The Fort Golf Course – Indianapolis, IN

Posted on May 1, 2012 by admin

This picture will go down as the last picture ever taken from my PowerShot.

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In the middle of the sixth hole, I was trying to take a picture of a deer that was running through the fairway. In doing so, with my lense fully extended, I dropped the camera on the cart path. Now, I have had this happen before, but that camera survived. Unfortunately, I can’t say that this camera did. So, I apologize for the less than my standard quality of photos for holes 7-18, but it was the best my HTC Trophy could do.

The Fort Golf Course was designed by Pete Dye and Tim Liddy and is part of a 1,700 acre park. This means, not a house in sight! Those that have read my posts on Sultan’s Run and Trophy Club know that I’m a huge Tim Liddy fan. This course too does not disappoint.

Holes

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The course starts out with a fairly straight-forward, 381 yard hole. The fairway is plenty wide, though slopes right to left. Two bunkers on either side protect the driving area. The elevated green is open on the right, but well protect front-left. Great opportunity to start out with a birdie.

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Another great opportunity comes at the 323 yard par 4 2nd. The green is actually close than the yardage due to the sharp dogleg left at about 100 yards out. Bombers can drive the green, but must contend with three bunkers in front, and a drop-off in the back.

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The first real test comes at the long par 4 4th. Although it is 479 yards from the tips, it does play downhill. There are some flat areas, but the ideal tee shot will favor the right side and play the slope. The approach may be tricky due to the lie, but the green is open in front, with a bunker left.

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I’d like to refer my readers to the pin placement as shown at the 170 yard par 3 5th. The super must have been in a bad mood that day.

The par 5s on the front 9 come back-to-back. Something you don’t see too often, though certainly not unheard of. The 511 6th is certainly reachable in two. A line of bunkers protects the layup area. The left side is easier to access, but the right side provides a straight-on shot that doesn’t require you to carry a bunker. The 7th is a bit longer and has some trouble on the right side of the layup and green.

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After what could be 3 straight birdie opportunities (another one at the 345 yard par 4 8th), comes the 482 beast-of-a-par 4 9th. The fairway is plenty wide, though condenses in the driving zone. As with most holes on the course, you can play a low, running shot to the green and expect to be on in regulation.

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After another birdie hole at 10 comes one of the more interesting holes on the course. The fairway seems to double dogleg at the 547 11th. I felt that his hole used the land perfectly, into a good three-shot par 5. Things narrow in the layup zone, but widen up by the green.

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I just love how this course alternates between birdie opportunities and when to hang on for par. The 16th is probably the last realistic chance at birdie. Although it’s 582 yards, the fairway is very wide and the only real trouble is up by the green. After that, hang on, because you deal with a 247 yard par 3 and a 474 yard par 4.

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The 474 yard finisher is one of few doglegs on the course. The safe option is right, but longer hitters can choose to carry the bunkers on the left. The green is protected by a large, narrow bunker on the right. As with other greens, undulations are subtle, but existent.

Conclusion
The Fort is a great golf course. Despite its elevations, the course is manageable for the high capper, but can be a good test for the scratch golfer. Conditioning was excellent, except I wasn’t sure what was going on with hole 15. It should have had two long bunkers, but they were both not being maintained. I’m not sure if this is part of early season maintenance, or if they are simply growing these bunkers out.

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The Fort has a good driving range, a putting green, and a chipping/bunker green. I do not think it’s realistic to walk this course. The distance between green and tees is fine; there are just some valleys you have climb up and down that are fairly severe. Probably the hilliest area of Indianapolis is this golf course.

Despite the bunker condition on 15, I’m still giving this course an OINK 9. Easily among the best of the best when it comes to Indianapolis public golf.

Posted in Indiana | Leave a comment

Fowler’s Mill Golf Course – Chesterland, OH

Posted on April 14, 2012 by admin

Fowler’s Mill is one of Ohio’s best public golf courses. In 2010, there was a proposed real estate deal that would have closed the course. Thankfully, the deal was rejected and Fowlers Mill remains open.

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It’s an early Pete Dye design, and I believe it’s the only public Pete Dye course in Ohio**. There are 27 holes of golf, but the reason to play are the River and Lakes 9s. I had the intention of playing all 27 during my visit, but an unfortunate pace of play* prevented this. Therefore, my review will be of the Lakes/River 9s.

The yardage book, available for purchase in the pro shop, gives an interesting history about the course. Did you know that Fowler’s Mill was originally planned to be a 54 hole layout?

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Hole 4 is the “signature hole”, and really the only hole where the lake, of which the 9 is named after, comes into play. From the further point on the back tee (461 yards), it’s over 300 yards to carry the lake, and another 20 yards to the green. Unless you’re Bubba Watson, you’ll lay out to the fairway on the left. For those who don’t want to tempt the lake with their second, there’s a fairway by the green for a bailout. Green is protected by two bunkers. They shouldn’t be in play if you go conservative, but may save you from a ball in the water otherwise.

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The par 5s at Fowler’s Mill are very good. Perhaps the best is the par 5 8th. At 588, most people won’t get there in two. For the very best players, there’s a potential to launch one out to the fairway, then hit a second shot between a line of trees and over a very long bunker. For the duffers, you’ll need to get the layup out far enough that the other set of trees don’t get in the way. Green is well protected with bunkers left and right.

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The front 9 ends with an interesting, split fairway hole. It is the first of three holes where the River comes into play. The bailout is left, but a better approach option is towards the right.

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Fowler’s Mill has not one, but TWO split fairway holes. Great use of the land by Pete Dye. The scale of the 350 yard par 4 12th was impossible for me to capture on film. There are two sets of tee boxes, which can dictate which fairway you go for. The left fairway is narrower, but doesn’t require a forced carry and gets wider in the driving area. The right fairway has more water in play and narrows in the driving area, but presents the clearest path to the green. The green is well protected by the river, two bunkers left, and two bunkers back right.

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The green at the penultimate hole reminded me of a less extreme version of the green at Crooked Stick’s 15th. The 191 yard par 3 has a green in a reverse C shape. There is a potential where a back left pin placement could cause a golfer who hits it short to putt around the left bunker. 5 other bunkers protect the green front and right.

Final Thoughts
While Ohio as a whole doesn’t have the collection of high quality public golf that Indiana and Kentucky have, Northern Ohio is certainly the place for Ohio public golf. Of that list, Fowler’s Mill must certainly be at the top. It would have been a damn shame to lose not just a fine public course, but a great example of one of Pete Dye’s earlier works.

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Normal prime rates are over $50 for 18 with cart, but the rates are cheaper in early spring and late fall. I would say the course is very walkable, though there is a bit more elevation on the back/River 9. Driving range was closed when I went due to recent rain; it sits very low on the property.

If you’re visiting the Cleveland area, and don’t have access to one of the area’s fine private courses, Fowler’s Mill should be a stop.

OINK Rating: 8

* Note: As I stated above, during my visit, the pace of play was awful. It took close to 6 hours for 18 holes, with a group 3-4 groups ahead of us as the sole cause of the problem; cart path only certainly not helping. Needless to say, my group, and the two groups ahead of us were not happy. That being said, the manager of the course came around to each group and offered a free play coupon for the 2012 season. This recognition of the situation and how it was handled was much appreciated by me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t use the coupon and gave it away to a colleague of mine who lives in the area.

** I know Avalon Lakes was public at one point. According to their web site now, it appears to be private. I’m sure someone closer to the course could confirm one way or another.

Posted in Ohio | Leave a comment

Old Silo Golf Club – Mt. Sterling, KY

Posted on April 1, 2012 by admin

Disclaimer: My review of Old Silo is my reflection of the course as it was in September 2005. If I am able to return, I will update my post. I apologize for the big delay in getting this post up!

Old Silo Golf Club in Mt. Sterling, KY is the first North American design by Graham Marsh (who would go on to design the well-acclaimed Sutton Bay). Located next to I-64, the course is about a half-hour from Lexington, KY. So it’s not in the most densely populated of areas, but the same could be said about a lot of Kentucky’s best public golf courses. Only a couple of holes are adjacent to the highway, and they do a pretty good job of disguising it.

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Old Silo is very much a cart-only course, those the first two holes wouldn’t tell you that. The par 5 1st gives the player a first glance at the artistic bunkering style at Old Silo.

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The 2nd hole is an odd place in the round for a short par 4, and really the only hole like it on the course. There’s trouble left and right in the landing zone, and the green slopes sharply downhill off the back. Need to be mindful of your shots here. The reward isn’t quite worth the risk for me.

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After hole 2, you realize why you need a cart. A long and hilly cart-ride up to the par 4 third won’t be your only cart-ride of the day. Also, you realize you go up and down the valley a few times; you’ll be thankful for the cart.

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Hole 6 is the “signature” at Old Silo. And yes, like every other elevated tee I’ve reviewed (see Boulder Creek and Paa-Ko Ridge), I implore you to hit one from the tips. The hole drops 80ft from tee to fairway, then rises again to the green. There are bunkers left and right in the driving zone, left sharing a bunker complex with 16.

If you lost your confidence over the front 9, hole 10 is a good place to get it back. The hole is downhill and when I played, downwind (which enabled a rare 300 yard drive from me). The hole is protected by a bunch of bunkers in different driving zones, but overall the hole is pretty easy.

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I didn’t want to mention hole 15, but I think I have to just because, in my humble opinion, this hole keeps Old Silo from being an 8 on the OINK scale. It’s a mid-length par 4. Most players are forced to layup to around 170 yards or so, lest they want to deal with the sharp drop off. The hole reminds me a bit of the controversial 12th at Shaker Run (3 Woodlands); but at least on that hole, the green slopes back to front and is a large target. This green is small and protected by bunkers left and right. The hole just seems out of place with everything else before and after it.

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16 is the only hole where the “Old Silo” actually comes into play. The tee box and tees are positioned in a way that is a bit awkward and not exactly straight forward. The tee shot shouldn’t be that difficult despite the bunkering around it. The approach must cross the creek, although it is much more in play here that it was on 6.

The penultimate hole is a shorter length par 4, but the meandering creek along the right is ever present the more the golf chooses to cut the dogleg. Four bunkers to the left protect the green. A hole you would expect to par or biride, but not necessarily a guarantee.

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Old Silo concludes with a par 5 that is uphill and likely a three-shoter. There’s not a lot of trouble off the tee, though the left side would be preferred. The second shot is met with two choices of fairway: the right side is easier, but presents a more difficult approach. The green is protected on the left side and front right, and undulating.

Conclusion
When I visited Old Silo, they were feeling the heat from the 2005 drought where not many courses made it out of the summer. The place was in good of condition as it reasonably could have been and you could see efforts were being made to maintain what they had, and repair it for next season. There are a few decent holes on the course, but most of them come early in the round. I paid $59 for an all you can play on a weekday, plus some swag (free yardage book, etc.). Looks like the going rate in 2011 is $49 weekday and $59 weekend. There’s a great viewing deck in the clubhouse to watch those coming in and view the surrounding land.

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Assuming things are when I played it, I may easily recommend Old Silo. It’s easily one of the top 5 public golf courses in Kentucky.

OINK Rating – 7

Posted in Kentucky | Leave a comment

I’m still here…

Posted on March 19, 2012 by admin

I know it’s been a while. I’m still around, and I do plan to hit up some new courses in 2012.

Of course, Purgatory is top on my must play list. I hope to finally make it there after all this talk. Will it be worth the hype? I guess we’ll find out.

If the cards fall right, I might get to The Fort in a couple weeks. Based on the timing of my blog posts, you can expect that write up in September. I kid, I kid. But seriously, I do owe you all a write up of my Fowler’s Mill round from last October and I will get on that.

I am considering moving to a different blog platform. I’ve been having issues with WordPress 3.1 and how it processes images. I used to not have any issues, but now I’m running into errors which I shouldn’t be getting, and I’m starting to wonder if perhaps I need to switch platforms. I’d prefer not to do image editing myself, but I gotta do what I gotta do.

Hope you all have taken advantage of the awesome weather we’ve been having in the area so far. Here’s to a great 2012!

Posted in Miscellaneous | 1 Comment