October 2022 – Golf Guru Group

Pine Lakes Golf Club – Ohio

ggg127web27th October 2022Comments OffUncategorized

Staying at Julias’s B&B couldn’t be better located when playing Pine Lakes golf course which is just a quick walk across the car park.

Not the most salubrious of club houses but the friendly welcome from members and staff alike gave us a warmth to our visit that no fancy clubhouse could buy.

Slightly wet underfoot, the rising sun soon burned off any residual ground dew and let the course wake up to be an inviting and beautiful course shown off with the late summer heat. Watching the ground staff whipping the greens was quite mesmerising as they prepared for the early bird golfers. The consistency of the greens was evident throughout, although they did roll faster than we were used to – or was it a rush of adrenaline as we soaked up the Ohio sunshine.

Hole 3, a downhill 100-153 yard SI7/9 reminded me of the movie ‘The Bridges of Madison County’, with its covered bridge over a small lake. Whilst not a long hole, accuracy was needed to reach the good sized back to front sloping green. A hole that has everything from a challenge to a unique view. Gladly this bridge comes into view whilst playing hole 10 and 17, so a punchy start a punchy middle and a punchy end.

Of course the down side to any water on the golf course is the visiting geese and the inevitable remnants they leave behind. Treading carefully is a game all in itself and adds a whole new meaning to strategically plotting your way around!

Being in the US, one isn’t tied to playing a particular tee position, in fact I tend to look at the overall distance before deciding, at Pine Lakes I opted to play some forward tees and some the next step back, which meant I played between 4822 and 5525 yards. The back tees measured 6612 yards with a couple of options between the forward and back tees.

There were some slight elevation changes on the course and some raised greens which all added to this lovely parkland course.

Hole 8 being SI 1 of 282/398 yards is a fairly straight hole with a little fairway turn right towards the green. With water on the inside of the turn and a two tier green to contend with, a good short game would be hugely beneficial.

Being slightly wet underfoot, the first cut was thick and required some commitment with your shot.

With the scrub snaking around the edges of the 10th fairway and the covered bridge coming back into view means I’d like to play this hole again – with the golfers immortal words of ‘if only I’d known!” to enable me to play it better next time!!

Other notable interests are hole 13, a par 4 280/385 yards, SI6/8 with its strong parkland feel, elevated tees to a banked up green, or the the 14th with its irregular shaped enticing green.

The course appearance changes slightly as you leave the trees behind in favour of a more open approach on the 16th, water in play all along the right hand side – and plenty of those geese! It almost seems our of character with the other more tree lined, established holes. But turn away towards 17 and you’re back into the thick of it again and of course back to the romantic bridge as you approach the green.

Such a lovely unassuming parkland course welcomes the visitors playing the Penn Ohio golf trail or those who just happen to

When looking for golf to play in Trumbull County, don’t forget to consider Pine Lakes

Sarah Forrest

Golf Guru Group

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Peterhead Golf Club

ggg127web27th October 2022Comments OffUncategorized

Craigewan Links

Aberdeen

As the golf course comes into sight so does it access. Unusually over a footbridge traversing the River Ugie to a low built clubhouse beyond. You could be forgiven to thinking that this is a new golf club, and you’d be right, in some ways, and completely wrong in others.

In fact Peterhead is the 18th oldest golf club and has a chequered history which includes land feuds, fire insurance claims (alleged), multiple re-built clubhouses and two new foot bridges all bringing the back story to life. Erosion has played its part in shaping the current golf course too with the golf course being re-routed and the clubhouse being repositioned on more than one occasion.

An historic piece of land with multiple uses, including cattle and sheep grazing and some less obvious such as artillery range with the latter being the reason for a new hole being built to ‘avoid inconvenience and danger when volunteers were shooting targets’ – there is no mention as to what the targets were!

Some traditions have remained such as the annual presentation of the Gold Medal which dates back to 1841 and is inscribed as having been presented by the ladies of Peterhead. The clubs history has also shaped its membership numbers which resembles a heart beat monitor of peaks and troughs. It is noted that the course condition seems to follow the trend of the membership – which makes perfect sense as money is either tight or in full flow.

Peterhead was one of those courses that was enjoyable to play, not as sharp in places than neighbouring courses but when you understand its history, somehow the experience becomes more enjoyable.

Not quite as isolated as the lone footbridge would lead you to believe, there was a faint hum of traffic being present for the first few holes.

The welcome breeze as you climb the second, a par 3, to a recently top dressed putting surface. The breeze was welcome on that hot sunny day, possibly not so welcome on a winters day when shelter would be sought for a different reason.

When arriving at the forth tee, the landscape seems to change, taking on a more rugged links feel with the vast North Sea now in full view. Nature working her magic on natural hollows adding more depth to the course as it plots its way around. It is said Peterhead Old course is an original, owing little to man’s heavy handed work in its creation.

Fine sand sprays in your face as the ball comes cleanly out of the bunkers. Sand clad and thinking of times as a child being given jam sandwiches on the beach – jam sandwiches with a dash of sand of course!

With the heat of the day, it felt like Death Valley as we transcended down between the hillocks. and out of the wind from hole 9. Whilst not a flat or uninspiring links course, the dunes were not huge hairy ones either.

But don’t be fooled with the summer day we had, subtle reminders this is a links course are deep cut burns with ball retrievers so heavy, they themselves tell the story of the usual windy conditions.

Subtle shaped greens, not overly large in size made for some target golf. No major undulations just gentle reads for the putt.

The 17th, a short par 4 was as good as any hole. Being a blind shot off the tee takes some nerve. No brief glances or sneaky looks before you commit

Despite the bare patches on the summer burnt fairways, the ball did react favourably – in the main anyway!

Our experience of playing Peterhead has since been enhanced by understanding its back story and appreciating its current journey in its next steps of its evolution. Peterhead is a survivor . It might not be the big names of its neighbours but it does command a place in golfing history.