irwinm2006
Weekend Golfer
Posts: 118
TGCT Name: Eric Fletcher
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Post by irwinm2006 on Oct 9, 2021 22:30:16 GMT -5
Welcome to Crooked Antler Golf Club, my submission for Ben and Charlie’s Parkland/Golden Age Design Contest! Course History: Established in 1947 in extreme northern Idaho, the course was the brainchild of Elliot Randall Smoot, oldest son of timber magnate Herschel Smoot. The elder Smoot, an avid outdoorsman, purchased several thousand acres along Crooked Antler Run, a minor tributary of the Kootenay River, in 1924 to use as a private family retreat for hunting and fishing. The property was a favorite place for Elliot, who spent many of his childhood summers at the lodge his father built along the river, hunting, fishing and hiking in the pine and hardwood forest on the property. Elliot was introduced to the game of golf while attending college at Princeton in the mid 30s, developing an appreciation for the great courses in the eastern part of the US. Returning to the Pacific Northwest after graduation, Elliot joined the family business, eventually taking over the company when his father retired in 1942. Missing courses like Winged Foot and Baltusrol that he had played back east, Elliot, now an avid golfer and solid 2 handicap, decided to establish a club that reminded him of those tracks, and he could think of no better place than the property along Crooked Antler Run where he has spent so many happy summers as a child. Architect Richard Gilmour was retained to design the original layout, which was similar to the present day design in terms of routing but with the nines reversed. Elliot Smoot’s vision was realized with the opening of the club on May 14, 1947 with an initial roster of 100 members. Over the past 70 years the course has been updated with new bunkering and lengthened as equipment and players got stronger. Along with the rerouting of the course, an extensive overhaul of the original clubhouse was done in 1972, enlarging and modernizing the structure to its current state. Around this same time the original family hunting lodge on the creek (located behind the 11th green) was converted to a overnight guest house and the other original cabin on the property (located adjacent to the 8th hole) was converted to a residence for the course superintendent. The course today is a par 72 layout stretching to 7335 yards from the back tees, with four pin sets. The front nine winds through the pine forest, featuring significant elevation changes, while the back nine features several holes along Crooked Antler Run. The course is known for it’s undulating and multi-tiered greens, and large, deep bunkers throughout the course. Several of the the green complexes sport false fronts and are crowned, putting a premium on finding the correct tier on approach and requiring approaches to be on the correct side of the hole. Course stats: Par 72 Tees: Black: 7335 yards Blue: 6975 yards White: 6517 yards Red: 6251 yards Hope you enjoy the course and feedback is welcome and appreciated. Thanks to Ben and Charlie for running the contest and good luck to all entrants! Best, Eric Some pics: 1st Green: 2nd fairway looking toward green: Aeriel view of 3rd green, 4th and 5th holes in the background: Looking up 7th fairway toward green: 8th green with superintendent residence in the foreground: 11th green and guesthouse: Looking down 12th fairway from tee: Aeriel view of 13: 14th tee: 18 fairway looking toward the clubhouse: Aeriel view of clubhouse and practice facility: Clubhouse entrance:
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Post by sandgroper on Oct 12, 2021 20:59:16 GMT -5
A really lovely plot of land i.imgur.com/UxYrOUC.jpg and I can see why old man Smoot would have purchased it all those years ago. The old family home has come up a treat as a guest house i.imgur.com/N58rvBb.jpgThe new clubhouse is full of grandeur i.imgur.com/cr9bU2s.jpgThe first tee shot opening sequence is always fascinating and great when there is some objects i.imgur.com/8yRuoBA.jpg. In this case the clubhouse. I like the vision from the first tee, well framed. The only problem is when you put a path right down the middle it has to be real flat, otherwise you can see the first couple of humps then you start looking for them during the round. The fairway pinches nicely at driving distance and I was lucky enough to bounce back onto it with a slow first drive. I took the shortcut on 2 and fell into the well placed trap. The large bunker I was in on 5 needed the lips smoothed out and a little more sculpting to get rid of the hump towards the left side. And then the next bunker I was in up by the green is similar. I was more of a fan of this one as I knocked in the bunker shot for eagle. lol. The lion's mouth green on 6 was evil and glad I got my approach shot right. I really liked the 11th as a drivable par 4, with the centreline hazard making you decide what you want to do. The risk/reward on 14 was just out of reach for me and I had to layup. Had a 7 foot Rock Hudson putt for birdie... A tight tricky landing area on 15 made me concentrate. Great finishing hole with a tricky green showing a lot of undulations. So really enjoyed my round. There were a couple of places that could have done with an additional smoothing on the edges of the fairways and the bunkers need a little additional sculpting and the lips smoothed out. The weather is always tricky too, with a dawn round casting a lot of shadows combined with the overcast conditions can create dark places. I still gave it 5 stars!
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irwinm2006
Weekend Golfer
Posts: 118
TGCT Name: Eric Fletcher
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Post by irwinm2006 on Oct 13, 2021 7:36:37 GMT -5
A really lovely plot of land i.imgur.com/UxYrOUC.jpg and I can see why old man Smoot would have purchased it all those years ago. The old family home has come up a treat as a guest house i.imgur.com/N58rvBb.jpgThe new clubhouse is full of grandeur i.imgur.com/cr9bU2s.jpgThe first tee shot opening sequence is always fascinating and great when there is some objects i.imgur.com/8yRuoBA.jpg. In this case the clubhouse. I like the vision from the first tee, well framed. The only problem is when you put a path right down the middle it has to be real flat, otherwise you can see the first couple of humps then you start looking for them during the round. The fairway pinches nicely at driving distance and I was lucky enough to bounce back onto it with a slow first drive. I took the shortcut on 2 and fell into the well placed trap. The large bunker I was in on 5 needed the lips smoothed out and a little more sculpting to get rid of the hump towards the left side. And then the next bunker I was in up by the green is similar. I was more of a fan of this one as I knocked in the bunker shot for eagle. lol. The lion's mouth green on 6 was evil and glad I got my approach shot right. I really liked the 11th as a drivable par 4, with the centreline hazard making you decide what you want to do. The risk/reward on 14 was just out of reach for me and I had to layup. Had a 7 foot Rock Hudson putt for birdie... A tight tricky landing area on 15 made me concentrate. Great finishing hole with a tricky green showing a lot of undulations. So really enjoyed my round. There were a couple of places that could have done with an additional smoothing on the edges of the fairways and the bunkers need a little additional sculpting and the lips smoothed out. The weather is always tricky too, with a dawn round casting a lot of shadows combined with the overcast conditions can create dark places. I still gave it 5 stars! Thanks for the play-through and the feedback sandgroper, much appreciated! This is my 3rd course and I can see some improvement as I move along but the bunker sculpting still vexes me a bit. I also noticed a couple really good swings you made that didn't get rewarded due to some of the fairway sculpting so I will continue to work on that as well, I'd like my designs to be somewhat challenging but more important that they play well, be fair and reward a good shot. Thanks again for playing and posting the vid, seeing someone else play your design is really illuminating and great feedback! Best, Eric
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Post by InThisStyle on Oct 13, 2021 11:51:52 GMT -5
Some fun holes out there—I like a tee shot that makes you think about 3-wood instead of driver. Overall environment was good, enjoyed enjoyed the look of that 2nd hole... and the clubhouse! My only note would be the fairways are a bit wild, I love an undulation, it definitely adds interest, but when you have 10-15 ft swails, especially 15 foot side hill landing zones it gets a bit tricky—even when you hit a good shot you get punished. Still, the course played well on masters/medium wind/fast/fast, ended up under par so can't complain. Good work!
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irwinm2006
Weekend Golfer
Posts: 118
TGCT Name: Eric Fletcher
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Post by irwinm2006 on Oct 13, 2021 12:21:03 GMT -5
Some fun holes out there—I like a tee shot that makes you think about 3-wood instead of driver. Overall environment was good, enjoyed enjoyed the look of that 2nd hole... and the clubhouse! My only note would be the fairways are a bit wild, I love an undulation, it definitely adds interest, but when you have 10-15 ft swails, especially 15 foot side hill landing zones it gets a bit tricky—even when you hit a good shot you get punished. Still, the course played well on masters/medium wind/fast/fast, ended up under par so can't complain. Good work! Thanks InThisStyle, appreciate the play and the feedback! Agreed on the fairway sculpting, after watching sandgroper's play through it was pretty obvious that I needed to moderate those so will definitely be focusing on that moving forward. Glad you liked #2, that hole is based on a hole at a course that I used to play a lot and always liked the choice it offered: you aren't likely to get there from the tee but it's just so tempting. Most of the time you are on the beach (or worse) going that way, and it is a pretty easy hole going the safe route. I almost hated to get to that tee with a tailwind as it always made me think "maybe I can get there this time...." and then end up with a 6 on the card... Best, Eric
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Post by plawlor15 on Oct 13, 2021 12:56:39 GMT -5
Hey Eric,
Like I said in my PM, I really enjoyed this one overall. Good hole strategy. The greens were well done - most were upside down saucers, which is pretty common for the old, classic parklands course you were going for. The site lines were very good. You can always see the fairway and bunkers from the tee and the green from the approach, which is nice.
I made the same note on the fairway sculpting as others - soften a bit on the next attempt and you're in business.
Well done.
Peter
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irwinm2006
Weekend Golfer
Posts: 118
TGCT Name: Eric Fletcher
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Post by irwinm2006 on Oct 13, 2021 13:03:53 GMT -5
Hey Eric, Like I said in my PM, I really enjoyed this one overall. Good hole strategy. The greens were well done - most were upside down saucers, which is pretty common for the old, classic parklands course you were going for. The site lines were very good. You can always see the fairway and bunkers from the tee and the green from the approach, which is nice. I made the same note on the fairway sculpting as others - soften a bit on the next attempt and you're in business. Well done. Peter Thanks Peter, really appreciate the play and the feedback! Best, Eric
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