OL' ROCKY TOP [CC Design Contest]

[gamesdecent]

Judges:  Judge blind tee shot #5, par 3 over 230 yards #12, and two bunkerless holes #7 and #13.

This piece of land way, way up in the Tennessee hills, is owned by a former-bootlegger-turned-legitimate-bidnisman with two loves - moonshine and golf. And all he enjoys doing in his retirement is mow his fairways once a week, keep his greens as short as he can, and cook up a good batch of shine for a gator roast every once in awhile. The first 3 holes are what visitors have termed "The Moonshine Loop", a par 5 out to the moonshine still where you can pull up a chair to the bar and drink your fill before the par 3 and par 4 return back to the clubhouse (his home). The remaining 15 holes wind up, down, and around the grounds, with the focal point being a rock outcropping that the locals have affectionately dubbed "Little Rocky Top".

There is only one set of tees, and it plays to a par 71.  It is a short course with tricky greens, awkward lies, and some VERY diabolical run-offs.  I've had a ball roll back about 60 yards on a pitch shot that I left short on #3.  It also takes a page from Cypress Point Club and features sets of back-to-back par 3's and back-to-back par 5's.



Instead of choosing three, this course meets ALL of the required elements that were proposed:

At least ONE Drive-able par 4 - Holes 6, 9, and 17
At least ONE Par 3 greater than 230 yards - Hole 12
At least TWO holes with ZERO bunkers - Holes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18
At least ONE blind tee shot - Hole 5
At least THREE par 4’s under 400 yards - Holes 4, 6, 9, 13, and 17
At least ONE three shot par 5 - Holes 14 and 18
At least ONE template green complex of your choice (please specify template used and provide a real world example!) - Holes 6 (punchbowl - Fishers Island #4), 8 (biarritz - Fishers Island #5), 12 (redan - Fishers Island #2), 14 (double plateau - Fishers Island #9), and 15 (lion's mouth - Sweetens Cove #5) 
At least FIVE par 5 holes - Holes 1, 5, 14, 15, and 18
At least FIVE par 3 holes - Holes 2, 7, 8, 10, 12, and 16
Total course yardage no greater than 6750 - Course yardage = 6637 yards
At least ONE hole with elevation change equal to or greater than 125 feet - Hole 18 (65' down into the valley off the tee, then 65' back up to the green complex, total elevation change of ~130'.  How's that for creative interpretations?)







Once two strangers climbed ol' Rocky Top

Lookin' for a moonshine still

Strangers ain't come down from Rocky Top

Reckon they never will

Corn won't grow at all on Rocky Top

Dirt's too rocky by far

That's why all the folks on Rocky Top

Get their corn from a jar.

[Australian]

Looks so good man. Excited to give it a play this evening. Glad you're alive.

[meyo]

Wow! Just wow! Just finished my round and I must say this is a beaut. Loved the rough paths ways and the rock work. The course plays easy on default conditions so up the wind speed. Favorite hole, uphill par 4 4th. Least favorite, part 3 8th just because . Great job bud, added to my favs

[Deleted]

Mr. Petty has done it again. Outstanding work! You really made the course look great despite having no bunkers. Thought the views were great. It was also very challenging but fair at the same time.

I streamed my round so i will try and get a video out on YouTube at some point. One of my favourites of the 6 i have played so far.

You should be proud of this one!

[b101]

Is it weird that the thing I love more than anything else is your paths of light rough? Such a small touch but they look incredible - next level stuff.

[gamesdecent]

Just found out we have to specify which requirements to judge. So:

Judge blind tee shot #5, par 3 over 230 yards #12, and two bunkerless holes #7 and #13.

EDIT: Lmao reebdoog glad to finally get some of those Kamauri comments.

[reebdoog]

...shutup...

but that's primarily where i'd go on that one anyway. Just some missed spots to expand.

[gamesdecent]

I agree, I went completely opposite of that on Cypress after hearing you say to start with the bunkers and then lay fairway around them.

[b101]

As others have said, this is a stunning environment. Absolutely loved the look and the way this plays. Properly bold with the bunkerless approach, but it just fits. You are building one hell of a resume here.

Were you still in Cypress mode with some of those pins/greens? The first two and 18 on pinset one are going to be brutal - I might have 5 putted the second...

So many highlights, but I particularly loved the 5th hole. The stretch from 5-9 was just immense. Have to mention that you've made the first ever Biarritz I've liked - totally made sense as a neat way to stop your long iron into a top pin.

[linkslover]

It's a bit like Welshpool but in America. :thup:

[Riotous]

Love the gator bbq and brew hut on 1, contouring and height changes are masterful, hole 9 tee shot is a piece of art! I had everything from 2 eagles to a dble on the front 9. Greens destroyed me, lovely lovely challenge, well done and thank you

[Celtic Wolf]

I felt this course had the same kinda look to it as Bandit Ridge, maybe it was the theme and rock work that made me think that.

Another enjoyable challenging course from Mr Petty.

[Deleted]

I think this course is better than Cypress Dunes. Almost every hole gives you a new look and the use of angles on both tee shots and approaches is awesome, right up there with Amarylis Club in this regard. Ol' Rocky Top is scary good and has serious win-it-all potential imo.

[Airik3333]

I really enjoyed playing this course.. It is very unique and did not feel like anything I had played before.. Will be a great course for the tours.. I think 12 was my favorite hole.. I liked the way the hole was sculpted especially the green.. The only thing I did not like was that if you played the slope perfectly on some holes the ball would not stop anywhere near the pin.. This course would probably be more suited for the Pro Tours for that reason alone.. Still - great design and much fun to play..

[Australian]

This is the one I just want to keep coming back to. Man what a course. It's the story I love the most. And then to match it with the track you did, and that environment, was just genius. You make such simple things really beautiful. Like an artist. I'm definitely a Petty guy.