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Post by PithyDoctorG on Mar 20, 2021 19:17:59 GMT -5
 The SettingBragg Highlands GC is in Northern Michigan, high atop a bluff on the shores of Lake Michigan. It's a beautiful autumn day, and you've got some extra vacation days, so you're getting away from the city for a long weekend of golf with your pals. In this remote setting you can be sure you will not be bothered.  The Club
The club dates back to golf's golden age. There are few amenities beyond the understated stone-faced clubhouse and the pro shop. Several members own houses up on the steep hill that overlooks the lake and the course's finishing holes. The only concessions to the passing of time have been introduction of cart paths (the older members struggle to walk the hilly terrain) and the construction of a driving range on the far side of the tenth hole. After your round, enjoy a cold drink on the clubhouse patio that feature expansive lake views.  The Course
The course is inspired by the works of Alister Mackenzie, especially Crystal Downs CC in Michigan. The course also features a few holes along the bluffs, in a slight nod to Arcadia Bluffs, a more modern design in Northern Michigan. There are relatively few bunkers--no hole has more than three bunkers and three holes are bunkerless. Instead, interest is provided by significant land movement. On most tee shots you will need to anticipate how your ball will roll out and you need to think about what kind of stance and distance you'd like to have for your approach. The course's primary defense are its steeply canted greens. You may find they play a bit on the slow side, but only a madman would maintain such greens at "modern" green speeds (right?). The front nine is mostly routed across open, rolling terrain, with a brief visit to the bluffs on the par three 3rd hole. The back nine is partially routed through a wooded hillside before proceeding across open, less severely sloped terrain featuring a nice view out to the water. However, the course returns to the rolly-polly terrain occupied by the front nine for the finish.  Course details and recommended settings
Yardage (blue tees): 7189 yards Par: 36-36=72 Winds: Recommend Medium or High winds. The most common direction is Northeast, coming in off the lake. Occasionally, Westerly winds are observed, giving the course a completely different personality. Green speeds: Default speed is 158. Plays fine on the "fast" setting. Most pins are challenging but fair on the "very fast" setting, but a few are wreathed in orange on this setting, so be aware.   |
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Post by blueblood1995 on Mar 20, 2021 22:16:03 GMT -5
Just played and in a word... magnificent! IMO best course to date of the WCoD bunch. (Have played all but x2.) Drive on 13 best drive in game with the hogsback. 15th = one of best par 3s I've played. I hadn't read the blurb above but immediately recognised that the good Doctor G had taken inspiration from the other good Doctor Mac and his Crystal Downs masterpiece. Pure golf! Immersion factor was off the scale. The aesthetic, the colour palette, bunkering, green contouring, fairway undulations and cambering and most impressively the lighting were all A-grade. Could play this again and again and again and never get bored. All the best with the comp!
One question... I noticed the green grid was showing as on around the actual greens sites themselves but the greens were distinct and a different colour. Is this created in the designer as a secondary green but different in colour so to create the effect of having a very short mowed section to create good run and bounce for the ground game. I can't recall seeing this on another course I've played yet and thought this was executed perfectly.
Also thought this would make a fabulous matchplay course.
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Post by Q on Mar 21, 2021 1:05:03 GMT -5
pithy you madman, what a monstrous course These are some of the craziest "fringes" ive ever seen. I never wouldve even thought to do that PithyDoctorG do they actually roll and bounce differently than greens or fairway? Im guessing their firmness is based off of green settings. |
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Post by b101 on Mar 21, 2021 1:12:19 GMT -5
Loved it. Classic Dan quality of design and just plays really well. Need to play more pinsets on this one, but loved battling around at even par before holing out on the 18th. Wild AF.
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Post by scootmcgoot on Mar 21, 2021 5:11:32 GMT -5
Said it on Mayday’s stream last night and I’ll say it again...the setting is awesome. And you better bring your thinking cap for figuring out where to hit your drive and approach cuz this is no grip it and rip it course. Birdied 18 for an E par round but it was a ton of fun to play. Phenomenal job, Dan.
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Post by PithyDoctorG on Mar 21, 2021 8:21:04 GMT -5
Just played and in a word... magnificent! IMO best course to date of the WCoD bunch. (Have played all but x2.) Drive on 13 best drive in game with the hogsback. 15th = one of best par 3s I've played. I hadn't read the blurb above but immediately recognised that the good Doctor G had taken inspiration from the other good Doctor Mac and his Crystal Downs masterpiece. Pure golf! Immersion factor was off the scale. The aesthetic, the colour palette, bunkering, green contouring, fairway undulations and cambering and most impressively the lighting were all A-grade. Could play this again and again and again and never get bored. All the best with the comp! One question... I noticed the green grid was showing as on around the actual greens sites themselves but the greens were distinct and a different colour. Is this created in the designer as a secondary green but different in colour so to create the effect of having a very short mowed section to create good run and bounce for the ground game. I can't recall seeing this on another course I've played yet and thought this was executed perfectly. Also thought this would make a fabulous matchplay course. I'm not the first to do this. The "secondary greens" are actually just fringe texture. I just set the fringe width to maximum. On that setting the spline itself will just be fringe texture. I then used spline pieces to fill in the aprons. You just have to be careful about spacing the splines. If they overlap at all you'll get little patches of green texture on your apron. |
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Post by PithyDoctorG on Mar 21, 2021 8:23:13 GMT -5
pithy you madman, what a monstrous course These are some of the craziest "fringes" ive ever seen. I never wouldve even thought to do that PithyDoctorG do they actually roll and bounce differently than greens or fairway? Im guessing their firmness is based off of green settings. I'm pretty sure you're right about the fringe firmness. I had lots of roll-off areas but my greens aren't very fast, so I wanted to make it easier for the ball to roll away if it drifts off the green instead of having an easy chip when it hangs up in the fairway. It also makes run up shots a bit more viable on holes like #13 for example. |
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Post by robn on Mar 21, 2021 12:13:40 GMT -5
No need for leg day if you're hiking around Bragg regularly!
Course was unique. I think it might be worth the price of admission for the 9th and 17th green sites alone. Speaking of 17, almost holed out off the tee (pin 3). Had a very tidy -8 going until a naughty 3 putt on 18 put a bogey on the card.
Will be interesting to see how this one goes in the contest.
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Post by meyo on Mar 21, 2021 20:05:53 GMT -5
Thank you Doctor G for the wide 1st cut, my crappy swing needed all the help it could get.. Great course Dan and GL in the contest...
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2021 20:16:41 GMT -5
I agree with Robn on the 17th green site. Super fun, pulled out a birdie... but it could have gone to a bogey very easily if I would have missed a foot or two to the right or left on each shot. The fringe trick was used well by giving both a forgiving bailout area for some approaches and a tragic rollout area for others. Overall, I enjoyed my round and the variety of hole and shot types you provided for the golfer. Well done bro!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2021 20:47:28 GMT -5
Very interesting entry here from the "good doctor". I can't say I've seen a course quite like this in the game, which is something that appeals to me when you great designers do things we haven't played yet. I think my favorite part of the experience is all of the cross-course views you get through the round, and then the final par 3 being routed through the trees with a look at the water is a memorable moment as well. Great job buddy!
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mayday_golf83
TGCT Design Competition Directors
Posts: 2,279 
TGCT Name: Jeremy Mayo
Tour: Elite
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Post by mayday_golf83 on Mar 21, 2021 21:11:16 GMT -5
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Post by b101 on Mar 31, 2021 10:10:05 GMT -5
Because we all love a bump from the dead. Was fun to finally dig into this one properly today. Exactly my type of course where it asks awkward questions and it's certainly bold with how you did your fairways and greens. It's just pure fun and I can't think of many courses not designed by RJWils where ground game matters as much. Thought the surfacing was top-notch as well - the use of light rough to mitigate the fairway severity was tastefully done.
There's so much I loved that it's hard to pick a few holes, but the greens that were sunken in between dunes or mounds were particular favourites - loved 5 and 10 especially. 15 and 17 are great holes at the climax of the round, but honestly, you get infinite variety with wind/pin combinations. The par five approaches were also wild and I could hit those shots on a loop all day trying to hit the kicker slopes in just the right spots. What stands out to me most is that in the three rounds I've played here, I hit them enough times, so it's not rewarding only perfect shots; that's a sign of a class design.
Loved it. Another classic Dan course and I hope it does well.
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Post by WhatAboutAmeobi on Apr 19, 2021 10:42:41 GMT -5
I love how subtle this course is and the shot values are fantastic!
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Post by cd06 on Apr 20, 2021 1:58:15 GMT -5
There's some stuff here I really liked! The wide fringe trick definitely increased the ground game options. I did find myself hitting driver on pretty much every hole that wasn't a par three though, so I probably missed the strategic element to this course (I think you might have restrained yourself a little too much with the bunker count, but that might just be the style  ). Also, I was really confused by the width of the light rough - I felt it was a little too wide in spots, but again, it could have been the land movement that pushed you to do that. I can't remember any of the holes except from 15 playing down to the oceanside, but I probably need to give it another play. Since I'm not massively educated on golf course architecture, I think I may have missed a few things here that others have spotted, but personally I didn't find a ton of strategy (or at least haven't found it yet). But I still enjoyed my round here, and land movement was fantastic. Good luck! |
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). Also, I was really confused by the width of the light rough - I felt it was a little too wide in spots, but again, it could have been the land movement that pushed you to do that. I can't remember any of the holes except from 15 playing down to the oceanside, but I probably need to give it another play. Since I'm not massively educated on golf course architecture, I think I may have missed a few things here that others have spotted, but personally I didn't find a ton of strategy (or at least haven't found it yet). But I still enjoyed my round here, and land movement was fantastic. Good luck!