June 20, 2000 (I was 55)
River’s
Edge
A
scenic but painfully demanding Arnold Palmer Course with a
variety of narrowing fairways, large waste
areas, thickets of trees,
unusually shaped greens, hidden traps to create
apprehension, doubt
and indecision.
Excellent greens but spotty fairways and off-course
sections that need more time for landscaping to
mature on this property
open less than a full year. Still, in comparison with Thistle in its
first
year last summer, it is lacking.
The
holes are separated and secluded one from another, a nice
feature.
The front nine was relentless and unforgiving. The puzzling par
five ninth ended on a narrow green on a thin
peninsula extending ninety
degrees and 120 yards into the marsh from the
direction of the first two
shots. Hit as short as I do, even from the
middle tees, and end up with
a ridiculously short lay up before crossing to
the peninsula on my fourth
then leaking into the marsh approaching the
green on the fifth. Do you
see that quad bogey coming?
The
back is also difficult and elusive but with three straight-
forward holes to offer some reprieve. All in all, an exasperating under-
taking that would require multiple plays to
solve and more to
appreciate.
This is the second Palmer course I’ve played, and neither
would I consider enjoyable challenges. My impression of River’s Edge
is that a replay would not lead to improvement,
but more likely, to new
ways to find trouble. I shot a 93.
I have some tight muscles, but not
enough to blame them for bad shots and lousy
putts. Some courses
(Oyster Bay and Caledonia) took a while to love. I don’t think it will
happen here.
No comments:
Post a Comment