back down into the ravine. Pin location guess: Far left side of green.
#9 - Medium par-4, dogleg left. Depending on how you are hitting your driver it is probably bombing it over the trees and as close to the green as you can. If you do that, miss right, not left. Left is pretty tough down in the trees left of the green. Right provides more of a miss area. If you lay-up it is a mid to short-iron in, but the layup can be narrow and there is a fairway bunker on the edge of the dogleg that can get in the way. The green is pretty flat. Pin location guess: Right edge of the green over the bunker making the approach short narrower and probably center of green.
[Side note: I read a rumor that Mackenzie himself laid out the original 9 (current back-9) on a train stop on his way out west. Makes sense since the train tracks used to literally go right through the course basically, but who knows]
#10 - Short par-4, dogleg right with trees and the road lurking right. I have launched many a ball onto the road and into the lake WAY right, but in tournament play this is almost certainly a mid-iron off the tee and a wedge in. The green can be tough as there are two tiers with a big ridge in between - it’s all about hitting the right tier, so don’t be long or short. The upper rider is bigger. Pin location guess is either on the upper tier right before the drop off which can be brutal, or down below so that you have to keep your approach below the green or hole.
#11 - Literally a 270yd. Par-4 that will test the hole field. Obviously driveable, but you better hit a good shot if you go for it. Creek running along the left of the hole and big hill to the right. It begs you to hit like 7 or 8i off the tee into the fairway and wedge in, which would make it like the easiest hole out there, bit sitting up on that elevated tee box looking at the green, I don’t fault anyone for being goaded into going for it. Small green, pin is probably on the right side is my guess, makes for a slightly tougher wedge in.
#12 - Longer uphill par-4, can be a tough hole. Pretty wide with some tree trouble right and left, just gotta hit the fairway and have an iron in. The green is big with some subtle movement, but pretty straight forward. I bet the pin is along the left side so if you get aggressive you bring the deep green side bunker left in play. (Edit: after looking at the scorecard I was shocked to see this hole only plays 332)
#13 - Longer par-5 that plays downhill and doglegs left. If you hit a good drive it is reachable in 2 for longer players, but it often plays with some wind and will require 2 great shots. Otherwise it is a layup to a decent sized fairway short and a pretty easy wedge to a smallish green that falls off left. The pin is probably either short right or along the left side.
#14 - Medium 4, pretty straight, this one demands a good drive. If you hit it well, the approach is cool because depending on where you are it can be a bit blind and you don’t see the ball land on the green. The green is small but has a little movement and a bunker right. Hole location is probably middle right.
#15 - Another cool shorter par-4 that doglegs left. If you try to carry the dogleg you will be down in a ravine with a tough uphill approach to a short green. The play is probable something to the top of the hill and a short-iron in. The green does have a little false front I think and it’s small. The pin is probably on the front right or left.
#16 - straight forward par-3 that will be a short to mid-iron and plays to a decently large green. They can tuck the pins a little bit up against the right or left in the middle or back to make it a tougher shot, but I think middle of the green here does you nicely.
#17 - another short par-4, it plays roughly 270-280 I think? You literally have to look into a tall mirror next to the tee to see the green clear and can decide either to hit a perfect 3W or Driver up to the green, or layup with a short to mid-iron and have a similar approach in. Green side bunker left, I bet the pin is middle left bringing that bunker into play. The fairway crests a hill and then there is a big downhill and back uphill to the green site. Let me take a moment to say that there are a number of holes on that back-9 where you can tell that whoever routed the place knew what they were doing. Some super unique stuff with fun holes, playing multiple directions and making for neat shots and fun decisions.
#18 - medium par-4 that is a tough-ish finisher. Gotta hit a good drive in order to have a mid-iron in to a pretty flat green. If you are out of position off the tee it will be a tough 4.
Well, that was a fun stroll down memory lane. I walked the course with a wedge over Thanksgiving in 2018, but otherwise I have not played out there for a very long time, probably 5-10 years. Man, all-in-all after walking the course in my mind just now, I have to say it remains one of the most enjoyable places I think I have ever played. Lots of fun shots, asks everything of your game despite not being long, just a real treat of a golf course. I consider myself super fortunate to have found the game of golf there and it will always hold a special place in my heart.
@SilverPheasant how did I do guessing the pin locations? @kirkeide1 if you need pointers, Jim is your gui. Especially on 17 which he aced at some point recently and mentioned it in the “how many aces” thread. Between Jim and @jshel, anyone know who laid out the 2nd 9 out there? I have never seen an architect name. I would be curious to know who did it. While it is clearly a more modern take than the back, there are still good holes out there for sure.
Let me know if and when you end up playing there and how it goes!! Good luck!
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Wow
Had no idea that would end up so long. Literally from memory. I knew that place like the back of my hand for quite a while. I grew up out there in many ways - so many good memories.
My parents moved to Brainerd this weekend and to be honest the fact that it is now unlikely that I will ever get back to play there again is probably the single toughest thing for me about them moving away from my hometown.
Very cool write up man. Loved every bit.
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The wow was admiration
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Thanks man, glad you enjoyed it. If you ever find yourself out that way it would be worth making some time to play.
Dude, this was awesome. Thank you. That back nine is a ton of fun. I’m curious on how it’s going to score. Feel like the back is more scoreable than the front just because of how many opportunities there are but it’s also more likely to blow upon that side too.
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Of course, thanks for asking, I really enjoyed that mental stroll haha. But yeah I totally agree on the back-9. There are risk/reward opportunities if you get aggressive, particularly off the tee, but if you sit back and just put yourself in the right spots and hit your irons well you will be in good shape. When is the qualifier? Is it 36 holes?
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Tuesday, just 18. Start on 10. Hope to start quick on those first 4 holes on the back and keep it steady after that.
Nice! You mentioned you have played out there before, right? How have you scored out there in the past? I would say 11, 13, and 17 are definitely scoring holes on the back. Nice to be warm coming to 1 which is an opportunity, same with 3, 4, and finishing with the 7-9 stretch which is gettable.