Lake Daniel Golf Club - CC Contest Entry
Aug 10, 2021 21:39:07 GMT -5
coruler2, meyo, and 5 more like this
Post by irwinm2006 on Aug 10, 2021 21:39:07 GMT -5
Lake Daniel Golf Club, my entry for the CC Design contest, is published and open for play. This is a fictional parkland style layout set on a large lake, par 72, a little over 7400 yards from the tips, four tees and pins and using the Harvest theme.
Required elements for judging:
At least one drivable par 4 (#9 and #17)
Back to back par 3s (#4 and #5)
One par 3 over 230 yards (#5)
At least 2 holes with centerline hazards (#6, #8, #9, and #3, #13 both with split fairway)
For CC I think either the blue or white tees would be a good test. It is long from the tips but it plays easier than the yardage I believe.
With this design I tried to capture the look and feel of some of my favorite rounds I played when I was growing up in southwest Pennsylvania. I still love playing early morning rounds in the autumn, the fall colors on cool mornings are some of my favorite memories on the golf course. The course is named for my dad, who got me started playing golf.
This is the second course I have published (Osprey Island is the other, I was not very happy with it) but my first contest entry and the first that I will be submitting to TGCTours. I joined the contest for a couple reasons:
• I wanted to make sure I finished and submitted it as I have started and deleted at least a dozen courses after Osprey, I needed a good motivator to bring this one over the finish line.
• I’m hoping this course will get some plays and I can get some feedback so I can hopefully keep improving in the designer.
Hope you enjoy the course, thanks all!
Some pics...
Here is a hole by hole:
1st Hole:
Mid-length par 4, the more you challenge the left side of the fairway the better your angle to the green but coming up short on that line will leave a difficult second. Second shot is downhill to a green guarded by deep bunkers.
2nd Hole:
Another mid length par 4 with the lake down the entire left side. The fairway has a right-to-left camber, favoring a fade off the tee but that play will bring the large U-shaped bunker that pinches the landing area at driver distance. With a favorable wind the bunkers can be carried and will set up a short approach to the slightly elevated green, which is protected in front by a large bunker
3rd Hole:
A reachable par 5 providing options off the tee. The fairway is split, with the safer play being to the right, but that direction will likely make this a 3 shot hole. The more aggressive play is the narrow left fairway, which brings the water on the left (and long in certain winds) very much into play, your reward for being bold is a much shorter second to the green. Even then, though, that second is all carry, cutting the corner over the lake to a multi-tiered green which puts a premium on finding the right level.
4th Hole:
The first par 3 on the course will require an accurate shot to a narrow green perched on a terrace above the lake. The green angles from front-right to back-left and slopes right to left, so favoring the right on most shots will often allow well placed shots to feed down to most of the pin positions. Beware of going long, shots running off the back will typically end up in a collection area well below the green, setting up a very difficult pitch.
5th Hole:
A long, slightly uphill par 3 to a large green, well-guarded on both sides by large bunkers. The green is crowned and errant shots will tend to run off into the bunkers but the green is receptive to run-up shots if the pin placement requires. The green has a large subtle tier on the right that can we used to feed shots to pins on the left, but getting on the wrong level will make for some difficult putts.
6th Hole:
A longer par 5 that plays downhill off the tee but uphill to the green. Avoiding the fairway bunkers is key, and the more you challenge the left-side bunker the less the camber of the fairway will affect the shot, leaving a more level lie for your second. The second is typically blind to a green guarded by bunkers front-left. If you decide the lay up, avoid the small Principal’s Nose bunkers in the fairway and set yourself up for a wedge into the green.
7th Hole:
This par 4 puts a premium on the tee shot, as the fairway angles from left to right and is guarded down the entire right side by bunkers. The farther down you take on the bunkers the better the angle to hold the fairway, as shots taken over the bunkers further back will often run through the fairway into the left rough. The green is one of flatter on the course but does feature a false front and a deep bunker front left, so short is not the place to miss this green.
8th Hole:
Long, uphill par 4 that will test you in most conditions. The safe play is between the bunkers but that will set up a blind, uphill approach to a very large, narrow green that angles front left to back right. Playing to the narrow fairway to the left of the center-line bunker will provide a level lie and the best angle to the green, but missing that target will make hitting the green a challenge.
9th Hole:
A drivable par 4 that provides a great chance for eagle or birdie, but is also littered with potential trouble. The green is definitely reachable from all tees but short or left is in the pond that fronts the green, while right and long are likely to end up in one of the many bunkers that dot this hole. A mid iron to the right fairway likely sets up an easy wedge but going for the green will give you lots of opportunity to break par here.
10th Hole:
The shortest par 5 on the course by a wide margin, but the 10th plays almost 80 feet uphill from tee to green, making this play much longer than the yardage on the card. Avoiding the fairway bunkers will set up a reachable second to a multi tiered green with a severe false front that also slopes back to front. If you miss the fairway, the smart play is to lay up to the terraced second fairway, leaving a wedge to the green.
11th Hole:
This par 4 runs across a ridge that is the highest point on the property, providing some great views of the lake. The conservative approach here is targeting the right side of the fairway but results in a longer, blind second, while the more aggressive carry over the left fairway bunkers leaves the best angle and a clear view of the green. The green is perched on the edge of the ridge so missing right or long is dead, and the green slopes significantly from front to back, so approaches will play shorter than expected to this green. There is ample run-up space short of this green and using it is the wise play.
12 Hole:
Another mid length par 4 with choices off the tee. Playing to the main fairway on the right is the safe tee shot, but the second then requires a tough angled approach over the creek. The second option is taking on the creek with your tee ball and playing to the narrow fairway on the opposite bank. Its a long carry and small target but leaves a much shorter approach with the best angle straight down the length of the green. The slopes on this green will also reward that angle while making the approach over the creek a lot more difficult.
13th Hole:
The longest par 4 on the course, with the pin position dictating which side of the split fairway is the better option. Right-side and front pin placements will favor going left off the tee, as that route will not require taking on any of the green side hazards, while back left and left side pins are more accessible by going right off the tee. The green is the most undulating on the course so getting your approach close is key, a challenge given the length of the hole.
14th Hole:
The shortest hole on the course with a basic premise: Hit the green and a birdie is likely but miss the green left, right or long and you will likely end up in the lake, the right bunker, or looking at a very difficult pitch back the green. A downhill wedge shot to a relatively large green for a hole of this length will set up a lot of birdies on this hole, and the only bail out here is short.
15th Hole:
Another reachable par 5 but your chances rely on your tee ball. Playing further back to avoid the fairway bunkers will likely necessitate a short layup to the crest of the hill, however taking on the bunkers farther down the fairway will funnel down to the level side of the fairway and provide the shortest shot to the green. The green is located on an island in the lake, and going for it in two requires a long, downhill carry over a channel between the shore and an island.
16th Hole:
The second hole on the lake island, 16 is a long par 3, all of it carry over water to a difficult green. The green is large but a sizable plateau on the right side affects most shots to this green, with shots to the right tending to run off the green in that direction, and shots to the left funneling toward the back left of the green. The shot to the pin position on that tier is particularly difficult to get close.
17th Hole:
Another drivable par 4, the tee shot here is from the island back onto the lakeshore, targeting a green that is set into the hillside and guarded on the right by a steep drop off into the creek, and protected short and left by large bunkers. The front bunker is very deep and hitting close to the front of the trap can make for a very difficult splash to the green. Like 9, this is also a larger green for a drivable 4 but the green has severe undulations and hitting the green doesn’t guarantee a birdie. Playing short to the right fairway sets up an easy wedge and can be the safer play.
18th Hole:
The finishing hole requires an accurate tee shot to avoid the large fairway bunkers on both sides of the fairway. A safe drive will set up a mid- to short-iron approach to a large green guarded front-right and left by deep bunkers. You finish your round on a very difficult green and getting close to the pin is key to making birdie on this closer.