Double Black Diamond Golf Club (Ellicottville, NY)

Holiday Valley draws golfers from all over western New York thanks to Paul Albanese’s 2007 renovation. By simply making the back nine more playable, opening up views of the countryside, and ridding the property of a do-it-yourself ridiculous par five, the course has become a favorite of those looking for a mountain golf experience.

Double Black Diamond was originally designed in 1964 by Fred Garbin. The front nine is still his routing but Albanese pushed the tee of the par four seventh up onto the hillside and then made a terrific par three from the driveable ninth to make room for the Tamarack Lodge. (The old green is still there and can be used by guests to play as a little pitch n putt hole) On the back, he used the old elevated tee box trick again at the tenth before tackling what must have been an insidious 360 yard par five where one hit three iron shots to reach the green in regulation. By taking out a ton of trees, it can now be played like a formidable short par four. (I think the fairway is still too narrow (17 yards) but a quality 200 yard shot followed by a 150 yard shot over the ravine makes for a memorable hole) At thirteen, he widened out the hole again, but this time making a split upper and lower fairway. At seventeen and eighteen, he flip-flopped the fairways making them both more playable. It was a well done renovation that brought the course into the modern era.

(The 374/363 yard par four seventh is one of the highlights on the outward nine. By moving the tee up the hill, a slight dogleg was created and the view was enhanced. The drive must be threaded between two lakes before attacking a slightly elevated green.)

(It was easy turning the ninth into a great par three. The mountain stream makes for a perfect hazard. The green is set diagonally behind it with a rise in the middle hiding the back half.)

The secret to Double Black Diamond success is only two holes play across the ski slope. This limits the quirkiness that could have been the defining feature. Starting at the ninth, the player will encounter three par threes in a four hole stretch. This gets them out of the valley and up to the par four thirteenth where the “cascade” hole will give a fantastic view and begin the descent down to the finish. From the seventeenth tee, the routing climbs straight uphill, and then plunges back down on the final hole. While the last two are a bit awkward, they don’t detract from the fun.

(The 170/150 yard par three tenth plays in a natural bowl. It’s all carry with a false front shaved to fairway length. It’s a beautiful hole and a strong start to the back nine.)

(The 220/200 yard par three fifteenth drops significantly from tee to green and features a large putting surface. A bunker catches a miss to the right while one to the left will find trees. It’s another beautiful view of the resort and mountain backdrop.)

(The 480/459 yard par five seventeenth is an absolute slog up the hill but it possesses a really well constructed green that slopes away. Birdie will be well earned.)

As nice as Double Black Diamond is, it’s the town and resort that make it so popular. Ellicottville has multiple shops, a winery, and a brewery that beckon golfers to come. Together, it becomes a great way to spend the day or weekend, and that to me is an organic amenity that is hard to replicate. I give Double Black Diamond a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play).

(The 429/407 yard par four eighteenth plummets downhill to a green fronted by a stream. With how close the resort backdrops the putting surface, I can’t help but think they plugged it here on the fly. It’s a challenging shot especially if you’re on the downslope.)

(My 8:30 am tee time was the first one of the day, and the 35 degree temperature had me second guessing if I was making a mistake. It had rained the day before and the course was very soft. I decided to play the blues at 5,503 yards par 70. It was great decision and I had a fun time.)

(The 548/507 yard par five fourteenth plays across the slope and finishes at this green benched into the hill. Expect to turn the ball over on your third shot with the ball above your feet. No bunkers needed here.)

Blog 503

Pitch Shots - French Lick

It only took ten years but I finally made the trip to French Lick! These are my observations and opinions about the Dye course, the new Sand Creek pitch and putt, and West Baden Springs Hotel.

Pete Dye Course

Pete Dye designed the French Lick course after finishing Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. Coming off that massively successful project, he opted to create an inland version in the hills of Indiana. Many would concur that he did a fantastic job as it is rated as the number one public course in the state, and it even made Golf World’s top 100 resort courses, however, they charge $500 plus caddy fees! That’s a lot of money! We’re talking Ocean Course and Whistling Straits prices! In my mind, the value isn’t there, and judging by the empty parking lot when I visited, it’s in many other people’s minds too. They’d be much better off comparing themselves to Bulle Rock, a Pete Dye design ranked as the #1 Maryland public course.

(If they lowered the price to $250-300, I think the place would be packed. It has cool long range views and many of Pete’s volcano bunkers.)

(The view of the first hole from the stone terrace at clubhouse.)

(The par five ending hole is super cool as it curves around a massive valley.)

Sand Creek Short Course

The short course phenomenon got another boost in the arm this week when it was revealed that Tobacco Road would design one between the 12th and 13th holes. At French Lick, Sand Creek fills that role with holes ranging from 41 - 90 yards. It was an in-house project designed by the agronomy team from the Dye course. Cool concept but once again, I’m opposed to the cost as it’s $50 to play it twice (18 holes). I feel these places are like driving ranges, a practice themed short game area, and the price should reflect that ($15-18). I saw bachelor parties playing it in their bare feet, having a great time extending their group game. It should be noted that once the Valley course expands to eighteen holes, this will be the only opportunity for beginners to learn the game.

(This is the 77 yard opening pitch shot)

(This pitch n putt course uses short flags as their pins.)

West Baden Springs Hotel

There’s two places to stay in French Lick, either West Baden Springs or French Lick Springs. We stayed in West Baden. Now this place is on the National Register of Historical Places, once being called the eighth wonder of the world as the largest domed building on the planet. Everything is inside including the hotel rooms which overlook the circular atrium of the domed canopy. It’s a really cool experience!

Blog 502

French Lick - Valley Links Course (French Lick, IN)

The Valley Links is a user friendly nine hole course that the resort, for better or worse, is turning into a full eighteen. While this will give French Lick 63 holes, making it one of the largest golf resorts in the Midwest, it is in my opinion a net loss as families and junior golfers will have to turn to the new Sand Creek pitch and putt course for the introduction to the game. I know these short courses are all the rage, but a regulation nine allows bonding, a connection to nature, and offers a wide variety of shots that give young people experience. Kids 12 and under play for free while 13-18 only pay half price. Those are two reasons why I believe they should leave it the way it is.

The Valley course was designed by Tom Bendelow in 1907 and later updated by Lee Schmidt. It originally was eighteen holes (one reason why many are okay with expanding it) but was reduced to nine. The present nine holes is a basic out and back routing. The first two holes are short par fours which should give the player easy pars. The incredibly long par three third, 243 yards, will prove to be the toughest hole. It’s plenty flat and plays every yard. The short par five fourth follows, and then a it’s onto a couple solid par fours. The par four fifth has a cool greenside bunker that has three grass islands inside it. The only topographical feature is a rise where the seventh green and eighth tee sit. They are both scenic holes, a 170 yard uphill par three and a downhill 495 yard par five. The eighth has a hazard crossing the fairway, and is big moment for those who can drive over it. The ninth finishes with a strong par four. Looking at the scorecard, it has good length and most will find matching its par 36 a challenge.

(The 435 yard par four fifth has this cool bunker guarding the green…

…being a long par four brings every one of those islands in play. Expect some uncomfortable stances when the ball trickles in.)

Pete Dye protege Chris Lutzke is redoing the course, and you can be guaranteed that he will try to match the Dye course atop the hill. I’ve seen the schematic routing and there’s an island green which will be the seventeenth hole. I’ve seen Lutzke’s Eagle Eye in Michigan, and he does a great job matching Pete’s architectural style. Surprisingly the project isn’t getting much publicity so I’m interested to see if that changes when the new course is near opening. As is, the valley course is a simple 3 (average)(worth driving 15-30 minutes to play).

(Today’s Valley course are holes 1-9 with the ninth being the opening in the present routing…

…you can see the hole numbers on the left so the island green will be 138 yards. Several holes will be altered with the uphill par three sixth coming at a completely different angle than present seventh.)

(I played the blue tees at 3,041 yards. The cost was $50. It’s a bit pricey but I’m willing to absorb it if kids are free or half price depending on their age.)

(Worm cam photo!)

(My new caddy will be working the drone for upcoming blogs. Hopefully we can get some really cool pictures!)

Blog 501

French Lick - Donald Ross Course (French Lick, IN)

#99 Top 100 Public (Golf Digest)

#57 Top 100 Public (Golf Magazine)

#90 Top 100 Resort (GolfWeek)

#2 Best Public Courses Indiana (GolfWeek)

Where did these greens come from?! Most people equate Donald Ross with Pinehurst and the turtleback putting surfaces that define it but his earlier work was characterized by bold features with bowls, tiers, knobs, and rolls. Take the picture above of the seventeenth hole. It has two levels with five feet of slope separating them! While the lower level provides accessibility and birdies, the upper demands precision, and often times, difficult recoveries including putts from below. It’s this type of fearlessness that sets French Lick Donald Ross course as one of Ross’ best.

(The 240/194/166 yard par three fourth hole plays across a valley to a green set in the hill. The cross bunkers short define the least amount of carry you must make while the terrain slopes away left and right. Behind the green is a canted bowl that allows a long iron to release and roll back onto the putting surface.)

(The 249/210/153 yard par three sixth plays across a ravine to a bilevel green that stands alone atop the crest of the hill. One must carry it all the way to the putting surface (the picture flattens out the slope). The black tee was nearly forty yards back of its regular spot when we played it at a 189 yards. A par is a great score.)

(The 252/228/208 yard par three thirteenth is an incredible hole. Depending on the tee box, it’s actually uphill and carrying that cross bunker becomes the goal. We played it in a hurting crosswind. My ball ballooned up in the air and finished in the grass face. I was able to hacked it out, but it trickled over the green. It was an easy double bogey. The green has three tiers, each slightly barreled, making a chip or pitch a delicate situation. It was my favorite hole.)

The Ross course sits on a tumbling piece of property full of hillocks and valleys. The holes spill and rise over the land, leaning and canting to well guarded greens. Ross used a butterfly routing with the first and tenth playing parallel to each other, one dipping into the valley while the other plays along a ridgeline to a pulpit green. The course is loaded with strong par fours, twelve in all, but it’s the par threes that are the lynchpin, transversing the most severe parts of the property with three of the longest (from the tips) one shotters you’ll see on a public course.

(The 422/401/394 yard par four first plays downhill before slightly rising to a well bunkered green. The Ross course is not too stringent on accuracy, allowing loose drives to be found…

…meanwhile the 383/374/363 yard par four tenth plays straightaway to a green that has been raised several yards above the fairway. While a tad shorter than the first, the green proves a bit elusive as players tend to be short with their approach.)

As I said in the opening paragraph, the greens are unbelievable! Tom Doak said in his Confidential Guide that these were the most audacious greens he has seen on public Donald Ross course. Besides the big slope on seventeen, the eighth green drops seven feet from back to front. Other holes have steep pitches too. When I stopped by the day before, I watched two men putt off the green and down the fairway on the eighteenth. When you add in the ridges, rolls, and knobs, reading the breaks and hitting confident putts becomes extra important.

(The 151/133/119 yard par three sixteenth is almost one hundred yards less than the previous three! It’s just a short pitching iron but a couple internal mounds makes a star shaped area for hole locations. There are multiple ways to spin the ball towards the hole. A front right flag will prove really spicy as only one slope will be helpful.)

(This is the 392/368/305 yard par four eighth green and its seven feet of slope from back to front. There’s a grass ravine short of the putting surface so players tend to hit long and spin the ball back. Unfortunately that doesn’t always work and one is left with a dreadful putt like the man on the right. The pin in picture is in a bowl. You can sort of make out the upper left and right tiers plus the pseudo bowl on the upper front right.)

It’s too bad this is a resort course because multiple plays is needed to fully appreciate all the nuances. As a daily fee or private club, the returning player could explore and execute a wide variety of cool shots. That maybe the biggest reason why the course flies under the radar and is undervalued by the publications. If it was in a major metropolitan area, it would be critically acclaimed. My personal nitpick is the seemingly constant uphill approach shots. The course plays a solid 400-500 yards longer than is listed yardage. Nonetheless, the course is really good and a great study if you love wild greens. I give it an emphatic 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play).

(The 420/418/394 yard par four eighteenth plays across a valley to a rounded fairway. The long hitter who carries it to the top will benefit and have his ball race down the other side…

…the approach is uphill to a skyline green. The putting surface slopes to the front right with a shallow tier going across the back. A four is a fine score.)

(We played the Black tees at 5,950 yards. Note the course and slope rating from those tees! 70.4 and 139! Yes it’s under 6,000 yards and a half stroke higher than its par 70. Unfortunately we had to tee off in slight rain, and only played five holes in okay conditions. At the tenth, a cold front came through dropping the temperature 10-15 degrees while it misted in a stiffening wind. If it wasn’t for my 500th blog, I’m not sure I would’ve played. It was really difficult. The cost was $175. Walter Hagen won the 1924 PGA Championship here with a 2&1 win over Jim Barnes.)

Blog 500

Golden Horseshoe Golf Club - Gold (Williamsburg, VA)

#55 Top 100 Public (Golf Magazine)

#75 Top 100 Public (Golf Digest)

#57 Top 100 Resort (GolfWeek)

#3 Best Public Courses Virginia (GolfWeek)

There’s a lot to like about the Golden Horseshoe, the least being the wonderful connection the club has with the town of Williamsburg and its colonial roots. It’s one of the few places in our country where the past comes to life, and this spirit permeates the atmosphere of the club. RTJ sr designed the Gold in 1963 on a rectangular parcel of land where a deep ravine and lake divides the property. This natural feature harbors four holes including three of the four par threes that are arguably the best set of one shotters in America.

(The 498/476 yard par five second is the rare instance where a tiger golfer is pressured into making a swing he may not be comfortable hitting while the casual player lays up before playing a short iron third…

…even the single digit player might take up the challenge of hitting across to the green. Everything depends on the roll out of the drive. Then the question becomes how good are you at elevating the ball from a downhill lie? Only a hole and a half in and the course is demanding answers to your golfing skill.)

(Playing through a chute of trees, the 201/174 yard par three third plays downhill to an oblong green set into a bowl. The putting surface is shallow, forcing you to have a good number and the correct club. Par is a good score!)

(The 348/337 yard par four fifth should be a good birdie opportunity but the green floats above its surroundings with a left side sand trap providing the only safe spot should you miss the putting surface. Today’s pin in the rear is a real beauty.)

(The 485/471 yard par five sixth is your best chance for birdie. Clear the hill and you will have a shot to reach this in two…

…the green sits atop the rising terrain with traps guarding the front left and right. Note anything lost to the right is a penalty so casual golfers will plot their way down the left and attack from the bottom of the valley.)

(The 206/186 yard par three seventh is all carry over the lake to a green benched in the hillside.There is literally no where to miss. A mound separates the rear and front tiers making long range putts exceptionally difficult to two putt…

…I love the wooden bridges. Look how high up the green sits on the hill. What a great par three!)

When RTJ sr designed this course, he stated it was one of his best efforts. Besides the four valley holes (2,7,12,16) one would point at 5,10,13,17,18 as very strong. The course is tight and requires you to shape your drive into the fairway. The tenth is a long par four that forces your hand to hit a long fade with a ravine on the right and trees left. The seventeenth is unbelievably tight as it is a narrow chute for 100+ yards. (The back tee is claustrophobic) Eighteen is a bit out of character with the rest of the course but only because the left side of the fairway leaves a pseudo blocked out shot. You’ll have to hit a controlled draw that takes the bank of the fairway and rolls to the green. It’s exactly the type of course you’d expect from the 1960s.

(The 188/169 yard par three twelfth hangs out into the lake with water not only guarding the front and right but also long. The bail out left is very tempting. My shot (143 yards) hit several feet short of the flag and rolled right into the hole for an ace! What’s funny is the glare from the sun prevented me from seeing it after it hit the green. It’s my fourth hole-in-one and second time with a 7iron.)

(The 363/350 yard par four thirteenth doglegs left and demands an accurate tee shot. The approach is a beautiful short to mid iron with bunkers and a swale fronting the green.)

(The sixteenth is a 169/159 yard par three to an island green. The left half is just a sliver of putting surface while today’s pin is generously large. Note the par four seventeenth in the background. How cool is that view as the hole zooms through the trees and climbs the hill…

…this is just from the white tees. The blue and black tees are even more intimidating. This 435/422 yard par four plays very long. Expect to hit a long iron to green that is barely visible from the fairway. Par is a great score.)

I thought the Gold was beautiful, and even though tight, treelined courses are out of vogue in today’s golf architecture, it is a fine example of yesteryear’s values. The only clunkers are 8-9, otherwise it’s a strong golf course. Among locals it’s called the poor man’s Augusta because the trees bloom in vibrant colors. I give it a solid 6 (very good)(worth driving two hours to play). It’s the pick of the liter in an area full of solid public golf (Kingsmill, Stonehouse, and Royal New Kent).

(I played the white tees by myself (6,248) which put a damper on my hole in one, however, is that the ultimate bounce back or what?! Double bogey- ace!! I’ll take -1 on these set of par threes. I’m still inconsistent with my driver which led to most of my bogeys. I paid $165 which is a fair price.)

(The 444/431 yard par four eighteenth doglegs left where the primary goal is to drive it past the trees or down the right side to gain an angle. The green is downhill with water left and sand front. A banked fairway will take a controlled draw and run it between the bunkers onto the green. The starter told me the old guys will hit 4-5 shots during practice rounds to perfect the feel of this shot. It’s a unique finishing hole.)

(The bridge in sixteen has a perfect view of all the water holes. Twelve is literally a stone throw away.)

(The Shoe is a nine hole pitch and putt course with holes ranging from 47-137 yards. It’s great for beginners and having fun with the kids. It’s also perfect for settling up some last minute bets. It’s only $20 to play after your first round. I should point out that there’s also a second course called the Green, both designed by Rees Jones. The Golden Horseshoe definitely has you covered if you’re planning a family vacation here.)

Blog 499