Cyprian Keyes Par Three Course (Boylston, MA)

Par three courses have become quite the rage recently and much of it can be attributed to Sand Valley and Bandon Dunes each having one. It should come as no surprise that other courses with a little bit of room are finding time to design their own. 
(The fourth is a lovely dropshot hole with natural wetlands providing both looks and penalty.) 

The key to being a good par three course is having a wide variety of lengths and shots. Most fall into the pitch and putt category where it triples as a short game practice area and a youth golf course, but the new philosophy showcases the natural features of the property and possesses arguably the best one shotters. 

(This neat little green lies where two ridge lines meet.) 

Cyprian Keyes has an extra 40 acres so they decided to put in a nine hole par three course. Much of this land borders the road and has wetlands to contend, basically a great place for a par three course. The lengths range from 100-180 yards. It’s a very popular and pulls in a lot people looking to enjoy a little time on the course. 

I was up in Roscommon Michigan and they’re putting a par three course at Forest Dunes so this trend is continuing at the best golf facilities in the country. I guess the real test will be if more localized courses like Cyprian Keyes move towards it. 

Lake Placid Club - Mountain Course (Lake Placid, NY)

The view from the first tee at Lake Placid Club must be one of the most spectacular in all of golf. The Adirondacks fill every corner of your eye while the ski jumps extend high into the air like two mighty monoliths. It is a mesmerizing view that leaves you awestruck as the scenery unfolds in front of you. 

Lake Placid Club has an interesting view on their golf course. The fairways are a green and brown hue. There’s no irrigation here and the putting surfaces are the only thing they water. They want the course to play as true to its original design as it can play. It was laid in 1910 by Alex Findlay and later remodeled in 1931 by Alister MacKenzie. Because of this choice, there are many golfers who will scoff at the conditioning. They won’t get how 180 yards only requires a punch mid or short iron shot. They’ll get upset because they can’t see the green on the par threes. This MacKenzie course is a museum piece to when shots were played based on feel, and nuance was a huge part of the game. In other words, it’s not for everyone. 

(The first fairway drops the last fifty yards straight into the green. The old Scottish term of judging the weight comes to mind here. Note the bunker in the picture. It’s narrow and a rolling ball can come to a dastardly stop. 

398/370 par 4)

(Similar to the first, a shot hit just over the crest of the hill at the second will trundle down to green. There are no bunkers on the hole, and it would appear to be an easy four, but a misplayed approach can leave a testy chip. The green in the background is on the par 3 course.  380/370 par 4)

The first two holes feature an approach that is both blind and downhill. These are two characteristics that will be seen several more times during the course of the round. For today’s modern player, these are difficult to execute. The ground game has become a lost art. Maybe that’s part of the beauty of the Mountain Course, because it forces players to hit shots they don’t see anymore. 

(The picture perfect third plays over a pond and up the hill. Just past the pole, one can see a high cop that can stymie your second shot. The long hitter must protect from such a predicament, and layup to it. The green is open in front, and can be accessed via the ground. It’s a strong par four. 413/383 par 4)

When one thinks of Alister MacKenzie, the flashy bunkering seen at Augusta or even Pasatiempo come to mind. Here they come in all shapes and sizes. The one on the par five seventh hole must be seen to be believed. 
The earthworks mound is easily as tall as a person and the sand is cut behind it. While being in the sand is bad, being in the grass is much worse, and even being blocked out behind it is maddening. This hazard plays bigger and causes more chaos. 

This side view does a great job showing off the girth of this formidable challenge. The tee shot is way back atop the hill, and this thing catches your attention even from there. (565/516)

When glancing at the scorecard, the modest length doesn’t strike fear until you study the individual holes. It’s 6512 par 70. But no one is reaching any of the three par fives. (565,631,601)  And out of the quintet of one shotters, three are very long. (210,280,232)

It’s the type of place where shooting par is way more complicated than one expects. 

(The tenth plays in the corner of the routing to an open green backdropped by hardwoods and water. It’s serene and quiet at this spot, and the player can take in all the beauty around him. It takes three well struck shots to get a crack at birdie. 631/506 par 5)

(This is the view from back tee on twelve. A crossbunker stretches across the fairway sixty yards short of the green, and hides the downhill terrain to the green on this extremely long par three. The player must gauge the wind and determine what club will carry the bunker and rollout to the green. It’s a classic 3.5 par hole and is actually longer than the par four fourteenth. 280/216 par 3) 

(The fourteenth reminds me of short par fours found at both the Dormie Club and Bandon Trails. This driveable hole has a small green on high ground with most of the fairway sloping off to the side. There’s room to take dead aim and drive it straight at the hole. I was just off the front. One can also hit an iron and wedge it from a sidehill lie to the green. 242/231 par 4) 

(The par three fifteenth is as old school as it can get. Two earthen mounds with a directional bunker point the way to the hidden green. The sign up in the trees helps too...

...all one has to do is carry the mounds and let the ball work it’s way to green. There’s a great deal of suspense to see how close the ball is to the hole. I imagine this green has seen its share of hole in ones. Like I stated earlier, this course is not for everyone. I’m sure there’s folks that hate the whimsical nature seen here. 174/164 par 3)

After the incredible view off the first tee, the course proceeds to make its way to the valley, and at the sixteenth, you’re back on the higher ground again. And I feel the best views are up here. This pic is from fifteen tee 
looking over at three green. The peak to the left is Mt Marcy which at 5344 feet is the highest point in New York. 

It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes the setting makes you more exuberant about a course than what you should be. This maybe one of those times. One of my tests is how excited am I to play the course again after walking off the eighteenth green. Here, I could easily play 36 or 54 holes and not think twice about it. This is the kind of architecture that you don’t see often. It speaks to me and reminds me why I play this game. 

(Seventeen plays uphill to a hidden green above you. A solid shot will find the large putting surface. Note two things. First, the  earthen mound behind catches balls and nudges them onto the green. Second, directly behind the flag is eighteen tee from the tips. You might have to take it out to hit the last tee shot. 232/209 par 3)

(Looking back from the fairway to eighteen tee. Take in the view one last time. The ski jumps by the way are 22 stories high. Think about that next time you’re watching the Winter Olympics...

...it’s all uphill to this green that’s atop a small knoll on the hill. It’s a small target to hit and plays at least two clubs longer. A par would be a fine way to end the round. 393/343 par 4)

The Adirondacks is full of wonderful outdoor activities, however it’s an eight and half hour drive, and is more of a vacation or long weekend destination. If you find yourself out here, Lake Placid Club is a terrific place to play. They have 45 holes and the Links Course  is well regarded too. After 3pm, it’s only $35 to play which is an absolute steal. I have to see this place when autumn arrives. I give the Mountain Course a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play). 

Clubhouse at Lake Placid Club

Jamestown Golf Course (Jamestown, RI)

Jamestown is a nine hole golf course just outside Newport Rhode Island. It was designed in 1901 in a field with a modest slope but beautiful views of the countryside and Narragansett Bay. The holes gently meander over the terrain, accommodating all skill levels with an openness off the tee, while cunningly defending par with a set of intricate greens. 
(A splendid view of Pell Bridge starts your day at Jamestown. A slight breeze, great conditions, and playful atmosphere remind one of golf’s true spirit.) 

Jamestown has a rich history which unfortunately is incomplete. The original course was established in 1895 before moving to the present location in 1901. There is no architect of record. I wish there was because this little course has some really cool greens. There are some sunken front sections where one must judge the bounce and rollout of the approach. A couple have a “whale back” in the middle and demand a very precise shot to get close. And others have a good deal of slope. 

(This short par four exhibits a simple golf philosophy. Challenge the OB and have a pitch shot to a green sloped towards you. It’s easy enough but a downhill putt can prove treacherous.) 

(Look at this wonderful putting surface! A crease in the middle defines the test. Note left side of pic where the green is sunken. The proper shot hits several yards short and bounces onto the green. Par is a very good score.) 

Newport is an odd city for golf. There’s only one public eighteen hole golf course, and there’s Jamestown. All the others are private clubs. It’s disappointing. Several of them are the best in the US with Newport CC being the premier club. 
(The bunker is on the direct line from the back tee. It hides the front part of the green and causes a bit of doubt even with a short iron in hand.) 

(The pin is on the “whale back” in this pic. It takes a well struck shot to get close, otherwise the surrounding slopes will funnel the ball away to the sides or the back of the green.) 

Jamestown does a wonderful job providing a good golf experience. It’s playable, very difficult to lose a ball, and challenging where it needs to be. And since it’s only nine holes, a couple hours is all one needs to play it. Add in the terrific views of the bridge, and Jamestown is a winner. I give it a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes). 

Sidebar:

Five miles away from Jamestown is one of America’s best urban hikes. Newport’s Cliffwalk is an experience that surpasses many expectations. It blends natural beauty with 1900 mansions. Most of it is paved but there are several sections where one is walking over huge boulders or going through tunnels. I highly recommend a trip here. 

Pakachoag Golf Course (Auburn, MA)

Pakachoag is a nine hole municipal course in the town of Auburn. To say it’s ideal for beginners would be a falsehood. It’s on the side of a large hill, and has all the markings of a devilish design. Sloped fairways, sidehill lies, and severely pitched greens make any type of game here a particularly difficult one. Yet the people showing up here are juniors, women, seniors, and beginners. I’m not sure if it grows the game or demoralizes folks into giving up. It does however introduce good design principles, and while the conditioning is not ideal, the bones of interesting architecture still exists. 
(The sixth and third greens lie side by side to each other separated by a large grass bunker.)

Pakachoag has the unusual distinction of being on the National Historic Register. It was the site of Dr Goddard’s rocket launch and was the world’s first successful liquid fueled rocket. This was done in 1926, thirteen years before the land would become a golf course. A stone landmark commemorates the feat on the ninth hole. 
(The 189 yard eighth plays uphill over a valley. It’s very receptive in the front but the grass bunkers on both sides await the mishit. It was my favorite hole here.) 

Pakachoag opened in 1939. There’s no record of the architect. Looking at the grass bunkers, I would reckon that’s it’s someone with enough knowledge to build such fantastic hazards. The mounding is really cool. And they’re positioned in spots where the ideal drive needs to carry to take advantage of the topography. 
(The grass bunker in the hill...
...and the more prevalent bunker sunken in the mound.)

A few comments on some of the holes. The drop shot fourth is only 143 yards but the biarritz green presents a small target for front and rear pin placements. Then the 563 yard par five fifth tumbles downhill with a right to left slope all the way to the green. Both three and six are strong uphill par fours where a long iron is the club of choice. Pakachoag is a strong little nine holer. Unfortunately it’s a municipal for a small town, and is not high on the priority. It’s a solid 3 in my book. (Average)(worth 15-30 minute drive)

Reserve Run Golf Course (Poland, OH)

Add Reserve Run to the list of impressive courses found in the Youngstown area. As my blog takes me around the state, I’m continually finding new favorites here. 
(This beautiful view from the clubhouse veranda is a pleasure to look at before and after the round.) 

Reserve Run was designed by Barry Serafin in 1999. An old strip mine is in play on several holes while the rest are played on mildly rolling terrain. It’s part of a residential community with homes on the northern half and golf on the southern. This decision limited the size of the property so Serafin put six par threes on the course. Two of these are stand out holes and the other four do a good job moving the pace of play along. When you think about the awkwardness of seven and twelve, two holes he had to try hard to fit in, the six par threes was a good decision. 

(The eighth is a 219/201 par three that is all carry to the green...

...this view shows how narrow the green is for this length shot. Short and right is the best miss, and some shots will rebound off the hill and bounce onto the green. A par is always a great score.) 

(The 195/187 yard par three eleventh plays over the water at a diagonal. Anything short or  right will find big trouble. There’s plenty of bailout left including fairway for those who choose to play conservatively.) 

Serafin does a good job routing the course and warming the golfer up before making him tackle the tough stretch of  7-13. As mentioned earlier, seven and twelve are awkward par fours. They force a layup off the tee with a hybrid or mid iron, and have water guarding the greens for the approach. Minus these two holes, there are some interesting concepts on the others, including the cross bunker on three, the cape hole tee shot on thirteen, and the diagonal fairway bunkers on sixteen. I’m also a big fan of the short grass circling the putting surfaces, giving plenty of options to recover. There’s a lot of good golf here and the conditioning is superb! 

(The thirteenth features a cape style tee shot where one can cut off a significant amount of distance. This risk/reward par four comes at the perfect point in the round where a charging player can catch his opponent.) 

This is my fourth Barry Serafin course, and he does a really nice job designing playable tracks. He tends to find what I call pizzazz holes. There’s four or five holes a round where a natural feature is exclusively used to create a good challenge. By doing this, he gets away with some average ones because the golfer is looking ahead. At Reserve Run, the strip mine holes over the water are definitely the pizzazz holes. These holes take the pressure off of 2,4,15, and 17 which are not very strong par threes. The four holes by the entrance road (1,6,16,18) however are very good and instantly catapulted it to the top of my list when I visited back in May. 

(The 430 yard finishing eighteenth is the best par four on the course. It takes two strong shots to reach it in regulation and hopefully walk away with a four. The elevated green will not be easy to access so playing it to the front might be best strategy.) 

I’m impressed with the decision to keep the homes and golf separate. It truly makes the course a better experience, and ultimately will result in more rounds. Second, the two level clubhouse is a great choice. Excellent views can be seen in every direction. The lack of a driving range hurts, but Reserve Run is a strong contender in the Youngstown area. I know the golfers in PA like it because the parking lot is inundated with Pennsylvania license plates. I give Reserve Run a 5 (good)(worth driving one hour to play).

(This long view is from four tee to the clubhouse...
...and this is the view looking back from nine fairway. The eighth green, tenth green, and the uphill tee shot from nine tees are all in focus. It’s a terrific piece of property.)