Ok team, so here we go with part two of day 186 of puregolf2010 and I have quite the act to follow up after JP has painted quite a picture of the National Golf Links of America.
Before I start gushing superlatives about Shinnecock I??m going to pin my colours to the wall and declare Shinnecock as one of my absolute hands down favourite golf courses. Top 5 this year without one iota of doubt. The story of Shinnecock is not about the cocktails, the swish locker room (great showers) or the food ?? it is about the golf course: this is pure golf. Allow me to elaborate?
Shinnecock was originally designed in 1891 by Willie Dunne on this magnificent piece of rolling land in Southampton on Long Island (it is right next door to NGLA and another club whose clubhouse blots the skyline and is called Sebonack). The course immediately appeared on the USGA radar and hosted the 1896 US Open (won by Foulis) one of four Opens that have been held here (along with the 1986 (Floyd), 1995 (Pavin) and 2004 (Goosen) Championships).
Lets now fast forward to the present day and our host for the afternoon, Mr David Jennings. David hails from Connecticut but has been a member here for many years. Yet another great guy we??ve met who is part of the financial world and now keeps himself busy as a company director and helping friends out here and there? By the looks of David??s golf swing he must have done quite a lot of business on the golf course over the years as he definitely could play. David is a true gentleman who is quite rightly proud of the club that is Shinnecock. It??s generally not about crazy nights in the clubhouse here or wining and dining large outings of clients here but about taking on this spectacular golf course.
So to the golf course and the beautiful array of colours that lay out on the wide open expanse laid out below the clubhouse. From an elevated tee by the pro-shop (where earlier Dodgy had made quite the impression on the staff and visitors) the round begins with a straight forward opening hole played down into the battle ground.
Our first taste of the small greens here at Shinnecock which are very traditionally designed and much smaller than the traditional links style greens across the way at NGLA. Shoulders roll off the bunkers and you can??t be short-sided and expect to recover. Many of the greens have a false front and angle away from you making the landing area appear very small from down on the fairway - a very simple but effective design. Fortunately the putting surfaces were not rolling at US Open pace and mere mortals like us could have a chance today.
The course routing is brilliantly done as the holes wind around the huge property so that you are constantly faced with a changing wind direction. Only twice do holes consecutively run the same way, on the 2nd and 3rd, and then again on 11 and 12. And from most holes you look up the hill at the grand clubhouse looking over the golf course.
Walking down the 3rd hole, a par four played to a fairway angling away to the left, I thought to myself I should not have had that Southside over lunch and ??the fairways should not be rolling at me like the ocean?. The heat was scintillating - we had picked a scorcher of a day for our double header with the mercury hitting 100 most of the day? The second and third holes run in the same direction away from the clubhouse and with little wind the first four holes are flat and generally left me asking, is this it?
So +1 through the opening four and then we arrived at the number five hole after guzzling a couple of liters of water which crucially made the fairways stand still. The 5th is the first of two par fives and the first of a couple of birdies today. Jamie learnt a lesson not to go over the green where there is a steep drop off and when the pin is tucked tight to the top of the hill you just have to take your 30 footer for par and walk off..
The 6th hole is the only hole on the course with a water hazard and is aptly named ??pond??. The number one handicap hole at 456 yards it plays through a myriad of bunkers both and the fairway and the green. This is the hole where two solidly struck shots leaves you putting for birdie and pleased to have missed the real experiences with the hole.
The 7th (below) is a world famous hole for both the right and wrong reasons. The ??Redan?? as JP explained below described a hole where the green is tilted from right to left, guarded by a by bunker short and angles away to the left. Eg, you need to come in with a very high cut to hold the slope, or preferably bounce the ball in through the opening on the right. The Redan at Shinnecock formed part of the original al design by C B Macdonald and was wisely kept by Mr Flynn. This is the hole that the USGA had huge issues with during the 2004 Open when the greens were just too fast and after 6 groups had played the hole the average score was 6-point-something. So they decided to water the green after each group thus favouring the later groups and all hell broke loose. But they had to do something as the hole was swiftly becoming completely unplayable. All three of us missed long which left us playing up to a green sloping away from us with the pin tightly cut near the top of the slope. Dave went first and didn??t get it up the slope so it came tumbling back towards him. JP went second and gave his chip a little much juice and was left with a 30 footer back up the hill. Then Dave tried again and did something quite spectacular, holing his shot from off the green ?? a shot many of the pro??s would have paid huge money for ?? particularly those in the first 6 groups! I opted for the texan wedge and rolled it just over the crest of the hill for a cheeky par.
The 8th and 9th holes play back in general direction of the clubhouse with the 8th a short par four with a green that slopes away from you and is devilishly difficult to hit, and then the 9th climbs up to the clubhouse for a truly spectacular finish to the nine with the bunkers (see photo two below) guarding the front left of the green. A miraculous up and down and I was out in 35.
To the back nine and the rollercoaster 10th hole which plays uphill, downhill and then back uphill. If you bomb it down the hill you??re left playing a wedge into an elevated green with the most severe false front I??ve seen. A ball hit with spin will literally roll off the green and then 40 yards back down the fairway. That is not an exaggerated ??40 yards off the green? but you??ll actually have close to a full swing getting it back up top. I laid up short with 2 iron from the tee and had a flat approach across the gully and there was no way my 6 iron was going to spin back off the green.
11 is a short uphill par three surrounded by bunkers and a roll-off back left which is actually the worst miss and from where it is impossible to get up and down from unless you are Greg Norman. Or Phil Mickelson. This wee postage stamp reminded me of 17 at NSW.
The 12th tee is a great place on the golf course. I looked down upon the 11th green and thought of the disasters that much have occurred on that tiny piece of soil, and then refocused on the beauty of the 12th fairway (picture below looking back down 12 fairway from the green), a monstrously long par four along the perimeter of the course. A good bounce and a flush 6 iron down the breeze later and I was tapping in for 3 ?? it??s great to be back playing hard and fast golf where the elements really play their part.
Standing out on the 13th fairway with 8 iron in hand I stopped thinking about the beauty of the course and realised I was in red numbers at Shinnecock. I looked up and the green looked like there was absolutely no landing area ?? false front, bunker left/long and short/right with a green angling away to the right. Where do you hit it?? (Note ?? JP and Dave were sensibly just taking in the beautiful way this hole is framed with the clubhouse perched off in the distance). Shinnecock is not a place to start thinking too much and moments later my 8 iron was floating up in the air against the wind and plugging into the bunker short right - double.
On the 14th hole ?? the location for Shell??s wide world of golf where some pro??s jaunted around in a helicopter playing the 18 finest holes in this area ?? you start to realize that this back nine is a special special creature. I??m going to leave this hole, and the downhill strong par four 15th to the photographs below. The light in these parts is particularly good and the golfing vistas along the 14th and 15th holes are about as good as it gets.
16 is another green perfectly framed by the clubhouse. A three shot par five, particularly into the wind, Dave said it is a hole that the winner of the Open normally makes birdie on. And it??s very much a birdie hole if you get into position for your third shot. Walking off with 5, my hopes and dreams of an under par round at Shinny were dashed and I limped home over the last two holes to finish +4, 74. Another kiwi misses the cut.
The 17th rounds out the set of par threes with another green angling away to the left and surrounded by bunkers ?? almost redan-esque but without such a severe tilt on the green. The par threes as a set? In a word ?? perfect. Up there with both NSW and Riviera as the best of the year.
And then 18, well what can you say? The site of much history, drama and great golf shots. Jamie??s 2 iron out of the bunker to 20 feet would rival Mr Pavin??s four wood from 1995, although I dare say Mr Patton had more pressure on his shoulders.
We play a lot of golf, and recently on some of the better golf courses going around. But very very few courses are as breathtaking as Shinnecock. In particular the back nine here has to be one of the great nine holes in world golf. Despite holes 10 ?? 18 being our 28th to 36th holes of the day in 100 degree weather, I was in another world walking around the back nine. A pig in mud. The design elements, the grandiose of the holes set amongst the rolling topography and the sheer beauty of the terrain was awe-inspiring and an experience I will never forget.
Thank you David for your company and making the day possible. A day that will be very hard to look past in years to come when reminiscing about the year that was golf.
On this journey we??ve had the privilege of spending time in some pretty amazing places. Some clubs are amazing because their courses are sublime; at others it??s more about the culture, the ambience, the history. A few very special clubs have it all. This morning we had the honour of visiting one such club ?? The National Golf Links of America. Set overlooking Peconic Bay which flows out to Long Island Sound, it sits right next door to the eponymous Shinnecock Hills, which we played in the afternoon. Out in The Hamptons (Southampton to be precise). Where a lucky few play their golf.
Where to begin? So it??s about as exclusive as golf clubs get. My understand is that the club has been dominated by City financiers and bankers since its inception; you know, JP Morgan and his pals. [NB. Because of all the information we try to absorb, it??s sometimes difficult to separate suspicion from actual knowledge, so you??ll have to forgive me if wires get in any way crossed.] I don??t think it??s a stretch to say that NGLA is the preserve of those with significant means. And I might add it??s certainly not the sort of place (unlike others in the area which I won??t name) where you can buy your way in; candidates of appropriate character and background are invited to join, much as is the case with all the other Great Clubs we??ve been privileged to visit for a day.
The course was designed by Mr. C. B. MacDonald, who reputedly drew his inspiration from the great Scottish golf courses like Prestwick and North Berwick. That influence is apparent when you play the course; it has an authentic feel unrivalled as far as I??m concerned in the US (based on my personal experience). A proper links. On a pretty phenomenal piece of property. Speaking of which, our good host Paul Kaned pointed out Charlie??s old house across the Bay (pictured below), as well as his gargantuan boat house (which - pictured below - would put most mansions to shame). The lad had style.
A word about Paul. Gentleman. Talented one at that. Standing by the pro shop I was approached by this All American looking mountain of a man, looking dapper in a pink polo and sunglasses. Paul was a college tennis player and picked up golf in his 20s. Now he??s a scratch player and plays tournaments for Pine Valley (where he??s also a member). Although it sounds like he plays as much golf as us, Paul in fact works, and has a successful residential real estate business located in North Palm Beach, Florida, which services the area bordering Seminole Golf Club (where you won??t be surprised to hear Paul also keeps a membership). Bottom line: charming and successful guy, and gracious host.
The 1st tee at ??The National? sets the tone. Off to the left your gaze is drawn at the spectacular old clubhouse; down below you is a fairway guarded jealously by some pretty severe (and in some cases concealed) bunkers; up ahead you see a red flag on a raised green, fluttering in the breeze (of which sadly there wasn??t much); and behind the green is the iconic windmill that the National is famous for. You can go for the green if you dare, but do so errantly at your peril. A grand setting indeed.
The 1st green gave me good wake up call too, as if I needed one. With 120 yards I felt good standing over my ball with a 54 degree sand wedge nestled invitingly on the carpet. What I didn??t know and couldn??t tell from down below was that the green had a false front which the pin was tucked behind. My perfect sand wedge didn??t seem so perfect when it landed atop the ridge and zipped 25 feet back off the front of the dance floor, leaving a mildly terrifying pitch. It??s never gracious or clever to blame one??s caddy, but on this occasion I could??ve throttled the 16 year old Danny for omitting quite an important detail.
On number 2 you get a more intimate look at the famous windmill, which lies probably 50 yards to the left of your line from the tee. It??s a blind tee shot, so you??re staring straight up the hill; hard not to get distracted by the magnificent structure erected by our pal Rory Corrigan??s grandfather & father. You can reach the green with a well struck 3 wood, as Paul did. So really the first two are birdie holes if you??ve got your act together. If you know what you??re doing, 1 under is probably par for the course by the time you get to the 3rd tee, where things change a little.
The 3rd (??Alps?) is as Scottish a hole as I??ve seen in 10 years since I left the place. An open tee shot across acres of whispy fescrew to a fairway framed by a couple of low slung bunkers (a notable feature of the course; quite different to Dr. MacKenzie??s fiercesome hell holes). I managed to hit by hooking 3 wood so badly that it came up just short of the traps; the others hit proper golf shots. Then you have to heave it up over a tussock covered hill to a hidden green sunk into the hilltop. Thinning a 3 iron isn??t a good idea, but then I should??ve known that. Anyway when you climb over the brae ?? calf muscles starting to ache ?? a quite remarkable sight greets you. Not your average American green complex ?? see below ?? and a good old fashioned bell which you ring when leaving the green, to let the group behind know it??s safe to fire. Paul very graciously bestowed upon me the honour of ringing that bell, a duty I undertook with equal parts excitement and reverence. Which is a wordy and pretentious way of saying I walked up and rang the dam thing.
I??m going to spare you the chore of trawling through a hole by hole analysis, but the scene must be set and the 4th hole must be mentioned. ??Redan? is a name that crops up quite often in these parts ?? at Somerset Hills, here and at Shinnecock (I??m sure we??ve seen others). It??s a hallmark of C. B. MacDonald??s design work, and something he and his chums ?? messrs Seth Raynor and Charlie Banks ?? incorporated into most of their layouts. Correct me if I?? wrong, but the (golf) term traces its roots to the Redan fortification used in years gone by by the Russians and the French. For present purposes, it means a hole with a green that slopes downwards and away from the point of entrance ?? typically front right to back left (oft quoted description from The Man Himself in ??Scotland??s Gift: Golf?: ??Take a narrow tableland, tilt it from right to left, dig a deep bunker on the front side, approach it diagonally and you have a Redan?). The theory being you use the contours of the land to steer your wee white thing towards the hole, rather than being bold enough to fly the thing all the way at the stick. That??s very much the case with the 2nd at Somerset; the 7th at Shinnecock; and the 4th here at The National. Aiming at the back left pin is just not sensible. In fact it??s down right reckless, unless you hit a fade (which, as those who know me will know, I certainly don??t!). A great golf hole. And a thrilled Jamie who walked off with par.
5 is another gorgeous hole, this time a par 4 with a blind approach. I??ll waltz right past it, because for me it holds unhappy memories of a perfectly struck 4 iron straight over the pin into Hell, courtesy of a questionable yardage from a caddy who wasn??t quite The Full Shilling. Still I can appreciate MacDonald??s prowess, and consider it a gem of a golf hole (particularly liked the decision making required by the split fairway and the understated green complex). 7 and 8 (pictured below) were quality too.
As good traditional links layouts do, The National takes you out for 9 holes, and brings you back. Hence you can feel like you??re in control of things when there??s a gentle breeze behind you on the front 9, but then find yourself rudely awoken when you turn back into its teeth. Apparently the original clubhouse sat in the woods behind the par 5 9th green (a hole that??s creatively named ??Long? - yes, there??s a ??Short? too, the 6th). It must??ve burned down, we suspect.
At the half way house we paused for sober reflection and an Orangina. And some peanut butter smothered crackers ?? just the ticket. Then we stepped out onto the ominously named ??Shinnecock? (evidently named after the local Native Indian tribe and the track directly next door, which you can see through the trees on 10), and braced ourselves for a sterner examination. Little did we know what a cracking back 9 we were about to experience.
10, 11 and play long at 450, 432 and 459, especially into the wind and by National standards. 10 has a humungous flat green pitched slightly towards the fairway ?? no need for a postage stamp here. On 11 at the end of the fairway is a dyke (or burn, as Paul called it) just short of the road which apparently was erected to stop cars getting hammered with tee shots. They??ve managed to make it look as If it??s been there since biblical times.
The 12th green (pictured below) is a devil to hit, and beware, is guarded at the front by a well concealed sprinkler head that catches unsuspecting pitches like mine. When I say ??catches? I mean kicks sideways into a nasty bunker. Anyway the green is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, and is split into 3 quadrants the left and right of which are raised above the depression in the middle. A good fun chipping green if ever there was one. (And I suspect most people are chipping on this hole).
Standing on 15 tee you see perched on the horizon that famous windmill once more. It??s probably appropriate at this point to share a story about the structure??s genesis. Apparently a member had travelled overseas and got some ideas in his head about golf courses having iconic features. A windmill would be a good idea, he thought ?? an idea he mentioned to the chap in charge. Months later, so the story goes, when he returned, lo and behold a windmill had been erected. And a bill was sitting wedged in the door of his locker. That??s how they roll at The National, you see!
It??s a stunning view, walking the fairways of 15 and 16, looking up ahead. The golfer must be careful however not to miss what??s right in front of him, namely two awesome golf holes. As Paul noted though, if there was any criticism with the course it??s that 15 green could be flattened because the false front eats too far into the green, leaving only a sole possible pin position or maybe two. Nonetheless it??s a gorgeous hole ?? just don??t hit it in the fairway bunker left as I did, because you won??t have a stance and will have to sink long putt for par, if you??re lucky that is.
The ??Punchbowl? 16th is one of my favourite holes we??ve played all year. Another semi-blind tee shot, this time to a fairway that splits from a central ridge (some half a dozen yards wide) into two chasms. Unless you hit the perfect drive ?? and I do mean perfect, because there ain??t much margin for error ?? you??ll be playing your second blind too, to a green hidden inside a punchbowl. The contours of the punchbowl gather any half decent approach towards the hole, so it??s not as hard as it looks ?? but incredibly fun to play. Particularly since the windmill by this point is right above you on the hill. We also had an audience in the shape of an elderly couple who were perched on a bench 20 yards along the ridge, evidently just out and about taking in the beauty of what I assume is their club (might??ve been too hot to play for them ?? at 95 degrees...).
At risk of exhausting you all with superlatives, the view from 17 tee is breathtaking. Across to your left is the clubhouse; ahead the Peconic Bay; below a magnificent golf hole; and behind the grandiose (if not very narrow) gates to the club. When the wind??s up I imagine the hole could give you some problems, but today is was benign ?? a 3 wood and sand wedge to a straightforward green. Just short of the tee there's a commemorative stone that you could miss if you're not careful, engraved with the letters "KEV". Kev was a young lad in his teens who came out here to caddy, and who lost his life on September 11 2001, when the World Trade Centre fell. One of several lucid moments we've had recently where the tragedy has taken on a more tangible character than it did from afar in New Zealand.
The symphony comes to a fitting crescendo on 18, as you walk up the hill between said clubhouse and an 80 foot high flagpole bearing the club??s colours. An easy hole but a tremendous one ?? just the thing to whet one??s appetite for The Lunch At The National, which is as famous as the windmill.
The original plan was to meet our host for the afternoon, Dave Jennings, at Shinnecock for a bite. Paul called him to see whether he could be tempted to lunch down the road instead ?? Dave being a food lover and The Lunch being what it is, a new plan was hatched and soon we found ourselves sitting in that amazing dining room, overlooking Peconic Bay once more. There can be few more thrilling places to take your seat at lunch in this world.
Ever since friends we met in back San Francisco at the Olympic Club on Day 133 briefed us on ??The Lunch?, it??s an experience we??ve been hoping to have. When Paul offered, my first instinct was to refuse out of politeness. Then my better senses kicked in, given it may be some time before I may it back to NGLA and am fortunate enough to receive the same invitation.
We took our place at the far end of the dining room, in the bulbous section beyond the iconic long table that on this occasion was filled by 32 guys chatting and looking suave in their jackets. (You have to wear a jacket to lunch ?? even if it??s 120 degrees). An almost unsettlingly articulate and competent waiter approached to confirm with us that we??d begin with the lobster. But of course. My first ever taste of the crustacean, would you believe it. Not a bad spot to pop my lobster cherry, so to speak.
Before the lobster arrived came a round of ??South Sides?, the cocktail of choice in these parts. It??s mixed at the old clubs in these parts, and to my knowledge not found in ordinary watering holes. You can either have it with vodka or Mount Gay rum; and if you think you??ll find out what else is in it you have got another thing coming. They??re lethal too. Paul sensibly limited us to one each, with our best interests in mind ?? knowing we were about to play the 4th ranked golf course in the world after lunch, across the road. As he quipped: ??They??re like women??s breasts: one??s not enough and three??s too many.? Paul himself had had 4 on a recent flying visit before going to dinner, and reportedly not remembered much about what followed.
After the lobster you have a range of choices, from the famous crab cakes, fish cakes, beef and kidney pie and shepherd??s pie. There are cold soups on offer too, as an appetizer (one of which I chose, a potato leek and chive concoction that was quite beautiful). And on this occasion a veal special for the main event, which I chose over the beef and kidney pie (too hot for such a heavy dish). Paul and Dave had a plate of Bay Scallops, which apparently are smaller and sweeter than normal ocean scallops. They looked rather good.
What an experience. The consensus is that of the two, Shinnecock is the stronger golf course, and playing at The National is more about the experience in a holistic sense. That??s not to say that C. B. MacDonald??s is far behind Flynn??s work next door ?? only that at The National you really feel like, for one day, you are a billionaire. I know I did. And it was a true privilege.
Walking out of the dining room we paused for a moment to examine the grand paintings on the walls of the sitting room. And to imagine the evenings members and their guests have had here over the years. Cards would be played; bottles of whisky consumed with lusty enthusiasm; cigars puffed decadently; and lies told around the fireplace. Quite a place, let me tell you.
A very sincere thank you must go to Paul, who invited us at short notice, and who as I said was an incredibly gracious host. Michael and I thoroughly enjoyed your company and were humbled to experience a day in such majestic surrounds. I??d love to take you to Paraparaumu Beach in New Zealand, but can??t promise the food will be quite the same!
Part 1 of Surely The Best Day Of Golf Ever Played was surreal. Part 2 wasn??t half bad either, as Mike will tell you shortly.
JP
Chisholm Park
12 holes bart cape kidnappers christchurch christmas doak ed bayley hawke's bay heretaunga jane poole napier golf club new zealand puregolf2010 rangiora rarangi gc royal royal wellington the first tee the interislander waiohiki
