Beer of the Week

The beer: 31 Pumpkin Spiced Lager

Brewed by: DuClaw Brewing Company, Rosedale, Maryland

Description (from the website): "First brewed in 2008 as a Halloween one-off release, “31”, took the classic Munich Dunkel and added seasonal spices to create a new fall favorite. Amber in color and medium-bodied, it indulges your senses with its smooth, malty palate, moderate 5.7% ABV, and fall spices for a refreshing finish of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, and pumpkin that makes “31” all treat and no trick."

Would I buy it again?: I don't know if I would call this my favorite pumpkin beer, since that's a pretty extensive list, but it's really good. Funny that a fairly simple pumpkin lager is so good, but there's something to be said for simplicity. It's a beer, and it tastes like pumpkin. Neither overwhelms the other, they compliment each other perfectly. This is definitely a beer I plan to get in the future.

Review: Twisted Dune Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Twisted Dune, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is the shortest of the course's four par 5s, but at 540 yards it's not exactly a driver–long iron sort of par 5. The tee shot's quite intimidating, since the fairway is partially hidden by sand and scrub. There's plenty of space out there, but you just can't see a lot of it. The second shot, if you're laying up, is to a fairly narrow stretch of fairway squeezed by native areas and bunkers, then the third shot is slightly uphill to a small green protected on both sides by sand. The right-side bunkers are especially nasty.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a long par 4 at 460 yards, but it's not actually that difficult a hole. It plays slightly downhill and the fairway's wide, plus there are no fairway bunkers. Then the second shot is a mid iron or something similar to a long, narrow, undulating green with several yards of fairway surrounding it. The only bunker on the hole is behind the green, and when the hole's in the front, it really doesn't come into play.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is the third par 5 in four holes, and the last one at Twisted Dune. The fairway is bunkerless off of the tee, and wider than it looks from the tee. The second shot is the most interesting shot; if you don't get far enough you'll have to contend with a cluster of bunkers about 100 yards from the green. They sit in the middle of the fairway, which isn't something you see every day. The green is tilted from back right to front left, and there's a bunker left, but it's open otherwise.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is just under 200 yards, and it's a unique one. The green is very large and the most undulating on the course. There are two large bunkers left, and a pond right. The green is long but not particular wide, and the hazards pinch in closely on both sides, so precision is important. If you come up a bit short, you may still hit the green but have a very long putt that you could easily three putt. I like the hole, though I'm not hugely fond of the pond. If there were more bunkers like the ones on the left, I'd like it a lot more.

The thirteenth hole.

The fourteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 that plays along the same pond as the thirteenth. The fairway is wide, but the penalty for missing the fairway is very steep, since there's water right and another pond left just over the property line and out of view behind the dunes. A 3 wood is probably enough to get you a short iron for the second shot. The green is on the large side and has two distinct tiers, with the right side significantly higher than the left. 

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is another mid-length par 4 playing to a blind fairway. It's a wide fairway, and if you get far enough you can get past the crest of the hill and onto a downslope. Some big drives are possible on this hole. I like the second shot a lot, a downhill wedge or short iron to a green sharply sloped from back to front at the bottom of a big amphitheater. This is one green you really don't want to go over.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a formidable 215 yard par 3 that plays over a crater of scrub. There's space to come up short, especially if you go left, but it's still a tough long iron. Those bunkers left aren't much better either, since they're singularly lacking in sand, according to my brother. He said the cart paths had more sand than the bunker. So that's something for the course to look into. The green is big and is sloped from back to front, making it receptive to those long irons.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is 410 yards, and it plays to a wide fairway that slopes from right to left. It's a pretty easy tee shot. The second shot is not so easy, however. The short iron is to an elevated green fronted by bunkers and scrub, especially on the right side. Missing short right is a death sentence, essentially. The green is medium sized and surrounded by more scrub and trees.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole might be a gigantic par 4, weighing at 495 yards, but at least it doesn't go full cliché and have water going down the entirety of one side. Actually, there's no water at all, and the fairway might be the widest on the course. Certainly there isn't much trouble save for one bunker left. The second is a different story. The green is narrow and semiblind, partially hidden by a bunker-filled ridge on the right. There are even more bunkers left; all told, there's 11 bunkers within 50 yards of the green. You might be smart to play this one as a three-shot hole; laying up short of the bunkers should guarantee you make a 5 at worst. 

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

Considering Rees Jones's reputation, I'm fairly confident in saying that Twisted Dune is probably better off from having the amateur architect design it. I like the aesthetic of the course a lot, it looks good. The faux dunes are done well. However, I would have liked it more if they'd been a bit more incorporated into the design. Basically every hole plays into a valley surrounded on both sides by hills covered in fescue and small pine trees. There's a lot of blind shots involved in links golf, but this course only has a couple. I would have liked to have seen more, pun very much intended. Maybe it would have been controversial and divisive, but as it stands, I feel like Twisted Dune played things a bit safe. Also, and this has nothing to do with the actual course design, but air flow is a problem when you're playing here. Being down below the dune line, you're not exposed to the wind, and when it's 85 degrees and incredibly humid, it's nice having a bit of a breeze. You don't get that here, not as much as you could. That's a problem a professional probably would have seen coming, so the whole amateur architect thing was a bit of a mixed bag. There is value in hiring an expert.

In terms of value, Twisted Dune is on the cheaper side for Atlantic City at $75 on a weekday morning, which isn't too bad, since that included a cart. I wish they'd knock off some money for people who walked, but that's just the way it is at some places. So, would I play here again? I can't say I wouldn't be willing to, but this wouldn't be my first choice if I'm in the area again. 

Beer of the Week

The beer: Off Your Gourd

Brewed by: Idiom Brewing Company, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "A delicious tribute to the season, but with a twist. Healthy doses of baked pumpkin, brown sugar, candied ginger, Saigon cinnamon and fresh ground nutmeg are intertwined with a silky smooth Oatmeal Porter base. Delightfully devilish!"

Would I buy it again?: This was by far the best of the Frederick pumpkin beers that I bought recently, so yeah, I'd buy it again. The pumpkin worked well with the porter, so much so that I'm honestly curious why pumpkin porters aren't more common.

Review: Twisted Dune Golf Club (Part 1)

I would like to start a petition to rename Ocean Heights Avenue in Egg Harbor City as Faux Links Lane. On this relatively unremarkable stretch of road, within a mile of each other, are two golf courses of remarkable similarity. One of these courses is McCullough's Emerald Golf Links, which I played 4 years ago, and just up the road is Twisted Dune, which we're going to take a look at today.

There's an interesting story to the inception of Twisted Dune; it was originally meant to be designed by Rees Jones, but after taking on the project, Rees Jones didn't deign to visit the site, so the owners moved on and hired Archie Struthers, a local man who was a former assistant pro at Pine Valley before getting involved in management at a local Atlantic City area country club. That means this course was designed by an amateur, someone who'd never designed a course before. It's basically every golfer's fantasy, but how did this particular fantasy come to life work out? 

Actually, before I start, I'd just like to say something about the tee placement. I was playing the course from the blue tees, which were supposed to be a bit under 6,800 yards. However, on virtually every hole the blue tees were back with the black tees, which are almost at 7,300 yards. For example, the first hole is only 345 from the blues on the scorecard, but with the tees back, it was actually more like 395, basically even with the 400 from the black tees. On courses over 7,000 yards from the tips, I normally give yardages from the tees closest to 6,500 yards, since that's a comfortable distance for most avid but not professional golfers, but for this course I'm going with the full yardage. I basically played the full course (if I had to guess, I'd say around 7,100 yards), so might as well. 

The first hole is a mid-length par 4 and a quiet, restrained start to the round. The fairway's pretty wide, especially if you use a 3 wood; if you go much past 250 yards, it starts to narrow. You do need that width though, considering the hole makes its way through faux dunes on each side, a sight you're going to become very accustomed to over the course of the round. You're better off staying on the left side of the fairway, since the smallish green is protected by three bunkers to the right. 

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is 430 yards and plays along the edge of the property, though you'd have to hit a pretty big hook to go out of bounds. The deep fairway bunker on the left side is a much bigger concern. There's plenty of room to the right at least. You'll then be left with a short or mid iron into the green, which is nestled down in a group of dunes with three bunkers and various forms of sandy waste around the back. 

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is a long par 3, 235 yards, and while it's technically downhill, it's not by much. So you'll be need to use a long iron or even a fairway wood, and you've got a pretty small target out there. The green, which tilts noticeably from left to right, isn't big, and there are six bunkers of varying size surrounding it. At the very least the front of the green is open, so you can run up a shot onto the green. Par is a very good score on this hole.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is the longest hole at Twisted Dune, playing an uphill 570 yards. The hole doglegs right around a massive bunker, and while the hole is basically unreachable into two, there's still an advantage for keeping your drive close to it. A pair of bunkers a little over 100 yards from the green jut into the fairway, and if you want a wedge into the green, you either need a precise lay-up to the left of them or you need to clear them, and unless you hit a good drive into the fairway, that's going to be an issue. This is a long hole that plays very long. Miss the fairway and you may very well have a mid or long iron into the green, and you don't want that. It's a small target, with a lot of back to front slope, and there's a lot of bunkers left and right. In my opinion, this is the best hole on the course, a par 5 that's actually a tough par.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a short par 4, but at 345 yards it's not driveable. The fairway's reasonably open, though it's not the widest fairway in the world. The green is the interesting part of this hole, since the back half falls away from the line of play. There's a pair of bunkers left and right which are rather nasty as well, but this isn't the most difficult or interesting hole in the world.

Someone forgot to take a picture from the fifth tee.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is 420 yards and plays uphill, with the landing area pinched by numerous bunkers. I suppose you could lay up with a long iron short of them, but you'd have 200 yards left and I just don't think that's worth it. You don't have a huge amount of space for your driver, but it's not U.S. Open narrow either. The second shot is a short or mid iron to a green that looks rather intimidating, with a group of bunkers on a small hill short right, but there's actually quite a bit of space to the right; those bunkers are really 20 yards short and not a huge issue. The green's bigger than it looks as well.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole parallels the sixth, playing 435 yards downhill. The fairway's pretty wide, so there's not much to worry about on the drive. The second shot is more challenging, being a short or mid iron to a narrow green protected by several bunkers. The green is two tiered, with the back being higher than the front. Of course, with the hole position in the front, we didn't have to deal with that tier, but I imagine back hole locations are quite difficult.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is the shortest hole at Twisted Dune, playing 160 yards to a fairly large but undulating green. There's a lot of fescue between the green and the tee, which is admittedly a bit intimidating, but it doesn't come into play that much. The big bunker front left is the primary hazard here, but if you bail out right, you can easily get caught up in the rough and be left with a downhill chip from a hanging lie. The green is quite large at least, and not difficult to hit, so this isn't a tough hole.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is a long par 5, just a few yards shorter than the fourth, though at least it doesn't play uphill. To the left we have two ponds (one of which isn't in play, being close to the tee) and a whole bunch of unplayable brush, so you'll naturally be drawn out toward the right side. However, there is a group of bunkers on a small hill that do narrow the fairway a bit, and you really don't want to be in them. You won't be able to get very far out of them. The second shot is a matter of just keeping it in the fairway, since the only hazard is the water left. Then the third will be a wedge or pitch to a green with decent amount of back to front slope. There's water, but if you've got a short third, it won't be too much of a concern.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

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: Oh My Gourd! Spiced Ale

Brewed by: Brewer's Alley, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from the bottle): "A luscious and subtly spiced beer brewed with fresh, locally grown butternut squash. Inspired by pumpkin pie. Deliciously seasonal."

Would I buy it again?: I usually try to avoid Brewer's Alley beers since I don't really like what they've made. Their oatmeal stout is okay, but beyond that, it's pretty mediocre. But I couldn't resist this. A beer with squash? I've never seen anything like that. I can appreciate a different sort of fall beer. Unfortunately, despite being the oldest microbrewery in town, Brewer's Alley was just not the right brewery to make this. If someone else wanted to try, I'd be interested, but this is just not very good.