Review: Mark Twain Golf Course (Part 1)

Before I get to business, let's address the virus-shaped elephant in the room. I wrote this review back in January before the word "COVID-19" meant anything to everyone. As such, it feels almost refreshingly naive. This is the last course I played in 2019, so future reviews will be from 2020. I'll do my best to soldier on with them; while Maryland and Pennsylvania have closed their golf courses, courses in Virginia and West Virginia remain open, and the next two reviews after this will be from Virginia. Luckily, of all the sports in the world, golf is probably the safest in terms of discouraging viral spread, so I'm hopeful the closures will be lifted by May or the beginning of June. This is a strange world we find ourselves in, and if I can't keep up the monthly reviews, I won't sweat it. Anyway, on to Mark Twain.

*****************

The Great Depression was, in general, not a great time for golf. The people who'd been bankrolling the various private clubs that dotted the wealthier sections of the country found themselves low on funds, and the temptation to sell was just too great for quite a lot of golf courses. As you can guess, these people weren't exactly turning around and building new courses, but golf course construction didn't exactly stop completely. City governments still had money, thanks to programs such as the Public Works Administration, and quite a few built golf courses. Bethpage is probably the most notable example of a Depression-era municipal golf course, but there are more. Triggs Memorial, an old Donald Ross course in Providence, Rhode Island, which I reviewed back in 2018, is another example.

You can probably guess where I'm going with this. Mark Twain Golf Course (named in honor of the author, as he's buried near the course), located in Elmira, New York, is a Depression-era municipal golf course, owned by the city of Elmira, designed by none other than Donald Ross. Mark Twain was built a few years later, but still, that's an incredibly similar backstory. In both cases, the courses have remained basically untouched. Mark Twain occupies somewhat more rolling terrain, seeing as it is on the side of a mountain, but both are easy walks. So, just how similar are these golf courses when it comes to the actual holes in the ground? Let's find out.

The first hole is a fairly tame par 4 of 400 yards, playing uphill. It's a pretty standard Ross "gentle handshake" hole to start the round. There's not a huge amount of space off of the tee, but it's hardly narrow. The approach is up the hill to a green with fair but not extreme slope protected by a pair of bunkers. There is a third bunker about 40 yards short, but it doesn't come into play much.

The first hole. In case you're wondering, I played here in October, so separate from the other New York courses I reviewed recently.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is 15 yards longer than the first but plays over basically level ground, so in reality, you'll probably be using the same clubs on this hole that you did on the last one. The second is significantly wider, but the green is best approached from the left side of the fairway. Again, two bunkers flank the green. Another fairly tame hole, provided you don't hook it 80 yards left like someone I know who might be me.

The second hole.

Definitely didn't take this picture from the next fairway.

The second green.

The third hole is a short par 5 at only 470 yards, and while I can say that it's an easy birdie/eagle opportunity (my brother and I played it in a combined three under), the hole is anything but simple. There isn't a flat lie to be found anywhere as the hole meanders up the hill. Approaches will be from a sidehill and uphill lie, a tricky proposition when you have a long iron in hand, and things don't get much easier when you reach the green. I've probably seen greens with more drastic slope in them, but this one has to be up near the top. Even solid putters would probably get nervous having to putt downhill on this green.

The third hole.

The uphill approach to the third green.

The third green features a very sharp tilt.

The fourth hole is a mid-length par 3 that plays up the same hill as the previous hole. The small green is heavily bunkered, so even though this isn't a long hole, you'll need a precise mid iron (preferably hit with a draw) to hit the green in regulation.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green from behind.

The fifth hole is by far the longest hole at Mark Twain, though the 565 on the scorecard is mitigated somewhat by the downhill nature of the hole. Of course the hole was playing into a stiff breeze when we played, so if anything it was playing more than the yardage indicates. The key feature on the drive is a large tree tucked into the corner of the dogleg right, about 300 yards from the tee. Clearly, you want to be left of it, otherwise your second shot will be stymied. For mere mortals, the ideal lay-up is to about 100 yards; go much further and the fairway narrows considerably courtesy of a significant depression on the left side. The green is protected by two bunkers and is best approached from the right side of the hole. Missing left or short will leave a very difficult pitch shot up a hill and over one of the bunkers.

The long fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green. The view is slightly spoiled by the big giant warehouse.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is 395 yards, and while it isn't technically the shortest par 4 at Mark Twain, it plays like the shortest because it goes downhill. The tee shot is fairly wide open, but if you want the best approach to the green, you're better off going down the right side, flirting with the O.B. The green is fronted by three bunkers, and more O.B. lurks behind.

The sixth hole.

This is not the greatest place to approach the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is the shortest hole on the course at 160 yards, but it plays longer since the last 50 yards or so of the hole are abruptly uphill. The green is fairly shallow and has bunkers in front, behind, and to the right. So not only will you need more club, the ball will be coming in lower, and there's not much space to work with on the green. It may not look like much on the scorecard, but this is a surprisingly tough hole.

The sharply uphill seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is actually the shortest par 4 on the course at 392 yards, but since it plays uphill, it feels longer. The pond in between the tee and fairway is barely a threat. The drive is going to land on the upslope, so don't expect much roll from it. The approach will be semiblind from that uphill lie to an elevated green protected by a pair of bunkers front left and front right.

The eighth hole.

The approach to the eighth is somewhat similar to the first hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is the longest par 4 at Mark Twain, coming in at a not-inconsiderable 450 yards, though it does play slightly downhill. There isn't much to worry about on the drive, though obviously if you don't hit a good one reaching the green in two becomes an iffy proposition. However, the green is best approached from the right side. Just be careful aiming at a back hole location, as the green does slope away quite quickly past a certain point.

The ninth hole.

Even though the approach is over level ground, much of the ninth green is blind from the fairway.

The ninth green.

That's it for now, next week we'll check out the back nine.