Sunday, Feb. 03, 2008

Tradition Club (Feb. 2008)

Conditioning of Pawleys course always up to par

PAWLEYS ISLAND | One thing you can count on when you play the Tradition Club is the course and its surrounding will be in good condition.

Since opening in 1995, the course has built a reputation as one of the best manicured courses on the Strand, and a review group that played the course in late February found that is still the case.

It might have something to do with the fact that course superintendent Clay DuBose also has the rare double duty of being the club's general manager.

"The upkeep of the course keeps it up with the upper-tier courses in the area," said Clem Artis of Myrtle Beach, an 18-handicap and foreman for J.Johnson Grading and Paving who took part in the review. "And they keep it up all the time, not just part of the year."

Clem and I were joined in the review group by Jeff Riggins of Conway, a 30-handicap who is a J.Johnson supervisor, and Ron Heffner of Pawleys Island, a retired chemical regulations rep who carries a handicap index of 15.

Tradition Club is the only course on the Grand Strand designed by Ron Garl, an accomplished course architect based in Lakeland, Fla. It is forgiving off the tee and around many greens, and most holes are straightforward, though there are water hazards and long waste bunkers on a number of holes.

The course also features a pair of attractive island greens on the par-4 seventh and par-3 15th holes.

Each hole is tree-lined and set off on its own, so you see only a few people after teeing off. "No matter how many golfers are on a course like this it doesn't seem like that many because you only see them on one hole," Ron said.

There are a number of areas with flowers and plants throughout the layout. The most attractive include an area down the right side of the 16th fairway with blooming red gardenias, and a colorful enclosed flower bed near the second tee box.

Ornamental pampas grass dots the landscape, and reddish-brown mulch is the bedding of trees that line many fairways.

"I love how they keep the course in good shape all the time," Clem said.

"They could cut some more of the woods down out there, though," joked Jeff.

The course is fully built out with houses, but generous fairways lessen their impact. "The holes are spread out nicely and the housing doesn't encroach on the course," Ron said. "I don't mind seeing homes, but when you're worried about breaking somebody's window every time you hit, then you feel boxed in."

In addition to the fairways being wide, fairway bunkers are sparse so a driver can generally be pulled from the bag without hesitation on most par-4s and par-5s. "Being a beginner it's a pretty good course for me," Jeff said. "The fairways are pretty wide and there's not a lot of water."

Tradition Club has Tifdwarf Bermudagrass greens that are overseeded with poa trivialis. They are fairly large, have a fair amount of undulation that isn't excessive for the green speeds, and were both true and a decent speed during out round.

"The greens are in pretty good shape," Clem said, "and the undulations aren't crazy. ... The course is a fair and fun course to play. It's pretty fair for all walks of golfer. It's not too hard and not too easy. You can be good or bad and enjoy it."

Likes

Clem appreciated reduced rates for area residents. "They look out for the locals," he said. "Their rates are very reasonable."

Both Ron and Jeff enjoyed the course's wide fairways, and Jeff also appreciated the fairly large greens. "The course is good for a new golfer, as I am," Jeff said. "The greens are wide so you have a lot to shoot at."

Dislikes

Jeff thought some pin placements were unfair because the cups were placed in the middle of slopes.

Ron believes the course was very fair but possibly too easy from the 5,728-yard gold tees, partially because the difference in length on many holes from the white to the gold tees was too significant. And he thought the par-3s didn't have enough variability in yardage from the gold. Both on the front nine are 145 yards, and those on the back measure 131 and 130.

"There's not enough variety," Ron said. "You hit the same club on both par-3s on each side."

The course's tee boxes were slightly unlevel and crowned in general, and Clem didn't think we saw the beverage cart frequently enough.

Par-3s

The 201-yard second hole measures 165 from the white and features a long sand trap running up the left side of the hole, separating the green from water that is far enough to the left to be essentially out of play.

The 203-yard fifth hole measures 179 from the white with a carry over a vast waste bunker to a green that is 24 yards deep, and the 185-yard 12th hole is 147 from the white and has a downhill shot to the green from a series of tiered tee boxes. The front right portion of the green is protected by a large bunker.

An island green is the highlight of the 173-yard 15th hole, which measures 157 from the white and 113 from the red tee. The green is 48 yards deep, but areas around it slope to the water and a cluster of bunkers are situated to the left and front left of the green.

Jeff thought the longer par-3s on the front were more challenging than those on the back.

Par-4s

The back nine is more than 250 yards longer than the front from both the black and white tees, and that yardage can be accounted for in the par-4s. Only the 430-yard eighth hole exceeded 400 yards on the front nine - three holes were less than 350 from the white tees - while all five par-4s on the back were more than 400, including the 475-yard 16th.

The 329-yard third hole features a green tucked behind a long waste bunker on the left side. The 393-yard seventh hole measures 377 from the white tees, and its island green has some forgiveness with a sizable area of rough to the left and behind the green, which is 36 yards deep, and a bunker that lines the bulkheaded water to the left of the green.

The 411-yard 13th hole has a tough cluster of bunkers protecting the right and front right of the green, the 475-yard 16th drops down to 399 from the white tees, and the layout closes with a challenging par-4. The 455-yard 18th features a waste bunker down nearly the entire left side of the hole.

"Most of the par-4s were very strategic," Clem said.

Par-5s

The longest par-5 on the course is 540 yards, but features near greens make each of the holes challenging to reach in two shots.

The 540-yard fourth measures 510 from the white tees and features a green tucked behind water that comes in from the left and completely fronts the green, though it doesn't entirely cross the fairway.

The 490-yard fifth hole is just 453 from the white but forces a layup behind a wetlands area 180 yards from a shallow green that is protected by a long bunker front and front left.

The 530-yard 10th turns sharply to the left around a waste bunker that runs the length of the hole and must be carried to reach the green. The 500-yard 14th is only 450 from the white, but a pond fronts the green, setting up perhaps the course's biggest risk-reward decision.

Favorite holes

Clem's favorite hole was the 14th. "I loved the risk-reward of it if you hit a long drive," he said.

Ron enjoyed a pair of par-5s and a pair of par-3s. He liked the par-5 fourth featuring a green tucked behind a water hazard on the left and 10th because its green was tucked behind a waste bunker to the left. He also appreciated the island-green par-3 15th because of its beauty and fifth because of its challenge.

Jeff liked the par-3 12th because it is "short and easy to score."

Least favorite holes

The least favorite hole for both Ron and Clem was the 393-yard seventh. Both believe it is too long to have an island green. "If you hit it too short or too long, or right or left, you're in the water," Ron said.

Jeff thought the 201-yard second and 203-yard fifth holes - from the back tees - were a little long for par-3s.

ONLINE | To view Blondin's Q&A Forum 'Ask Al,' go to MyrtleBeachOnline.com.