Post by The Boss on Sept 23, 2021 9:28:50 GMT
Here's an interesting write-up by Chris Lane, the designer, about the real course for this event - Ford Plantation.
"The course sits on part of Henry Ford's former summer retreat in Richmond Hill, GA (a suburb of Savannah). A Saudi Arabian oil tycoon purchased the land and commissioned Pete Dye to build a course. During the construction of the course, the Saudi was contacted by the FBI concerning some unpaid taxes. Wellll....it turned out to be more like tax evasion and money laundering, so he decided to head on home, thus drying up payments for the course. He's still wanted by the FBI. Dye was able to complete the course but not to his standards. It was named the Ogeechee River Country Club and received little fanfare because it just wasn't really finished in the way a Dye course should be. The local resident's raised $7 million and Dye returned to complete the course. The named was appropriately changed to the Ford Plantation or The Ford Plantation as I've seen it both ways. The course doesn't take tee times because play is limited to residents of Ford Plantation and their guests. I've played the course twice and never saw another cart in front or behind us. One of the rounds was on a cool, overcast day with the winds blowing around 15-20 mph. I looked around us on the back nine and realized we were the only ones out there. It was also the closest feeling to links golf I had ever felt. I won't tell you what I shot but I do recommend playing the course in tougher winds. I just wish the game would replicate the differences in wind that we had that day. Coming up the 9th hole was like walking into a freezer locker as the wind and chill picked up coming across all of that open area of the back.
As has been mentioned, the course is tough. It's a par 71: 75.9/142 from the tips at 7443 yards. My version is 7584 due to stretching some of the holes so that your approach shot more closely mimics what it would be from a real life 290 drive instead of Masters Clubs 320. Also, #11 is correct, it is a completely flat, real-life 539 yard par 4. I believe my version is about 550."
"The course sits on part of Henry Ford's former summer retreat in Richmond Hill, GA (a suburb of Savannah). A Saudi Arabian oil tycoon purchased the land and commissioned Pete Dye to build a course. During the construction of the course, the Saudi was contacted by the FBI concerning some unpaid taxes. Wellll....it turned out to be more like tax evasion and money laundering, so he decided to head on home, thus drying up payments for the course. He's still wanted by the FBI. Dye was able to complete the course but not to his standards. It was named the Ogeechee River Country Club and received little fanfare because it just wasn't really finished in the way a Dye course should be. The local resident's raised $7 million and Dye returned to complete the course. The named was appropriately changed to the Ford Plantation or The Ford Plantation as I've seen it both ways. The course doesn't take tee times because play is limited to residents of Ford Plantation and their guests. I've played the course twice and never saw another cart in front or behind us. One of the rounds was on a cool, overcast day with the winds blowing around 15-20 mph. I looked around us on the back nine and realized we were the only ones out there. It was also the closest feeling to links golf I had ever felt. I won't tell you what I shot but I do recommend playing the course in tougher winds. I just wish the game would replicate the differences in wind that we had that day. Coming up the 9th hole was like walking into a freezer locker as the wind and chill picked up coming across all of that open area of the back.
As has been mentioned, the course is tough. It's a par 71: 75.9/142 from the tips at 7443 yards. My version is 7584 due to stretching some of the holes so that your approach shot more closely mimics what it would be from a real life 290 drive instead of Masters Clubs 320. Also, #11 is correct, it is a completely flat, real-life 539 yard par 4. I believe my version is about 550."
