You Spin My Iceberg Right 'Round

(For full effect, here's a link to the song for some appropriate mood setting.)

The world's largest iceberg is spinning right 'round, like a record. And it'll be doing so for a long time.

You'd probably like some context to that statement.

Way back in 1986, an enormous iceberg, even larger than Rhode Island, split off from Antarctica's Filchner-Ronne ice shelf. Dubbed A23a (not a particularly catchy name), it almost immediately hit the bottom of the sea, sitting in place for over 30 years until 2020. At that point, A23a melted enough to drift free, resuming a long journey north to join the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. And while A23a is certainly much larger than your average iceberg, its fate would eventually be the same, drifting along until finally the last ice melted.

But before all that could happen, something rather amusing happened: A23a passed directly over a seamount. And not just any seamount, but the Pirie Bank Seamount, which juts out about a kilometer above the surrounding abyssal plain. Crucially, this seamount is slightly larger than A23a (roughly 60 by 60 kilometers), which made the iceberg the perfect size to get caught in something called a Taylor column – a vortex formed by ocean currents hitting and flowing around the seamount. 

The end result is something scientists say they've never seen before, as this enormous iceberg spins round and round (completing one rotation in roughly 25 days), trapped by the currents flowing around it. Not only did the A23a have to hit the bulls-eye with quite literally the entire Southern Ocean to play with, the conditions around the seamount also had to be correct (the water had to be flowing at certain speed, not too fast or to slow) in order to capture the enormous block of ice trundling overhead.

While the conditions keeping A23a in place will eventually end, releasing it from its 80s pop music prison, it will likely take a few years before the iceberg can continue on its merry way. Until then, we need to find the world's largest needle ... what? It's spinning like a record, maybe we ought to treat it like one. I'm all for guitar solos longer than your average geologic epoch.

Beer of the Week

The beer: The Golden Squirrels

Brewed by: Kings County Brewers Collective, Brooklyn, New York

Description (from EmpireWine): "Pours peachy-yellow haze in the glass and oozing with tropical aromas & flavors of crushed mandarin oranges, pineapple upside down cake, and tangy passion fruit curd. Completely walloped with our hand-selected Citra & Mosaic, plus huge heaping handfuls of Simcoe & Australian-grown Eclipse hops. Melted-creamsicle mouthfeel from the wheat-heavy malt base and a soft, light finish."

Would I buy it again? This is one of those incredibly juicy-tasting IPAs that I actually kind of enjoy. It's also got that tropical fruitiness to it, but it's more sweet than bitter. It's pretty easy to drink, and I think it's a good choice as summer winds down. I'd buy it again.

Review: Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club (Part 2)

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

If nothing else, the tenth hole is certainly distinctive and memorable. At 175 yards, it's not the longest par 3 in the world, but the first 150 yards take you over a deep ravine, so taking enough club is crucial. And since the green is above the tee, you'll need to take even more club than you'd think. While ending up short is of course a very bad thing, right isn't any better, and while the left-hand bunker is preferable to a lost ball, it's not exactly where you want to be either. The green is wide but shallow, and not particularly large either. At least it's not particularly undulating. This is one of those holes where you're more than happy to escape with a par.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is 415 yards and plays dramatically downhill, which would be a lot of fun if the fairway weren't the approximate width of a toothpick. Perhaps unsurprisingly considering the severe topography of the site, Blue Ridge Shadows suffers from some routing issues, and it's quite apparent here, as both this hole and the fourteenth share a narrow playing corridor. Honestly, they should have just made the entire area here fairway. This hole already shares a green with the thirteenth, why not complete the set? Oh well. As the hole stands now, the fairway is squeezed between trees left and tall grass and a bunker right. I'd recommend using driver simply because the tall grass stops about 250 yards out, which is pretty easy to carry. As mentioned, this is a double green, and the eleventh's half is protected by bunkers short right and left. The green's best approached from the left side, which is obviously the more dangerous place to aim your drive. This would be a pretty decent hole if it just had space to breathe.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

After a long, arduous climb up back up the hill we just came down on the eleventh hole (and climbed up to get to the tenth green), we reach the twelfth hole, which is certainly a par 3 that exists. Not that it doesn't have things going on, because it does, but it feels bland. The hole is basically dead flat, fairly long at 195 yards, with a pond right and a small, mildly out-of-proportion bunker left. Maybe if the bunker had a bit more visual appeal and the background wasn't just houses, the hole would be a bit better, but as it stands, the twelfth is just sort of there. Not good, but not so terrible as to elicit any strong emotions.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is a very long par 4 at 460 yards, though it does play downhill. The fairway crests a ridge about 250 yards out, making the landing area blind. It is open pretty much everywhere, but you do get a better angle into the green if you stay left, flirting with the forest and fairway bunker left. Do that, and you'll have a short to mid iron down hill to a shallow but very wide green (this is the second half of the double green we first encountered two holes ago). 

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is ... well, it's something. First off, it's a poor routing decision to have a natural stream on the outside of a dogleg – especially on a shortish 530-yard par 5 – because you're automatically removing the main strategic appeal of the water. But that's precisely what this hole does. There is literally almost no reason to hit your drive left down the fairway when you can aim right of the fairway bunker (it's also extremely easy to hit over if you're even mildly competent with a driver). There's no risk and seemingly only reward, whereas playing left between the stream and bunker is all risk with no reward. At the very least, the inside of the dogleg should have more sand in play. Anything to discourage the golfer from cutting the corner.

Notice that I said there's seemingly only reward from cutting the dogleg. That's where the additional silliness of this hole rears its head. For reasons unfathomable to me or likely anyone with a functioning brain, instead of placing the green directly against the stream running through the hole, offering the gambling golfer the chance for eagle at the risk of a steep penalty for failure, the designer chose to place the green 50 yards away from the stream behind an artificial pond and a cluster of very tall trees. A professional golfer may be confident enough in their abilities to hit the high draw necessary to go up and around those trees at the green, but literally no one else would be. Your only practical option is to hit literally a 100 yard pitch shot out right and short of the creek, leaving yourself another 100-yard wedge for your third. It makes cutting the dogleg on the drive completely irrelevant, since you gain nothing from doing it, and yet the facts on the ground mean it's still a terrible decision to play left on the tee. It's barely even worth it to play between the pond and the creek, because there's really very little space in the 50 yards between the green and creek, and it's surrounded by either water or woods. I did it anyway because I'm very stubborn and got away with it, but the majority of times I have to imagine I'd end up with a drowned golf ball.

I haven't gotten to the green yet, which is its own special brand of uninviting, even if you play the hole safely. It's extremely narrow, tilted from right to left, with two large bunkers right and, of course, the extremely silly pond left. The green's the cherry on top, but rest assured, the poor routing and atrocious design choices on display render the mild silliness of the green itself almost a background element to the terribleness of this hole. It is 100% one of the worst holes I've ever played.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green. You'll notice that, despite hitting an almost-perfect drive, I have no shot of reaching the green in two short of slinging a massive hook around trees, over the stream, and around the pond left of the green.

The fourteenth green. Yes, it is silly to build an artificial pond to guard a green when you've got a perfectly good natural water hazard 50 yards away.

The fifteenth hole isn't much better than the previous hole. It's fairly long at 435 yards, though the tee shot is dramatically downhill. And yes, that does mean you have to climb up a gigantic hill to get to this tee only to immediately climb back down after hitting your drive. That's always fun. 

The big problem with this tee shot is that there's no safe play. Obviously, the pond right of the fairway is the primary threat, though the trees left also get uncomfortably close in the area where people would likely hit driver. You'll definitely feel tempted to lay up, but the problem with that is the pond left (the same one next to the previous green). It's just sitting there, lurking next to the prime lay-up zone where the fairway's reasonably wide. So basically, there's water in play if you lay back and water in play if you use driver, so why not use driver and at least get closer to the green?

Presuming you avoid the water (a tall order), your second shot will be a fairly straightforward short or mid iron to a slightly elevated green with a bunker behind. It's a fairly complex green as well, so don't count on two putting even if you do hit it in regulation.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is the longest hole on the course, coming in at 540 yards, and thank goodness, there's absolutely no wiggle room on the drive. The fairway's squeezed between yet another pond right and a large bunker and O.B. (in the form of a Hilton hotel) left. Once again, it's tempting to lay up, and considering this is a longish par 5, it's a fairly compelling argument. You're not getting to this green in two, might as well keep yourself in play. Also, it's basically out of play, but water does cut across the fairway about 225 yards from the green. 

The only real threat on the second is a bunker right, but it's pretty easy to avoid. The green is a different story. I was not expecting to find a Biarritz-like green here at Blue Ridge Shadows, but the sixteenth has one. True, it's lacking the flanking bunkers, but the green is extremely long and narrow, and the Biarritz swale running through the middle is definitely there. Well, not quite a swale, more like the green is separated into a high front section, low middle section, and high back section. But you definitely don't want to be on the wrong section; if you do, then you'll be lucky to two putt. This hole has an interesting green, it's just a shame the first half of the hole is so narrow.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole isn't very long, just 350 yards, but it's a hole you really do want to play carefully. With water right and a large fairway bunker left, there's not exactly much wiggle room on the tee shot. However, the farther you go, the better angle you'll have into the green, so there is at least some reason to use driver. Also, the fairway is wider if you lay up, though the stream crossing the fairway about 150-175 yards from the tee precludes you from being too careful. Hit a solid drive, and you'll have just a little wedge into the green, with water right and a bunker back left. It's still a bit too narrow, but at least this hole isn't long. You can use a long iron for safety on the tee and you're not overly punished for it.

The seventeenth hole. There's a chunk of fairway between the two trees right and the water that's maintained as fairway for no obvious reason. It's not like anyone could ever hit over there, not on purpose at least. Ah well, just another one of this course's little mysteries.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is an unusual way to end the round, and indicative of the back nine's poor routing. At just 310 yards, one would imagine this to be the gambling sort of par 4, where you can attempt to drive the green and make eagle, but no, this hole uses the creek in a different manner. The stream runs perpendicular to the rest of the hole, with the green on one side, wedged between water short and a rock wall long. It's a shallow target as well, with the back right portion its own separate tier. Basically, it's the sort of green you don't want to approach from 50 yards away, as it's pretty tough to get the height and spin you need to hold this green from so close. Ideally, you'd want a full wedge from 100 yards or so, but there are two large bunkers flanking the fairway right where you'd want to land your drive. And if there's one shot you really don't want, it's the 75-yard fairway bunker shot over water. I guess, at the end of the day, this hole did make me think, and that's better than nothing.

The eighteenth hole. That water in the bottom right corner shouldn't come into play if you're even slightly competent. (I was not slightly competent.)

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

Blue Ridge Shadows is a tale of two nines. The front nine is solid. Not spectacular, but I'd call it above average. I enjoyed it. The first and seventh holes I felt were very good.

The back nine, however, is not so good. In fact, I'd say it's actually pretty terrible. Poor routing, poor design choices, poor additions of artificial water hazards when a perfectly good natural water hazard was available. It gave me more than a whiff of Links at Gettysburg and the back nine of Glen Mills, and if you remember either of those reviews, the comparison is not one you want me to make. I wouldn't say this back nine is as egregiously offensive as Links at Gettysburg or as apocalyptically narrow as some of the holes at Glen Mills (though it is quite a coincidence that both this course and Glen Mills have a par 5 with a Biarritz-like green), but that's not exactly anything to celebrate. And the fourteenth hole finds its own special way to be absolutely terrible.

There is a bit of good news with Blue Ridge Shadows, at least, and that's price. Sure, we played during the week, but we started in the morning, and to walk this course, we paid $26 each. And while the course isn't exactly in country club shape, the conditions are just fine for a popular public course. I can put up with some dodgy design choices for that price, and besides, Blue Ridge Shadows certainly gave me plenty to talk about. The course isn't good, but it's never boring. So you know what? I'd honestly play it again. I think I'd even pick it over Shenandoah Valley, the other Front Royal course I've played. Blue Ridge Shadows will make you feel things. They won't all be good feelings, but you will definitely feel something about this course.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Against the Grain

The brewery: Idiom Brewing Company, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "Discover the bold flavors of Against the Grain, a distinct and refreshing American Wheat beer crafted to captivate your senses. This vibrant brew is a harmonious blend of traditional wheat beer smoothness and the exhilarating zest of hops. A blend of Comet, Amarillo, Citra and Sabro create a melange of bright citrus zest coupled with hints of wild forest berries, mango and nuanced notes of lime and a touch of coconut. Each sip of Against the Grain delivers a balanced and invigorating taste journey, perfect for hop enthusiasts and wheat beer lovers alike."

Would I buy it again? This is one of those beers where I'm of two minds on how I feel about it. On the one hand, it does what it sets out to do very well. It feels like a light, pleasant wheat beer, but it's also got the hoppy juiciness of an IPA. There's none of the usual IPA bitterness. But on the other hand, I'm just not that big into really hoppy beers. They're fine, on occasion, just to mix things up, but they're not a go-to for me. I guess that's where I'd classify this; I would buy it again, but only on occasion. 

Review: Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club (Part 1)

When it comes to scenery in the Mid-Atlantic, it's tough to beat the Blue Ridge Mountains. They're not the tallest mountains in the world, but there's just something about them that stirs the soul. Also, they're nearby, so it's easy for me to play a golf course that's both literally and figuratively in their shadows.

Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club is just north of Front Royal, Virginia, the northern terminus of Skyline Drive and the entryway to Shenandoah National Park. The course was built in 2007 by Tom Clark, a member of Ault Design (you can't go 5 feet in this part of the country without running into an Ault-associated golf course), and was actually recognized by Golf Digest as the sixth best new affordable public golf course that opened that year. Okay, that's not much of an accolade, but it's better than nothing, right? And the course looked fairly interesting on Google Maps (not to mention inexpensive), so on a warm day in early October, I thought I'd go and check the course out. Maybe Blue Ridge Shadows would turn out to be a bit of a hidden gem.

(Note: This course can play over 7,300 yards from the longest set of tees. All distances I mention will be from the blue tees, which are a much more reasonable 6,800 yards.)

The first hole is a mid-length par 4 that, somewhat annoyingly, features the best view on the course, with the northern end of Shenandoah National Park in full view from the tee. It's not the only mountain view you'll see during the round, but it's definitely the most notable. Anyway, the hole bends left between three bunkers – one left and two right – before dropping downhill toward the green. Also, there's an odd finger of fairway extending left until the left-side fairway bunker that I suppose could be used as a decent lay-up spot, as going left gives you a view of the green regardless of distance, whereas you need to hit at least 250 yards to get a solid look at the green from the right side. The green itself is squeezed between water left and a bunker right; there's a section of green near the water that's significantly lower than the rest of the green that will greatly complicate any putt that's not from the same section as the flag.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is a fairly short par 4 at 335 yards, but as it plays dramatically, if steadily, uphill, the hole effectively plays a lot longer. No one's reaching this green in two. The fairway bunker right can be carried pretty easily, but the bunker left is more threatening and best steered clear of. The green is pretty shallow, slightly domed, and pretty small, making it a tough target to hit, especially as it's pretty well hidden behind two more bunkers. It's definitely best to approach the green from the right side, which is fortunately also the more inviting place to be on the drive. Definitely think the hole would be better if the fairway bunker positions were switched and the right-side bunker was the one closer to where drives would land.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is 210 yards but plays shorter, as it heads back down the hill the second just climbed. There aren't any bunkers here, but there is some mounding short right that serves a similar purpose. The green's on the larger side, and while it's not as immediately interesting as the previous two holes, there's plenty of subtler undulations to it.

The third hole. Let's pretend like we can only see the ridge in the distance, not the massive road, the construction, or the Virginia Inland Port (yes, that's a real thing).

The third green.

The fourth hole is 520 yards and plays slightly but constantly uphill down a decidedly narrow fairway squeezed between O.B. and a large bunker left and a ravine right. Obviously, you can use a fairway wood off the tee, but then you'll be laying up with your second shot near two large fairway bunkers about 100 yards, which is also not ideal. And seeing as the fairway doesn't really get any narrower the further you go, I think driver is the play on this tee, unless you're 100% certain you'll hit the fairway with that wood. The green is small and partially obscured by a mound short left, and there's also a bunker right. 

The fourth hole from the fairway, since someone forgot to take a picture from the tee.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a 200-yard par 3, and this hole presents a much more difficult tee shot than the third. There's just one bunker, but it's pretty deep, and since the hole's fairly long, it's difficult to go directly over it. If you want to get close to the hole, you'll definitely want to hit a fade off of the tee. Fortunately, while the green is pretty small, it's also reasonably flat, so if you do hit the green, you stand a decent chance of making birdie.

The fifth hole.

The sixth hole is a fairly long 530 yard par 5, and the most immediate feature on the tee shot are the two large bunkers right of the fairway. There's plenty of space short of them, but if you want to make any real progress on this hole, you'll either need to skirt left of them or attempt to clear them altogether. If you've done that, you'll likely be able to clear the bunker left of the fairway about 100 yards from the green, and your third will be a pretty easy pitch shot to a wide-open green. Of course, if you don't hit the fairway, this hole becomes much more difficult, with both sand and trees threatening the golfer. Accuracy is important here, more so than length.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is a mid-length par 4 that plays downhill initially to a rolling and undulating fairway with trees on both sides. Missing left is okay, since the slope will take you back down to the fairway, but missing the fairway at all right will result in the opposite. Don't miss right is the key takeaway. Of course, the green is more accessible from the right side. It's not an inviting target, the seventh green, as the approach is significantly uphill, there's a bit of a false front, the green slopes significantly from back to front, and there's a deep bunker front left. Also, the green's pretty small and shallow. This is probably my favorite hole at Blue Ridge Shadows, it uses the land well and presents a challenge without being overbearing about it.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is apparently a really tough hole, if my brother and I are anything to go by. It doesn't look tough: Wide fairway, no hazards, and while the hole's not short at 410 yards, it's far from long either. However, the green is a different story. It doesn't look intimidating. There are no bunkers, just a bit of mounding. But the green is small and not very receptive, and subtly slopes from left to right. It's not much, but it was enough to completely bamboozle my brother and I. We both made double bogey here, which was just so completely silly on both our parts. It's not a long or difficult hole, we're just a bit dumb.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is a mid-length par 4 playing pretty dramatically downhill. The fairway curves left after passing through a gateway of bunkers, and it does so closer to the tee than you might expect. If you want to hit driver on this hole, you'll need to go straight over the left-side fairway bunker, flirting with the O.B. Otherwise, you'll just go straight through the fairway and down into a ravine. While you have to contend with sand if you lay back with a fairway wood, you will have a level stance for your second shot. Play aggressively, and you'll just have a little wedge down to the green, which is pretty inviting, with the lone bunker back behind the green.

The ninth hole.

Approaching 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: Munich Helles

The brewery: Steinhardt Brewing Company, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "A clean, smooth, golden lager. This is a slightly malty beer that is very easy drinking. The Munich Helles was introduced in 1894 and set the 'Gold' standard for lagers."

Would I buy it again? This was exactly what I want from a lager. Pleasantly malty with very little in the way of hoppiness, it was light and easy to drink while maintaining that nice breadiness a good lager should have. I would absolutely buy this again, and since Steinhardt is a brewery I actually go to semi-regularly, I probably actually will.

Cider of the Week

The cider: 1911 Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged Hard Cider

The cidery: Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, Lafayette, New York

Description (from Untappd): "Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged Hard Cider is the first limited release in our elevated Masters’ Series. Patient attention to detail was the key ingredient to creating truly unique flavor profiles in this line up of ciders. MBBAHC is a sweet cider that has been years in the making."

Would I buy it again? It may only be the first weekend in August, but the fall beers are already coming out. Of course, this isn't a beer, but you try to tell me that a maple-flavored hard cider isn't at least a little autumnal. 

Anyway, I'm glad I didn't wait any longer, because this thing is absolutely incredible. Quite possibly the best hard cider I've ever had. The maple hits instantly, and the sweet cider flavor follows it up perfectly. And best of all, since it's a cider and therefore relatively light, it doesn't even feel bad to drink it on a hot summer day. I really hope I can find more of this, because I'd buy more in a heartbeat.