Post by alejandroacantilado on Jun 29, 2021 13:35:57 GMT -5
Hey all! I just submitted my new Long Island course The Asharoken Club. It's named after an area on Eaton's Neck on the north shore of LI, near where I grew up. It's the perfect area for golf, rocky glacial moraine and sandy beaches.
Per usual, I am striving to make a course that is fun and has a ton of options, rather than one that's difficult. There's two sets of tees, at 7,097 and 6,536 yards, and there's a pretty good variety of holes, including 2 drivable par 3s, a few reachable par 5s, and five par threes.
I hope y'all enjoy!
A few pics and then hole descriptions below:
Hole 1: 398 Yards, Par 4: A "gentle handshake" opener, the first hole introduces the player to the general strategy of the course. Though the fairway is wide, the elevated green is best approached from the right side of the fairway, which requires flirting with the bunkers. The large green is heavily sloped, with a spine running down the middle.
Hole 2: 225 Yards, Par 3: A challenging par 3, this is one of the only greens on the course that slopes away from the tee. The green has two distinct sections, and the front pin is particularly tricky. There is plenty of room to bail out right, however, where the player is afforded a relatively straightforward chip. Left is bad.
Hole 3: 509 Yards, Par 4: The longest par 4 on the course, and one of the most difficult. Aggressive players can take their drive over the small sand dune on the left side of the angled fairway. Laying back or right means a semi-blind shot over bunkers to a green that's canted hard from left to right.
Hole 4: 476 Yards, Par 4: A tough test, the 4th has many options from the tee. You can challenge the bunkers on the left, and, if successful, get a hard kick down the hill and a wedge approach from a good angle. Those who lay back, or bail right, will be left with a long, uphill shot to a very tricky green. Don't flirt with the righthand hole locations: use the cant of the green to run the ball that way.
Hole 5: 152 Yards, Par 3: A breather after two difficult par 4s. This hole is definitely easier into the wind than down, as the green can be hard to hold. The green is fairly flat, and one of the smallest on the course.
Hole 6: 580 Yards, Par 5: The first par 5, which introduces the player to the Long Island Sound, it is definitely reachable in the right wind. Be bold and try to carry the nest of bunkers on the left side of the fairway, and you'll be able to have a go at the green. Those who miss the fairway will probably have to lay up short of the cross-bunkers. The elevated green brutally repels poorly struck shots.
Hole 7: 468 Yards, Par 4: After the relative ease of 5 & 6, hole 7 is another tough test. Try and keep your drive as close as possible to the bunkers on the left for the ideal angle. If you bail right, the approach is blind and the angle less than ideal. The green is severely sloped, with several peaks and valleys. Do not go long.
Hole 8: 347 Yards, Par 4: The split-fairway 8th presents the players myriad options. For the conservative player, lay up in the left fairway and have a full wedge in. For the bolder player, take on the right fairway and, in the right wind, even give the green a go. The green is a Pinehurst-esque upturned saucer that repels bad shots. The front hole location is especially troublesome.
Hole 9: 573 Yards, Par 5: Another reachable par 5, the player is presented with a diagonal fairway and a carry over broken ground and bunkers. The approach is to an elevated green (one of the smallest on the course), and is best executed from the left side of the fairway. The green is canted hard from right to left. Avoid the right hand bunkers at all costs.
Hole 10: 451 Yards, Par 4: My personal favorite hole on the course has a lot of options. Take note of the pin placement on the heart-shaped green. If the pin is right, drive left, if the pin is left, drive right. If the pin is in the front section, good luck to you. This is one of the most difficult greens on the course, and I have four-putted it.
Hole 11: 163 Yards, Par 3: The most picturesque hole on the course, the 11th plays from bluff top to bluff top. The green is sloped strongly from back to front: this slope helps the player in holding the green downwind. Long is dead.
Hole 12: 586 Yards, Par 5: The player is greeted with a wide fairway, but hew to the left for the best angle into the crowned green. There’s a slope to the left of the green that kicks low, running shots onto the putting surface. A good eagle opportunity!
Hole 13: 470 Yards, Par 4: the fairway is narrow (by the standard of the course) at about 35 yards, but is sandwiched by dunes, so balls tend to kickback into the fairway. The approach is difficult- uphill to a complex green that runs away from the player. There’s plenty of room to run the ball up.
Hole 14: 368 Yards, Par 4: a fun little hole with lots of trouble lurking. The smart play is to lay up in the fairway with a fairway wood or long iron. The further you go, the more difficult angle to the green, so be mindful of the pin position on this long, narrow green. Downwind, you can try driving it- it’s about 310 yards to the front. But a missed shot will contend with some of the course’s deepest bunkers.
Hole 15: 225 Yards, Par 3: this beautiful hole brings the player back to the Sound for the last time. The green is essentially a double punch bowl, with distinct right and left sections. A ridge in the back of the green will hold shots played long, so the hole is friendlier than it appears. Make sure you end up on the correct section of the green or a two-putt will be difficult.
Hole 16: 468 Yards, Par 4: the fairway is one of the widest on the course, but the player has a decision to make. Try and hold the high left portion of the fairway and have an unobstructed view of the green from an excellent angle. Or play right, into the natural bowl. This will give your tee shot a kick, but the resulting approach is totally blind. Use the slope to the left of the green to kick the ball on rather than challenging the central bunker.
Hole 17: 182 Yards, Par 3: based on the Eden hole at St Andrew’s, the 17th boasts the most difficult green on the course. It’s sloped very severely from back to front, so ensure that you put your ball below the hole.
Hole 18: 456 Yards, Par 4: à challenging finisher with a lot of options. For the best approach, try carrying the pot bunker on the right side of the fairway. If you stay left, be wary that the fairway narrows at the 300 yard mark. The green is protected by deep bunkers and native areas short left- there’s plenty of room to bail out right, however.
Per usual, I am striving to make a course that is fun and has a ton of options, rather than one that's difficult. There's two sets of tees, at 7,097 and 6,536 yards, and there's a pretty good variety of holes, including 2 drivable par 3s, a few reachable par 5s, and five par threes.
I hope y'all enjoy!
A few pics and then hole descriptions below:
Hole 1: 398 Yards, Par 4: A "gentle handshake" opener, the first hole introduces the player to the general strategy of the course. Though the fairway is wide, the elevated green is best approached from the right side of the fairway, which requires flirting with the bunkers. The large green is heavily sloped, with a spine running down the middle.
Hole 2: 225 Yards, Par 3: A challenging par 3, this is one of the only greens on the course that slopes away from the tee. The green has two distinct sections, and the front pin is particularly tricky. There is plenty of room to bail out right, however, where the player is afforded a relatively straightforward chip. Left is bad.
Hole 3: 509 Yards, Par 4: The longest par 4 on the course, and one of the most difficult. Aggressive players can take their drive over the small sand dune on the left side of the angled fairway. Laying back or right means a semi-blind shot over bunkers to a green that's canted hard from left to right.
Hole 4: 476 Yards, Par 4: A tough test, the 4th has many options from the tee. You can challenge the bunkers on the left, and, if successful, get a hard kick down the hill and a wedge approach from a good angle. Those who lay back, or bail right, will be left with a long, uphill shot to a very tricky green. Don't flirt with the righthand hole locations: use the cant of the green to run the ball that way.
Hole 5: 152 Yards, Par 3: A breather after two difficult par 4s. This hole is definitely easier into the wind than down, as the green can be hard to hold. The green is fairly flat, and one of the smallest on the course.
Hole 6: 580 Yards, Par 5: The first par 5, which introduces the player to the Long Island Sound, it is definitely reachable in the right wind. Be bold and try to carry the nest of bunkers on the left side of the fairway, and you'll be able to have a go at the green. Those who miss the fairway will probably have to lay up short of the cross-bunkers. The elevated green brutally repels poorly struck shots.
Hole 7: 468 Yards, Par 4: After the relative ease of 5 & 6, hole 7 is another tough test. Try and keep your drive as close as possible to the bunkers on the left for the ideal angle. If you bail right, the approach is blind and the angle less than ideal. The green is severely sloped, with several peaks and valleys. Do not go long.
Hole 8: 347 Yards, Par 4: The split-fairway 8th presents the players myriad options. For the conservative player, lay up in the left fairway and have a full wedge in. For the bolder player, take on the right fairway and, in the right wind, even give the green a go. The green is a Pinehurst-esque upturned saucer that repels bad shots. The front hole location is especially troublesome.
Hole 9: 573 Yards, Par 5: Another reachable par 5, the player is presented with a diagonal fairway and a carry over broken ground and bunkers. The approach is to an elevated green (one of the smallest on the course), and is best executed from the left side of the fairway. The green is canted hard from right to left. Avoid the right hand bunkers at all costs.
Hole 10: 451 Yards, Par 4: My personal favorite hole on the course has a lot of options. Take note of the pin placement on the heart-shaped green. If the pin is right, drive left, if the pin is left, drive right. If the pin is in the front section, good luck to you. This is one of the most difficult greens on the course, and I have four-putted it.
Hole 11: 163 Yards, Par 3: The most picturesque hole on the course, the 11th plays from bluff top to bluff top. The green is sloped strongly from back to front: this slope helps the player in holding the green downwind. Long is dead.
Hole 12: 586 Yards, Par 5: The player is greeted with a wide fairway, but hew to the left for the best angle into the crowned green. There’s a slope to the left of the green that kicks low, running shots onto the putting surface. A good eagle opportunity!
Hole 13: 470 Yards, Par 4: the fairway is narrow (by the standard of the course) at about 35 yards, but is sandwiched by dunes, so balls tend to kickback into the fairway. The approach is difficult- uphill to a complex green that runs away from the player. There’s plenty of room to run the ball up.
Hole 14: 368 Yards, Par 4: a fun little hole with lots of trouble lurking. The smart play is to lay up in the fairway with a fairway wood or long iron. The further you go, the more difficult angle to the green, so be mindful of the pin position on this long, narrow green. Downwind, you can try driving it- it’s about 310 yards to the front. But a missed shot will contend with some of the course’s deepest bunkers.
Hole 15: 225 Yards, Par 3: this beautiful hole brings the player back to the Sound for the last time. The green is essentially a double punch bowl, with distinct right and left sections. A ridge in the back of the green will hold shots played long, so the hole is friendlier than it appears. Make sure you end up on the correct section of the green or a two-putt will be difficult.
Hole 16: 468 Yards, Par 4: the fairway is one of the widest on the course, but the player has a decision to make. Try and hold the high left portion of the fairway and have an unobstructed view of the green from an excellent angle. Or play right, into the natural bowl. This will give your tee shot a kick, but the resulting approach is totally blind. Use the slope to the left of the green to kick the ball on rather than challenging the central bunker.
Hole 17: 182 Yards, Par 3: based on the Eden hole at St Andrew’s, the 17th boasts the most difficult green on the course. It’s sloped very severely from back to front, so ensure that you put your ball below the hole.
Hole 18: 456 Yards, Par 4: à challenging finisher with a lot of options. For the best approach, try carrying the pot bunker on the right side of the fairway. If you stay left, be wary that the fairway narrows at the 300 yard mark. The green is protected by deep bunkers and native areas short left- there’s plenty of room to bail out right, however.