Dan Perry

The Frog Golf Course Review, Villa Rica, Georgia

danperry — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 23:02:30 +0000

We played the Frog on the Monday of a long 4th of July weekend. We are members of Canongate (which is a great organization if you enjoy playing multiple courses), and The Frog is one of the 20+ courses in their stable. It’s located in Villa Rica, Georgia within the Georgian Resort, which is about halfway between Atlanta and the Alabama border on I-20. Took a little effort to get to from NW Georgia, but it was worth the effort, as you’ll see.

The flow of The Frog is noticeable and appreciated. Drop your clubs of at the bag drop, walk in and pay for the round, short drive to the well-maintained range area, then a great practice green just before you meet the starter and the first tee.

I played the Blue tees, which measured 6,239; a bit shorter than I normally play but thought since it was the first (of hopefully many) visits, I’d give myself a better chance for more GIR’s. There are 5 total sets of tees, ranging from 7,018 down to 5,336.

The first hole is a relatively straight-forward 397 yard par 4, with a tee shot that lands in a valley and an elevated green forcing an uphill (and almost blind) second shot. It’s also the #1 handicap hole; no warm-up holes for Tom Fazio! Luckily I hit a decent tee shot, and was left with about 160 to a very large and receptive green.

Standing on the green and looking back towards the first tee, I was lucky enough to get what I consider one of the best pictures of the entire course. You be the judge.

Turning a quick corner, we were on the second tee with an on-course restroom next to the tee box. Was pleasantly surprised to see this, as I’ve discussed many times before (my wife appreciates the on-course restrooms very much.) The second hole is short, at only 305 yards from the Blues. Don’t be too aggressive off the tee; think medium iron/wedge. The green is a bit raised (and again, quite large) but very receptive for wedges.

You can try to go for it with a driver if you like, but the bunkers guarding the front of the green are massive and hungry. Beware!

The third is a 142 yard par 3, with a green that slopes back to front. Hitting it short or left brings the bunkers into play, but going too far will force a downhill putt on a relatively severe downhill slope. Distance is key here.

The fourth hole may be my personal favorite on the entire course. It’s a slight dogleg right par 5 around a small lake, measuring 490 yards. The tee shot is to a wide fairway, and even though there’s water on the right, it might not be reachable for some so go for it!

Looking at the picture below, your second shot will go over the bunkers on the right, past the lake. I pulled it a bit left off the tee, and was left with this view for my second shot:

If you’re feeling strong and you hit a great tee shot (unlike me), you might be able to go for it in two. There is a deep bunker (pictured below) directly in front of the green and behind the green is trouble, so be careful.

The fifth hole is another par 5 (back-to-back) that “only” measures 461 yards, but this hole is so uphill I’d estimate that you can add at least 50 yards to that. The tee shot is to an open fairway so again, don’t be scared to let one rip.

Your second is uphill, but even if you layup (like I did), your third is also uphill. Here’s what my third shot looked like:

Once you’re on the green you are presented with another exceptional view looking back towards the tee; enjoy!

The sixth circles back towards the #2 teevbox, bringing the restrooms back if needed. It’s a 326 yard downhill par 4 and potentially reachable. If nobody is in front of you and your driver’s on, I’d say go for it, especially if you play a fade. Here’s the tee shot; the flag is behind the trees on the right.

Here’s a closer view, taken from about 100 yards out. Note that there isn’t any trouble to the right, and a large bunker bordering the green on the left. Again, when I play here again I’ll probably go for it.

The seventh is a 342 yard par 4, with an uphill approach. The green is long and receptive, but the entire left side of this hole is trouble, so bail right rather than left if needed. Here’s a view from the green back towards the tee:

Eight is a 191 yard par 3 to one of the flattest greens on the course. Yes there is undulation, but for the most relatively flat. The hole is all carry and anything left is dead, so better right on this tee shot. The hill to the right slopes pretty severely to the green so even a miss has the chance of providing a GIR.

Nine is easily the most uphill hole on the course. Measuring 350, it may play more like 390-400 yards. I hit a rock-solid tee shot and still had an approach that looked like this; Yikes!

Bunkers line the right side so center or center left is all good. In addition, the fairway on the left slopes back towards the center which helps.

The tenth tee has a collection of sand shakers which is always good to see. I’ve noticed in Georgia that not every course has these on the tenth tee, which seems odd to me. Anyway, great seeing them here, so I grabbed a fresh one at the turn.

The tenth is a straightforward 399 yard par 4. The tee shot is pretty open, but keep in mind that there is a little creek that runs up the right side of the green that you can’t see until you are almost on top of it.

Twelve is a dogleg right, that also has a creek running in front of the green. It shouldn’t come into play (and is unreachable on your tee shot) so let it fly, but try to end up center or right-center, or your approach may be quite long. Here’s the tee shot:

And the view when you turn the corner for your approach:

Thirteen is the first par 5 on the back, measuring 509 yards. From the tee you can’t see the green, but I’d suggest the right side of the fairway. There are bunkers on the far right side of the hole that may come into play. If you can land your tee shot at the top of the hill it will run down the other side quite a bit, potentially giving you a chance to go for it in two. Here’s the view of the tee shot:

And the potential second shot:

I chickened out because of the water surrounding the right side of the green and bailed a bit left, giving myself just under 100 yards. I actually had a birdie putt here (didn’t happen often enough) but I just missed for an easy par. I was pretty happy with that.

Fourteen looks a lot tougher than it is. It also looks longer than it plays (332 from the Blues). Standing on the tee (with the prevailing wind in your face), with lots of bunkers and water on the right, you might feel you need to hit driver (like I did.) Remember, it is only 332 yards (and the #18 handicap hole!)

There is lots of room to the left and center, and a relatively clear approach from the left side. Don’t be a sucker like me! Here’s the view from the green looking back.

The stretch of holes from 14-16 are three of the easiest holes on the course (rated #18, #14 and #16 handicap hopes respectively.) Be sure to take advantage now, because the two final holes are truly challenging.

Seventeen measures 417 from the Blues (the only par 4 on the course measuring >400 yards from the Blues) and if I remember correctly, the wind wasn’t helping. A long tee shot here isn’t beneficial; it’s a must-have.

If you really bomb it, it should roll far enough to hit a down-slope in the fairway, which could shorten your approach considerably. If not, you’re left with a decent-length approach. If you’re too far right, the tall tree may come into play, so better left or center than right off the tee.

Finally, there is a small creek that runs in front of the green ( a theme here, if you haven’t noticed) so be wary.

The Frog finishes on a par 5 that measures 497. The tee shot is key here, with trouble left (where I went) and bunkers right. I ended up punching out from behind some trees, leaving a very long third to the green. I missed par, but wasn’t disappointed at all; this course rocks.

This is one of the few courses on the Canongate group that isn’t private (according to the website.) I’d suggest playing it if you can. Yes, it takes a bit of time to get there and is probably more out of the way than most are accustomed to driving for a round of golf in Atlanta but believe me, the kindness of the staff, the views and the impressive elevation changes makes this a must play in my book.

Post from: Dan Perry

The Frog Golf Course Review, Villa Rica, Georgia

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Pinehurst 8 golf course review – Pinehurst, NC

danperry — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 21:24:49 +0000

The final round of our Pinehurst trip was at Pinehurst #8, and it turned out to be my favorite course of the 4 we played (including Pinehurst #4, #6, #7 and #8.) Pinehurst #8 was built by Tom Fazio to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Pinehurst Resort. There also aren’t any houses on the course, and the tees and greens are close together, making it perfect for walking and enjoying the scenery.

It’s located about 2 miles from the Pinehurst Resort. The first thing I noticed upon entering the property was the impressive practice facility. Large putting green and plenty of tee stands on the range.

I played the Blues, which measured 6,698 yards which is well within my range. On the tee boxes, there is a small plaque that describes a specific highlight of each hole. I love this! The first hole noted that it was an Audobon Signature Sanctuary.

Pinehurst #8 starts out easily enough, with a 338 yard par 4. The ranger said about 180 would put you at the bend, giving you a straight shot at the green but even if you’re a bit long you should be fine here. Here’s the opening tee shot; the green is to the left.

The second hole is a 532 yard par 5. When you get near the green, it’s obvious that this course was inspired by Donald Ross; just take a look at the greenside bunkering.

The third is a 377 yard par 4. What I remember most about this hole was the fairway bunkering. Hanging out to the right here is not a bad play. There’s more room than you may think so aim for the fairway bunkers on the left and fade it into the center.

And here’s the view of the third hole looking back from the green to the tee. Thought it made for a pretty nice shot’ let me know what you think.

The fourth hole was built on top of the old Pinehurst Gun Club shooting range. This is the first hole with a blind tee shot so to allow players to see if it’s safe to hit or not, they’ve installed a viewing lens that shows the view of a camera that’s hidden in a tree further down the course. This is brilliant, and used multiple times on this course; absolutely love it.

Once you get near the green, again you’ll note that the bunkering is classic Donald Ross. If your sand game is sharp be aggressive; this is a potential birdie hole.

Hole 5 is a 138 yard par 3. The tee box notes that lots of nesting boxes have been placed on this hole, for Eastern Bluebirds, Screech Owls, Fox Squirrels and Bats. This is the perfect place as there is a large are of water to the left of the green. Here’s a pic of the tee shot:

And here’s a closer look at the birdhouses placed behind the green. I’m such a big fan of wildlife on the course, and Pinehurst #8 has gone above and beyond; so impressed!

As you go from 5 green to 6 tee, there is an on-course restroom. Big fan of those too; Pinehurst #8, so far, very impressed!

Six is a 584 yard par 5, and the number 1 handicap hole on the course (meaning it’s the hardest to score par.) The tee shot needs to carry some water, but instead of showing you the picture of the tee shot, I was more impressed with the bridge they built to convey golfers over the water. As you may know, I’m a fan of golf course bridges, and Pinehurst Eight didn’t disappoint. Check this out:

Was I right? Beautiful.

Once you cross, the next shot is probably too long to go for it (well, it was for me anyways.) The play is up the right, between the fairway bunkers. You should be left with a reasonable wedge to the green but be careful; long is trouble so be sure to stick the green if you can.

Remember how the par 3 (5th hole) was only 138 yards? Well, they’re not all that short. The eighth hole is 201 yards from the Blues (238 from the Golds!) The best play is to fade it into the green, giving you the best chance of avoiding the bunkers. Here’s the tee shot; the barely-viewable pin is behind the bunker on the right.

Oh, and you’ll be crossing back over the water, so that gave me another opportunity of taking a picture of another golf course bridge. Just beautiful.

And finally, here’s the view from the green back towards the tee. I’m hoping you’re starting to understand why this course was our favorite… And we’re only on the eighth hole!

Nine is an uphill, 418 yard par 4. It doglegs to the right, but since this was our first time playing here, I played it relatively straight, and was left with a loooong second shot. If you’re driver is on, feel free to cut the corner a bit. Here’s a picture taken from the dogleg pointing towards the green. If you look closely, you can see the 150 yard marker.

We stopped at the turn and bought some water and chips. It was tempting to just have a seat and watch the golfers pass by but we pressed on; back nine here we come!

The tenth is a relatively straight-forward par 4 that slowly moves to the left. You can’t see the green from the tee, so here’s a shot from the green looking towards the tee. You should be on top of or over the hill with your tee shot, so here’s what you have to look forward to.

The 11th is a 574 yard par 5, and I remember thinking that this hole seemed to play longer than the other par 5 (which was 10 yards longer). There aren’t really any secrets or comments on this hole; just be long. We did see one of the native squirrels, and I put my zoom lens to the test. Kate had never seen a squirrel like this up close, so I’m guessing some of you may not have either; enjoy.

The twelfth is the shortest par 4 on the course (328 from the Blues.) It’s also rated as the #18 handicap hole on the course (the easiest to par.) My suggestion is a 200-220 yard shot, leaving you with a wedge to the green. There is trouble surrounding it, so the shorter your second the better the chance for a birdie.

The thirteenth is a 184 yard par 3, but the difficulty of the hole is that there isn’t anything behind it to give you any sense of depth; it’s just blue sky which really played a trick on me. I ended up right of the green, and had a tough uphill chip. Trust the yardage and focus on landing on the green; it’s surrounded on all sides by trouble.

Behind the 14 tee there is a large area of wetlands where the cool wildlife hangs out. You know, the ones that rarely (if ever) make a public appearance? Once again, I put my zoom to the test and found this guy (wood duck?) in the wetlands. Absolutely beautiful.

The fourteenth had one of my favorite tee shots on the course, and possibly of any of the courses I played at Pinehurst. A true risk/reward tee shot, it gives you the opportunity to bite off as much as you think you can chew. It’s all carry over the marsh and if you have a draw, this hole was made for you.

I aimed for the right edge of that bunker, hit a fade and ended up in the rough on the right side of the fairway. Still, absolutely loved this hole. Here’s a view from green to tee.

The sixteenth is a 381 yard par 4 that starts out uphill, then ends up downhill (like the tenth.) There’s room to the right so if you miss, try to make sure it’s over there, as the left is trouble. The green is downhill and receptive, so with a good drive, you should be able to stick the approach.

Seventeen is the last par 5, measuring 489. The tee shot is perfect, with lots of visible room to land a bomber, yet enough trouble on the right and a small blind area on the left to cause hesitation. Well designed!

I hit it a bit right, ending up in the rough. Here’s my view, with the flag being behind the sand on the right. I laid up to the left (too tight of a landing area for me from the rough) and put a wedge on instead of going for it.

Pinehurst #8 finishes on a 426 yard, uphill par 4, making it play more like 450. It’s the #2 handicap hole for a reason!

I aimed my driver up the left edge of the fairway, expecting a fade but it stayed straight, which made the hole play that much longer. I then took a hybrid and went for it but caught it a bit heavy, leaving me a wedge. I bogied this hole, but wasn’t that upset with it. It’s definitely a tough finisher.

Still wondering why I thought this was the best of the 4 Pinehurst courses we played? When you combine the perfect weather, lack of houses, abundant wildlife and a Donald Ross-inspired golf course, it would be almost impossible for it not to bubble to the top of the list. Then again, I haven’t played Pinehurst #2… yet.

Post from: Dan Perry

Pinehurst 8 golf course review – Pinehurst, NC

Pinehurst 7 Golf Course Review – Pinehurst, NC

danperry — Sat, 22 May 2010 22:20:38 +0000

Pinehurst No. 7 seems to be the course that the members of Pinehurst play a lot. We had a tee time on a weekday morning, but were only allowed to make tee times until around 8:30 or so, as the members start filling after that. Not a problem on my end, but if you play plan on an early morning for the #7 Course.

This was probably the toughest course we played (we played Pinehurst #4, #6, #7 and #8.) When we checked in, I told the starter I normally play the Blues (6,819 yards) and he suggested I play from the Whites (6,316 yards) because 13 of the approaches to the green are uphill, which lengthens the course by about 300 yards. I’m glad I heeded his warning; it definitely plays longer than expected, and the Whites were plenty.

The first hole is a 476 yard par 5. The toughest part of this hole was the tee shot. Anything to the right is probably OB and from the tee you see bunkers left, which play that little mind game that golf sometimes does. Drive it strong up the left; plenty of room. If I had a better lie, I may have tried going for it in two, but decided against it and started with a par. So far so good!

The second hole is the #1 handicap hole, a 404 yard par 4. Bunkers left and trouble right (sound familiar?) The approach is uphill, meaning it plays a bit longer. Length is everything here so rip it from the tee.

The third hole is what I’d call a valley hole (in fact, it’s named Valley O according to the tee marker.) The tee shot is elevated, as is the green, and the fairway is in a valley. The distance here wasn’t too much (367 yards), but my approach was a full club and a half more than I would normally take. Already this course is playing long!

The fourth has an uphill tee shot, making it basically blind. I’d suggest center or center-right for your landing area. Too far left and you’ll lengthen your approach, and too far right may be in someone’s yard. In addition, if you go right (like I did), there’s an overhanging branch that will probably hinder your approach.

The 5th is a reasonable par 3, measuring 145 yards. The pin the day we played was behind the bunker that’s in front of the green, in the middle. 145 is a perfect 8-iron for me, and I hit the (slightly elevated) green and two-putted for par.

The sixth is, to me, one of my favorite types of holes: Wide fairway, large green, elevated tee shot, view of the entire hole from the tee. It reminds me of a number of holes that I’ve played in Michigan (specifically Treetops and the Arthur Hills Course.)

Keep in mind that up the right-hand side, there is trouble; specifically a small creek that runs up the hole. I wasn’t aware of it when I played it, and barely stayed out of it.

Number 7 is called Devils Gut, and I can’t think of a better name for this hole. This may have been the most interesting hole I played at Pinehurst. It’s only 329 from the Whites, but your tee shot should max out at about 200 (or even a bit less) to ensure you don’t end up in the Devils Gut. Here’s a good view of the trouble; note the 100 yard marker, and how the fairway slopes into the trouble.

Also, here’s a shot from the green back towards the tee. Note all of the junk just behind the green.

Eight is a dogleg-right, par 5. The best play is to hug the right hand-side of the fairway with your tee shot. Your second shot is pretty open, so feel free to let it fly. Your second shot might look something like this:

There’s a lot of trouble in front of the green, and bunkers all around. I layed up, and was happy with that decision, but you could go for it if the tee shot cuts enough of the corner.

Also, I’m a sucker for bridges on golf courses, so here’s a shot of the one that crosses the junk in front of the green.

The front nine ends with a beautiful, uphill par 3. I didn’t have a picture I was satisfied with from the tee, but this one from the green looking back really shows just how uphill this hole really is. Enjoy the view and hopefully your score isn’t too scary; the back nine is even harder.

We stopped at the turn for a snack and a bathroom break. The snack bar and restrooms are directly on the path between nine green and ten tee; no need to go off the path. Also, restrooms are plentiful on this course, as with the other Pinehurst golf courses.

The tenth is another Valley hole, with an elevated tee and green, with a fairway in the valley. This is a dogleg left and there are trees on the left so beware; make sure your tee shot is long enough so they don’t impede your approach. Here’s the tee shot:

And here’s a very dramatically-uphill approach:

The twelfth is a par 5, and only measures 464 yards, but it’s the #4 handicap hole on the course. First, you need to clear all the junk between the tee box and the fairway. Keep in mind that the hole doglegs to the left, so feel free to hug the left side if you can, and let it fly.

Your second shot will look something like the below shot. The green is elevated, and you can’t see it from here but it’s just over the cart on the right side of the fairway. I’d suggest laying up to the left, and having a solid wedge into the green.

The thirteenth hole is easily the most uphill hole on the course. It’s a par 3, and I didn’t have a lot of time to snap shots (we passed a foursome here, and didn’t want to cause undue delay.) If you look at the large size of the picture below, you’ll see a red flag just right of the bunker. This is easily 2, maybe 3 clubs more than usual, so don’t be afraid; better long than short here.

As we hit 14 tee the rain started to fall (great… now the course will play even longer!)

The fifteenth is called “Round the Bend”. The hole doglegs to the right and again, it’s a “Valley” hole. The middle of the fairway is perfect here. If too far right it may leak into the trees on the right, leaving a punch-out for your second (speaking from experience.)

The green is big and receptive for uphill approaches, and there isn’t much trouble behind it so be sure to take enough club.

The 16th is a 149 yard par 3, with a very interesting bunker configuration in front of the green. More of a mind game than anything else, but I appreciate the effort for sure. Here’s a shot from the cartpath:

The final hole is a long, relatively straight par 5 that finishes at the clubhouse. If you can keep it on the fairway (and a straight as possible), this is a potential birdie. The green is well-guarded with bunkers on both sides, so again, I layed up and took wedge. For me, it was the right choice.

Honestly, this course may be a bit too tough to play on a daily basis. That being said, playing it on a golf trip was the perfect experience. I got to enjoy some great views, played some great golf, and had the opportunity to dial in my uphill approaches and distances.

Post from: Dan Perry

Pinehurst 7 Golf Course Review – Pinehurst, NC

Pinehurst 6 Golf Course Review – Pinehurst, North Carolina

danperry — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:40:25 +0000

We (Kate and I) played Pinehurst #6 on a Sunday morning around 8:30 a.m. There was a twosome in front of us (which we ended up passing), and a threesome two groups behind us. I love the feeling that we’re the only people on the golf course, and this course provided that. Great way to kick off the Pinehurst vacation!

I played the Blues, which measured 6,537. I ended up playing the Whites when playing Pinehurst #4, #7 (Blues on #8), but this was my first round, sun was shining and I was feeling strong; let’s go!

Got there early enough to hit the range, which was impressive. HUGE putting green to practice on, lots of stalls and a large Rolex clock to keep your tee time top of mind.

Pinehurst Six starts out with a straight uphill, 411-yard par 4. The fairway is wide, so I let it fly and pulled it a bit left. There are houses on this course (unlike #4 or #8), so I was close to a house but easily in bounds and only about 160 out. Hit the green, but 3-jacked for an opening bogey (if you haven’t noticed, the greens at Pinehurst are HUGE!)

The second hole is a dogleg left par 5. I hit a good drive but it tailed to the right, leaving me no option other than laying up. I pulled my second shot a bit, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, considering the bunkers in front of the green on the right side. Take a look:

The third hole is a medium length downhill par 3. From the Blues, it played 176, but with a bit of wind I took a full 5-iron and hit a rock-solid shot to about 8 feet. I made the putt for birdie! My first birdie at Pinehurst, and hopefully not my last.

The fourth is an interesting hole. For the entire length of the hole on this dogleg right, the entire right side is OB. Here’s a picture from the left edge of the beginning of the dogleg, which shows the right side of the fairway, and the chasm of death that it is. The entire fairway slopes towards this chasm, so be wary. This proved to be a much tougher hole than it looks like from the tee, and if I were to ever play it again, I’d play it much safer.

Just to the left of the 6th tee box is an on-course restroom. It was cleaner than expected, and well-stocked, which made this stop above average. Job well done Pinehurst!

The sixth hole is a 492 yard par 5. It’s tough seeing the layout from the tee, so I suggest hitting a driver and try to ride the left side of the fairway, landing just right of the left fairway bunker. Here’s a picture of it; the green/flag is over the right side of the bunker.

It’s possible to go for it, but there is water right and a bunker left, and long could be in someone’s yard (i.e., OB.) I suggest laying up to a good solid wedge. With an uphill third, you should be able to stick it, giving a great birdie chance.

Seven is a great par 3, measuring 171 from the Blues. With water right, the tendency is to bail left, which inevitably leaves you a tough chip. This green is a HUGE one, not unlike most here, so be sure to choose the right club or plan on a potential 3-putt (then you’ll be just like me.)

The tee shot on 9 is one of the most interesting on the course, and possibly of the four Pinehurst courses we played. From the tee, there are a collection of bunkers up the left side that could easily swallow a less-than-perfect drive, and a very thin fairway up the right side, with a large pine tree directly in the middle of both. Which direction to go? I chose left, and carried the bunkers (luckily, but I did.) Be sure to look at a larger size of this picture to fully understand the dilemma. I loved this hole.

Ten is the #2 handicap hole (#1 is #1), with a downhill tee shot (with water and trouble on both sides) and an uphill approach. I hit my tee shot well, but I came close enough to OB that I should’ve considered a 3-wood instead. Even with a longer than expected tee shot, I was left with a long approach, thanks to the uphill angle. It’s easy to grab a beer or dog or chips or something at the turn, and be in a hurry to start the backside. Don’t do it; this is a tough hole, so be sure to respect it or you could have a big number here.

Twelve is a dogleg left, with a sever up-slope on the approach shot. If you can, hug the left side of the fairway here; everything slopes right, and the further right you are, the longer your approach shot. The following is what my approach shot looked like. The flag is between the two bunkers on the left. It’s as uphill as it looks, and more.

Here’s a shot looking back from the green to the fairway below. Another difficult yet strong hole; I like this course.

Thirteen is a downhill par 3, and probably the most downhill shot I hit on any of the Pinehurst courses. It measured 186, and I think I hit a 7 or an 8-iron. The green is huge, so just aim for the middle; makes the hole a lot easier. When choosing your club, respect the wind (probably in your face.) Honestly, I could’ve taken a 6-iron and been safe and on the green, instead of short due to the wind.

I did get the chance to see just how good the zoom was on my new camera on this hole, and I was impressed. Here’s a shot I took with the zoom fully extended. If you look close, you can see a band around the right leg.

On fifteen tee (well, under the Blue tees actually) there is an on-course restroom which again, was clean and well-stocked. In addition, there was a defibrillator available which is definitely a nice touch. Thumbs up to Pinehurst for attention to details.

Sixteen is a downhill par 3 with bunkers on both sides. This hole is pretty open, meaning the wind will potentially play a big role here, so be sure to make the right club selection.

Eighteen is relatively straight but long, and completely uphill. It played 425 from the Blues. It looks easy from the tee but the length is more than I expected.

Some folks that visit Pinehurst might not like the fact that most of the holes on Pinehurst #6 have houses on them. The original 5 courses (to my knowledge) have very, very few houses, so this course may be viewed as less than desirable. I couldn’t disagree more. This course was definitely challenging, visually a pleasure, and my wife appreciated the views and the ease of play from the Reds (5,001 yards.) Pinehurst #6 was a pleasure to play and I’d recommend it to anyone.

Post from: Dan Perry

Pinehurst 6 Golf Course Review – Pinehurst, North Carolina

Pinehurst 4 Golf Course Review – Pinehurst, North Carolina

danperry — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:07:35 +0000

Pinehurst #4 was originally designed by Donald Ross in 1919, and Tom Fazio redesigned it in 2000 as a personal tribute to Ross. There are lots of the crowned greens with drop-offs, wide fairways, and strategically placed bunkers (as you’ll see) which are all indicative of a Ross course. Honestly, I thought it was a Ross design until I read about it after the fact. I’ve played a few Donald Ross courses before (Donald Ross Golf Course in French Lick, IN and Ravisloe CC in Homewood, IL come to mind.)

The #4 course is also the only one I played that was accessible from the main clubhouse. (#1 – #5 are accessible from the main clubhouse, while #6-#8 are all a short drive away.)

I played the Whites, which measure 6,214 which is a little shorter than usual (I try to shoot for the closest tee selection to 6,500), but being a Ross course, and knowing the additional length necessary for good approaches to crowned greens, the Whites were a good fit.

The first hole measures only 337 yards, so the smart play is a fairway wood and a fade, if possible. It’s a slight dogleg right. If you do take driver, be wary of the two bunkers on the right side of the fairway that aren’t visible from the tee. Cut too much off the corner, and you may be in one of these babies:

The second hole is a very reachable par 5 (471 from Whites), but as expected, it is WELL guarded with bunkers. Mathematically, it screams green light, but be aware that the bunkers are designed to swallow even a slightly mishit drive (or a drive that rolls to far). Also, the same holds true for the greenside bunkers. Look at a large version of this picture to see what I mean:

I hit a really strong drive on #3 which didn’t fade and was able to clear the bunkers on the left. It was a great drive, but left me with a slight downhill lie with a crowned green, which is difficult to hit. Try and be in the fairway here, and it might be a good birdie opportunity.

The 4th hole is a downhill par 3 over a bit of water, measuring 145 yards. Long makes for a tough chip, and short is water so club selection is everything. Be wary of the wind, but for me it was a perfect 8-iron, which ended up about 20 feet from the pin. I missed the birdie, but did par the hole.

Five is the #1 handicap hole on the course and for good reason. At 427 yards from the Whites, it’s plenty of length too. The tee shot is uphill, so plan on about 180-200 for your approach to a crowned green. The fairway bunkers on the left ate a perfect drive of one of my playing partners, causing a chip out. My opinion: Play it as a par 5 from the tee, and hit fairway wood, wedge, wedge. You’ll have one putt for par, and nothing worse than bogey.

The seventh has fairway up the left, and sand up the entire right side of the hole. Any mishit to the right is in the sand. It was in pretty good shape when we played so no need to be afraid of it, but the mental weight of a 300+ yard bunker will have to be dealt with.

The eighth is only 353 yards but a pretty tight hole as compared to the others, so I’d suggest fairway wood and an 8-9 iron for the approach. The green is pretty big, so choose your iron carefully, but this is a potential birdie hole for sure.

The ninth is another par 5, again with lots of strategically placed bunkers. It seems Ross designs almost force you to play defense more than offense, don’t they? Note how well guarded the green is:

And the bunkers aren’t just your run-of-the-mill bunkers either. They’re deep and challenging. I ended up in the sand on the right side of the green; this is what I had for my fourth shot (and no, I didn’t up-and-down for the par, unfortunately.)

Ten and Eleven are relatively easy holes (if you keep it in the fairway, of course.) The twelfth is a downhill par 3 measuring 164 from the Whites. Again, pay attention to the wind. Being in the front bunkers here makes for a tough, tough par.

Thirteen is probably my favorite par 5 on the course. The fairway is wide and deep, so don’t be afraid to let one fly. The difficulty of the hole comes into play on your second shot. Most can probably reach in two if they hit a good second shot, but it’s completely over water. The people in the picture below are on the green:

If you play it safe and to the right (like I did), you’ll be left with 100 yards or less, and an approach that looks like this:

The fifteenth is a classic Ross hole; not very long, but with a crowned green and some mind-altering bunkers. Standing over your approach, it’s difficult not to think about the bunkers, even though they really aren’t in play (with a good tee shot, of course.) Truly a beautiful hole.

Seventeen is another strong par 5, which runs along a road on the left side. So in addition to being concerned with the bunkers, you have to be wary not to pull it into traffic. There are bunkers to swallow your tee shot, 2nd shot, or third so again, up the middle is a great play here. Be sure to view this picture in full-size to be able to see what I mean:

Pinehurst #4 finishes with a par 4 that has a bunker running up the entire left side. In addition, the fairway runs out of room shorter than you might expect.

Once you’re on the green, you’re almost back at the clubhouse.

The #4 course at Pinehurst was clearly challenging, and was extremely reminiscent of a Donald Ross design. When in doubt, play it safe, but be sure to play it.

Post from: Dan Perry

Pinehurst 4 Golf Course Review – Pinehurst, North Carolina

Walking Tour of London

danperry — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:22:01 +0000

I went to London on a business trip, and luckily had a few hours to walk around with my camera. I took lots of pictures (no surprise there), and created a Google Maps/Flickr mashup, so anyone could follow my path and see what I saw.

At the end, when I reached Buckingham Palace it started to snow. Really made for an interesting and unique view of the Palace.

I hope you enjoy the tour as much as I did!

Walking Tour of London

Post from: Dan Perry

Walking Tour of London

No related posts.

Beginner SEO Suggestions

danperry — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:27:09 +0000

Whether it be friends, family, acquaintances, etc., I often receive the following type of email:

Hey Dan,

I have a friend that runs a website and is looking for some SEO help. Anything you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Friend, family, acquaintance

In an effort to automate as much of my life as I can, this post is the answer to that question. Then, the next time I’m asked, I can just send a link here. Smart, eh?

So here’s my advice:

Based on the site, I’m guessing that their looking to do the work rather than outsource for money. Based on that assumption, here are a few suggestions…

1. Go to this page:

http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35291

And click on the PDF link at the top that reads “Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide”. Read completely.

2. If they wants to take a deeper dive, I’d suggest reading this:

http://www.seomoz.org/article/beginners-guide-to-search-engine-optimization

It’s a little dated, but the content is high-quality, easy to understand, and still very valid.

3. If they feel like buying a book, my first suggestion is not an SEO book, but a usability book called “Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug. It had a profound effect on how I look at websites. For an SEO specific book, I’d suggest “The Art of SEO“. It’s relatively new, but I know all of the authors, and it is full of more than they’ll ever need to know about SEO.

In a nutshell, learn the basics of SEO (crawlability, TITLE tags, content, links), make changes to the site to make it enticing for spiders and users, and build links.

OK, what additional advice would YOU give to a beginner?

Post from: Dan Perry

Beginner SEO Suggestions

Google Personalization and In-house SEO

danperry — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:11:44 +0000

If you don’t know, Google has decided to automatically opt-in everyone into their personalized results, which will appear whether or not they’re logged in. This is a big deal for in-house SEO’s, to be sure. Here’s the story if you missed it.

Three things come to mind…

Ranking reports may become worthless. This is up for debate, but if Google is personalizing EVERYONE’S results, how can you run a ranking report? The results for the same searches week after week may start skewing based on the machine their run from, showing an inflated sense of ranking. You can opt-out, but since everyone is opted-in by default, is this a true sense of the rankings?

SEO may become tougher to sell internally. As different internal employees search for relevant terms, they’re results are going to continue to be skewed towards their own web sites. In effect, their sites will be ranking high, giving them a false sense that the SEO that’s been done is enough. This could prove painful when it comes to trying to get prioritization for SEO-specific projects.

SEO is more important than ever. If a random person continually searches for your generic terms and your competitor continues to appear, over time they will see more and more of your competitor’s pages in their results. If you’re not already ranking, it could become increasingly more difficult to find new people to consume your content.

What else comes to mind?

Post from: Dan Perry

Google Personalization and In-house SEO

Personal Branding – 2009 Update

danperry — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:24:27 +0000

Last year I posted about my personal branding efforts, and where I ranked in Google and Yahoo for the a search of my name (Dan Perry, no quotes.) I compared my rankings from 2008 to 2007. This is an update on that post, to keep track of the value of my personal branding efforts.

In 2008 in Google, I had 15 of the top 30 rankings. In 2009, I had the same amount in the top 30. The difference is the quality of the links, as well as the number in the top 10 (clearly the most important). Here’s what my current Google results look like:

1 www.danperry.com/
2 www.danperry.com/blog/google-fridge-giveaway/
3 twitter.com/danperry
4 www.flickr.com/photos/golf_pictures/
5 www.flickr.com/people/golf_pictures/
6 www.facebook.com/dan.perry
8 www.linkedin.com/in/danperrydotcom
10 friendfeed.com/danperry
17 www.seomoz.org/marketplace/resumes/view/28156
18 www.mixx.com/users/danperry
20 www.mybloglog.com/buzz/members/dan-perry/
22 www.pubcon.com/bios/dan_perry.htm
23 answers.yahoo.com/my/profile?show=exIBZGF6aa
27 www.pbase.com/topics/danperry
28 www.seo-scoop.com/2009/01/16/dan-perry-search-blogger-of-the-day/

Notice that now I have 8 of the top 10 results, including the first 6. That is a huge leap over last year, where I had 2 of the top 10 (#2 and #3.) In addition, in 2009 I now have a picture at the bottom of the results (Google Images) as well as a link to my Google profile, neither of which were an option in 2008.

Yahoo also showed some improvement. In 2008, I had 8 instances in the top 30 of Yahoo, and 2 in the top 10 (#1 and #6.) In 2009, I have 4 in the top 10 (#1, 2, 9 and 10), as well as 14 in the top 30. Here are the current results for 2009:

1 www.danperry.com
2 www.danperry.com/blog/about
9 www.linkedin.com/in/danperrydotcom
10 danperrydotcom.multiply.com
11 www.pbase.com/danperry/profile
15 twitter.com/danperry
19 digg.com/users/danperry
20 www.google.com/profiles/danperry.com
21 danperry.tumblr.com
23 www.flickr.com/people/golf_pictures
24 www.seomoz.org/marketplace/resumes/view/28156
26 www.twine.com/user/danperry
27 www.squidoo.com/danperry
30 www.pubcon.com/bios/dan_perry.htm

So what stands out this year? Let’s start with Google.

Most of the new links are from social media sites (FriendFeed, Mixx, Yahoo Answers), proving the value of continuing the optimization of these profiles.

In addition, my link from PBase changed from my Profile page to my Topic page. That speaks to the value of not just joining these social media sites, but actually digging deep and using them. I would’ve never guessed that the Topic page would supplant my Profile page, but it did. Without testing, I would have never known.

Yahoo is a different story.

The second listing in my indented result is more relevant than Google’s. I rank #1 on both engines for my blog, but the indented second listing on Google is a very popular post where I gave away a Google Fridge. On Yahoo, it’s my About page, which is much more relevant. Wasn’t expecting this, but glad to see it. Clearly, inbound link still rule Google’s world.

Of course, the Yahoo link may be there because it’s the second link on my site (in the top navigation.) It might be worth testing that; to see if I can essentially choose my indented listing on Yahoo. Hmmm.

My Google profile page shows up in Yahoo. Not a huge deal, but worth noting.

All the rest of the links in Yahoo are from social media sites, except one (my Pubcon speaker page.) In order, the new listings in Yahoo in 2009 as compared to 2008 are from: LinkedIn, Multiply, Twitter, Digg, Google, Tumblr, Flickr, Twine and Squidoo. If that doesn’t show the value of being social, I don’t know what does.

If you’ve been following my personal branding study over the past 2 years, I hope you are learning and applying items from it; I certainly am. Plan on the next edition in November or December, 2010, and thanks for reading!

www.danperry.com/

Post from: Dan Perry

Personal Branding – 2009 Update

Breast Cancer Awareness and the NFL

danperry — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:00:24 +0000

The NFL did such an impressive job of providing Breast Cancer Awareness this year, it just blew me away. My favorite item were the caps the teams were wearing. The pink bills didn’t match at all, and looked out of place, but that was kind of the point. Congrats to the NFL for stepping up!

Pubcon Poker Tourney

Post from: Dan Perry

Breast Cancer Awareness and the NFL