Fred Vocino › Burchfield Park June 29, 2013 at 4:59am
Went to Burchfield today with a plan to play both courses. After 3.5 hours on Devil's Den I quit after 17 holes; I was tired of looking for my Buzzz and the lightning got closer. Spending most of the time looking for drives in the rough causes me to wonder. With all the attention given to the fairway mowing, is the plant growth right off the fairway an intentional part of the course design? It is difficult to imagine how that growth will appear by the time the CCR Open happens.
it's not necessarily a part of the course design but an unfortunate drawback to the type of rough that is there. I'll be asking the park to widen the fairways and mow strips through the rough to help with the finding.
whew! The design was impressive, so the rough didn't seem to do more than confiscate discs I do expect some punishing plants, including strokes for optional relief or "lost discs ". The OB sand, mando landing and other design features do much to bring risk to the game without slowing play. THANKS!
i agree the rough is a lil overgrown , but to me thats what makes the course, take away the rough, and you just have open fields. in my opinion, the rough should be left rough
OH, it will be left as rough., I just want it to be a little wider to make the rounds play smoother. Landing in the rough means bad footing, making the fairway a better place to be. But the rough shouldn't mean you spend half your round looking.
There are probably a few competing views about "rough". Even the Designated Hitter in base-ball remains in debate. Rough derives from ball golf where it has a purpose- effecting the club's access to the ball. In DG when we find our disc we pick it up. After that the question is, where ... more
There are probably a few competing views about "rough". Even the Designated Hitter in base-ball remains in debate. Rough derives from ball golf where it has a purpose- effecting the club's access to the ball. In DG when we find our disc we pick it up. After that the question is, where is the flight path? 30 inches of milkweed, clover and grass are mostly irrelevant. Rough can matter when the intent is to deny the thrower a run-up; that can be accomplished with shorter plants. Obscuring discs is not a proper function unless you wish to turn a hole into a clock-watching event. People underestimate the genius of the design at Burchfield where they see blinding rough is needed to add interest and risk. If the official wish is to increase the frequency of strokes for lost discs (and slower play due to lax enforcement of time limits) then that can be understood as part of the Burchfield experience.
Matt..I sent my long-winded comment without seeing your last comment. You seem to have a grasp of the issue. My point can best be made in reference to Renegade's #17. My drive misses the island by 25' to the left. So, I lie at 2 and cannot see my driver due to the waist high grass. If I co ... more
Matt..I sent my long-winded comment without seeing your last comment. You seem to have a grasp of the issue. My point can best be made in reference to Renegade's #17. My drive misses the island by 25' to the left. So, I lie at 2 and cannot see my driver due to the waist high grass. If I could take my nxt shot from my drive landing, my footing would hardly be affected. If I am required to drop the marker "in bounds" I am made to leave my driver or spend time on an incosequential search. Thanks.
yes i see your point, although 17 is a island hole, and if you dont hit the island, you re-tee. But definately, the waist high rough is time consuming of a round. i lost a yellow avenger off to the right of the fairway on 7 today, didnt think it went that far in, but couldnt find it after 20 mins.
Tough course Fred. Bring a spotter or 2!
Jim, I think the course leaders understand the rough overgrowth issue. With time, the intended obstacles will develope, and reliance on large sections of hay will diminish. I expect to like Burchfield more as a good balance of rough is found. I play a course in Grand Rapids that is very open and rel ... more
Jim, I think the course leaders understand the rough overgrowth issue. With time, the intended obstacles will develope, and reliance on large sections of hay will diminish. I expect to like Burchfield more as a good balance of rough is found. I play a course in Grand Rapids that is very open and relies on three lengths of grass to discipline the play. The first rough restricts run-up throws. the otheer is a challenge where poor locating skills can lead to added strokes.