Review: Mark Twain Golf Course (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Mark Twain, go here if you haven't seen the front.

The tenth hole is a 430 yard par 4 playing up the hill. It's honestly a fairly tough drive, as the fairway is quite narrow (there really isn't much room left) and a marshy area cuts across the fairway about 50 yards from the green. A single greenside bunker guards the left side, meaning that the green is best approached from the right. Not an easy way to start off the back nine.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

While Mark Twain is mostly untouched, there has been at least one modification, and that's here at the eleventh hole. Apparently the green has been softened and the hole shortened significantly. I can't confirm any green modification, but there is definitely a former tee about 50 yards behind the current back tee, which sits about 180 yards from the green. Too bad, the course could use some variety in the lengths of its par 3s. The small green is very sloped with a fairly significant tier cutting through the middle. If that's what their idea of softened looks like, I would love to see what the green used to look like.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green. Still plenty of slope left.

The twelfth hole is a mid-length par 5 at 520 yards that doglegs right and has O.B. down the left side for pretty much the entire length of the hole. There's a fair amount of fairway you can cut if you're a long hitter, and that will give you a much better chance at hitting the green in two. In addition, there's actually a couple of depressions on the left side of the fairway around where the hole starts to turn that I'm guessing are former bunkers or bunkers that never were. Either way, best to avoid them. Regardless of whether you're going for the green in two or three, the right side is the best side to approach from. If you're laying up, a fairway bunker on the right side of the fairway about 100 yards from the green will complicate things.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is yet another mid-length par 4 that plays uphill, but this one is definitely more interesting than some of the others. While there are no hazards close to the fairway, there is still a decision to be made, as the further you go, the narrower and more sloped the fairway gets. Sure, you can hit a 300 yard drive, but even if you do hit the fairway, that wedge will be from a steep sidehill lie. And the green is a tricky one, sloped sharply from back right to front left, with a noticeable tier thrown in for good measure. Hole locations in the back right shelf are going to be especially treacherous if you end up above the hole.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is a bit unusual for a Donald Ross course in that it's a par 4 with a forced carry over water to the green. Though at 400 yards, it's not especially long, and it plays significantly downhill, so that helps matters. A low draw hit down the left side of the wide fairway should run out and leave just a little wedge, as well as giving the best angle to the green. Drives out to the right will have a shallower target and will have to clear a bunker as well as water to get to the green.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

Since the eleventh has been shortened, the fifteenth hole is currently the longest par 3 at Mark Twain, though it is a shade under 200 yards. But just like all the other par 3s, this one plays uphill. The hole is also fairly bland, with a quiet green and not much going on save for a few bunkers. This is probably the weakest hole on the course.

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole kicks off what I would say is Mark Twain's strongest set of holes, which has been nicely saved for the end of the round. This hole in particular has the strongest terrain on the property, the land just flows so nicely up and down and around. You can have any type of stance on the second shot, depending on where you leave your drive, and I appreciate that. Anyway, the ideal drive is a fade up and over the depression on the right side (which are much closer than they look, nice visual deception there), which will leave the best angle into the green, which is guarded by a single bunker to the left. Oh, and when you do get to the green, you better hope you're on the correct side, as a knob juts into the back center, dividing much of the green into two sections. Putts and chips that have to be hit from one side to the other are going to be extremely difficult. This is arguably the best hole Mark Twain has to offer.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

If you have to make this putt, have fun getting it close.

The seventeenth hole is, to be honest, an incredibly easy hole. At 465 yards, this par 5 is only 15 yards longer than the ninth, which is, if you'll recall, a par 4. And it plays slightly downhill. The fairway comes in waves of low ridges, so finding a flat lie off of the tee is unlikely. The best angle to approach the green is from the left, and if you can hit a fade, it'll help the ball roll down off the higher left side toward the hole. This is the sort of hole where, if you fail to make a birdie, you really feel like you've given a shot away, especially at this point in the round.

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

A fade will help you get close to the hole.

The eighteenth hole closes things out in an interesting way. It's on the longer side at 420 yards, doglegging right as the tee shot goes down and the approach goes up. As always, the dogleg can be challenged, shortening the hole for those who clear the trees at the corner. Interestingly, there's a bunker contained within the fairway on this hole, but it really doesn't come into play, since its well over than 300 yards from the tee. It's much more of an obstacle for those recovering from poorly hit drives. Mark Twain throws one last severely tilted green at the golfer here, and the two front bunkers are also something to think about. All in all, this is a strong finishing hole and definitely one of Mark Twain's best.

The eighteenth hole.

The uphill approach to the eighteenth.

The eighteenth green.

Looking back at the eighteenth hole.

My experience at Mark Twain had one supreme advantage over the round at Triggs Memorial: The greens actually functioned. It wasn't like putting through molasses. I'm not a fan of super-fast greens, but they have to have something, and Triggs just didn't.

However, and perhaps unsurprisingly, there isn't really a big difference in terms of quality golf course architecture between the two courses. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Mark Twain had better terrain and more interesting greens, but lacked somewhat in terms of variety. The difference in length between the longest and shortest par 4s was barely 50 yards (with the shortest being more than 390 yards), and the par 3s all played uphill. Triggs had much more variety in the lengths of its par 4s, but it wasn't immune to having par 4s that played similarly to each other, and the finish at Triggs was on the weak side. Both courses had a strong set of par 5s. Both courses are easy walks. Both courses could do with some restoration work to remove trees and expand greens and bunkers.

Ultimately, choosing between the two really comes down to personal preference, as objectively speaking Mark Twain and Triggs Memorial are about the same. In my case, I liked Mark Twain a bit more. The scenery was better, I liked the course's design a bit more, and the pace of play was way better (not much over 3 hours versus 5 hours at Triggs).

And then there's Mark Twain's trump card: value. I'll grant that 1 PM on a Tuesday in October hardly qualifies as peak time in New York, but for two people to play 18 holes on a genuine Donald Ross course, I had to pay a total of $30. That's right, it was $15 per person. For 18 holes. I've paid more to play mediocre 9 hole courses. The only golf course that I've played that beats Mark Twain in terms of value is Copake. Even though it cost twice as much, Copake is just that good, and I didn't even go for the cheapest rate. Copake can be had for $20, which is insane for a course that interesting.

But don't let that take away from Mark Twain. It's not the best course ever, but the design is solid throughout, the maintenance is good, and the price is almost unbeatable. For a state with as expensive a place as Manhattan, New York has some of the best-value golf anywhere. If you're in the Southern Tier, I absolutely recommend Mark Twain Golf Course.