The Golf Thread

[falafel]

I was recently able to play Rodeo Dunes, the newest offering from Dream Golf/Keiser. Absolutely phenomenal course in the middle of nowhere. If you've played Bandon Dunes or Sand Valley, you'd expect nothing less than a great course. Conveniently, this middle of nowhere is only 40 minutes from the largest airport in North America, so it much easier to get to than Keiser's other offerings. RD is not opening to the public until next year, but a friend purchased a private membership and was able to get some "preview" tee times this summer. Because the course is so new, they are only cutting and rolling the greens a few times a week. So the greens were slower than they will eventually be. While that made for less break in a lot of the putts, it made distance control really hard for me. I found my putts coming up 5 feet short a lot. And then the slower putts wouldn't really hold their line. Also, the fuzzy greens stole the ability to be as creative around the greens, as we weren't really able to use the contours to their full extent.

I played it 4 times in 40 hours, and had an absolute blast. After shooting in the low 80s/high 70s for the first three rounds, I finally put together a complete round. Thee greens were mowed and rolled on the morning of the final round, which really helped them roll truer and faster. I pulled off a 73--4 birdies and 5 bogeys. Three of the birdies were in a row (matching my previous record set at Cascata in the presence of our very own HFN). I just missed a 4th birdie in a row, coming up two inches short on a 25 footer (We call that a Cuban--just one revolution short).

Unlike Bandon/Sand Valley, where there really is nothing within 3+ hours, I foresee this course getting a lot of single-round play by people who are visiting Denver. I'll definitely try to get a tee time there next time BYU plays in Boulder.

I've been waiting for this place to get going. Bandon but closer. Of course, without the Oregon coastline, Bandon is not Bandon. Excited to see what they do out there.

[Donuthole]

I was recently able to play Rodeo Dunes, the newest offering from Dream Golf/Keiser. Absolutely phenomenal course in the middle of nowhere. If you've played Bandon Dunes or Sand Valley, you'd expect nothing less than a great course. Conveniently, this middle of nowhere is only 40 minutes from the largest airport in North America, so it much easier to get to than Keiser's other offerings. RD is not opening to the public until next year, but a friend purchased a private membership and was able to get some "preview" tee times this summer. Because the course is so new, they are only cutting and rolling the greens a few times a week. So the greens were slower than they will eventually be. While that made for less break in a lot of the putts, it made distance control really hard for me. I found my putts coming up 5 feet short a lot. And then the slower putts wouldn't really hold their line. Also, the fuzzy greens stole the ability to be as creative around the greens, as we weren't really able to use the contours to their full extent.

I played it 4 times in 40 hours, and had an absolute blast. After shooting in the low 80s/high 70s for the first three rounds, I finally put together a complete round. Thee greens were mowed and rolled on the morning of the final round, which really helped them roll truer and faster. I pulled off a 73--4 birdies and 5 bogeys. Three of the birdies were in a row (matching my previous record set at Cascata in the presence of our very own HFN). I just missed a 4th birdie in a row, coming up two inches short on a 25 footer (We call that a Cuban--just one revolution short).

Unlike Bandon/Sand Valley, where there really is nothing within 3+ hours, I foresee this course getting a lot of single-round play by people who are visiting Denver. I'll definitely try to get a tee time there next time BYU plays in Boulder.

[Donuthole]

I shot my best round in a couple of years on Saturday with a 1-over 73 on the most difficult 18-hole track at my club (it's 27 holes, so there are three possible configurations for an 18 hole round). 5 birdies in the round, which was a personal record for me, but paired with 4 bogeys and one regrettable double bogey on a par 5 (FML). This week my club is locked down for an LPGA mini tour event (women who are trying to break into the LPGA play on this tour) and they are playing the same course and the same tees. I logged in this morning to check out the leaderboard and it's very, very humbling. If I had turned around and shot my best-in-a couple-years score again and used those as my first two rounds in this event, my score would be good enough to . . . miss the cut by 4 strokes.

[chrisrenrut]

It’s just Thursday, but a lot of familiar names in the top 10.

https://www.masters.com/en_US/scores/index.html

[Donuthole]

I think is worth playing once. 10-13 of the holes are good holes. The rest are very forgettable. Play Circling Raven while you are up there. That’s a good course.

FWIW, I got up and down from the greenside bunker for a par.

[falafel]

I will have T-Th to get around and play a few rounds of golf while TW is at a conference in Moscow. So I am looking for fun courses in the area. I will keep that one on my list.

The Coeur d'Alene public course was very good too. Much cheaper than the resort and just a few minutes down the road.

[The_Tick]

I was in Coeur d’Alene last July and decided to skip it. I took a sea-do over Ther to look at it and it seemed very gimmicky. We did not play it. I would recommend Indian Canyon in Spokane. Excellent course with lots of fun elevation changes.

I will have T-Th to get around and play a few rounds of golf while TW is at a conference in Moscow. So I am looking for fun courses in the area. I will keep that one on my list.

[The_Tick]

Hard to advise re the cost, but I really enjoyed the course, and not just the floating green--the terrain is varied and interesting. On the par 3, i was pin-high on the left edge (there's very little room for error), and received a certificate for having parred the hole. Not often one rides a boat to get from tee-to-green. A great memory, for which cost is next to irrelevant.

Than you for this. The course looks beautiful from the videos that I have seen.

[falafel]

Has anyone on here played the course in Coeur d'Alene with the floating green? Would you say it is worth the 200-300 green fee?

I was in Coeur d’Alene last July and decided to skip it. I took a sea-do over Ther to look at it and it seemed very gimmicky. We did not play it. I would recommend Indian Canyon in Spokane. Excellent course with lots of fun elevation changes.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Has anyone on here played the course in Coeur d'Alene with the floating green? Would you say it is worth the 200-300 green fee?

Hard to advise re the cost, but I really enjoyed the course, and not just the floating green--the terrain is varied and interesting. On the par 3, i was pin-high on the left edge (there's very little room for error), and received a certificate for having parred the hole. Not often one rides a boat to get from tee-to-green. A great memory, for which cost is next to irrelevant.

[The_Tick]

Has anyone on here played the course in Coeur d'Alene with the floating green? Would you say it is worth the 200-300 green fee?

[falafel]

I can still beat him, but that probably won't last much longer.

Let him play at your club 2x a week for 1 year and let's see how it shakes out.

[Donuthole]

Bro, get a coach. Do it with MJ together. Get a practice net from Amazon and a 5x5 practice mat and work on those drills!

I agree with this. Give MJ good foundational principles, and maybe you can unlearn some bad habits and create some better ones. I have never worked with a golf coach, and I'm a decent golfer in spite of that. But I could have been way better, way sooner with a proper golf foundation. Instead, all it took was a 10k/year golf membership and playing 2x a week. I got my son working with a coach early on, a weekly lesson for about a year. Even though he doesn't take lessons anymore, the foundation of his swing is so much better than mine. I can still beat him, but that probably won't last much longer.

[falafel]

Bummer. I spent 700 pounds there today just on golf crap.

Do you use a golf coach? I’m getting to a point in my life that I may have more time to play and I want to get better. I played a lot 10-20 years ago but it’s been sparse lately (1-2 times a year) and with MJ taking up golf I figure I’ll be playing more. I’ve never used a coach and the only instruction I’ve really ever gotten is from a golf class I took at BYU.

Bro, get a coach. Do it with MJ together. Get a practice net from Amazon and a 5x5 practice mat and work on those drills!

[Moliere]

Nice! I hope to play there someday. Thanks for the offer, but Mrs. D has forbade me from adding any golf shirts to our closet.

Bummer. I spent 700 pounds there today just on golf crap.

Do you use a golf coach? I’m getting to a point in my life that I may have more time to play and I want to get better. I played a lot 10-20 years ago but it’s been sparse lately (1-2 times a year) and with MJ taking up golf I figure I’ll be playing more. I’ve never used a coach and the only instruction I’ve really ever gotten is from a golf class I took at BYU.