The Avalon Club, by jft

[mvpmanatee]

Hello everybody!

Welcome to The Avalon Club, a (fictional) private club nestled in the rolling hills of South San Francisco, California. This course is my 2020 Rookie Design Contest entry.

The Avalon Club is hosting it's first ever event on the CC circuit, week 15: December 28-January 2!

The Avalon Club was designed as a hilly inland course, nestled among the mature cypress trees, where strategic shot placement is important to tame the large, yet difficult, greens, and the strong westerly prevailing wind. The course is 7,242 yards from the Venturi (Gold) tees and carries a par of 72. This course has a traditional 4 par 5s and 4 par 3s, and also has 2 potentially drivable par 4s.

Before I get into explaining all of the holes on the course, I would like to give a huge thanks to b101  mctrees02  Lifeonaboard  Violinguy69  @babybull   and ABU_Bear for giving one of my Beta courses a play through and giving me really important feedback that helped me really improve as this process went on. I really appreciate the community we have and the time that people spend on helping others. I also want to give thanks to ErixonStone for putting on a great competition.

To all of my competitors, good luck! I have seen some amazing courses so far and you have all done a great job with the competition.

Without further ado, I present... The Avalon Club:



Here is Avakrac 's brilliant playthrough of the course



For Schedulers:
I would love if this course played at a west wind. If I were to pick conditions I would play the event in this order: west medium, south west medium, north west high, west medium

[mvpmanatee]

Hole 1: 

The course gets off to a nice start as you hit your opening tee ball down the long wide fairway in front of you. There is a singular fairway bunker on the left side that might be in play for the longer hitters, but there is still plenty of room right. A tricky green with right to left slope will reward a player who takes on the fairway bunker. A tricky opening hole where par is not a bad score.






Hole 2:

Another relatively long par 4 awaits after the 1st, but this time the bunkers play as a carry hazard. The player has to take the correct line for their distance, with the more left being the better angle in. Back pins on this green have tricky slopes, and using the ridges to your advantage can lead to great birdie opportunities.






Hole 3:

The first par 3 on the course is a long one, playing even longer as it goes up the hill. A beautifully nestled green sits above two menacing bunkers. The green has a central spine and ridge that will either detract or aid your ball towards the hole. This hole is about distance control and will play very difficult, especially with the prevailing wind.

[mvpmanatee]

Hole 4:

The 4th hole turns the layout around and heads the player into the direct wind for the first time. This hole is not long by modern standards, but can play into a steep wind that will require the player to be humble in their ability to carry bunkers. The smart play is protected by a fairway bunker and the ideal angle can be tricky to achieve. With the modern golf ball and wedge grooves, we can still expect this to be one of the easiest holes on the property.





Hole 5:

This beautiful short par 4 turns sharply to the right, and can play awkward with a cross wind. The landing area will slope gently from left to right, which might force a player to play the right-to-left shot into a left-to-right hole. The fairway cuts off before a ravine and continues again up by the boomerang shaped green protected heavily by a bunker. The back half of this green can be hard to hold, but front pin positions will be target practice for most players.






Hole 6:

The 6th is a fairly straightforward par 4 with a centerline bunker that forces the player to make a decision off of the tee. The green has a deep swale from front to back on the right side that will collect approach shots. When the pin is in the swale this green can be attackable by every player, but the pin being on the high side can be tricky to get close to. 

[mvpmanatee]

Hole 7:

The 7th is another short par 4, wrapping the layout back around in itself. The land for this hole creates a great amphitheater effect and with a prevailing wind the player can get very close, if not on, to the putting surface. The best play might not be to bomb and gauge however, as the green has tricky contouring and a back pin position might leave an awkward shot if not considered  beforehand. This hole will probably play as the easiest par 4 on the front.







Hole 8:

The 8th is a fairly short par 3, with a tricky upper tier and deep frontal bunkers. This green usually plays into a prevailing wind and will usually reward the aggressive play. Trust your yardage and stick it close on this one.







Hole 9:

The front 9 closes with the first of back-to-back par 5s, and the beginning of a stretch of holes that can reward the player with many opportunities to lower their score. This uphill par 5 plays to a wide, crested fairway with deep bunkers on the right. The 2nd plays uphill to a narrow protected green. The better angle in is from the right side, the side that is heavily protected all the way up. 2 long shots can get you on and an eagle putt can await.

[mvpmanatee]

Hole 10:

The back 9 kicks off in style with this sweeping 600 yard par 5. The green is reachable under the right circumstances, but a tee shot that hugs the right side and a heroic 3 wood is required to get there. This green sits on a bit of a plateau and there are tough internal contours.





Hole 11:

The short par 4 11th is widely regarded as the signature hole of the course. It plays up the canyon that the 10th hole avoided, and is the most photographed on the course. The pin position and wind will force the users into a tricky decision of whether to smoke driver up the right or to lay back with a long iron to avoid the ravine. The approach from before the ravine is arguable the most beautiful on the course, as deep bunkering, cypress trees, and the clubhouse in the background all combine to make a memorable appearance. This hole will play easy if played correctly, but can punish the overly aggressive player.






Hole 12: 

The 12th is the shortest hole on the course, sitting at just a hair over 140 yards. It does play steeply uphill to a mostly-blind green. A shallow ridge lines the center of the green so all approach shots must have the right distance control to get close. This green can leave some tricky short putts as it is one of the steepest on the course.

[mvpmanatee]

Hole 13:

The 13th is the shortest par 4 on the course, and will be drivable by almost all players. The green is protected by two nasty bunkers on the right, and a creek on the left. Only the best drives will stay on the surface, and it doesn't take much to lose the ball into the creek. A variety of layup options are in the wide snaking fairway, but the player must choose the correct layup to that day's pin position. Another fan favorite par 4, this hole closes out the stretch of birdie opportunities, so making the most of 13 can be a must.







Hole 14:

The 14th is a tough long par 3, designed after the famous Redan hole. A long iron or hybrid is required to get onto a green that slopes steeply to the back right. Distance control is key and understanding the roll out of the green is required in order to have a decent look at birdie. The best miss to this green is long however, as missing short or right are going to leave shots that are very difficult to stop near the pin. Par is a great score here.





Hole 15:

The 15th is a long uphill par 4 that plays to a wide fairway. The fairway looks very easy to hit, but the green can be blind if the tee shot does not hold the right side. Trees overhang the left side by the green and deep cross bunkers can make the green tough to see from the fairway. The green has a central ridge that can help guide lost balls nearer to the hole, but finding yourself on the wrong side can leave a tricky 2 putt. This hole might play as the 2nd toughest hole on the back 9, only behind the next hole.

[mvpmanatee]

Hole 16:

The 16th marks the long march towards the clubhouse, and it will play quite long indeed. The 16th is measured at 511 yards from the Venturi tees, and will require 2 great shots to get close. The ideal line is protected by a must-avoid fairway bunker, and the green is perched above a deep ravine of trees and long grass. The 2nd shot will play significantly downhill, to a green that slopes away from the player, so caution must be in deciding the 2nd shot. Par on this hole is a great score.







Hole 17:

This narrow tee shot is flanked by old cypresses on both sides, and will require a well struck drive to hold the fairway. The tee box will angle players to the deep left bunkers and a left-to-right shot might be required to get around it. The 2nd shot plays uphill to a green that slopes hard from right-to-left. Two good shots are required but will leave plenty of birdie opportunities if done correctly.






Hole 18:

The last hole at The Avalon Club is a beautiful par 5, playing uphill to a narrow fairway protected by bunkers and a creek. The 2nd shot can be reachable for most, but the correct angle must be taken to get it close to the pin. One of the easier holes on the property will yield plenty of low scores if played properly. After you are done putting, the 19th hole awaits.

[mctrees02]

Glad to see this one come alive! I've really enjoyed watching the progress and talking back and forth through the beta process. Great job!

[dmviking]

I just finished a round on this course. Sadly, my golf game abandoned me and I hacked my way around the course to an 80. There is even a tree on #9 that I hit so hard that you may need to notify its family. Overall, I still enjoyed my round despite my poor play. I really enjoyed having options off the tee. I could hit driver but it wasn't always the safest option. I could club down and still have a reasonable distance to the hole (if I could find the fairway... silly me). I did have some trouble holding the greens on shots that I did hit well... but that could have still been me and not the course. Good luck in the contest!

[mattyfromcanada]

I watched Ben play the beta for this and was looking forward to seeing the finished product. This looks really solid and I excited to give it a play tonight.

Well done!

[mvpmanatee]

Nov 16, 2020 15:25:56 GMT -5 mattyfromcanada said:

I watched Ben play the beta for this and was looking forward to seeing the finished product. This looks really solid and I excited to give it a play tonight.

Well done!

Thanks Matty let me know what you think!!! Would love the feedback.

[squinty]

Thought the green on 2 was great, and overall I really enjoyed the greens across the board, I think thats one of the hardest things to get right, and if you dont it can really ruin a course. The fairway sculpting on the 6th threw me off a bit, as it was all fairly flat (slightly undulating fairways) and then you get to 8 and its like hello steep slopes. I really liked the short par 4 11th, I drove the green with a slightly helping wind, but I can see that totally being off the table if the winds not with you. Par 3 12th was interesting, I had a tailwind which allowed me to hit a 9 iron, but I can see with a headwind and that elevation change being anything from a 9 iron off the tee to a 7 or 6 iron. Short Par 4 13th was a fun hole, I liked how you protected the green with it being raised, my ball hit it and went right, into the greenside bunker. All in all, enjoyed my round, well done sir.

[mvpmanatee]

Nov 16, 2020 19:48:37 GMT -5 squinty said:

Thought the green on 2 was great, and overall I really enjoyed the greens across the board, I think thats one of the hardest things to get right, and if you dont it can really ruin a course. The fairway sculpting on the 6th threw me off a bit, as it was all fairly flat (slightly undulating fairways) and then you get to 8 and its like hello steep slopes. I really liked the short par 4 11th, I drove the green with a slightly helping wind, but I can see that totally being off the table if the winds not with you. Par 3 12th was interesting, I had a tailwind which allowed me to hit a 9 iron, but I can see with a headwind and that elevation change being anything from a 9 iron off the tee to a 7 or 6 iron. Short Par 4 13th was a fun hole, I liked how you protected the green with it being raised, my ball hit it and went right, into the greenside bunker. All in all, enjoyed my round, well done sir.

Thank you for the play, and for the feedback, I am glad you enjoyed your round!

[mvpmanatee]

I would like to politely ask jimgem or Avakrac to do their magical play-through videos of either if you gentlemen have the time 

[Avakrac]

Nov 17, 2020 10:12:20 GMT -5 mvpmanatee said:

I would like to politely ask jimgem or Avakrac to do their magical play-through videos of either if you gentlemen have the time 

Well i know what im doing tonight. 😉