Beer of the Week

The beer: Scratch 452 - Dry-Hopped Rice Lager

Brewed by: Troegs Independent Brewing, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Description (from the can): "Scratch #452 starts with a grain bill of puffed Jasmine rice and two-row pilsner malt. Layered onto this super-crisp, clean, and delicate base are El Dorado's notes of pineapple, stone fruit, and pear. The result? A crispy lager that's hoppy and aromatic but not bitter."

Would I buy it again?: I would absolutely buy it again, but unfortunately this is one of Troegs' Scratch beers, which means it's experimental and not likely to be made again. Which is a shame, because this beer is great. It combines the simplicity of a lager with the hoppy flavoring of an IPA, just without the bitterness. Troegs should absolutely make this one again.

Review: Pocono Manor Golf Course

This is not going to be my typical in-depth golf course review. I played Pocono Manor during a big group trip with friends, and I kind of wanted to enjoy the golfing experience with my friends without taking a hundred pictures. Also, it was 45 degrees and it rained half the time. Not exactly optimal photo-taking conditions. That said, Pocono Manor was too interesting in several places to completely avoid snapping a few pics, and I definitely have a lot of thoughts on the place, so here we go: An abbreviated review.

Pocono Manor is an old golf course, with the original 9 opening in 1912. Now, the course website attributes this nine to Donald Ross, but some research shows that Donald Ross really wasn't active in Pennsylvania that early in his career. Also, the original holes that are still extant (1-6 and 17-18) really don't match Ross' style. It's far more likely that those holes were designed by someone else, possibly by a local, possibly by a pro golfer/architect named Herbert Barker. What is definitive is the architect of the other 10 holes: William Flynn, designer of Shinnecock Hills. I wish I'd gotten a picture, but they have his original drawings hanging up in the clubhouse, which was pretty cool.

Something also pretty cool: Pocono Manor had a touring pro who played on the PGA Tour for many years, starting in the 1950s. Art Wall isn't exactly a household name, but he won 14 PGA Tour events, including the Masters in 1959. (He also won the 1975 Greater Milwaukee Open at 51, making him the second-oldest man to win a PGA Tour event, only behind Sam Snead.) 

Anyway, the course. The first two holes are a short par 5 and a long par 4, and both are fairly nondescript, though the second green is pretty small and heavily protected, especially for a par 4 that's 440 yards. Our first taste of real quirk comes at the third, a par 3 that I have to believe is thoroughly unique. The hole is 190 yards, and the green is nestled down in a 20-foot deep punchbowl, making it completely blind. Except it's only three-quarters of a punchbowl, since the back falls away by another 20 feet. The play is to land the ball short and let the dramatic slopes feed the ball onto the green. It was very soft during my round, and the punchbowl still did its thing; I can only imagine how crazy this hole gets during a drought.

The third hole. Not much to see; the green is roughly in the middle of this picture.

The third green, small and surrounded by steep slopes. Unless you go long.

The third green from behind. 

After a short par 4 with a tee shot over a deep valley to an undulating green (with a practice green just behind, oddly enough; this is where the course used to start and they just kept the putting green maintained for reasons, I guess), we get to the drivable par 4 fifth hole. It's 310 yards, but it plays something like 100 feet downhill, so even those of us who can't regularly blast the ball 300-plus can still have a go. A creek does cross 20 yards in front of the green, but from that high up, even drivers will land softly. It's not exactly a good option or the smart play, but if you're not being persnickety about score, it's a lot of fun to try.

The fifth hole.

The sixth is a mid-length par 4 benched into a hillside, and then we come to the seventh, the first of the Flynn holes. It's difficult to outquirk the punchbowl third, but I think this hole manages it. The seventh is the shortest par 3 on the course, and in fact is pretty much the shortest par 3 anywhere, outside a par 3 course. It's 77 yards. Not 177 yards, 77. And it plays at least 50 feet downhill, with the tee high above the green, which is perched alongside a creek. All that's required off this tee is a half-swing with a lob wedge. You wouldn't think this would be a very difficult shot, and in reality, it isn't. But a lot of golfers struggle with pitch shots of around 50 yards, and the target is not inviting. The green is small and surrounded by trees, brush, and the creek short. Not to mention the distinct feeling of wrongness that comes from teeing a ball up and hitting with half a lob wedge. It's a weird, funky hole, but I love it for its unapologetic strangeness. The course is proud of their tiny little par 3, and they should be. It's a ton of fun.

The view of the seventh green from the tee. This is what you can see.

What you can see if you lean over the edge. There's the green, and very little else. Just remember though, the hole's only 77 yards. Anyone could make that carry.

After that, the course settles into a routine, most of the Flynn holes are solid, if unspectacular, utilizing the rolling landscape well. An interesting quirk: There are no bunkers on the 10 Flynn holes. None. And there are only three on the whole course, with two of them on 18. The course is so heavily forested and has great land, so honestly, bunkers are unnecessary. The eleventh, a mid-length par 4, features a deep depression that narrows the fairway significantly about 225 yards from the tee; either you lay up short of it, leaving a long approach, or you skirt left of it on a thin ribbon of fairway squeezed between the hollow and trees.

The par 5 tenth.

The eleventh hole.

The slightly crowned eleventh green.

While the par 3 thirteenth isn't especially noteworthy, it does have a tough two-tiered green, one which I utilized to near-perfection, running a 6 iron down to 5 feet. Seriously, the ball rolled within a foot of the hole. Hole in ones are all luck.

The thirteenth green. Hey, I had the picture, why not use it?

The fifteenth is a reachable downhill par 5, and there's a lot of mounding eating into the fairway. Obviously, you can hit off of those mounds, but finding one on your drive makes going for the green very difficult, if not impossible. Also, the green has a 2-foot high mound right in the middle, so finding yourself on the wrong side of that mound means a three putt is very likely.

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green. I was on the incorrect side of the green.

The sixteenth (the last of the Flynn holes) is similar in ways to the fifth, in that it's a dramatic downhill par 4, except this one has an extra dose of quirk to it. It's not as far down to the green, but the whole fairway is sloped from right to left to an almost absurd degree. To hit the green you have to hit a draw, taking the helpful slope down onto the very small green, hanging above a near abyss to the left. It's not an easy shot, but laying up onto this particular fairway is less than appealing. I wouldn't want an awkward half wedge with the ball a foot above my feet to a green 20 or 30 feet above me. 

After a par 4 that doglegs 90 degrees (this is another reason the Donald Ross connection for the original nine is doubted, he would have never designed a hole like the seventeenth), we come to the final hole, a par 3, oddly enough. As I said earlier, two of the course's three bunkers come here, and while they certainly are a hazard, they don't exactly add much. There's a pond in front, but that's pretty easily cleared, since it doesn't come within 30 yards of the green. It's a fairly nondescript hole, which is too bad, but it was the last hole, so here's a picture.

Overall, this is one of those offbeat old Golden Age courses that's gone through a century of benign neglect. Nothing much has changed in 100 years here. Some restoration work would help, as would a fair amount of tree clearing, but I'm not sure this would ever be a truly top-tier course. But it has its fair share of quirk, and that alone makes it better than most golf courses. I'd absolutely love to play here again, I just wish it cost a bit less. $50 isn't cheap for a course in this condition (the price does include a cart, but my point stands). To be clear, I don't mind the scruffy conditions at all, but this isn't a course that belongs in any discussion of good value.

Now,  I want to compare this course briefly with Eisenhower, since my review of that course just finished. Pocono Manor isn't completely bunkerless, but 16 holes are, so I think we can put it in the same league as Eisenhower. Now, they went about their business in somewhat different ways (and somewhat similar, since both courses have issues with trees being too close in), but both show that you don't need bunkers to make an interesting, fun golf course. Maybe both courses would be better with a few well-placed bunkers, but they're not necessary if you've got great land and the imagination to use it. As for which one I preferred, I would have to say Eisenhower, since it's overall a better, more complete package (and the trees aren't quite as obnoxious), but Pocono Manor has several far more memorable and exciting holes. Give me 10 rounds at both courses, and I think I'd split it 6-4 or 7-3 in favor of Eisenhower.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Bubble Tea Inspired Stout

Brewed by: Guinness Open Gate Brewery, Halethorpe, Maryland

Description (from the Guinness Facebook page): "Let's raise a glass to the AAPI community! For our latest collaboration beer, our brewers worked with our own Pan Asian Network, Baltimore’s Asian Pasifika Arts Collective, and the smooth flavors of Brown Sugar Bubble Tea. Bubble Tea Inspired Stout was brewed with brown sugar, vanilla, tapioca and black tea - the perfect nod to the popular drink. The coolest part? We even nitrogenated it, giving it a creamy, silky smooth texture that suits the style amazingly well."

Would I buy it again?: I was really disappointed with this one, it promised so much, and since it's from Guinness, I was expecting to get a really interesting beer. But the nitro ruined it. Not that it was bad, far from it. But it tasted pretty much like a regular Guinness, and that's not what I drove 45 minutes to get.

Review: The Preserve at Eisenhower (Part 2)

It's time to take a look at Eisenhower's back nine, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is fairly long at 425 yards, but it plays something like 30 or 40 feet downhill and the fairway is very wide as it tumbles down, so this is a great opportunity to go for a big drive. Do that, and you'll have a wedge into the green. It's not a large target, best approached from the right side of the fairway, and the green is surrounded by mounding. It's also fairly undulating, with distinct upper and lower sections. It's not a tough hole, but I like it. You can have fun with the drive, and the second shot and green are tricky enough to make the hole not a pushover.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is actually the shortest par 4 at Eisenhower, though it's 390 yards, which isn't exactly driveable. This course doesn't feature a huge amount of variety in the length of its par 4s. There's water running down the entire right side of the hole, but there's plenty of space to bail out left. And the net protecting the hole from the driving range also keeps balls from disappearing. That said, the green is much easier to approach from the right side. It's small, narrow, and pressed hard against the water. Left of the green is an easy bailout, but the green subtly slopes from left to right toward the water, so chipping from the left side is a delicate operation. 

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is a 490 yard par 5, but it's not exactly the sort of short par 5 you can reasonably reach in two. For one, using driver is not recommended, since the fairway runs out at about 275 yards, and there's the pond right to consider. Then the second shot plays uphill to a small green at the very top of the hill. It's a small and shallow green as well, with falloffs on every side (most notably right and front left). So if you hit a good 3 wood and a solid long iron, you can reach the green in two, but considering all the hole throws at you, eagle is not a likely result.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is a reasonably dramatic (as least as dramatic as this course gets) par 3 playing downhill to a large green with water in front and to the right. It's tough when the hole is cut in front like it was for our round, since you want to give the water a wide berth, but playing safe and aiming for the middle or back end of the green leaves you with a gigantic putt. And you can't two putt the 60 or 70 footers every time. 

The thirteenth hole.

The fourteenth hole plays 530 yards to a blind fairway on the other side of a wide valley. The fairway is not wide and surrounded by dense trees, so it's not a hole to swing wildly away at. You need a long, accurate drive to have a hope of reaching the green in two. For most people, this is a three-shot hole, with the second threaded between a series of mounds on both sides of the fairway to set up a wedge third. The green is narrow and sloped significantly from back to front, and there's a deep grass bunker along the left side, with smaller mounding right. Not an easy par 5.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is the shortest hole at Eisenhower, playing 160 yards over a bit of marsh. There's more marsh and dense forest right and long, and there's big mounding left, but the green is flatter than some of the others. Hit the green and you have a good chance for birdie.

The fifteenth hole.

The sixteenth hole is the longest and toughest hole at Eisenhower, playing nearly 550 yards as it bends through wetland and dense forests. If you want to use driver, you'll need a big fade precisely faded around the corner of the dogleg; if you don't have that shot, you'll want to use a 3 wood. Of course, that makes this a distinctly three-shot hole, but it would be anyway for the vast majority of us who aren't professional golfers. The second shot is squeezed between wetland left and overhanging trees right, and then the third is slightly uphill to a small two-tiered green. I wish the hole was a bit wider, but environmental concerns are a thing, so I'm sure this hole is as wide as is allowed.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is a mid-length par 3 that is pleasantly free of any hazards. But that doesn't make it easy, since this hole relies heavily on contours and undulations. The green is long, narrow, and is never flat, so putts have plenty of break. There's a series of hollows right and long as well. Much like the thirteenth, three putting is a definite possibility. Still, it's a nice change of pace after the past few holes, which were pretty claustrophobic.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is a 425 yard par 4 that plays from a high tee down to a fairway that steadily slopes uphill. So you won't be getting much roll. Aiming down the right side to reduce the dogleg is risky, as there are overhanging trees to catch out approach shots. You can easily be blocked out from the green, even in the right edge of the fairway. The green is semiblind, tucked behind a ridge, and filled with subtle undulation. It's a fairly understated finishing hole, not easy, but not difficult. 

The eighteenth hole.

The eighteenth green.

I don't doubt that Eisenhower is a more interesting golf course now than it was before the renovation. There's some good stuff here, and in general I like what I saw. Some of the holes on the back nine, the ones in the forest, are a bit too tight for my liking, but I'm guessing clear cutting several hundred trees was out of the budget for a municipal golf course. So I'll give that a pass. Also, if you're judicious about timing and willing to walk, you can play for less than $50, which really isn't too bad for a new public golf course in the heart of the Baltimore-Washington urban conglomeration. It's almost a bargain, compared with most of its neighbors.

On the other hand, while it's a good golf course, it never really elevates itself beyond that. I was expecting a bit more from the guy who renovated so many great Golden Age golf courses to such positive reviews. I was hoping for more fairway undulation and while the greens weren't uninteresting, they weren't exactly inspired either. There was some mounding and hollows to replace bunkers, but a few more wouldn't have gone amiss either. For doing something as radical as removing every single bunker, Eisenhower went for a surprisingly conservative approach. And that's a bit disappointing to me, after going through so much effort, why not make the course as good as it could be? It had good land movement, why not apply some interesting microcontours? This could have been a bold statement, a truly new direction for golf to take, but instead, I feel like Eisenhower is going to be more of a novelty. An interesting experiment, but not much more. 

Beer of the Week

The beer: Braaaaaaaains - Pineapple, Guava, & Dragonfruit

Brewed by: Drekker Brewing Company, Fargo, North Dakota

Description (from Untappd): "This Braaaaaaaains Double Fruit Smoothie Sour was blasted with pineapple, guava, & dragonfruit then we hit it with our double secret smoothie treatment of sea salt, lactose, and vanilla beans."

Would I buy it again?: To be honest, this almost doesn't count as a beer. There's a reason I don't review the many, many fruited sours that have emerged in the past couple years. For one, I don't like sours, fruited or otherwise; also, these things get so many things shoved into them that they lose literally all their beer taste. But when it comes to obtaining a beer from North Dakota, you take what you can get. It's not as bad as I was afraid of, it's drinkable, but I just don't enjoy it. It tastes like fruit, not beer. So no, definitely wouldn't go for this again.

Review: The Preserve at Eisenhower (Part 1)

It isn't too often you see something truly new in golf, and to be fair, a bunkerless golf course isn't a completely unique concept. However, it certainly isn't very common, especially when the course wasn't initially designed that way (and isn't a bare-bones par 3 course). But that's the path that the Preserve at Eisenhower took, which, despite the horribly pretentious name, is actually a municipal golf course just outside Annapolis, Maryland. It was initially designed in the late 60s by Ed Ault, and by 2017 the course was in rough shape. Municipal courses just get beat up, even when they're not quite as old as some others I've played in the past. 

To rectify their problem, the county brought in Andrew Green, an architect who has racked up quite a resume in the past few years, with his renovations of courses like Inverness, Oak Hill, and Congressional. He suggested that Eisenhower get rid of all its bunkers, both to save money and the pace of play. The county agreed, and the renovation went ahead, with the course opening in May 2021. So, the question is: How does a bunkerless golf course work? 

The first hole is exactly 400 yards from the blue tees. (Eisenhower does have a "championship" set of tees at over 7,100 yards, we won't be using those. The blue tees are 6,700 yards, which is much more reasonable.) It doglegs slightly right around a steep slope filled with trees, with the drive best hit down the left side of the fairway, which is generous but not exactly wide. That leaves a short iron or wedge into the green, which falls away sharply both left and long. It's a pretty big green, and if you miss right or short, you'll can putt from the fairway easily enough. It's not the most undulating green in the world, but it's not flat either.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is also about 400 yards and plays from a high tee across a marshy native area to a fairway that quickly heads back up out of the valley. There's dense forest on both sides and not a huge amount of space in between, so driver may not be the wisest play. Of course, using an iron or fairway wood means you'll have a pretty long second. Not much roll available on this fairway. That'll leave a short or mid iron up the hill to a shallow, undulating green. 

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is a bit longer than the previous two holes, but it plays downhill. You can hit driver off of the tee and get some pretty impressive distance from bouncing down the hill, but the fairway narrows considerably and you'll be left with an awkward stance. That's especially true if you just miss the fairway right, as there's a series of mounds running along for 50 yards, right where many people would hit their driver. Laying up at the top of the slope means you'll have a longer second, but it'll be from a level lie. The green is fairly shallow and slopes from back to front, with the back corner being especially built up. 

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is 410 yards and plays gently but steadily uphill. The fairway slopes sharply from left to right down toward a native area, so if you play a fade you'll definitely want to aim down the left side. Of course, a series of mounds left pinches the fairway where a good drive would end up, so that's something else to think about. The green is semiblind but fairly large and very open, so there's room to miss it and still have a reasonable chance of getting up and down. 

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fifth hole heads back down the hill the fourth climbed up, though it's slightly longer and much tighter. It's a very tough tee shot, squeezed between forest left and native area (with more trees) right, though the fairway is a bit wider than it looks from the tee. Not by much, but enough. Driver is risky, but since the hole is 420 yards, using a fairway wood or long iron will result in a very long second shot. At the very least the green is wide open, but it's also pretty undulating. So all in all, not an easy hole.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

Finally, after five holes, the sixth hole is something other than a par 4. At 165 yards, it's not a long hole, but it's got native area left and a marshy area right. In addition, the green has several subtle but noticeable sections. It's not easy to putt or chip on, so even though it's decently sized, the sixth is not an easy hole.

The sixth hole.

The seventh hole is the first par 5 at Eisenhower, and the tee shot is not the most interesting thing in the world. The fairway is wide, and there's no real trouble other than the trees. So you can swing freely with driver to try and get within range of the green in two. For those who are laying up, a series of mounds about 75 yards short of the green eat into the left side of the fairway, and you don't want to be in those. The green is wide but not deep, and slopes from left to right.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a downhill par 3 that's on the longer side at nearly 200 yards. It plays over a marshy area, but there's a decent space between that and the green, so it's not a huge problem. Much like the previous hole, the eighth green is wide and shallow, and it's elevated on all sides. There's more native area and trees long, so you definitely want to err on the side of caution on this tee. Short is probably the best place to miss since the green slopes from back to front.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is a 400 yard par 4 that swings right to left as it climbs up a hill toward the clubhouse. You're actually better off sticking to the right side on the drive; it leaves you a longer second but there's not as much risk of being blocked off by trees. That can happen if you go left and don't get far enough. Also, there's a group of mounds that can catch hooked drives. The second shot is to a semiblind green split down the middle into two distinct tiers, with the right side higher than the left. There's certainly more room to miss right, but recovery is easier from the left side of the green, since you can use the slope as a backstop. Not an easy hole to finish off the front nine.

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.