A recent question proposed on twitter by Golf
Digest Associate Editor (isn’t everyone some kind of Editor at a magazine?) Ashley
Mayo asked whether people would rather play only 9 holes vs 18 holes. As
someone who has probably played about half of his golf in 9 hole chunks, the
answer for me was “of course”. Now, besides the benefit of sneaking off the
back on a crowded weekend, or playing the better “half” of a course (yes, there
are plenty of courses where the two 9’s are radically different), there is also
the benefit of time- being able to go later in the day when it isn’t as hot or
crowded, or just being able to do other things rather than spend 5-6 hours out
at a crowded course. But, I got to thinking, what about 9-hole courses? They
obviously don’t get as much love as their big 18 hole (or more) brethren but,
as someone who has played my fair share of 9 holers, why not give a sampling of
my favorite 9-hole courses? Not my favorite 9 from an 18 hole course, or
favorite 9 from a 27 or more hole complex, these courses are solo 9’s. As it
should be. This isn’t the complete list, just the ones I think are unique and
worth playing if you have a chance. So, here we go…
1.
Golf Club Klosters- Klosters,
Switzerland (http://www.golf-klosters.ch/)
This is a fun little course located
in the Grabunden area of Switzerland in the South Eastern quarter a couple
miles (ok, kilometers) from the Austrian Border. Just about a 20min ride from
better known ski resort (and economic conference host) neighbor Davos. This is
a hilly course, as evidenced by the presence of golf carts… yes, they are a
very rare sight in Europe. Walking is a bit of a workout, but still fun. The
views are panoramic as you are surrounded on all sides by the Alps including
the peaks Piz Buin and Piz Linard. Lots of elevation changes from tee to green (duh)
and if you are it bit offline with your shots, plenty of extreme side hill and
uneven lies. It isn’t as manicured as some, but for 60CHF midweek (yes, that’s
a steal in the most expensive country on earth) it’s as good as it gets.
2.
Golf Club Schinznach Bad-
Schinznach-Bad, Switzerland
Ok, the 12 year old in me
smirks every time I say the name of this club. In addition to its name (and its
really cool logo), this course is a fun one to play. Located about 30min
outside of Zurich, it is also pretty easy to get to with a car. If, you are
like me and rely on taking public transportation, it is still pretty painless,
though it takes twice as long. With three, yes, three (3) par-5’s, this course
is definitely not an executive length or a pitch-n-putt. It is a legit course
with undulating greens which gives this relatively flat course some teeth if
you aren’t careful. The fees ranging from 60CHF to 80CHF for 9-holes aren’t too
bad either.
3.
Haines Point (White)- Washington, DC
(USA) (www.golfdc.com))
Now that the European portion
of this list is done with, let’s bring things back to the US of A, and start
with the Nation’s Capital. As part of a National Park on an island, formed from
the excavation for the Pentagon across the river, there are 3 courses (bet you
can’t guess what they’re named….. Red, White, Blue) that take up most of the
real estate. The Red and White are stand alone 9 hole courses, where as the
championship length Blue is an 18. The White course is really where I learned
how to play golf, as when I was a young pup starting to take up the game after
college, some 10 years ago (wait, did I just age myself?), getting out for a
round late on a Sunday afternoon on this hardscrabble little course was the
best way to learn. It isn’t appreciably long (about 2500 yards to a par of 34),
in fact after a few months, I exclusively used irons when playing there in
order to improve my ball striking with my longer irons. I can still remember my
normal club selection for tee shots: 9-3-4-4-5-PW-2-4-2. Last time I played
there this past summer, I was surprised as the level of conditioning
improvements. It is actually a decent course now. They also took away many of
the excess areas in-between fairways (meaning you could play from anywhere) by
not mowing them and letting them become “natural areas”. They took out the
toughest Par-4 and made it a Par-3, but besides that, it’s a fun little test.
And the views of the Capital Dome and Washington Monument aren’t bad either….
4.
The Links at Terranea, Palos Verdes,
CA (http://www.terranea.com/california-golf-resorts.php)
(Sidebar) When I lived in LA
(going to B-school), I got to play many cool courses, thanks to year around
golf. This one opened the spring semester of my 2nd year. In fact I
got to play it for the 1st time on its 2nd day of
operation. Pretty Cool.
Located just down the Palos
Verdes Peninsula from Trump National, LA the Terranea Resort is positioned at
the edge of the Pacific Ocean overlooking Santa Catalina and the other Channel
Islands. The links are a straight up par 27 with the best conditioning I have
ever seen on a 9 hole course. The greens are undulating and slick, and the wind
off the ocean is ever present, and the rough is thick and narly. If you were
looking for the perfect test before trying the monster that is Trump Nat’l, a
couple of Par-5’s away, this is it. While it does have some drastic elevation
change, it is an enjoyable walk and at $40-$48 for a round, it isn’t too bad on
your wallet for the quality of the course either. If I was a serious player in SoCal who needs
to work on their mid-short irons and short game, I’d be playing this course
religiously.
5.
Penmar Golf Course, Venice, CA (http://www.golf.lacity.org/cdp_penmar.htm)
This nice little course located
on the Santa Monica/Venice border was the closest course to my apt in Santa Monica.
It wasn’t (or isn’t) the best maintained course, though for a muni, it is
excellent. The fairways are relatively straight and open (except for #2, I
still have never hit a good tee shot there) and there are some driver holes (#’s
6 and 7 come to mind). Depending on the prevailing wind coming off of the
beach, the holes going into the wind can be very tough. There is always a diverse
crowd- from the guy with the Mercedes SLS AMG parked in the lot to the retired
screen writer who looks like Bill Murray at Pebble (that was a disgrace BTW, I
mean in the hunt Sunday at Pebble and you looked like that?!). Never really too
crowded and a nice place to get a quick round in.
6.
Catalina Island Golf Course, Avalon,
CA (http://www.scico.com/avalon/acti_golf.php)
Just like the Jazz Standard
proclaims, this course is located in Avalon, by the bay (and no, it’s not
talking about Avalon, NJ either). Noted as the oldest course in operation West
of the Mississippi (opened 1892) this 9 hole course is a hidden gem to most of
the LA populace, located, yes, on an island. I originally went to play this
course because of the “cool” factor playing a hidden away course on an island
in plain view, kind of how Fishers Island is to where I grew up. That, and
well, I could at least get a tee time on Catalina… You definitely need to hit
it straight as it is narrow and undulating, with small quick greens. If you don’t
mind playing with seniors (and older couples) it can be an enjoyable day trip
getaway. I’d recommend a pre/post stop at the Avalon Grille too.
7.
Fenwick Golf Course- Old Saybrook,
CT
Getting back on the mainland,
and to the East Coast, Fenwick Golf Course holds the honor of being the 2nd
oldest course in Connecticut (and oldest public course) after being established
in 1894. It is perhaps better known by being the course of choice for Old
Saybrook’s favorite daughter, Katherine Hepburn- who lived just off the 2nd
fairway. As legend had it, she hit the
most famous shot in course history- a hole in one on the morning of Sept 21,
1938- mere hours before the Hurricane of 1938 washed away her cottage. It is a
pretty straightforward turn-of-the-century (as in last century) course. Flat
and open, with small radically undulating greens that are borderline unfair when
kept at a modern length and speed. The course meanders through the Borough of
Fenwick with lovely vistas of Long Island Sound from the 2nd and 3rd
holes. You do have to play shots around some obstacles… like the church on #1,
and the pre-Revolutionary War stone wall that guards the 6th green,
which only add to its Victorian Era charm.
8.
Goose Creek Golf Course- Groton, CT
Staying in my home state (damn,
I’ve given out too much information already) this is a course that isn’t well
known. Actually most of the people able to play it probably don’t know about
it. It is because this course is located on the US Submarine Base in Groton,
CT. Most golfers don’t even know its real name. They just call it the “Subase
Course”. It is a straight, unspectacular string of out-and-back holes, not
particularly well kept either. It does offer some…er…opportunities for the
wayward driver of the golf ball, as with barbed wire and nuclear powered
submarines guarded by Marines with machine guns on one side, and the quarters for
the Admirals on the other. It can be a bit nerve-racking, as I can remember
playing the course as a Midshipman (before I really took up the game) slicing
my persimmon 3-wood (it was from the replay sports store…I’m not that old) and
watching it rattle around the sub quay. Which, of course, was promptly followed
by a shot several holes later that was played off of the Submarine Squadron
Commander’s (Admiral) front lawn across Military Highway…. The Admiral’s wife
was at least kind about it. (Probably because I was a MIDN, and she didn’t have
to take care of the lawn…. ). It’s a typical working military course (but that’s
another blog altogether), and nothing special, except maybe to me…
Well,
that’s it. Only eight. I could drag this list out to 10 with the additions of Golf
Course Heidiland in Switzerland, or Hilltop Golf Club in Alexandria, VA, or
even the Links at El Segundo, in (duh) El Segundo, CA, but why. None of those
courses are special, unless being built on a landfill counts for something (in
this case, it does not). Nine hole courses are vastly underrated in my view-
which is fine because while you are getting PO’ed waiting for a slooooow group
of hackers at your local 18 hole muni, I’m breezing through my relaxing round of
nine holes debating what to do with the rest of my afternoon….
Until
next time….
