Want to be Rich? Move to 16 Psyche!

There are many asteroids in the solar, but 16 Psyche is a pretty unique one. For one thing, it's pretty big, being about 140 miles in diameter. In addition, it's mostly made of metal, rather than rock or ice. Hubble has taken a close look at this object and determined that it's mostly made of iron and nickel. That's the same composition as the core of a planet, and it's led scientists to theorize that 16 Psyche is precisely that: The exposed core of a planet that was never able to form, or was formed but was destroyed. We'll find out more in a few years when a NASA mission reaches 16 Psyche.

Oh, about the being rich thing ... the iron that 16 Psyche is made of is worth about 10,000 quadrillion dollars. And that's just the iron. So expect mining operations to begin as soon as possible. It may not be as romantic as a gold rush, but the great iron rush of 16 Psyche is coming.

"Beer" of the Week

The "beer": ACE Pumpkin

Brewed by: Ace Cider, Sebastopol, California

Description (from the website): "First produced in the fall of 2010, our Ace Pumpkin cider is a seasonal favorite. Its unique orange color and full rich flavor will leave you craving more. This seasonal Cider is released after Labor Day and available throughout fall. Ace Pumpkin is perfect for the pumpkin lover that just can’t get enough. Ideal for Halloween and Thanksgiving this cider pairs well with beef. Our pumpkin cider also makes a great snakebite when mixed with a heavy lager."

Would I buy it again?: I'm cheating a little bit here, reviewing a hard cider, but I saw a pumpkin cider and I thought that would be appropriate for my last beer review before Halloween. And you know what? I liked this quite a bit. It had the right amount of pumpkin flavor mixed in with the cider taste, and I'd definitely buy it again.

Review: Metacomet Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time for the back nine at the now-former Metacomet Golf Club, go here to see the front nine.

The tenth hole is a very tough par 3, playing 225 yards. It's slightly downhill, but you can't run shots up onto the green, as the hole drops down and then goes back up at the green. Apparently the hole was designed this way, so while it's tough now, it must have been brutal back in the 20s. The green's got quite a lot of tilt from back to front, so you don't want to be above the hole. At least the green is fairly large.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a flat, mid-length par 4 that runs between the parking lot to the rain and a road on the other. It also pulls a trick from Cape Arundel, as the entrance road crosses the fairway about 50 yards from the green. It's out of range from the tee, but still, it's a bit strange. This is what happens with golf courses on small properties, you get some routing quirks. This is a pretty easy hole though, the fairway is wide and the green is on the quieter side. Just avoid the deep bunkers protecting the front left and front right sections of the green and you'll be fine.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is an absolutely ridiculous par 3. It's 245 yards from the back tees, so it's really long. Honestly, it's so long that playing it as a par 4 and laying up in the fairway is a completely legitimate strategy and something both me and my brothers basically did. Avoid the bunkers and this is an easy 4 and potential 3. And when you've come up against a par 3 this long, that's all you can really ask for. 

The twelfth hole.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is the start of a six-hole stretch of par 4s that closes out Metacomet. It's a bit weird and involves quite a few parallel holes. We start off with a 420 yard hole pressed up against O.B. to the left. Obviously, you'll want to avoid going too far left. The green is flanked by sand but is completely open in the front, and it's fairly flat as well. 

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is only 15 yards shorter than the ninth, which is a par 5, but this one's a par 4. The tee shot is simple enough, although if you can get far enough you'll get a lot more distance as the fairway drops significantly. The left side of the fairway is preferable, as a hill to the right in between the landing area and the green can obscure vision. It's a tough green here as well, as it's kind of domed and runs away at the back. It's a good hole, and a tough one. I'd say more, but I spent way too much time on a different hole entirely thanks to my wayward drives so I don't know if I can corroborate Tom Doak's assertion in the Confidential Guide that this is the best hole in Rhode Island. It is probably the best hole of the two courses in Rhode Island that I've played.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green. This is not an ideal angle.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is 390 yards with a blind tee shot. The two fairway bunkers right are pretty close to the tee, so they're not really in play unless you're a really short hitter playing from the wrong tee. Then the second shot is a wedge or short iron over a cluster of bunkers to a green with significant back to front slope. 

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a short par 4, measuring just under 350 yards. You can use driver, but doing so means you'll end up in a valley with a semiblind half wedge shot. It may be better to lay up in the flat portion and leave yourself a full wedge and a full view of the green. The green is very well bunkered and tilted from right to left, and falls away at the back right.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole, at the very least, does not play directly parallel to the past four holes. It's 400 yards and the tee shot is very open. No bunkers and just a few trees. Obviously though with the big dogleg, the tee shot is best hit down the left side. The second shot is up the hill to a semiblind green. 

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is another short par 4, about as long as the sixteenth. It's another wide-open tee shot, and the fairway is pretty much the widest on the course. No bunkers at all. You can hit driver, but then you've got a half-wedge to a fairly shallow green fronted by sand. The second shot is easier if you've got a full wedge into the green so you can get height and/or spin on it.

The eighteenth hole.

The eighteenth green.

So, how big a loss is Metacomet? Well, it's definitely a good course. It's got some quality holes: the second and the fourteenth come to mind right away. The greens are excellent and very tough. But it's also got some fairly dull holes. In that way, it's kind of like Cape Arundel. Sure, the course is 600 yards longer, but it also sits on a property that's very small and has lots and lots of parallel holes. It's got some hills and a few more trees, so it's not quite as easy to navigate, but the underlying issue is basically the same. The closing stretch in particular is just not that interesting to me. Six par 4s is one thing, but they're all parallel to each other and they just don't play that differently from each other, save the fourteenth. The front is definitely the better nine.

In the end, I think it's a bit better than the Donald Ross munies that I've previously reviewed thanks to some interesting greens, but it isn't not a standout or a must-see, especially when you factor in the extra price to play. You could play at Triggs or Shennecossett twice for one round here. But don't worry, we'll be seeing a much better Donald Ross course in a couple months. A course that's a true muni and going stronger than ever.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Pumpkin

Brewed by: Alewerks Brewing Company, Williamsburg, Virginia

Description (from the website): "Pumpkin is made solely with fresh ingredients, spiced and baked in the oven before added to the brew. Enjoy powerful notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and more from the beer commonly described as 'Pumpkin Pie in a glass.'"

Would I buy it again?: I know I just reviewed a pumpkin beer a couple weeks ago, but that one didn't really count. This is a real pumpkin beer, as befitting the simple name. If you like pumpkin pie, I'm sure you'll enjoy this. I've never had pumpkin pie, but I also enjoyed the beer. The flavor wasn't overpowering, so it still tasted like beer. I'd buy it again.

Review: Metacomet Golf Club (Part 1)

In the 40 or so golf course reviews that I've done, I'm reasonably confident I've never been able to use the word "scandal" to describe the history of any golf course. But the now-closed Metacomet Golf Club, located just a couple miles from downtown Providence, Rhode Island, has been rocked by scandal in the past year. 

I should explain, although if you're an astute reader of Golf Digest you may already know the story. Metacomet is, at its core, a solid old Donald Ross course. It's been doing its thing for about a hundred years, providing a solid experience for its members. Yeah, this was a private course for pretty much all its history. Ultimately though, Metacomet isn't even the best Donald Ross course in Providence, and when you consider just how many excellent Donald Ross courses there are in New England, it is perhaps unsurprising that the club fell into financial trouble. There's a lot of options out there for the discerning, wealthy New Englander. 

That brings us to 2019, when the course was bought up by an investment group that happened to include Brad Faxon. Mr. Faxon is, of course, a well-regarded PGA Tour pro from the 80s and 90s who was one of the best putters of that generation. He also grew up in Providence, and Metacomet was his home course. A hometown legend buying up his childhood home course to save it from near death? That sounds like a feel-good story to me. This investment group made some changes to bring in extra cash, including allowing the public to make a limited number of tee times. So far, so good, right? 

Fast forward a year or so. The first summer of semiprivate golf had a few glitches, but overall the members were satisfied with the direction the course was going until mid-February, when it was announced the club was up for sale. A week later the course was sold. This came out of nowhere, and the members of Metacomet felt betrayed. There were mass resignations, and quite a few sued the management company that had bought the course a year earlier. Brad Faxon said publicly that, while he and the company tried to save Metacomet, the hole they were in was too deep, and they had no choice but to sell. Conflict with local residents of the community about keeping the property green, coupled with the pandemic, prevented Metacomet from closing immediately, but at the end of September, the course officially closed its doors.

Now that we've gotten that sad story out of the way, let's look at what was quite a good, if a bit cramped, Donald Ross course. The first hole is 400 yards and plays significantly downhill, a lot more so than you'd expect for a course that's right near the ocean. Metacomet isn't flat by any means. A nice gentle draw down the middle will run out a lot and leave you with just a wedge into the green. A row of bunkers guards the front and left portion of the green, which is pretty big but quite undulating. Not on the level of Cape Arundel, but they're much faster. If anything, Metacomet's greens were even more treacherous to putt on.

The first hole.

It's not exactly peak scenery, but that is the ocean out beyond the first green.

The first green, featuring some strange person.

The second hole is the longest hole at Metacomet, but it's only 490 yards from the back. This isn't a very long course, which shouldn't be too surprising considering the small size of the property. Bigger than Cape Arundel, to be sure, but not exactly generous. This hole in particularly is squeezed up against a tidal marsh, doglegging 90 degrees to the right. If you're especially bold, you can carry the marsh with the drive and leave yourself with just a wedge into the green. If not, this is best played as a three shot hole. The marsh is close enough to the green to be a threat if you're coming at it from a long way out, but if you've laid up, the bunker left of the green is more of an issue.

You can lay up off to left on the second hole ...

Or you can carry the marsh and go the direct route.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is a fairly short par 4 that plays along the edge of the marsh for the first 250 yards of the hole. This isn't a very wide or inviting fairway, especially with trees overhanging the right side. Unless you can hit a fade, a good drive will end up right underneath a pair of small trees to the left of the fairway. The second shot, if you've used a 3 wood or long iron, will be a wedge or short iron up the hill to a big, semiblind green with a false front that'll send you 20 yards down the fairway if you're not careful.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green, with the seventh hole beyond.

The fourth hole is 435 yards, and it's the first time that Metacomet really flexes its muscle. It may be less than 6,500 yards, but it packs quite a punch. The tee shot is downhill and the fairway bends off to the right. The ideal tee shot cuts off the dogleg, but as my brother found out, there's a tiny stream right of the fairway that can catch slightly pushed drives. Staying right provides a better angle into the green for the second shot, which is a mid iron back uphill into a semiblind green protected by a deep bunker short and left. That bunker is not somewhere you want to be.

The fourth hole.

It's another semiblind approach into the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a mid-length par 3 that plays uphill to a crowned green. No run-up shots on this hole. The green is pretty undulating as well. I don't have too much to say about it otherwise, other than I made a triple bogey on it, so I really don't think I did it right. It's not an outwardly difficult golf course, Metacomet, but if you're not careful, you can really rack up the big numbers.

The fifth hole.

The sixth hole is 425, and the first 200 yards or so play straight uphill to a blind landing area. A couple bunkers which I think are technically on the ninth hole come into play on the left side, but for the most part the fairway is pretty wide open. The second shot is trickier. The green is wide open in front, with the lone bunker protecting the left side, but the green itself is small and not particularly friendly. Plus there's a big dropoff into dense vegetation past the green, so you don't want to go long either. 

The sixth hole, with an actual view of the hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is the shortest hole at Metacomet, playing a downhill 160 yards. This is one of those "hit the green or you're doomed" sort of holes. And even hitting the green is no guarantee, since it's one of the most severe on the course. Long is bad, right is bad, left is bad, and even short isn't great. You can get a glimpse of the marsh through the trees, but not much. This hole could have done with more than a little tree clearing.

The seventh hole.

The eighth hole is kind of a weird hole. The fairway is ridiculously wide, though a bunker does occupy quite a lot of real estate. The hole doglegs about 90 degrees left, so unless you're a really short hitter, it's a fairway wood or long iron off of the tee. If you've avoided the bunker, you'll be left with a short or mid iron over a ravine to a green ringed with three bunkers. It's quite a long carry as well, which is not something you see too often on Donald Ross courses. The green is pretty flat, so if you do get on in regulation, you have a decent chance at birdie.

The eighth hole.

There's a ravine to cross before the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is the final par 5 at Metacomet. That's right, there are no par 5s on the back. So if you want that eagle, you'd better get it here. The hole is just 465 yards, so getting home in two is definitely possible, but the golfer isn't exactly given a generous fairway here. I'm not entirely sure who decided to plant trees on both sides of the hole in such a glaringly artificial way, but this feels less like a golf hole and more like a bowling alley or a quaint boulevard. Not a lot of strategy here, just hit a straight drive and a straight second, and you'll be fine. Fail to do this, and you'll struggle. There are bunkers along the fairway and left of the green, but they pale in comparison with the rows of trees. At least it's not that long a hole.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll take a look at the back nine.

Beer of the Week

The beer: The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest Lager

Brewed by: Avery Brewing Company, Boulder, Colorado

Description (from the website): "Just in time for fall and its most notable Fest, this limited release Imperial Oktoberfest Lager is our emboldened Prost! to one of the world's most recognized styles. The Kaiser weaves together rich, toasted Vienna and Munich malts with the floral spiciness of Hersbrucker and Bravo hops to create a bold and brazen dry Imperial Oktoberfest."

Would I buy it again?: Depends how much I'd have to pay for it. It was definitely good, it had the signature Oktoberfest taste but richer and deeper. If we're talking maybe a dollar or two more for a six pack of this than of a regular Oktoberfest, than sure. But if they're looking for $15 to buy a four pack, then probably not. It's good, but not that good.

Alaska to Finally Get a USGA Tournament

Alaska is not known for its golf. There aren't many courses, befitting the short golf season, and the ones that are there are often rudimentary. But in 2022, the USGA is bringing the Senior Women's Amateur to Anchorage Golf Course, which means the USGA will have held an official championship in all 50 states, and I think that's pretty cool. I have no idea how good a golf course that is, but I'm sure the USGA has been to worse places. With views of Denali and a virtual guarantee that bears or moose will occasionally spectate, it's safe to say this will be one of the more unique sites for a golf tournament.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin

Brewed by: New Belgium Brewing Company, Fort Collins, Colorado

Description (from the website): "At 6.4% ABV, Atomic Pumpkin Ale is perfectly positioned to capture the fall beer drinker who wants more than just an ordinary Pumpkin or Oktoberfest beer."

Would I buy it again?: This is what I get for not reading the label carefully. I saw Atomic Pumpkin, and I thought it would be a beer with a whole lot of pumpkin flavor. What I received was a spicy beer, and that's just not what I want. Spicy and beer do not go together in my opinion. Now, it's not that spicy, but that just makes it worse. They went to all the trouble and didn't even go that far. So what we have here is a pumpkin beer that doesn't taste like pumpkin and is spicy but not really. I would absolutely not buy this again.

The Smallest Green In The World

Maybe not, but this is a very tiny green. Maybe 30 feet in diameter.

That's from a course I played last weekend in Westminster, Maryland, called McDaniel College Golf Club. It's a 9 hole course associated with the college of the same name, and while it's not worth a full review, I thought this green was worth a mention. The course is shoved on the side of a hillside, squeezed between the college and a road. It's just 2,000 yards and not in great shape, so it's not something you'd go out of your way to see, but it's definitely got some funky quirk to it. And at $12 to play 9 on a weekend, it's not too pricey either. I'd play there again.