A group of four strangers are gathered at a sports bar to watch the final round of the Masters. Naturally, the conversation turns to golf: where do they play, what handicap do they carry, etc. As they show Rory McIlroy losing another drive to the right, they get to the topic of equipment, and drivers, specifically. The highest handicapper is only slightly embarrassed to confess that he plays a Nike driver- “you know, the old square one.” The other high handicapper has a Cleveland HiBore, “you know, the one with a big dent on the top.” The mid-handicapper has a Callaway FT-5 “with a stiff shaft” he says confidently. The single-digit handicapper can’t help but smile when describing his pride and joy: “Titleist 909D2 with a Project X 6.0 shaft.”
Have you ever noticed that better players tend to tell you both the model of clubhead and model of shaft when asked about their equipment? The reason for that is that the shaft in many ways is just as important as the club head. This is especially true when it comes to woods and drivers. I play a Titleist 10.5 degree driver with a regular shaft. If forced to choose between using a driver with the same head as mine but with an extra stiff shaft or a Callaway 8.5 degree driver with the same regular shaft as my gamer, I’m taking the driver with the same shaft as mine every time.
What a lot of golfer don’t know is that not all shafts that are marked “stiff” play the same. Similarly, not all shafts marked “regular” play the same. If you are like me, you’ve purchased a club without playing it on the course because you thought it should be perfect. A handful of years back, I was playing a 10.5-degree Titleist 983K with a Graphite Design YS-6 stiff shaft. I loved how I could work the ball both ways, but I lost a ton of distance on mis-hits. I was working at a golf course at the time and decided to demo the newer and more forgiving Titleist 905R. To my delight, they had a 10.5-degree 905R in stock with a Graphite Design YS-6+ stiff shaft. I was shocked to find that I couldn’t hit the newer, bigger club. I noticed right away that there were two problems: 1) the 905R was heavier, and 2) the newer YS-6+ shaft was playing stiffer than my older YS-6. Indeed, I have found that most newer drivers, especially the adjustable ones, are much heavier than my 983K. The added weight slows down my clubhead speed, which makes the shaft play stiffer. It wasn’t until a bogey-golfer friend of mine handed me his back-up driver that I was convinced that I should now be playing a regular shaft. His clubhead speed is probably somewhere in the high 80s, but he found the regular shaft in his back-up driver to be too stiff. With my clubhead speed in the high 90s, he thought I might have more success with it. As promised, he showed up with his back-up driver and handed it to me on the first tee. Much to my surprise it was a 10.5 degree 905R with a YS-6+ regular shaft. To make a long story short, I bombed it all day and ended up shooting a career-low 65 on a course I had never seen before.
So how do you know if the shaft you’re playing is right for you? There are several things to consider:
1) Get hooked up to a launch monitor. This is as easy as heading to your local Golfsmith or Golf Galaxy (or any other proshop with a launch monitor) and “shopping” for a driver. I found that while my hardest swings put my clubhead speed @ 100 mph, my average swing with a driver was in the mid-90s. My “three-quarters” swing with my driver, which I use to keep the ball in the fairway on tight holes. brought that number all the way down to about 90. Those kinds of numbers put me in the regular shaft category.
Beyond giving you an idea of your clubhead speed range, a launch monitor can also tell you what type of swing is most efficient. Most launch monitors spit out a number called the “smash factor.” The smash factor essentially let’s you know how efficiently your clubhead speed is being transferred to the ball. The math is actually quite simple. To calculate the smash factor, just divide your ball speed by your clubhead speed (ball speed / clubhead speed = smash factor). In my case, I found that an “average” driver swing put me at 97mph with a smash factor of 1.48. While I could crank it up to 100mph, my smash factor would go down to 1.46. When I toned it down to 95mph, my smash factor went up to 1.50. What I found, then, is that my smoother swings were more efficient. Some people find the opposite is true. A buddy of mine swears that he hits it better when he swings harder. Having played quite a few rounds with him, I can attest to his freakish ability to swing crazy hard and hit it flush. While my friend hits it better when swinging at 95% compared to 85%, other people hit the ball better when swinging at 85% than when swinging at 75%. In other words, some people just don’t hit it well when using an overly toned-down swing. In my case, the numbers were telling me to smooth it out, which further pointed me in the direction of a regular shaft and brings me to my next point.
2) Keep your tempo in mind. Do you swing at a tempo closer to Nick Price or Fred Couples? Are you more of a Brandt Snedeker or an Ernie Els? In general, golfers with quicker tempos benefit from standard weight or even heavier shafts. If I’m not mistaken, Nick Price was playing with some of the heaviest shafts on the market when he was in his prime. Quick tempo players also tend to benefit from shafts with stiffer tips and/or higher kick points. In other words, stability is the name of the game for the uptempo swinger. For golfers with a smoother transition, lightweight shafts and lower kick points tend to provide some extra launch. I once read that Fred Couples once played with a ladies Callaway 3-wood that belonged to his friend’s wife.
Related to tempo, you might also want to consider your physical build. I’m a scrawny little guy: 5’6” and 135 pounds. For me, a lightweight shaft with some flex in the tip helps me get the ball moving. The same is generally true for the junior golfers out there as well. The muscular Polynesians I grew up playing with in Hawaii were all playing heavy stiff and extra stiff shafts for a reason- it gave them the best chance to keep it in the fairway.
3) Remember the old saying: with longer clubs, play the softest shaft that you can control. I feel like I play with a lot of young males that play with a stiff-shafted driver just because they are young and male. When I see them hit those weak shots to the right (the tell-tale sign of a shot hit with a shaft that’s too stiff) over and over again, I almost want to hand them my driver so that they can see just how much farther they’d hit it with a regular shaft. Furthermore, playing with shafts that are too stiff can have a negative impact on your swing. That was certainly true for me. In order to get the ball to launch properly with stiff shafts, I had to basically overswing on every drive. My ball position started to move forward and I was staying way too far behind the ball at impact. When I switched to a regular shaft, I was able to put the ball back into a “normal” position just inside my left heel, which allowed me to make a proper turn through the shot.
4) Don’t buy it until you’ve seen the ball flight. This is sometimes easier said than done. Keep an eye out for demo days at driving ranges in your area- they are a great way to test both new heads and new shafts. There is no substitute for hitting a real golf ball off of a real tee and watching the ball fly on a real driving range or golf course. For all of my talk about launch monitors, I’ve never hit any of the clubs in my bag on a launch monitor. It could very well be that my Titleist driver spins too much and my Cleveland 3-wood spins too little. But at the end of the day, I’m so comfortable with how they play and so confident with them that I don’t need to know about the numbers. If the secret is in the dirt, then the truth is in the ball flight.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Finding the Perfect Set of Irons
My Story:
It has taken a good long while for me to settle on my current set of clubs. I’ve come a long way from the mixed set of irons and persimmon-headed woods that I started with as a middle schooler. It wasn’t until I got a lesson (only one lesson and only short game tips) from a friend of a friend of my father’s that I had my first set of matching irons- an outdated women’s set of Powerbilt Grand Slam cavity backs that had been a rental set for years. I probably should have just stuck with those irons until I started playing more often, but I had money I earned from delivering the newspaper and I had access to the best used golf store in the world- Roots & Relics in downtown Honolulu. After the Powerbilts came a set of Maxfli forged irons with graphite shafts and leather grips (I think they were about $75). The short irons were true blades and I couldn’t even get them in the air. The mid- and long-irons had a slight cavity and were just forgiving enough for me to hit them. I decided that I needed something more forgiving and traded them in for a set of cast Cleveland TA3s with stiff steel shafts. There I was at 5’5” and 120 pounds trying to swing S300s. It didn’t help that the lie angles were all upright. I hooked the crap out of them and traded them back in as well, vowing to never touch another set of Cleveland irons. Obviously, I had no idea what I was doing. Another friend of my father’s introduced me to the notion of lie angles and I eventually stumbled across my first set of irons that fit me reasonably well. For $100 I found a set of Goldsmith Tour Cavity forged irons with stiff Black Gold shafts that had been bent to 2 degrees flat. I bought them online and when they arrived I quickly realized that the seller didn’t bother to tell me that the shafts were an inch longer than standard. I just choked up on every club, and it all worked out just fine. Then came the ultimate impulse buy: a truly beautiful set of Mizuno MS-11 forged blades with Rifle 5.5 shafts (regular steel) that were 3/4 inch short of standard, and the lie angle at a perfect 1-degree flat. My income had gone way up since I had scored a sweet job as a pizza delivery boy, and I plunked down a full $215 for the mint-condition beauties with the idea that I would have to “play up” to them. The Mizunos were my gamers through college and served me reasonably well. It wasn’t until after college that one of the pros at the golf course where I was working took a look at my irons and taught me another lesson in equipment: the shafts had been tipped, which made them much stiffer than a normal Rifle 5.5. According to his numbers, the shaft flex was closer to a Rifle 6.5 (extra stiff). He was generous enough to reshaft them for me with standard length Rifle 6.0s that he had sitting in his garage. I couldn’t believe what a difference it made. I was immediately a club longer with every iron. But truth be told, I didn’t have a good enough swing to be playing forged blades from the 80s. It wasn’t until a couple years back that I finally gave in and bought a set of, you guessed it, Cleveland cast cavity backs. I found my brand new CG Reds on eBay. They had been a custom-ordered set that the customer never picked up- Dynamic Gold SL S300 shafts, 1-degree flat lie angle, standard length, red New Decade grips. They were originally posted for $250 plus $15 shipping. The auction expired and I messaged the seller. My offer: $200 shipping included. One week later, they were in my bag where I expect them to be for a very long time (honest!).
My Advice:
What might you learn from my experience with iron shopping?
1) Get fitted. My first piece of advice to players looking to upgrade their irons is to get fitted. Your irons should fit your swing- they should be the correct length & lie and should have shafts to match your swing (in the case of irons, you want the stiffest shafts that you can still launch/work the ball with). My lightweight shafts gave me a bump in clubhead speed, which allowed me to stay with a stiff flex. In “normal” weight shafts, I would probably be a regular. For those of you that need upright or flat lie angles, you can always buy a standard set and have them bent. If you do go that route, it should be noted that forged heads are much easier to bend, while cast heads run the risk of cracking if put under too much stress.
2) Buy used. I also recommend that golfers browse the used club market when shopping for irons. In my opinion, iron technology hasn’t changed all that much (certainly not in the way that driver technology has). While newer irons are longer, much of that can be chalked up to strong lofts. The pitching wedge in my Mizuno set is 48 degrees, compared to 46 degrees in my Clevelands. Furthermore, irons tend to lose value very quickly. My custom set of Clevelands were probably selling for $700 - $800 when they first hit the market. Three years later, I paid $200 for the still un-hit set.
3) Choose a set based on your current skill level. While it might be tempting to do what I did and buy a set that’s for the golfer whose game is more advanced than yours, resist the urge. It was not easy playing blades. There are shots that I can hit with my cavity backs that aren’t possible with blades. And while I strike the ball solidly the majority of the time, every round I hit at least half-a-dozen shots that are a little thin or a little off the toe. With my blades, those shots meant missed greens. With my cavity backs, I’m still putting for birdie. In short, if you don’t hit it like a pro, you shouldn’t be swinging the same clubs as the pros.
It has taken a good long while for me to settle on my current set of clubs. I’ve come a long way from the mixed set of irons and persimmon-headed woods that I started with as a middle schooler. It wasn’t until I got a lesson (only one lesson and only short game tips) from a friend of a friend of my father’s that I had my first set of matching irons- an outdated women’s set of Powerbilt Grand Slam cavity backs that had been a rental set for years. I probably should have just stuck with those irons until I started playing more often, but I had money I earned from delivering the newspaper and I had access to the best used golf store in the world- Roots & Relics in downtown Honolulu. After the Powerbilts came a set of Maxfli forged irons with graphite shafts and leather grips (I think they were about $75). The short irons were true blades and I couldn’t even get them in the air. The mid- and long-irons had a slight cavity and were just forgiving enough for me to hit them. I decided that I needed something more forgiving and traded them in for a set of cast Cleveland TA3s with stiff steel shafts. There I was at 5’5” and 120 pounds trying to swing S300s. It didn’t help that the lie angles were all upright. I hooked the crap out of them and traded them back in as well, vowing to never touch another set of Cleveland irons. Obviously, I had no idea what I was doing. Another friend of my father’s introduced me to the notion of lie angles and I eventually stumbled across my first set of irons that fit me reasonably well. For $100 I found a set of Goldsmith Tour Cavity forged irons with stiff Black Gold shafts that had been bent to 2 degrees flat. I bought them online and when they arrived I quickly realized that the seller didn’t bother to tell me that the shafts were an inch longer than standard. I just choked up on every club, and it all worked out just fine. Then came the ultimate impulse buy: a truly beautiful set of Mizuno MS-11 forged blades with Rifle 5.5 shafts (regular steel) that were 3/4 inch short of standard, and the lie angle at a perfect 1-degree flat. My income had gone way up since I had scored a sweet job as a pizza delivery boy, and I plunked down a full $215 for the mint-condition beauties with the idea that I would have to “play up” to them. The Mizunos were my gamers through college and served me reasonably well. It wasn’t until after college that one of the pros at the golf course where I was working took a look at my irons and taught me another lesson in equipment: the shafts had been tipped, which made them much stiffer than a normal Rifle 5.5. According to his numbers, the shaft flex was closer to a Rifle 6.5 (extra stiff). He was generous enough to reshaft them for me with standard length Rifle 6.0s that he had sitting in his garage. I couldn’t believe what a difference it made. I was immediately a club longer with every iron. But truth be told, I didn’t have a good enough swing to be playing forged blades from the 80s. It wasn’t until a couple years back that I finally gave in and bought a set of, you guessed it, Cleveland cast cavity backs. I found my brand new CG Reds on eBay. They had been a custom-ordered set that the customer never picked up- Dynamic Gold SL S300 shafts, 1-degree flat lie angle, standard length, red New Decade grips. They were originally posted for $250 plus $15 shipping. The auction expired and I messaged the seller. My offer: $200 shipping included. One week later, they were in my bag where I expect them to be for a very long time (honest!).
My Advice:
What might you learn from my experience with iron shopping?
1) Get fitted. My first piece of advice to players looking to upgrade their irons is to get fitted. Your irons should fit your swing- they should be the correct length & lie and should have shafts to match your swing (in the case of irons, you want the stiffest shafts that you can still launch/work the ball with). My lightweight shafts gave me a bump in clubhead speed, which allowed me to stay with a stiff flex. In “normal” weight shafts, I would probably be a regular. For those of you that need upright or flat lie angles, you can always buy a standard set and have them bent. If you do go that route, it should be noted that forged heads are much easier to bend, while cast heads run the risk of cracking if put under too much stress.
2) Buy used. I also recommend that golfers browse the used club market when shopping for irons. In my opinion, iron technology hasn’t changed all that much (certainly not in the way that driver technology has). While newer irons are longer, much of that can be chalked up to strong lofts. The pitching wedge in my Mizuno set is 48 degrees, compared to 46 degrees in my Clevelands. Furthermore, irons tend to lose value very quickly. My custom set of Clevelands were probably selling for $700 - $800 when they first hit the market. Three years later, I paid $200 for the still un-hit set.
3) Choose a set based on your current skill level. While it might be tempting to do what I did and buy a set that’s for the golfer whose game is more advanced than yours, resist the urge. It was not easy playing blades. There are shots that I can hit with my cavity backs that aren’t possible with blades. And while I strike the ball solidly the majority of the time, every round I hit at least half-a-dozen shots that are a little thin or a little off the toe. With my blades, those shots meant missed greens. With my cavity backs, I’m still putting for birdie. In short, if you don’t hit it like a pro, you shouldn’t be swinging the same clubs as the pros.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Best Winter Public Courses in the Portland Area
As a golfer living in the Pacific Northwest, I can personally attest to the fact that year-round golf is quite possible here in Portland, Oregon. Yes, it rains almost daily from November until May, but the daytime high is seldom below 40 degrees (my personal rule is no golfing if it’s in the thirties or colder). That being said, there are some courses that *should* be closed during the winter, as they are essentially unplayable due to poor drainage. Below is a list of the best wintertime golf courses that I’ve played in the Portland area.
Stonecreek Golf Club, Oregon City, OR
This Hardy/Jacobsen design opened in the summer of 2002. A popular public course, rounds over 5 hours are pretty standard in the summer. Stonecreek still gets quite a bit of play in the winter because of its reputation as the best-draining course in Portland area, though play is much faster during the offseason. The two nines have little in common. The front nine is wide open with relatively few trees and little elevation change. The opening nine features two ponds, though water only really comes into play on the fantastic par-5 fourth hole. Beautiful knee-high fescue lines the front-9 fairways in the summer. The fescue is cut back in the winter (so much so that you can play out of it). The wide open front 9 is arguably the best draining 9 holes of golf in all of Portland as the excellent built-in draining and steady breeze that whips through the course keeps things dry. If you’re looking to just play 9 holes during the rainy season, the front 9 at Stonecreek is your best bet.
The back 9 features tight, hilly, tree-lined fairways that wind through wetlands, creeks, and mature evergreens. Blind tee shots and approach shots are common on the inward 9. Due to the tall trees and steep slopes, several fairways don’t ever really get direct sunlight, and rainwater quickly bogs down low areas. In other words, the fairways can get a little soggy. That being said, most of the greens manage to maintain some firmness. Speaking of greens, it should be noted that it appears that the green of the par-3 14th hole has been lost. There is a decent temporary green (or is it temporary?) short of the hazard (golfers had to fly this hazard to hit the original green). Furthermore, the newly built tee box is a sandy mess. Hitting to the temporary green, the hole only measures about 85 yards, but the sandpit of a tee box turns it into an 85-yard fairway bunker shot. Should you play the back 9, you are treated with a fantastic risk/reward par 5 closing hole.
Summary of Stonecreek
The Good: Environmentally friendly (the course has won numerous awards for its environmentally-friendly practices), front 9 can’t be beat for winter golf conditions at a public course, firm greens year round, very affordable
The Bad: notoriously slow rounds during the high season, the 14th hole (see above), too many blind shots on the back 9, bumpy greens due to so much play
Langdon Farms, Aurora, OR
Things I hate about Langdon
(If I’m not mistaken “Langdon” comes from the conjoining of the two Latin words “langi”- meaning forever- and “dona”- meaning to wait.)
1) Flowerbeds. I always feel like I’m playing a golf course in a retirement community when I’m at Langdon. The perennials are a big reason why. There are perennials planted under the trees. In addition to being super tacky, the little pansy plants are also just high and wide enough to hide a golf ball. The last time I played Langdon, I blocked my lay-up on a par-5 (after deciding it wasn’t worth the 30 minutes it would take for the green to clear to go at it in 2) just off the right edge of the fairway and into a flowerbed. We must have found a dozen balls in there, not one of them mine. Damned pansies!
2) Ridiculous par 3s. As a single digit handicapper, they’re actually not so bad. But if I’m a 15 handicapper, these holes are sheer terror. Two of them are notoriously difficult for the average golfer: the longest par-3 and the shortest par-3. The longest par-3 is well over 200 yards, plays uphill, and tends to play into the wind. It also has no character and takes forever to play- it has no redeeming qualities (much like most of the par 4s on the course). The shortest par-3, which I rather enjoy playing, is only about 100 yards, but features a deep bunker in front and a turtle shell-shaped green. If the duffer misses this green, he/she is sure to chip it over the green, and then chip it back over the green, and then chip it back over the green again, and....I think you get the point.
3) Waiting on the par 5s. Yes, the par 5s are all reachable if you drive the ball over 280 yards. The problem is that everyone thinks they can reach the par 5s in two. Which means that in addition to waiting on the tee boxes of the par 3s (see #2 above), you also spend an eternity on tee boxes of par 5s. It always amazes me how golfers who hit a 225 yard tee shot will wait for the green to clear from 240 yards out in the fairway.
4) Uninteresting tee shots on most of the par 4s and 5s. In my review of the Heron Lakes Great Blue course, I talk about how the bunkering and natural water hazards suggest to the golfer what shot to play. This is not the case at Langdon. There’s nothing to aim at. There’s nothing to work the ball off of. I step on the tee box with driver in hand and think, “Didn’t I just do this on the last hole?.”
Summary of Langdon Farms
The Good: Course conditions are some of the best in/around town, excellent drainage, reasonable prices (except during the high season), friendly staff
The Bad: see above
OGA Course, Tukwila, OR
Summary of OGA Course
The Good: Course conditions are the best you’ll find at a public course in/around town, excellent drainage, reasonable prices (especially given the superb conditions), friendly staff, lots of birdie/par putts on smooth greens = low scores = fun
The Bad: several poorly-designed holes, houses line several of the holes, the drive to Tukwila always takes longer than you expect
RedTail Golf Course, Beaverton, OR
Summary of RedTail
The Good: excellent proshop, reasonable rates, fantastic mix of holes, several really good challenging holes (and challenging in a good way, not in the 515-yard par 4 or 240-yard par 3 way), beautiful water hazards, convenient location
The Bad: pace of play is horrendous, course is too difficult for the beginner (and several holes are too difficult for the mid-handicapper), greens get beat up from so much play, did I mention how awful the pace of play is?
Heron Lakes Golf Club (Great Blue), Portland, OR
How does an affordable public course designed by a big-name architect sound to you? Look no further than Robert Trent Jones II designed Heron Lakes Golf Club, which features two excellent tracks (the Greenback and the Great Blue). While the classic parkland style Greenback has its own charm, the Great Blue is the better course to play during the rainy season. The Great Blue making a list of best winter courses may come as a surprise to some, as there are areas throughout the course that don’t drain well (it was built over Vanport, for crying out loud!). However, the convenience (it’s right off of I-5), accessibility (you can walk on pretty much any weekday), affordability (I’ve never paid more than $40), and number of good golf holes make up for the soggy spots. Similar to the front 9 at Stonecreek (see review above), the Great Blue is pretty flat and wide open. However, trouble lurks around every corner. Just about every fairway has several large bunkers. The greens also feature beautiful bunkering. Furthermore, water hazards are in play on all but one or two holes. While that may sound daunting, landing areas are quite generous and the greens are of adequate size.
Summary of Heron Lakes Great Blue
The Good: Course conditions are fantastic for the price, well-designed holes with gorgeous bunkering and natural water hazards, convenient, accessible during the winter, the chipping/putting green is the best public practice area in Portland
The Bad: the course is too difficult for beginners and high handicappers (this is the type of course where you can run out of balls if you’re spraying it), the par-4 16th hole (and any other hole in the world with a water hazard that splits the fairway) is pretty to look at but poorly designed (read: tricked up), tough course for the short hitter, very crowded during the weekend (they literally run out of parking)
Stonecreek Golf Club, Oregon City, OR
This Hardy/Jacobsen design opened in the summer of 2002. A popular public course, rounds over 5 hours are pretty standard in the summer. Stonecreek still gets quite a bit of play in the winter because of its reputation as the best-draining course in Portland area, though play is much faster during the offseason. The two nines have little in common. The front nine is wide open with relatively few trees and little elevation change. The opening nine features two ponds, though water only really comes into play on the fantastic par-5 fourth hole. Beautiful knee-high fescue lines the front-9 fairways in the summer. The fescue is cut back in the winter (so much so that you can play out of it). The wide open front 9 is arguably the best draining 9 holes of golf in all of Portland as the excellent built-in draining and steady breeze that whips through the course keeps things dry. If you’re looking to just play 9 holes during the rainy season, the front 9 at Stonecreek is your best bet.
The back 9 features tight, hilly, tree-lined fairways that wind through wetlands, creeks, and mature evergreens. Blind tee shots and approach shots are common on the inward 9. Due to the tall trees and steep slopes, several fairways don’t ever really get direct sunlight, and rainwater quickly bogs down low areas. In other words, the fairways can get a little soggy. That being said, most of the greens manage to maintain some firmness. Speaking of greens, it should be noted that it appears that the green of the par-3 14th hole has been lost. There is a decent temporary green (or is it temporary?) short of the hazard (golfers had to fly this hazard to hit the original green). Furthermore, the newly built tee box is a sandy mess. Hitting to the temporary green, the hole only measures about 85 yards, but the sandpit of a tee box turns it into an 85-yard fairway bunker shot. Should you play the back 9, you are treated with a fantastic risk/reward par 5 closing hole.
Summary of Stonecreek
The Good: Environmentally friendly (the course has won numerous awards for its environmentally-friendly practices), front 9 can’t be beat for winter golf conditions at a public course, firm greens year round, very affordable
The Bad: notoriously slow rounds during the high season, the 14th hole (see above), too many blind shots on the back 9, bumpy greens due to so much play
Langdon Farms, Aurora, OR
Langdon is a very popular course, and for good reason- it’s easy to get to (the west edge of the course borders I-5), the course conditions are fantastic year round (as far as public courses go, the only course that rivals Langdon for consistently solid course conditions year round is the OGA Course), and it’s a fair golf course with generous fairways & large flat greens. Furthermore, given the conditions of the course, prices are also reasonable (though it can get expensive in the high season). I can’t tell you how many people have told me that Langdon is their favorite course in the Portland area.
What I can tell you is that just about every golfer that has told me that has finished the round with a triple-digit score. Indeed, the wide manicured fairways and big smooth greens of Langdon are a magnet for high handicappers and beginners. Combine droves of bogey or worse golfers with lots of water hazards, knee high fescue lining the edge of the course, and really difficult par 3s and you get the dreaded 6-hour round of golf. If you can’t already tell, I’m not a fan of Langdon & only play it at the insistence of out-of-town guests or a comped round.
So what’s to hate? Beyond 6 hour rounds, the course is completely lacking in character & has few memorable holes. The first time I played it, I shot one of my career low scores (at the time) and remember walking off the course thinking to myself, “Wow, I have no desire to play this course again.” That round of golf took 5 hours and 45 minutes. Since then, the fastest round I’ve played at Langdon was just under 5 1/2 hours. While I can’t stand slow play, there’s more to my hatred of Langdon than waiting 20 minutes on every shot. The following list is a shameless rant and was written to purge my pent-up rage that accompanies my belief that Langdon is the most overrated golf course in all of Oregon. Things I hate about Langdon
(If I’m not mistaken “Langdon” comes from the conjoining of the two Latin words “langi”- meaning forever- and “dona”- meaning to wait.)
1) Flowerbeds. I always feel like I’m playing a golf course in a retirement community when I’m at Langdon. The perennials are a big reason why. There are perennials planted under the trees. In addition to being super tacky, the little pansy plants are also just high and wide enough to hide a golf ball. The last time I played Langdon, I blocked my lay-up on a par-5 (after deciding it wasn’t worth the 30 minutes it would take for the green to clear to go at it in 2) just off the right edge of the fairway and into a flowerbed. We must have found a dozen balls in there, not one of them mine. Damned pansies!
2) Ridiculous par 3s. As a single digit handicapper, they’re actually not so bad. But if I’m a 15 handicapper, these holes are sheer terror. Two of them are notoriously difficult for the average golfer: the longest par-3 and the shortest par-3. The longest par-3 is well over 200 yards, plays uphill, and tends to play into the wind. It also has no character and takes forever to play- it has no redeeming qualities (much like most of the par 4s on the course). The shortest par-3, which I rather enjoy playing, is only about 100 yards, but features a deep bunker in front and a turtle shell-shaped green. If the duffer misses this green, he/she is sure to chip it over the green, and then chip it back over the green, and then chip it back over the green again, and....I think you get the point.
3) Waiting on the par 5s. Yes, the par 5s are all reachable if you drive the ball over 280 yards. The problem is that everyone thinks they can reach the par 5s in two. Which means that in addition to waiting on the tee boxes of the par 3s (see #2 above), you also spend an eternity on tee boxes of par 5s. It always amazes me how golfers who hit a 225 yard tee shot will wait for the green to clear from 240 yards out in the fairway.
4) Uninteresting tee shots on most of the par 4s and 5s. In my review of the Heron Lakes Great Blue course, I talk about how the bunkering and natural water hazards suggest to the golfer what shot to play. This is not the case at Langdon. There’s nothing to aim at. There’s nothing to work the ball off of. I step on the tee box with driver in hand and think, “Didn’t I just do this on the last hole?.”
Summary of Langdon Farms
The Good: Course conditions are some of the best in/around town, excellent drainage, reasonable prices (except during the high season), friendly staff
The Bad: see above
OGA Course, Tukwila, OR
If your number one concern when choosing which golf course to play is the condition of the course, then OGA is the place to be. When I was working at a private golf course, I would get comped at OGA and made the drive down to Tukwila once a year. I can honestly say that the course conditions at OGA were just as good as the conditions as the exclusive private country club that employed me. Like Langdon, OGA is a favorite of the average to high-handicap golfer, but it’s just far enough away from the city/suburbs that it doesn’t get nearly as much play as Langdon. Furthermore, it’s a pretty fun course to play, as it’s not a long course and its smooth greens lead to more holed putts. In other words, even the bogey golfer has a good chance of making at least one birdie, and the better player should have a chance at going under par (or at least being under par on one of the nines). The course features a rather odd mix of long and short holes, as well as wide open and narrow holes. The first several holes are flat, wide open, and are played around an apple orchard. The next batch of holes are tight, feature quite a bit of elevation change, and are lined with hazards. The back 9 features a couple of longer par 4s and the dreaded fairways lined with houses (*shudder*). The great variety of holes is both an asset and a weakness of the course: for every good/decent hole, there is at least one bad/poorly designed holes. In my case, there were just enough bad holes to keep me from making the drive to Tukwila more than once a year. If I’m truly honest with myself, I don’t play it more often because I am so turned off by golf courses that are lined with houses (even though houses line only line 4 or 5 of the holes).
Summary of OGA Course
The Good: Course conditions are the best you’ll find at a public course in/around town, excellent drainage, reasonable prices (especially given the superb conditions), friendly staff, lots of birdie/par putts on smooth greens = low scores = fun
The Bad: several poorly-designed holes, houses line several of the holes, the drive to Tukwila always takes longer than you expect
RedTail Golf Course, Beaverton, OR
RedTail is one of my favorite places to go to test out new golf equipment- they let you demo new & used clubs out of a special bay connected to the proshop. Unlike hitting into a net or simulators, RedTail lets you hit range balls into the driving range. On more than one occasion, they’ve been nice enough to hook me up to a launch monitor. I start this review with the proshop because that’s all I knew of RedTail for a long time. I had heard too many horror stories of 6-hour rounds, 3-hour nines, and losing an entire box of golf balls. However, one day I found a coupon online for Redtail and decided to give it a shot. As advertised, the round took FOREVER and the golf course was difficult (especially the back 9). I didn’t play particularly well and made some big numbers, but I was hooked- RedTail is a fantastic challenge for the single-digit handicapper.
What I love about the course is that every hole is different, yet every hole really fits the motif of the course (mature evergreens lining the fairways, large greens that offer a multitude of potential pin locations, and picturesque water hazards). Furthermore, there is a risk/reward element to just about every hole. While every hole has an area where you absolutely cannot afford to hit the ball, there are always a bailout options. The narrowest holes are also the shortest holes so you don’t need to thread the needle with the driver. The longer holes tend to have wide fairways inviting you to give it a rip. While many fairways have a water hazard lining one side of the fairway, the opposite side of the fairway is usually wide open. I also appreciate that the hazards are not always on the same side of the green/fairway. About half the time the water is on the right side of the green/fairway, and half the time the hazards are on the left side. There are only two holes that have water hazards that must be carried.
The downside of this course is the amount of play & the pace of play. Not only is the course conveniently located on the Portland-side of Beaverton, it’s also right off of highway 217, which means you can easily get to the course from both I-5 and US-26W. Combine its location with very reasonable rates, complete with early-bird, twilight, and super-twilight discounts, and you get a very popular course that attracts all kinds of golfers. This is one of the things I really love about the course- I see more junior golfers, senior golfers, and female golfers at RedTail than any other course in the Portland area. However, given the difficulty of the course, its popularity leads to what I believe is the slowest pace of play of any golf course in the Portland area. The only way around the slow play is to play it on a weekday in the winter (and even that is no guarantee). You might be tempted to just come out really early in the morning. I did this a few weeks ago on a rain-free Saturday morning in the middle of February. I arrived right at sunrise only to find the parking lot half full. I got lucky and was able to tee off 20 minutes later. I left my group after the third hole & skipped over to the 7th tee so that I could play ahead of the 4-somes in front of us. When I was strolling up the 18th hole 2.5 hours later, the group I had been paired with was in the 10th fairway, meaning that they played the front 9 in three hours (and that was with only 5 groups on the entire golf course!). If you do manage a round in the winter, you might just be in for a pleasant surprise. I was greeted with freshly mown greens that were rolling quite nicely in the middle of February. Truth be told, there are several areas of the course with some serious drainage issues. For example, the fairway on the long & difficult par 4 fourth hole is notoriously wet year-round. However, by and large, the course drains fairly well. You may have to kick your ball out of some low areas that tend to accumulate casual water, but there is always a dry enough spot to play from within a couple yards.
All in all, if you’re looking for a challenging golf course at a convenient location, RedTail is a good option. Unless you’re willing to play a 6-hour round, don’t even think about playing RedTail during the high season. If you’re lucky enough to get a weekday off during the off-season, it’s definitely worth playing as it is a good test of golf for the low-handicapper. Indeed, the better player is guaranteed to make at least a few birdies as well as a double-bogey or two- a sign of a good course in my book.
Summary of RedTail
The Good: excellent proshop, reasonable rates, fantastic mix of holes, several really good challenging holes (and challenging in a good way, not in the 515-yard par 4 or 240-yard par 3 way), beautiful water hazards, convenient location
The Bad: pace of play is horrendous, course is too difficult for the beginner (and several holes are too difficult for the mid-handicapper), greens get beat up from so much play, did I mention how awful the pace of play is?
Heron Lakes Golf Club (Great Blue), Portland, OR
How does an affordable public course designed by a big-name architect sound to you? Look no further than Robert Trent Jones II designed Heron Lakes Golf Club, which features two excellent tracks (the Greenback and the Great Blue). While the classic parkland style Greenback has its own charm, the Great Blue is the better course to play during the rainy season. The Great Blue making a list of best winter courses may come as a surprise to some, as there are areas throughout the course that don’t drain well (it was built over Vanport, for crying out loud!). However, the convenience (it’s right off of I-5), accessibility (you can walk on pretty much any weekday), affordability (I’ve never paid more than $40), and number of good golf holes make up for the soggy spots. Similar to the front 9 at Stonecreek (see review above), the Great Blue is pretty flat and wide open. However, trouble lurks around every corner. Just about every fairway has several large bunkers. The greens also feature beautiful bunkering. Furthermore, water hazards are in play on all but one or two holes. While that may sound daunting, landing areas are quite generous and the greens are of adequate size.
Indeed, the key to playing Great Blue well in the winter is to stay in the short grass as the off-fairway areas can get sloppy. The challenge is that Great Blue is a long course- most golfers choose to hit driver on all of the par 5s and all but three or four of the par 4s. The wide fairways invite you to take out the driver while the bunkers and other hazards tell you where to aim and which direction to curve it. The beauty of the course is that everything is right there in front of you- there are no blind shots and you can see all of the hazards. You choose which way to work the ball. There’s enough room to curve the ball in either direction. The first three tee shots sum things up: I hit a pull fade on #1 to avoid the bunkers on the right (unless I’m bombing it, in which case I aim at the right bunker and hit a draw). On the par-5 2nd I hit a big draw off of the right bunkers (unless I’ve been blocking it, in which case I aim up the left side of the fairway and hit a fade). On the short par-4 3rd I hit a high straight ball to fly the three bunkers that cut diagonally across the fairway (unless I want to run the ball up as close as I can to the green, in which case I hit a low swinging draw). When I want to gauge how well I’m playing, I often use this course as my barometer because what you see is what you get.
Summary of Heron Lakes Great Blue
The Good: Course conditions are fantastic for the price, well-designed holes with gorgeous bunkering and natural water hazards, convenient, accessible during the winter, the chipping/putting green is the best public practice area in Portland
The Bad: the course is too difficult for beginners and high handicappers (this is the type of course where you can run out of balls if you’re spraying it), the par-4 16th hole (and any other hole in the world with a water hazard that splits the fairway) is pretty to look at but poorly designed (read: tricked up), tough course for the short hitter, very crowded during the weekend (they literally run out of parking)
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