The New Liberty Lake – Walking the course – May 9, 2010

 

It opens May 28, 2010.

Last weekend, with permission from Pro Kit DeAndre, I walked the entire new course, and took a few notes.  The clubhouse/pro shop remodel is splendid, with more usable room, a lounge area with two wide-screen TVs, much outdoor seating, new rest rooms, and a remodeled pro shop – all first class!!

 

General comments on the new course:  Gorgeous, subtle, wet and sandy.  I need to be perfectly honest and say that if the south tees on # 3 (yes, there are eight tee boxes on that hole) are in use, that the average golfer will be in the water twice and in the sand six times every time he or she plays the course.  I love that challenge, but many may not.  Most fairways are wide and “half-piped” (basin channels with both sides sloping to the middle), the greens are immense (get very ready to hit 50-foot putts) and elegantly sculpted.  The tee boxes are all laser level and rectangular, and the traps are generally very deep. The sight lines are utterly beautiful, and yes, some of them are hugely intimidating (like #7 !!!).

 

Hole-by-hole:

 

#1  “Aw shucks, no short cuts!”  There is a big fairway bunker on the corner, and a cart path past the bunker (mixed blessing.)  Water is left of the large green, but the green falls away from it.  A deep trap fronts the green, but there’s a narrow approach on left side. A mounded ridge separates the fairway from #10. 

 

#2  “Where is the machine shed?”  The new fairway perimeter hills (all over the course) here protect the shed and keep balls in the fairway.  But this hole is now a dogleg right!!!  There is an unmowed rough swale just past the tee boxes, extending maybe 125 yards out from the white tee.  The green is over the right-side fairway trap and is slightly elevated, like the original.  There is a deep trap left fronting the large two-tiered green.  Notably, depending on how tightly they are mowed, the slopes defining the tiers, here and elsewhere on the course, are not so steep that a ball placed there or rolled there will roll back – well done!!  Tough, fantastic hole!

 

#3  “Gulp!”  Two sets of four tee boxes mean that either you hit over water all the way to the green or along a narrow fairway from the north tees.  The back tees will make this hole pretty long from both sides.  The north tees place the left tree in play, and the north fairway slopes to the water, as does the green!  There is the usual trouble long (trees).  Major changes here!

 

#4  “Gentler slopes.”  There is still a fairway bunker right, but the steep slope in front of the green has been knocked down somewhat, and balls will stop on it, leaving downhill approaches from a long drive.  The green slopes to the front, but is not so steep as before – looks like it will hold a shot anywhere.  No false front – run up shot will work.

 

#5  “Where is the pump house?”  It’s been replaced with a long fairway trap.  The left side of the fairway has a long hillside protecting it from #6; there is a big trap right front, but run-up shots are possible on the left side.  Large green has a tempting tournament hole placement on the top right which would be very tough.

 

#6  “Does this hole ever end?”  The blue tees are right on the fence.  For the second shot, water is in play on the right (both in front of and behind the tree).  There’s a deep trap guarding the right front, more water behind it and trees left.  The approach is narrow, but the green is huge.  Second shot placement will be key.

 

#7  “Omigod.”  This is a brand new hole.  There is big water all along the right side, traps front and back, and another tiered green.  There is a cart path and water if you hit it long.  The green is long and narrow and almost invisible from the tee…it has a hogback on the left and a back bench.  There will be some treacherous lies in the back left trap (will be hard to stop it from running into the water.)  It’s a gorgeous, intimidating hole.

 

#8  “Where am I?”  Tee shots are over two bodies of water from blues and whites.  The fairway is basined, but there is a medium sized fairway trap in the center.  The upslope is steeper than before and you won’t recognize the hole as you walk up it.  Otherwise, the traps are as before around the green, tree still in play.

 

#9  “Aw c’mon.”  This fairway has been moved left and a mature tree is dead center; a fairway trap is on the right side near the practice range fence.  Like many, this green slopes to the front, and should hold shots well.  It has a small top tier.

 

#10  “How far to the trap?” This will be a question as you tee it up – the fairway trap is menacing at the far end of the dogleg.  There is water short and right.  The ridgeline protects this fairway from #1, but there is a drainage swale left and center.  A huge, deep trap protects the left side of the green, and another, long.  This green has two large tiers, and trees, long.

 

#11  “Is this longer?”  There are traps left and front, like before.  The large green slopes to the front with a hogback on the left side.

 

#12  “More traps!”  The blue tees are right at the machine shed, and there is a long set of fairway traps at about 210-240 yards out, on the left.  There is a cart path at about 420 yards out, and the green is well-guarded except on the right front.  The large kidney-shaped green is shared with #14!

 

#13  “This looks familiar.”  This hole had few changes, except the green is larger (still tiered), and I think the tees are farther back.

 

#14  “Cool rocks.”  The elevated back tees are surrounded by huge granite boulders – very attractive.  The fairway trap on the right not really in play unless you fly the healthy trees.  No huge changes except sharing the new green with #12!!

 

#15  “Can driver reach the trap?”  There is a trap long and straight, and the fairway is built up on the right to channel short shots back into play.  The opening to the green appears larger, and the fairway slopes up to the far trap.  The green is two-tiered, trap right.

 

#16   “New tees and more room.”  There is a new set of tees west of the originals and lower, offering a wider approach.  The old right-side traps are larger.  The green has two hogbacks, but is pretty level, will hold shots everywhere.

 

#17  “Not so steep”  The tee box has been elevated and the tee shots will not be quite so challenging, and the fairway is sloped to the center.  The contoured fairway slopes to the tee for a longer distance, however.  The elevated green has a large trap on the right.  The green slopes to the front, likely to hold shots better.

 

#18 “Yikes.”  This hole is now a dogleg right.  There is water for 90% of the fairway on the right side.  A hilly ridge separates the fairway from #17, but the entire fairway slopes to the water!!  There is a trap long and left, but none on the right, and the tree is no longer really in play.  The green is long and two-tiered, also sloping to the front.  There is serious trouble long, like before.  Gorgeous looking hole!

 

The practice green has slopes which mimic those on the course.  Can’t wait to play it!

 

New USGA ratings:

 

Men’s:    Blue: 71.1 / 128         

              White: 69.3 / 124

              Gold:  66.4 / 119

 

Women’s:         White:  75.1 / 136

                        Gold:    71.9 / 130

                        Red:      68.2 / 114      

 

Final yardages are being lasered this week, and the new scorecard is being printed.                                           

I’ve always admired Jim Furyk.  I was out at Trailhead today, talking to Mollie Thola, who ranks right up there with the best club pros around town in terms of customer service.  We were watching the CV team practice.  There are some fairly creative swings.  But none like Furyk’s.  Someone once compared it to an octopus falling out of a tree.  He started swinging that way and his only teacher, his Dad, let him stay with it.  Notice he is not in a lot of the golf magazines as an “example swing.”  But through the impact zone, like all the really great golfers, he is in the slot and turns it over quickly.  There’s a new website, ajgolf.com which emphasizes the hitting zone…way important.  Way more important than the angle of the backswing plane, for example, which is where Furyk is odd — his is very steep.

Did Furyk shank that second shot on 18?  Maybe — he sure zipped it close to a long line of eyebrows!!  Then he bumped it in fairly close and left the putt one inch from the cup — a bogey to win by one.  Did you see the body language of KJ Choi.  KJ actually hugged Jim twice — it looked like once for the victory in the tournament, and once more for Jim’s victory over himself…three years since he has won.  And KJ was the loser — the second place guy —  the also ran…a guy with huge class.  In a game where some big players have tarnished images, KJ and Jim shine brightly.

Dave Tutelman is a retired Bell Labs scientist who is also a golf nut.  So he took his big brain and applied it to things like “moment of inertia” and “shaft torque.” 

For those of us who build clubs, this guy is very good, and a true myth-buster.  You will love his many articles here:

http://www.tutelman.com/golf/index.php

He talks about “swingers” vs. “hitters” and how little the hands really affect the ball and how important centrifugal force is and keeping the hands light and free through impact.

Got a note the other day from Palouse Ridge - Bruce Perisho, GM, has been replaced by Tyler Jones.  I have no idea why this happened, but would like to say that Bruce worked very hard during the first year of the course and I wish him well.  I certainly also wish Tyler and his crew well, also.  Great course, great folks.

I will miss you, Bruce.

Congratulations to Tyler Johnson, nominal winner of the “Odom Spokane City Golf Championship.”  He beat everybody.  Almost.  He actually shot a score four shots higher than the winner of the Senior Championship Flight, Jim Solan.  213 is a higher score than 209.

However, I guess the old guys play from different tees…but four shots is a lot, in 54 holes.  I guess I’d like to know the yardage difference…???

So have a nice day, Tyler.  Take that trophy and put it up on your mantle.  But old guy Jim Solan deserves an attaboy, too.

Ever want to adjust your clubhead loft and/or lie?  (Lie is the angle between the sole of the club and the shaft.  If the clubhead toe points “up” at address, and the sole does not sit squarely on the ground, then your lie is too shallow, needs to be steeper.  However, the shaft actually torques downward a little bit at impact, so maybe 1 degree upright is necessary to get level impact. An incorrect lie can cause unwanted sidespin.) You probably need to have the lie checked first with a plastic ”strike board” which makes a little mark on the sole of the club as you hit a ball and determines if you are hitting the ball with a square, level clubface.   The local golf shops have the boards and the loft/lie bending machines.  The machines are low tech, but quite precise.  And if you have a forged clubhead, they bend fine.  If it’s cast, you can get maybe one or two degrees, OR a broken clubhead!  Check with your manufacturer if you don’t know.

Checking and changing the loft is a good way to fill a little gap (say, seven iron flies 145 yds and six-iron goes 160 yds - might want to tweak one of them.)

Did you notice the shaft YE Yang was using on that #4 hybrid he hit to 18 at Hazeltine to win the PGA?  Yup - the Aldila NV-series…the green one.  There is some magic combination of fibers, flex point and forgiveness that just seems to work.  Try one in a favorite (or less-than-favorite) club.  You can always go back to your original shaft - Mike Mengert or Dave Clarke can help.

Thie IOC is sending it out to member countries for review.  The group on the Golf Channel is pretty high on this, with a couple of grumblers - “golf is not a sport” was the complaint.  I’m in favor, but I’m also old school:  this needs to be amateurs, not pros.  That would level the playing field a little bit and let some golfers from smaller countries actually have a chance…any comments? 

We still prefer the green one.  That is the NV-65 (stiff), vs. the newer VS-60-Proto-by You (the blue one - also stiff).  We built a three-wood using both of these and the higher torque value (3.5 in the NV vs. 3.2 in the Proto) and slightly lower kick point on the VS produced a better shot for us.  We all have driver speeds slightly over 100mph.  You see the green shaft all over the tours…I’ve had one in my drivers for 8 years.

Full credit to Michael Breed of the Golf Channel for this tip.  The pros regularly hit nine-irons 150 yards.  That is like 20% farther than you and I do.  One way they achieve this is by “de-lofting” the club a little at impact.  This is done by pinching the ball into the turf a little — it’s not really hitting the ball as the club is descending, but almost.  It does kind of feel that way.

Breed’s suggestion is to imagine that the top edge of your iron leads the clubhead into the ball.  This also keeps your hands slightly ahead of the shaft at impact and adds backspin.  Works for full wedge shots, also.

Of course another reason they hit it so far is clubhead speed.  Driver head speeds of 120 mph are pretty normal.

A friend of mine has a handicap index of 1.3.  I have personally seen him hit it 370 yds on the fly…uphill.  When I first shook his hand, mine got lost in his.  We are talking 12-inch spans here!  Then I grabbed his seven iron.  Nice shaft and head, but dinky standard grip.  I said “Patrick, let me re grip your seven-iron and see how you like it.”  His thumb pads had little dents where his fingertips had been pressing into them.  When I gave it back to him, he took me aside: “How soon can you re-grip every club in my bag, including the putter with one of those Shark grips???”  Well, I got it done pretty quickly and he’s very happy.

Stop in at Clarke-Stephens or King of Clubs or your favorite retailer or pro shop and be sure your grips are the right size before having them replaced.  You will have more control and comfort, for sure!

Replacing grips is easy.  Yes, specialized tools help, but they are not critical.  To be over-brief, with the shaft held in a padded vise, you cut off the old grip and the tape under it, add fresh tape (be sure it does not go below the point where the bottom of the grip meets the shaft,) put some grip solvent into the new grip while covering the little hole at the top, shake it very well to coat all the grip inside sleeve, then let the solvent drizzle out the hole onto the taped shaft, slide it on and align it.  You can hit balls in about half an hour…maybe less.

From various online sources (Golfsmith, Golfworks, Monark, eBay, others…) you can get grips for as little as $2.50 apiece.  The Golfsmith kits are great, include tape and solvent.

Of course the local golf shops can do it too…about $6.00 per club - also a good deal. 

What is not a good deal is having the club slip in your hand and watching the ball drift OB.  Replace any slick grips soon!!

Are you a “hitter of the ball” or a “swinger of the club?”  It’s actually a very fundamental question about your golf swing.  Payne Stewart, Fred Couples, Sam Snead and Jim Furyk are (were) swingers of the club.  Lee Trevino, Tiger Woods, Tom Lehman and Lorena Ochoa are hitters or the ball.  You probably know intuitively which one you are.  And they say it is hard to change that. I am a hitter of the ball and often wish I were not.  When I consciously “just make a swing and let the ball get in the way,” I often hit it better, but not as far, particularly with the longer clubs.  “Hitters of the ball” tend to be more “handsy” (control impact with hand activity - like John Daly.)

But that kind of change is hard to make, especially under pressure.  I also think “swingers of the club” have an advantage on “touch” shots like chipping and pitching.  I’m not so sure about putting, however…I think perhaps a club-swinger might tend to decelerate.  Food for thought (that is, something else to screw up your game!!)

Alex, a 24-year old Spokanite (Ferris / UW) Nationwide tour player won the Michael Hill New Zealand Open in March and remained in the top ten (8th now) after this week’s Cox Classic in Omaha.  I did not see Alex’s name in the players list so assume he did not play there.  But that’s OK.  He has four top tens this year and it looks like a great breakout year for him.  Go Alex!!  Dad Steve is the pro at Manito G&CC.

Corey Prugh, who works at Manito Golf and Country Club in Spokane won the 22nd annual Rosauer’s Open this year and $11,000.  He won by four shots and, at 63-63-66 = 192, set a new record for the tournament.  The next Spokane players on the results table come in tied for 25th, at 207, and include his dad Steve, Adam Syverson at Indian Canyon (way to go, Adam!!) and Mark Gardner from Qualchan.  The tournament had a purse of $135,000 and also provided $125,000 to The Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.  The Rosauer’s has provided $1,825,000 to charity since its inception.  Also nice to see Nick Ellis (a), the WSU student finish high again.  He put on quite a show last year in the final group, only to hit a couple of lost balls on 10.

Thanks to all, and especially head pro Gary Lindeblad for the coordination. 

Now when do we get an underground sprinkler system for that course???

Unbelievable.  Nine months ago this 59-year old guy had his hip replaced.  Now he’s leading the Open by one shot entering the final day.  He regularly drove it out near his younger partners, but often chose a layup club.  And really steady putting…wow.  I’m three years older than this guy.  Many golfers his age have left the Senior tour…too tough.  Ross Fisher would have to wait five years TO BE BORN when Watson was winning his first of five Opens.  Some final pairing…except they put Tom with Goggin…Goggin was one year old in 1975…was he watching the TV from his crib?  Good luck Mr. Watson…You da man!

Beginning January 1, the tour pros will all be playing new irons…at least irons with 25-degrees loft and higher.  A new V-groove cross-section requirement has been adopted by the USGA and all other golf organizations including the grumps down at Augusta.  It means the irons will impart less spin to the ball than offered by the current square grooves, meaning that shots from the rough will be harder to control, placing a higher premium on hitting the fairways off the tee. 

The rule is intended to trickle down to the rest of us over time.  This is from the USGA website: “This means that clubs you own today will still be conforming for top-level amateur competition for another 5 1/2 years and, for other competitions, conforming until at least 2024, if not indefinitely.”  Interestingly, the Ping Eye-2 irons manufacturred before March 31, 1990 with square grooves will still be allowed.  That has to do with a lawsuit won by Ping many years ago.  I happen to have a set of those with sharp grooves — the Beryllium-copper (BeCu) variety.  Maybe I can get $20,000 for them from Tiger…:-) ???

The touring pros will be hitting some “fliers” out of the rough.  Kenny Perry warns that the fans in the stands will need hard hats.  Jack Nicklaus used to grind down the grooves on his wedges — he preferred to control the action on the green with loft, not spin.  The Mercedes will be interesting this year….

 

Pro Discount Golf in Coeur d’Alene (on Highway 95) has closed.  Nice people…I know none of the details, but imagine that slow business was one of them.  It’s hard to count how many have disappeared in the last three years…

I hope everyone is enjoying their web-purchased equipment…

HUH?  How about that longish par three where you usually miss the green, and rarely par.  Billy Casper won the 1959 US Open at Winged Foot (yup, the HARDEST course in America) by laying up on the 217 yd. third hole every day.  Buffalo Bill was no slouch, competing against Palmer, Player, Hogan and Nicklaus, he beat them all at one time or another.  Maybe something to consider….

Nope - not referring to job status.  This is a term used to describe an incorrect hand position at the top of the swing in which the wrist breaks down and the butt of the club points  out over the top of the ball.  The clubface points kind of upward at the top of the backswing.  If you are laid off (or too upright) It’s very hard to get the clubface square at impact. 

How do I know this weird thing?  It’s one of my chronic swing problems.  Todd at Hangman helped me visualize and feel it with a cool little plastic device that connects to the grip of the club and touches your forearm with a little rounded bar when your hand position is correct.  This Jim Flick-designed Swingyde is very effective at telling you when you screw up.  (Of course the big pulls are too!)  I had a private lesson, then hit 200 balls, most of them OK.  And I only laid off the club about every third swing the next time I played….still a bunch of work to do, but great lesson — Thanks, Todd.

Most pros encourage hitting “up” at the ball with the driver…that is hitting the ball on the upswing of your club - slightly past the lowest point in the swing.  I totally agree and actually set up with the ball off my forward toe, and address it about 3-4 inches behind the ball, to be sure I’m hitting on an upswing at impact.  I use a 9 degree driver.  The launch angle ends up at about 15 degrees.  The low-lofted driver allows me to move the club back in my stance, and tee is a little lower, for windy days when I need to keep it down.  Experiment a little with ball placement and tee height - you might add a few yards.   Forward placement also encourages hand release.  And yes, it can produce some pulls or high fades too…

 

Last week at Deer Park and Saturday at Sundance our groups ran into Wedding parties. Playing golf, or sort of.

Is this something new and wonderful? NO!

The Deer Park event was a batchelor party. Yup…a bunch of drunk guys getting served more booze by the beverage cart girl. We spoke to her and she said the marshall had gone home. Now I know Craig Schuh, and if he had been in our group he would have been livid. So, we are on 15, and these guys have slowed to a crawl, are chatting with the next group (also party-boys). We are a five-some with two carts, always keeping up with them, often waiting, and finally we issue some encouraging words from the tee box. Good ending: They pick it up and we don’t see them again.

Sundance: This is a group of women…apparently a batchelorette party. At least eight carts full - very chatty and slow. They tee off as a six-some in front of us and take 25 minutes to play #1. Then they break up into a foursome and a two-some on the second tee. But the cart really doesn’t help, because they spray balls everywhere and nowhere. I’m waiting and waiting on the little bench watching all this and turn to my playing partners and thank them, shake their hands and say goodbye. I trot back to the pro shop and get a raincheck. The pro is courteous.

But it’s not golf and it’s not fair to those who would actually like to play golf, not dink around with clubs and balls and party on the pretty grass.

It’s also a sign of the recession, I guess. Cashflow is cashflow. Very sad for golf, however.

Just on the horizon, looking forward to seeing the new go golf northwest site.

Although Steve Nelke and his fine team at Hangman have offered lessons on how to hit shots from the new sand (delivered from Clayton, north on 395), there is just too much of it. Yes, it will settle down eventually, but it drains so well, that that might be a while. Like a couple of years.

In order to get good footing (so your body does not move up and down during the swing) you have to fill your shoes with sand. A high shot dropped into the new sugary stuff makes its own crater with two-inch walls. It’s a fried egg in a deep hole. Do not try to hit that ball more than ten yards. Which means, on #14, you can’t go for the green if you hit into the former waste bunker on the right. Fly one in there off the tee and you get bogey… IF you can get it out of the trap.

Plus, raking it is a headache and kind of a back strain. Yes, you should walk in from the shallow side, but that all takes time, etc.

Solution? Take some out or bring in a turf packer? Not being a superintendent, I do not know, but in my opinion, the penalty is too severe right now.

* * * * *

That said, the tee boxes and new bunker placement locations are wonderful, and the newly opened area near the fourth green should help preserve that through the tough winters.

Look closely at the irons the pros are playing these days - on all the tours. Boy do I see a lot of CB clubheads. There used to be a problem forging cavity back heads, but no more. All the major manufacturers have them; some have blades for the W-9-8-7 and CB’s for the longer clubs in their premium sets. Although I’m a club builder and my bag has a goofy mix of clubs (all cut to custom length and swing-weighted for me, however), I’m a huge Mizuno fan. Pine Acres has MP-52s and MP-62’s on special, but they are also available at Wide World of Golf which has been known to match other local prices.

Be sure to get your swing analyzed for shaft flex!!!

A couple of my wimpy friends bailed out due to “marginal” weather last Saturday, so I drove down alone. What a treat. Green grass growing, 48 degrees and no wind or rain. A veteran member to play with, ten minutes between starting times. And gorgeous, spectacular scenery - right up against those huge cliffs. Plus some interesting risk-reward holes and pretty zippy greens that putted reasonbly true. The back side is very interesting, but they are rebuilding #16 and you hit two drives off of #17 tee, one to the temp green for #16, then your regular tee shot for #17…bit of a bottleneck. But I got to see why the Lewiston HS kids are such good golfers - a foursome was behind us - one of them left it about 15 yds short of the green - hole is 385 yds long!!! $35 per round plus cart - the most fun I’ve had on a golf course for months! Call for a time and go play - 208-746-2801. Allow two hours to get there. Very courteous and professional staff also.

The average time to play in the Honda last week was 5.5 hours - for a threesome! There are penalties for slow play on the PGA tour - one stroke after two warnings. Guess how many times a player has been assessed that penalty since the PGA tournaments began? ZERO TIMES! Bernhard Langher was the former slow guy. And Sabatini played right through a guy in his own group last year. How much fun do you have waiting ten minutes on every hole?

Five minutes to line up a putt!

This is not brain surgery, folks.

With gas at $1.63 /gal, it’s not so hard to think about Lewiston-Clarkston. Bryden Canyon in Lewiston (209-746-0863) and Quail Ridge in Clarkston (509-758-8501) are my favorites. I’ve usually been able to just show up and get off at both of these. Both the Clarkston Country Club (509-758-7911) and the Lewiston Country Club (208-746-2801) also accept guests - call in advance, however.

I have fond memories of hitting an eight iron to the middle of a par-three green and watching it bounce ten feet in the air and into the trap! Of course, I also remember ripping a drive pretty low and watching it roll forever…into the canyon on a par five.

Nice people down there!