From: john@sequent.com (John Vander Borght)
Subject: Pumpkin Ridge chosen #1 and #2 (LONG)
Organization: Sequent Computer Systems Inc.
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 92 22:52:23 GMT

As those of you who get Golf Digest already know, Pumpkin Ridge (my home
course) out here in the 'burbs of Portland has had its two courses uniquely
honored.  The public course, Ghost Creek, has been chosen as Golf Digest's
Best New Public Course in the US for 1992.  The private course, Witch
Hollow, was chosen second in the Best New Private Course in the US for
1992.  The courses are located in North Plains about 25 minutes west
of downtown Portland north of Highway 26.

I thought I'd send out some more information about the courses for
those of you who might be interested.  I'd urge you to get out and play
Ghost Creek if you get into the area.  It costs $45 and you can walk it.
Or even send me some e-mail and we might be able to play together on one of
the courses.

The courses were designed by Robert Cupp who worked with Jack Nicklaus at
courses like Muirfield Village and designed Star Pass where the Tucson Open
is played every year.  His design style is one of subtlety and a
good use of the natural features of the land.  Both courses feature bent
grass tees, fairways and greens, rye grass for the basic rough and fescue
for the outer areas.  On Witch Hollow, the rough has been allowed to go to
see in a number of areas that really shouldn't come in to play but
sometimes do.

The best compliment in the Golf Digest article was that the courses look
like they could have been designed by Ross or Tillinghast.  One thing they
forgot to mention is that Pumpkin Ridge will be the site of the 1996 US
Amateur Championship.

The property that the courses are on had been untouched for about 40
years so it has lots of great old trees.  There are a couple of creeks, 4
lakes and quite a few areas of wetlands scattered throughout the property.
Most of Ghost Creek is built on the side of the ridge and quite a few of
the holes have some elevation change to them.  But, only one hole has a
blind approach.  Witch Hollow has one hole that goes up a hill and one that
comes down, but the rest of the course is flat.  3 holes are up on the ridge and
the rest down in the valley below.

Each course has 4 sets of tees.  The yardages below are from the back
(Black) tees. Ghost Creek plays to 6800 yards par 71.  It has 5 par 3s and 4
par 5s.  It has the more beautiful views of the Tualatin Valley and the Coast
Range.  Witch Hollow plays up to 7000 yards and par 72.  It has 5 par 3s and 5
par 5s.  It is much more secluded.  They both play around 6500 yards from
the blues, 6000 from the whites and 5400 from the reds.  In addition to the
courses there are two clubhouses (one public, one private), 3 putting
greens, a 150 yard wide, 400 yard long driving range with tees at each end,
and an 18-hole par 39 putting course at Witch Hollow with some putts as long as
150 feet.

One of the best things about Pumpkin Ridge is that it is a large square
piece of property and as such there will be no homes built around the
holes.  The properties that are adjacent might have locations for homes on only
5 or 6 holes out of the 36 and even these are blocked in quite a few places
by lots of forest on our property.

The courses have been setup with a generous amount of space off the tees,
but you have to be accurate on your approach shots.  There are about 165
bunkers on the property.  The greens have been sized for the type of shots
you will be playing.  For example the two largest greens on Ghost Creek are
on the 218 yard 5th and 234 yard 14th.  The smallest greens tend to be on
the par 5s where you can play them as 3 shot holes and hit the greens with
wedges easily, but if you try to get home in two you had better be VERY
accurate.  I think the greens are smaller than average.  Also, they are
very FIRM which means that you had better be in the fairway and able to put
some spin on your shots if you want to land it on the green.  Fortunately
most greens have wide open areas in front so that you can also run the ball
on.

Below are the descriptions of the two courses, yardages are from the Black tees.

Ghost Creek
447  1  Good wide open starting hole, don't be long though
414  2  Into the trees, very narrow green, one bunker left of it
184  3  Downhill over a creek to a 2-tiered green
533  4  Ever narrowing hole, wetlands on the left, 3-tiered green
218  5  3-levels of green from lower right to upper left
371  6  Creek all down the right, bunkers and wetlands on the left, small green
431  7	Uphill tee shot over bunkers, down to green with creek on right
573  8  Very tiny green with large grass pits on either side
469  9  OB Left, creek right off tee, huge lake last 150 yards on left
	toughest hole on either course
492 10  Makeup hole Reachable, creek crosses fairway and splits it last 150 yds
180 11  Long narrow green with creek right against left side
444 12  Downhill dogleg right tee shot, green set amoung mounds, lots of sand
381 13  Uphill hole, only blind green, ridge splits it back to front
234 14  Downhill plays 2-3 clubs shorter, mounds all around only 1 small bunker
552 15  Uphill tee shot flat the rest of the way, green very steep
133 16  Downhill, 7 bunkers all around it, overlooks Witch Hollow
329 17  Drivable, creek left, crosses, to a lake on right, bunker & mounds left
	Someone aced it this summer.
454 18  Elevated tee, two large trees frame fairway, creek and OB on right
	large lake to right of narrow green with hollows and mounds on
	right and behind.  NO bunkers on entire hole.  (It doesn't need
	them).  This was the hole pictured in Golf Digest.  The green
	doesn't seem anywhere near as wide as it looks in that picture
	though.

401  1	Wetlands left, clubhouse right, bunkers on right, narrow green with
	bunkers on left.
168  2	One big bunker on left front, don't miss it right though tough chip
414  3  Uphill, lake on left of green, creek crosses fairway 50 yards short.
533  4  Straightaway, large 3-sectioned green, be in the right one.
211  5  Monster.  All carry over water, 3 pot bunkers behind green bailout right
	but you can chip it in the lake from there.
453  6  Dogleg left, big tree in middle of fairway, creek crosses, down left
	side to a small lake on the left of a nasty green
623  7	LONG, downhill off tee, woods left and right off the tee.  Opens
	on left, cross bunker 100 yards short of green, small green with grass
	collection areas behind and big bunker short
382  8	Nasty 3-leveled green with large bunker short and steep uphill behind
467  9	Split fairway, 2 bunkers in middle, big flat green with no sand among
	big old trees, plays 20-30 yards shorter from narrower left fairway.
212 10	4 bunkers short, big green
553 11	Double dogleg, bunkers inside each, 2 large trees to stop going for
	green in 2, small green with collection area behind
143 12  In the trees/wetlands Over a lake with a hidden pot bunker behind green
410 13	Drive over wetlands must be left or tall trees block green.  Deep green.
470 14	Reachable par 5, downhill shot to wide shallow green with lake short and
	wetlands behind.  Lots of 4s and 7s on this hole, already at least 2 2s.
175 15  Wide green with sand in front and left, tough chip from right
432 16  Wide open tee shot over 4 bunkers, 3-sectioned green, big bunker right
422 17  Fairway gets real tight 260 out, 9 fairway bunkers, tough green
545 18	Over wetlands off tee, wetlands on left, OB right, over wetlands on
	second (or third),  small green with a large hollow on the left,
	big trees on either side of fairway short of green.

--
"The man who doesn't feel emotionally stirred when he golfs at Pinehurst
beneath those clear blue skies and with the pine fragrance in his nostrils
is one who should be ruled out of golf for life." - Tommy Armour, c. 1960s

John Vander Borght
john@sequent.com
-- 
"Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty!"
John Vander Borght
john@sequent.com
Newsgroups: rec.sport.golf