Review: Schoolhouse Nine

Two-thirds of the way through 2023 and I'm finally review a golf course that I played in 2023. Incredible. Though today's review is a little interesting, because Schoolhouse Nine isn't just a nine-hole course, it's also a par 3 course. Located in Sperryville, Virginia, along the Blue Ridge just outside Shenandoah National Park, Schoolhouse is in a very scenic spot. It's also an hour and 45 minute drive from home. I've taken some long drives to play golf courses, but over 100 minutes to play a nine-hole par 3 course? That's pretty silly.

Hold on, though, because there's a reason for my madness. Schoolhouse was designed by two former employees of Tom Doak; he's also played the course and reviewed it favorably. In fact, everything I've heard about Schoolhouse Nine has been enthusiastic, so on a warm spring day, I made the drive down to see what the course is like.

The first hole is pretty nondescript from the tee. No bunkers, 150 yards, almost dead-flat terrain. But as you approach, you'll see the green has a noticeable tier running through the middle. It's not a big green either, so you will absolutely have to reckon with that tier at some point as you play the hole. Chips from behind the green are particularly dicey when the flag is on top. Still, this isn't the spiciest hole in the world.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is much more of a standout. It's 140 yards and has two bunkers right and front left. The back portion of the green is on a plateau 2-3 feet above the front portion, similar to a tier but a bit different, practically speaking, since the slope between the two levels takes up a lot of real estate on the green. It's not a difficult green to hit, but you'll need a very precise iron/wedge to set up a decent birdie opportunity. End up at the bottom with the hole cut on top and you'll have to work to ensure a two putt. And let's not even get started on the precision required to get up and down if you miss the green.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is fairly long, playing 165 over level ground. However, this hole does have a Principal's Nose bunker complex about 15 yards short of the green. Obviously, they're not playing the same role as they do on a more traditional par 4, but they do serve a purpose. From the tee, it looks like they're guarding the green, and they make the hole look shorter than it actually is. If you're not paying attention to the scorecard, you could easily end up not taking enough club. The green is the quietest at Schoolhouse nine, playing gently front to back. 

The third hole.

The Principal's Nose bunkers.

The third green.

The fourth hole is 130 yards with a fairly large bunker right. The green is tilted pretty sharply from back left to front right; putts from below the hole are pretty slow. This is one of those holes where the obvious miss (left), is actually the worst place to go. Bailing out to avoid the sand means you'll have a delicate chip to a green sloping away. Meanwhile, the bunker is pretty simple to get out of.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole doesn't look like much, but trust me, you'll learn to respect this hole. It's just 115 yards, and has no bunkers, but what it does have a tiny green angled 45 degrees away and falls away along that axis. There is no chance of getting a ball to stop where you want on this green. So even though the hole is short and you'll want to attack, doing so is a sure-fire way to bounce over the back. I don't know if it's actually the toughest hole on the course, but I do know that I only made one double bogey through two circuits of the place, and it was here.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole isn't quite the shortest hole here at 90 yards, but in my opinion it is the easiest. That doesn't mean it's boring. This is the one hole where you can fairly easily lose a golf ball, with woods and native area just a few feet left of the green. While the green lacks any massive features, what it does have are a series of small, alternating bumps along the edges. Anything that isn't on the center line will have to deal with them. It's also a well-placed breather, as the hole before and after are much more difficult and dramatic.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is the shortest hole at Schoolhouse, playing just 80 yards. Don't let that distance fool you, this is no pushover. For one thing, the tee shot plays 10 feet uphill, and since you'll probably be taking a three-quarter swing, spin is not something you'll be easily achieving. And that's a problem, because the best way I can describe this green is that it's the front two-thirds of a Biarritz. The front portion of the green is level, but then the back portion falls off into a deep swale. If you land the ball hole high, you are going down. And that's a very tough putt coming back up out of the dip. Easy three-putt territory. I'm not sure which is the better play, going high and trying to land just short or a lower shot more into the slope to kill the momentum. And that's a good thing. No obvious play makes this a compelling hole.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is 165 yards, making it twice as long as the previous hole. The bunkers short obviously draw your eye, but neither is the primary obstacle. That would be the large hump in the middle of the green, dividing it into two distinct sections. End up on the wrong half, and you'll have a very tricky putt up and over. There's no avoiding it. Of course, the bunkers can't be ignored either, though they're both a bit further away from the green than you might expect.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

Also the eighth green.

The ninth hole closes things out in classic fashion. I'm not sure it counts as a true Redan copy, but it's close enough. At 170 yards, it's the longest hole at Schoolhouse, and it plays tough. Two large, intimidating bunkers guard the front left portion of the green, which is sloped fiercely from right to left. Seriously, the tilt of this green is something else; putts from below the hole are incredibly slow, putts from above are, shall we say, slippery. A gentle draw aimed at the right side of the green will serve you very well.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green.

The ninth green from behind. Hopefully the steep slope is more apparent from this angle.

Schoolhouse Nine is an excellent little course. Obviously, being a par 3 course where the longest hole is just 170 yards, it's not a replacement for a full-length golf course. But it's proof you can have compelling and friendly golf on a small scale. This is the sort of golf course we need more of. There's no reason every decently sized town in the country couldn't have a course like this. The footprint of Schoolhouse is tiny. I don't know how many acres the entire course takes up, but I did see that just 1.5 acres of turf are maintained. The rest is left to nature, and it's just fine.

Then there's the quality of the golf. Every hole has something interesting going on. Not every hole hits, but you'll never be bored playing Schoolhouse. The greens aren't especially quick, but they roll true, and aside from the third have lots and lots of interesting slope and undulation. The price is pretty good too: $15 for unlimited golf over the week, and $25 on weekends. And since the routing is compact, if you do run into a slow group, you can absolutely jump around to a different hole. Play until you feel like stopping. 

I suppose the big question is whether or not I'd make the long drive down to play Schoolhouse again. The answer is yes. Not on a whim, but if someone asked me to play it, I would. It's a really fun, interesting course, and I wish I had a place like it closer to home.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Super Kashmir

The brewery: Black Flag Brewing Company, Columbia, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "Super Kashmir is a revamped version of a Black Flag classic, Kashmir. Featuring Cashmere-Cryo and Cashmere in the whirlpool along with Cashmere and Citra pellets in the dry hopping, this almost velvety haze has tropical hop pairings that seamlessly blend with our signature flaked oat malt build. We’re VERY excited to give you our 2023 retooling of one of our most popular hazy’s to ever hit the market."

Would I buy it again? Unlike last week, the India association with this beer is purely coincidental: Cashmere hops, the geographic region of Kashmir. Not a tremendously clever leap to make. So, what we have is a fairly tasty and juicy IPA. Nothing out of the ordinary, but very solid. No complaints about bitterness or odd flavors, it's just a solid and easy to drink beer, and as a result, I would definitely consider buying this beer again.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Chai Milk Stout

The brewery: 7 Locks Brewing, Rockville, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "A medium bodied stout with moderate roast paired with a residual sweetness. It is accompanied by tasty masala chai tea aromatics, such as ginger, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, and nutmeg."

Would I buy it again? I am not an expert in Indian cuisine, so in order to determine the fidelity of the spice content of this particular beer, I had to call in a local expert on the subcontinent. According to her, the spices are right for Indian chai, but it's lacking milk. She enjoyed it quite a lot, however and so do I. It's very tasty, and definitely not what you expect from a dark stout. It's too bad about the milk though, it's kind of a curious omission. Lactose in beer is a contentious subject, I feel, but for this? Ah well, I'd still buy it again.

Review: Bucknell Golf Club (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is 190 yards and plays gently uphill to a partially blind green protected by four bunkers. It doesn't look like much, but apparently it causes golfers to hit literally the worst shot possible off of the tee. That's what happened to my playing companions and I. Turned a nondescript hole into a tough bogey, which was fun. No wait, not fun. The opposite of that.

The tenth hole.

The eleventh hole, a 360-yard par 4, is a brief return to the original design, and while you can't really tell from the tee shot, which is pretty open, it's very noticeable at the green. Loeffler's greens aren't especially undulating, and this one is kind of punchbowl-y in that it will funnel shots toward the middle, but it is extremely small. That, in combination with the bunkers on each side, really put a premium on finding the fairway and getting as far as possible, where the fairway narrows between trees. It's much easier finding a 3,000 square foot green when you're 100 yards away, rather than 150.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is another Ault hole, playing just over 400 yards. You have a choice on the tee shot: Lay back at the top of the hill, leaving a long second from a level stance, or drive down, gaining additional distance but flirting with a large pond. Why is there a big pond where you can't see? Excellent question. Not sure what Ault was thinking with that one. Anyway, the longer hitters may want to use 3 wood; I wouldn't go over 275 yards here, there is very little room between the pond and O.B. right. The green is quite large and fairly undulating, and is surrounded by three bunkers.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is a mid-length par 3 with some excellent product placement in the background. You can even see the "BGC" on Google Maps. Anyway, this is quite a tricky hole. It's not hugely long, but the green is very shallow (and very wide), and there's both a bunker and water in front. It's not a difficult task avoiding the water, but actually hitting the green is another story. It's also a fairly undulating green, so if you end up on the wrong side of it, three-putting is a definite possibility.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

From the fourteenth hole onward, the course is Loeffler, and one can definitely tell from the size of the greens. First up is a mid-length par 4 playing to a blind and rather narrow fairway winding between trees. It doesn't take much of a miss to end up blocked out. The second shot, if you do find the fairway, is a wedge or short iron to a small, fairly steeply sloped green surrounded by four bunkers.

The fourteenth hole.

The fifteenth hole is a straightaway par 5 over fairly level ground. With O.B. right and bunkers on either side of the fairway (the fancy-looking one right is also new), this is not an easy driving hole. But it's important to find the fairway, as a pair of crossbunkers jut into the fairway about 75 yards out. If you want to get close to the green and carry those bunkers, you need to find the fairway. Otherwise, you'll have a full wedge into a very small green guarded by three more bunkers.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a classic short par 3: 140 yards, downhill, tiny green protected on nearly every side by sand. The green's also got a fair amount of slope to it as well, so you really don't want to go long, which is quite easy considering it drops something like 40 feet from tee to green. This is a definite birdie opportunity if you hit the green, which is something most golfers are capable of, but if you miss it can be a struggle to make bogey.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is just under 340 yards, making it short but not drivable. The tee shot is an interesting proposition; the fairway rolls over multiple humps and valleys, all the while tilted from right to left down to a narrow ditch wandering most of the way along the fairway. Obviously, the land is flatter at the bottom, making the second shot easier, but you get a better view of the green from up top, so there's tradeoffs to both sides of the fairway. The green itself is extremely small, tilted pretty severely from back to front (with a noticeable tier running through the middle), and flanked by two deep bunkers. This is probably my favorite hole at Bucknell; it may be a short par 4, but you have to earn a good score here. 

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole closes things out with a mellow drive to a wide fairway that disappears over a ridge. However, things escalate quickly at the green. While open and level with the fairway at the front, the green is elevated above the surrounding rough (and bunker right) in that classic Golden Age abrupt sort of way. It's also incredibly small and quite narrow. Now, we're not talking a lot of elevation, just a few feet. But that's more than enough to make recovery shots from anywhere that isn't short of the green ridiculously difficult. Not impossible, but very tough. And if you struggle with your short game like I do, it's a recipe for a big number. Who says you need water to make a double bogey?

The eighteenth hole.

The eighteenth green.

To be honest, I was expecting a bit more of a difference between the older holes and the newer ones. Maybe that's the renovation doing its work, but other than the green sizes and the blind pond on 12, the two halves aren't that far apart. With that said, my favorite holes at Bucknell are definitely all Loeffler holes. The last three holes in particular are very strong. 

Overall, Bucknell is somewhere in the realm of better than average to good. A few less trees would definitely help tip it in the right direction; as of right now there are just too many. So many holes feel too claustrophobic, and the trees obscure some fairly interesting landforms. Bucknell is set over excellent terrain, but it isn't utilizing it fully. As for value, it's not bad but not great; it's $40 to walk on a weekend. I'd play it again, and not just because I'd like to see it when it's not raining, but because it is enjoyable and worth playing if you're in central Pennsylvania. It's very similar to the White Course at Penn State (I know I haven't reviewed that, but trust me here): Both are similar lengths and have similar terrain, both blend Golden Age and modern design, and both are university courses in central Pennsylvania. One could certainly do worse for a weekend of college-themed golf.

Beer of the Week

The beer: The PastryArchy Cookies & Cream

The brewery: DuClaw Brewing Company, Rosedale, Maryland

Description (from the website): "Inspired by the iconic combination of chocolatey cookie crumbles dunked in delicious vanilla ice cream, we introduce you to a roasty, full-bodied white stout infused with cookies and cream ice cream, lactose, & cacao for a beautiful golden beer. Made in collaboration with Maryland-based, family-owned creamery, Keyes Creamery in celebration of their tenth anniversary and three generations of a family dream."

Would I buy it again? Apparently white stout as a style is just not something I'm into, because I'm really not a fan of this beer. The initial taste is slightly better than the French Toast stout from a couple weeks ago (it at least tastes slightly like cookies and cream), but it's got the same strong bitter aftertaste, and that absolutely demolishes any and all flavor this beer had at the start. I'm really, really hoping we're not seeing a trend of these white stouts, because I do not enjoy them. The Flying Dog Cookies & Cream stout is so far ahead of this, it's not even funny. Don't drink this. Have one of those instead.

Review: Bucknell Golf Club (Part 1)

This may come as a surprise to some, but I do have a life outside golf. Slightly. Back in September 2022 I went to a bachelor party in central Pennsylvania for a weekend, but since I'm always on the lookout for interesting golf courses and a couple of my friends do play, I scouted around the area and found Bucknell Golf Club half an hour away. The course is part of Bucknell University in Lewistown, and it is at least in part a Golden Age course, with nine holes designed by Emil Loeffler in the 1920s (that's not a household name in the architecture business, but he is significant for a reason we'll come back to later). The remaining nine was designed by Ed Ault in 1960. It's also in the process of being renovated by Mark Fine (who's done the work restoring Copake). I was rather excited for the round. I didn't think Bucknell would be revolutionary or anything, but I was looking forward to a fun and interesting course.

And then it rained the entire round. Apparently I can't play with friends and photograph a course; the same thing happened when I played Pocono Manor. So fair warning, the photo quality for this particular review is rather poor. I have a very nice and fairly expensive camera, and since it was raining literally the entire time, I was concerned about its well-being. Bucknell is just not a good enough course to risk something happening to my camera. So I took pictures with my phone. Sometimes it worked out pretty well, other times, not so much. 

The first hole is a short par 4, just 325 yards, and the tee-to-green distance is likely much shorter than that, since the hole doglegs right nearly 90 degrees. However, it's uphill the whole way and big trees in the dogleg block out aggressive drivers. For most, using a wood or long iron to leave a 100-yard wedge is the best play. The green is very small and flanked by bunkers. While most of the Loeffler holes are on the back, this is also an original hole, and you can kind of tell. It's a blind drive, blind second, and a tiny green. Not a hole in the Ed Ault playbook. 

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is a long par 3 (the longest on the course) at 210 yards, though it does play slightly downhill. The tee shot crosses a big valley to a green up on a plateau of sorts. It's another very small green of moderate undulation, with bunkers on each side. It's not an easy hole; while there's no dramatic hazard, the length of the hole combined with the pint-sized green combine to make this a very tough green to hit in regulation. Par is a good score here.

The second hole.

The third hole is a bit of a backbreaker from the otherwise modest back tees at 600 yards. While the tee shot is pretty nondescript, once you reach the top of a small ridge in the fairway you're smacked in the face by a massive Church Pews bunker lurking just right of the ideal lay-up zone for the third. And that's interesting, because if you look at the course on Google Earth, you won't find that bunker. That means it was recently added as part of the renovation. It seems a bit random, adding a Church Pews to some otherwise-nondescript college course in central Pennsylvania, but there is a reason for it.

Let's loop back to Emil Loeffler. While he's responsible for designing 20-30 courses back in the 20s and 30s, mostly in Pennsylvania, his most significant architectural feat is one he doesn't get credit for. Loeffler was born in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, and anyone remotely familiar with championship golf will recognize that name. He started up as a caddy at Oakmont Country Club when he was 10, and worked his way up through the ranks until he became head greenkeeper and head pro. He assisted H.C. Fownes with the design of the course and is absolutely instrumental in how Oakmont, host of so many U.S Opens, looks and plays today. 

The goal of Bucknell's current renovation is to make it feel more like the original nine by Loeffler, since the members prefer those to the Ault holes (at least according to my research). I think the Church Pews bunker was added as part of that effort. And I like very much that it was added. Traditionally the toughest shot on a par 5 to get right, but with that bunker, you really need to think about the lay-up. It's not my favorite hole here, since the drive isn't particularly exciting and the green, while not bad, also doesn't have much to say. It is definitely memorable though.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is the first Ed Ault hole, a shortish par 3 just over 150 yards. The green is about twice the size of the previous three, and is guarded by three bunkers. It's not a bad hole by any stretch of the imagination, but the green size is a bit incongruous with the older holes.

Since someone forgot to take a picture of the fourth, here it is on Google Maps.

The fifth hole is the first of a run of three shortish par 4s, all playing between 355 and 370 yards. The tee shot on this hole plays over rolling terrain, with a single fairway bunker right pretty easily driven past if you're willing to hit into the narrowest part of the fairway, pinched in by trees. The green is quite large and protected by two bunkers, one left and one right, with the bunker right also being rather large.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole plays significantly downhill, with a small tree noticeably jutting into the fairway about 250 yards out. A solid drive can clear this, however. The green is big and fronted by three large bunkers, and where the hole is cut dictates where you want to aim your drive. If the hole is right, you'll want to favor the left side of the fairway to give yourself a better angle around the sand, minimizing the carry over it, and vice versa. Short side yourself on the drive, and you'll be better off playing to the center of the green, leaving a long birdie putt.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole plays uphill the entire way, and with O.B. left and particularly dense trees right, accuracy is really at a premium on the drive. However, if you lay back too far, the second shot will be blind. The green is bunkerless, but it's set in amongst a group of mounds, and it's fairly undulating as well.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is, at 430 yards, the longest par 4 at Bucknell by a wide margin. Like the previous hole, there's O.B. left, and the tee shot is mostly blind. The fairway drops 20-30 feet about 250 yards out, so if you can hit that far, your drive will get a nice boost forward, leaving you with just a wedge second. Stay up top and you'll have a mid to long iron. The green is medium sized and protected by two bunkers right and one left.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is a short par 5, just over 500 yards, playing to a wide fairway. A good drive will leave you with a choice: Either go for the green, challenging the pond short left, or lay well back, leaving a full wedge third. There's a lot of space to bail out right of the green, though that will leave a tricky chip from a hanging lie. Laying up short leaves a pretty simple wedge to a large green; while the water is still there, it's much less threatening from 100 yards than 225 yards.

The ninth hole.

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