Hey Catcherman, thanks for giving me the heads up, yeah I'm back for another one, he he. Since there are two tournaments this week people might not have as much time to check the course in advance. I guess us Challenge Circuit players are eligible for the Promotion Event at Persephone Golf Club. Crazy Canuck left a video for his course on his thread and he gives hole-by-hole descriptions. If I jot down any random notes I may leave them in the Promotion Event thread but I don't know if they'll add anything since he did an excellent job summarizing. I left the link for the thread with the hole-by-hole video and photo preview below.
tgctours.proboards.com/thread/25390/persephone-golf-clubROYAL ST. MICHAELS
Architect: Daniel Rommens
Par: 71 Yardage: 6996www.tgctours.com/Course/Details/23541Daniel Rommens: "My newest course Royal St. Michaels is up. 18 Holes of classic Scottish links golf. This course was inspired by St. Andrews (New Course, Jubilee Course, and Eden Course). It is an improved version of St Michaels (tour), with broader fairways in some spots and more interesting greens to navigate."
The Challenge Circuit takes a trip to Scotland to play Daniel Rommens’ Royal St. Michaels. This is our first flight over to a links course on the CC Tour and we’re gonna stay at the houses right on the course behind the first tee near the driving range for our practicing convenience. Thanks Catcherman! Throw on a Christmas sweater if you want, it’s gonna be cold. There’s a concession stand too right next to the clubhouse with an overpriced American food menu if you’re hungry from travel. Like last week’s Sand Pit, Royal St. Michaels is also dried out brown. It has a bunch of claustrophobic fairways and medium to large-sized greens. There aren’t any pot bunkers and the small bunkers are mostly shallow, but there are exceptions. They encroach and live on the fairways on several holes. No water comes into play but OB does, especially early on, so take a peek at the overheads to see the reds.
Driving accuracy is the premium quality to have at this event. Because most holes lay out flat, straight ahead of us with tight fairways, a golfer who uses a ‘fast’ swing may have to use a fade to straighten out the angle of the drive to be parallel to the fairway so it doesn’t bounce into the left rough. The par-3’s can bite, the 3 par-5’s are eagle possibilities, and there are 2 or 3 drivable par-4’s that balance with 3 lengthy par-4’s playing over 490 yards. Almost every hole is straight and flat. The greens tend to be harder to deal with on longer lag putts but can be easier within birdie distance.
And hole by hole…
1)
4-372. Watch for players on golf carts driving down the path across the front of the teebox before you hit your opening tee shot on a short & straight par-4 that shows we’re in for some bunkered fairways. The 2 bunkers will eat up a hybrid off the tee, or it will hit the mound, and there’s not much room for driver as the fairway narrows at 290 with an additional bunker left. The expansive green is more undulating for long lag putts, with easier putts coming the closer the approach.
2)
5-577. The 2nd easiest hole at Royal St. Michaels. Try to get a little extra pop on the drive as there’s plenty of room down this straight hole – if you can pull off a 315-320 yard drive, you’ll have a great chance at eagle. The green is smaller sloping right more severely at the left and back. There’s OB both on the left hand side and right hand side the entire way. It might be best to go for it in two as this is the only par-5 around until the 15th hole.
3)
4-432. A narrow chute of a par-4 towards the lighthouse, the 3rd has fairway bunkers at 300 yards, the OB is very close to the left side of the fairway – don’t hit it past the walking path on the left. There’s OB on the right as well so using other hole’s fairways as leverage isn’t allowed here. The tame green allows us to make up for any wayward shots. If you had a snack or drink on the first hole and you need to go, the restrooms are behind equipment shed left of the fairway. Hopefully, they're unlocked this time since I was outta luck on my practice round.
4)
3-185 (#1 handicap). I don’t think this #1 handicap hole is severe like some of the others we faced this year. The small green slopes away from the player making it tougher to hold and the greenside bunker is one of the deeper ones in town. There’s runup shot possibilities for this par-3.
OB is on the right for holes 5-9.
5)
4-397. Royal St. Michaels takes a turn and plays along the cliff for the rest of the front nine. OB extends out to the walking path that runs parallel to the cliff on the righthand side. The widest parts of the narrow fairway are most forgiving for drivers or long irons. 3-woods and hybrids have to contend with a fairway bunker and brush. One of the mellowest greens may result in a birdie putt.
6)
4-343. Another hole that tests us off the tee, the narrow fairway is best for a 3-wood as a hybrid will hit the bump in the fairway and driver has almost no room to maneuver. The green is very difficult since the hole is short so be ready for a difficult putt. It’s a drivable par-4 with a south wind.
7)
4-491. (#3 handicap) This may wind up being the toughest hole by the end of the week. The claustrophobic fairway can strike fear as a miss off the tee with leave a 180-200 yard shot out of the rough to a green that slopes front-to-back.
8)
3-187. A standard par-3 that works as a stress reliever after the previous hole. The green tilts right. OB stretches along cartpath once again.
9)
4-301. With only one front nine par-5, the 9th hole that looks towards the clubhouse works as another possible birdie hole. It plays straight and flat like a bunch of holes and isn’t punishing. There’s a real chance for eagle on 9, but the green slopes back to front enough to leave difficult putts. It’s even shorter with a south wind.
10)
3-179 (#2 handicap). A short, flat par-3, this easier hole uses the other side of the double green (shared with the 7th hole). The complex is flat enough to run shots up in stronger winds. This half of the green is highly sloped to the right creating some difficult putts. Going too far left with the tee shot results in a steep downhill putt, going right of the hole leaves an uphill putt from the green or uphill chip from the right rough.
11)
4-505 (#4 handicap). Without OB near the hole, we have options of 3 fairways if we want to use the neighboring fairways for a better angle. A 300-yard drive down the middle of another slender fairway lands between two bunkers leaving a 200 yard approach to conquer so it’s crucial we land it in the fairway since the two-tiered green isn’t conducive to long putts.
12)
4-339. The course has been tight but we get a bit of a breather after a really tough hole. Another thin fairway test off the tee awaits. Luckily, a missed fairway here is easy to recover from as the hole is a drivable par-4 with a tailwind. Driving it too far left will leave a menacing recovery from the bushes sitting in the rough close to the peanut-shaped green.
13)
4-425. A birdie chance with a wider fairway than most and the green is kind.
14)
3-212. This big wide green may look like a friend after some of the tight spaces we’ve been through but it has turtleback tendencies. Watch the back half of the green as a tailwind or a 5-wood in hand, the ball will run off the back.
15)
5-554. Options are presented off the tee to a dogleg left fairway split by a bunker at thee 285-yard mark.
16)
4-457. A basic par-4, straight and flat like most holes at Royal St. Michaels, with an enormous peanut-shaped green. A birdie chance awaits if we can hit the fairway.
17)
5-549. Besides some water next to the teebox on 17, there’s been no water in direct play on the course, just the bunkers and toasted rough. The easiest hole on the course, an eagle only waits for those on the fairway. This is one of the smaller greens and OB runs along the entire left side.
18)
4-492. Ahh, what a relief – let ‘er rip! A nice wide fairway greets us warmly with plenty of room for error off the tee. The mid to long iron approach will be one of the mild greens at Royal St. Michaels. The hole’s length is its best defense.
Good luck to everyone, stay warm out there and have fun! Also, I hope everyone plays to their satisfaction at the promo event as well.