I'm hoping to play Afton this weekend. Maybe Saturday. Anybody play that? And did they mow the course yet? Its a T-Storm today so hopefully its not tall grass and bugs come this weekend
Played today and that place is dangerous when the mud and rocks are wet. I fell twice and my partner once. There were plenty of other times I could have fallen as well, especially some really dangerous places like Hole 17. I guess this is to be expected of a new course, but if this layout is to survive, something for walking, like stairs and or handrails are going to need to be put in. I used my Grip bag today, but only because I had that in the car versus my Delta Cart. When dry, the cart would have been fine, maybe even preferred because of the extra storage and the ability to sit. However, with the mud and loose rocks, it would have been too much of a burden.
Grass is still long enough to make discs difficult to spot unless you are within three feet of them. Despite seeing the baskets from almost every tee, having a spotter to help with the depth of the throw could speed things up. In general, just making sure you have a good eye on every throw could suffice enough.
The bugs were horrible, especially near the holes at the bottom of the hill. If you keep moving, we got away without actually having to spray, but it would not have been a bad idea though. I swallowed a few suicidial mosquitoes.
I shot course par, 58, but I could have cleaned that up to a 54 or so. The course is repetitive because almost every shot is through a tunnel at some point. As individual holes, several are great because most Minnesotan courses lack such elevation, but having so many of the same kind of hole subtracts from the overall experience. Front nine plays longer than the back nine and has three of the four par 4s. As a rhbh player, Hole 13 was the first and only time all round that I had to throw anything but a backhanded throw.
One of the best features is the loop that brings Hole 9 back up the clubhouse. I can be an ironman player if the circumstances are right, I played 29 hours during the Winter Carnival with minimal breaks, but being able to stop at the clubhouse was definitely a relief. I did not pack in any water, which was a huge mistake. Trudging through ankle-high grass that was wet on top of it being humid, especially when the sun broke through the clouds, on top of that with the up and down and up and down of the layout definitely had me exhausted. More often than not I do not have issues wearing my glasses, but I really should have worn my contacts today. I could not keep my glasses clean, dry, and defogged. I got to the point that I started throwing with my glasses off. Not a huge issue until it is time to putt. Having a quick breather at the clubhouse definitely helped reenergize us for the back nine.
Overall I give the course a B. For a casual round with friends, it is a great course. The elevation combined with some technicality is something most other courses do not have. This course is not like HSSA. It is closer to Giants Ridge if you have ever played that. For competitive tournament rounds, it should be fine for amateurs because enough will struggle with the tunnels to create scoring separation. However, pros who can routinely make such shots will find that their scores will not separate unless someone makes a heroic throw or does something catastrophically stupid. I would not be surprised if they made artificial OB during big tournaments to tighten up the course. Big arms (500+) have the ability to pick up two or three throws on those like me who top out at 400, but that is about it. If you can clear tunnel shots, almost everything is going to be routine. I could be proven wrong, but I bet most pros would score between 50 and 54. I honestly only made about three or four mistakes all round, and three of my four birdies were rather routine. Again, I carded a 58.