Beer of the Week

The beer: Wamcat Light

Brewed by: Rough Edges Brewing, Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

Description (from Untappd): "Named for our friends from the Tomstown and Quincy areas, this light lager was brewed with pilsner malt and flaked corn for a light color and dry finish with little bitterness."

Would I buy it again? Pretty much any beer is great when you get it for half price (I got this during a kick the keg special). But yes, this is a solid beer. Obviously it isn't anything fancy, but for a light lager it had a surprisingly deep maltiness to it. Nothing extraordinary, but this was clearly not watered-down swill for the masses. If they bring it back, I'd definitely get it again.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Heady Topper

The brewery: The Alchemist Brewery, Stowe, Vermont

Description (from BeerAdvocate): "Heady Topper is an American double IPA. This beer is not intended to be the biggest or most bitter. It is meant to give you wave after wave of hoppy goodness on your palate. Tremendous amounts of American hops will creep up on you, and leave you with a dense hoppy finish in you mouth. So drinkable, it's scary. Sometimes I wish I could crawl right into the can.

Freshness and control have always been my main concern when it comes to our beer. We are committed to providing you with an unfiltered and unpasteurized hop experience. Why do I recommend that you drink it from the can? Quite simply, to ensure a delightful hop experience. The act of pouring it in a glass smells nice, but it releases the essential hop aromas that we have work so hard to retain.

If you MUST pour it into a glass, you may find that some of the hop resins have settled to the bottom -- leave them in the can while pouring. This beer is perishable, and at its best when it is young, fresh and hazy. Keep it cold, but not ice cold. Drink this beer immediately, we are always making more."

Would I buy it again? Alas, I had to commit a great beer crime to get this picture, but this is the second Heady Topper I've had; the first was drunk properly from the can. And my opinion on a beer that's was rated in 2018 as the fourth-best beer in the world and still carries a perfect score on BeerAdvocate? 

I mean, it's good – juicy, hoppy, and pretty easy to drink – but one of my favorites? No. I am not, and never will be, an IPA guy.

To be clear though, neither example I had were at their prime, having gone through what my friend described as "refrigerator aging." A polite term for "they've been sitting around longer than I'd care to admit." I mean, free beer is free beer, and you do not turn down a beer with its own Wikipedia page, no matter how old. However, what I did drink was good enough that I would definitely consider buying a fresh one. If it's this good so far past its prime, I can only imagine what its like fresh from the brewery.

Review: The Bridges Golf Club (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is 420 yards and pretty much feels like a longer version of the first hole. The drive is extremely wide open, and since the hole's got an extra 50 yards to it, the stream that crosses the fairway  a hundred yards short of the green isn't a concern. The lone greenside bunker front right is reasonably threatening though, and the green itself does have a fair amount of back-to-front tilt. Still, a little too much like a copy-paste of the first hole, in my opinion.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole, on the other hand, is actually a pretty solid and fun golf hole. It's a 180-yard par 3 with a narrow green carved out of a hillside. There are two bunkers right which function both as hazards and as a means of catching slightly wayward shots from bounding down into the trees further right. Also, this green's got some interesting contours and isn't just a basic back-to-front proposition. I do wish the hole was slightly shorter, as this would be an excellent candidate for a genuine short par 3, but I'll take what I can get.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is a fairly short par 4 at 350 yards, and while it may appear to be as wide open as most of the previous holes, there's actually something to pay attention to on the drive here. Two staggered bunkers eat into the fairway right where a driver would land, so if you want a short pitch into the green, you'll have to thread the needle between those bunkers. The green is open in front but is flanked by one large bunker left and two tiny little bunkers right. Also, there's a tree guarding the front-right corner that I imagine does an excellent job of interfering with approaches hit from right of the fairway.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 that plays uphill to a partially blind fairway, with a completely blind water hazard about 275 yards out essentially cutting the fairway in half. Everyone's favorite, blind water hazards. At least you can see it from the previous green, so you know it's coming, and the scorecard does give a distance to it. Theoretically, you could squeeze between the water and the trees left, but we're talking about a gap of like 15 yards. Not something you can depend on. A 3 wood is fine on the tee and should give you a short iron second shot. The green's pressed up against a boundary line with a single bunker left; the approach is open and right isn't a terrible miss.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is quite a short par 4 at 325 yards, but since it plays uphill the green really isn't within reach. Also, driver is a very bad play, since the margin for error is so tiny. Big trees overhang the right side, and a bunker and more trees cut in from the left; unless you've got a long fade at your disposal, this is definitely long iron time. That leaves a wedge into the green, which is on the narrower side, sloped pretty significantly from back to front, and protected by a large bunker to the right. Given it's length, this isn't the birdie opportunity you'd think it would be.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a 535-yard par 5 and is definitely the best hole on the course. The hole is mostly blind, with the fairway falling out of sight about 225 yards out. That's not a big carry, but with O.B. right and forest left, the landing area is relatively narrow, certainly narrower than most of the holes The Bridges presents. If you can carry past the top of the hill, you'll be rewarded with a massive kick forward, potentially bringing the green into reach with the second. If not, the second shot has to contend with a massive right-to-left sideslope that dominates the second half of the hole, as well as a bunker about 50 yards short that's perfectly placed to catch overly ambitious lay-ups. The green is pretty small, with a single bunker left. Not the most exciting end to a fun hole, but this isn't that sort of golf course.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is just over 200 yards but does play significantly downhill, making it play a bit shorter than the scorecard indicates. The green has a fair amount of slopes and breaks to it, and there are two bunkers left. There's also a pond back right lurking in the background, but you'd either have to significantly overclub and slice or virtually shank your tee shot to get to it. It looks more intimidating than it actually is.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is a little bit awkward when you step onto the tee, as the tee's angled well away from the fairway, pointing more at the twelfth fairway than its own. Also, there are a couple of small trees about 30 yards away that come uncomfortably close to the line you want to take. Beyond that, this 370-yard par 4 is relatively straightforward. The fairway's pretty open, and the pond that does come in from the right is basically out of range unless you're a long hitter. The green is pretty big and has some significant undulation, so if you can't get your second shot close, three putting is a distinct possibility. 

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The Bridges closes things out with a 540-yard 5 that plays parallel with the ninth, with the teeing grounds literally 20 feet apart from each other. I actually overheard a brief heated discussion when I was walking away from the eleventh green where one group accused another group of jumping in front of them, only to realize that they were the ones who were standing on the wrong tee. Anyway, the fairway negotiates the same rolling ground as the ninth, with a bunker guarding the corner of the dogleg. Carry that bunker, and you could go for the green in two. The green is pretty small though, and protected quite closely by two large bunkers, so a lay-up is likely the more prudent play. It's a decent way to finish out the round; not too easy, but birdie is a distinct possibility.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

The Bridges is far from being the worst course in the world. It's also far from the best. Our amateur architects built a distinctly average golf course, with a couple fun, interesting holes and a couple weird, not-so-good holes. I really did enjoy the fifteenth. All in all, though, The Bridges doesn't really rise above the numerous pleasant yet forgettable layouts dotting the south-central Pennsylvania countryside. Well, except for the Links at Gettysburg, but moldy bread is more appealing than that place.

The price was fine, being sub $40, but there are cheaper options (namely Gettysburg National). Maintenance was also fine, and the course was in good shape, but at that point in mid-April, if you can't grow grass and have your golf course looking lush, you're kind of doing something wrong. In the end, there's nothing wrong with The Bridges, and it's a perfectly reasonable place to play if you're looking for a round, but there's no good reason for me to go back.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Some 'Mores

The brewery: Rough Edges Brewing, Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

Description (from Untappd): "There is nothing better than sitting around the campfire making S'Mores ... except maybe drinking them. We conditioned our cream ale on chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows."

Would I buy it again? This is a perfect beer for early fall. It's light, which makes it great for those warm evenings, but it's got plenty of s'mores flavor to it, a distinct reminder of the fall chill to come. If I had to criticize, I think there's a little too much marshmallow and not quite enough chocolate, but that's a minor nitpick toward what is otherwise a quality beer. I hope it sticks around a while, because I'd definitely buy it again.

Review: The Bridges Golf Club (Part 1)

If you've driven down Route 30 between Gettysburg and York, Pennsylvania, then you know The Bridges. In a similar vein to Rich Valley nestling up right next to I-81, The Bridges sits right alongside Route 30, and is similarly alluring to golfers driving past. I can't exactly say I go past this course on a regular basis, but I've done it enough times that it honestly really bugged me that I'd never played it. The course is right there, right next to a major road, not very far away from where I live, but I just never committed. After a while, it felt like The Bridges and I were a couple of old acquaintances who only ever see each other at big social events who always say to each other "hey, we should totally hang out some day" with both sides knowing perfectly well they're never actually going to make those plans.

Well, score one for committing to a plan, because I finally got around to playing The Bridges. And that's about all I have for preamble, since there's really no background for this course. The people who own the course designed it, which I guess is kind of neat, building your own golf course, but unless your name is George Crump and you've enlisted a half-dozen architects to give you advice, amateur-built golf courses aren't usually a recipe for success. But who knows, maybe the Altland brothers cooked up something interesting? Let's find out.

The first hole starts things off in mild, if entirely unspectacular fashion. It's a 375-yard par 4, playing gently downhill until the fairway meets a small creek cutting across the hole a hundred yards short of the green. Longer hitters will probably want to use a long iron or fairway wood. That will leave a wedge into the green, which is about as bland as you could imagine. Gently sloped from back to front, pretty much circular, and with bunkers on both sides. It's very, very far from being the most inspired green complex of all time. Still, this hole presents a pretty decent chance of starting out with a birdie.

The first hole.

The first green.

I'd hesitate to call the second hole good, but at the very least it is more interesting than the first. At 340 yards, the hole's pretty short, but the fairway bends 90 degrees left about 225 yards out, which pretty effectively takes driver out of your hands. Being able to sling a hook around the trees is obviously very helpful, as it gets you closer to the green and gives you a much flatter stance. It's not a big deal, since the hole's not very long, but it's something. The green here is up on a hill behind three bunkers, and while it's more interesting than the first, we're not talking anything revolutionary. Just a small tier running through the middle. Hey, anything's better than nothing.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is just over 400 yards, and other than there being O.B. vaguely left, there's not much on the tee shot here. And that goes for the second shot as well; aside from a greenside bunker left, the approach is pretty simple and the green is basically flat. This is just kind of a bland, straightaway mid-length par 4 with very little to make it stand out.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is the first par 3 at The Bridges, playing 190 yards downhill to a fairly large green with sand on both sides. This green does have some internal contours to it, with the back of the green being particularly tilted. Nothing revolutionary or even all that exciting, but it's better than anything the first three holes present. 

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a pretty short par 5 at just 475 yards, but it's not as reachable as you might think, as we're confronted with the second 90-degree dogleg in five holes. You've got maybe 225 yards before the fairway bends hard right, so if you play safely, the green is out of reach in two. However, if you can hit a big high slice, you can cut the corner and leave yourself with just a long iron second. Finally, a tee shot made for me. That said, even if you do play aggressive, this green isn't one you'll be hitting in two, not without some extraordinary precision. The green is 30-40 feet up with bunkers on either side and a grass bunker directly in front. The green's also pretty shallow, although it is sloped pretty sharply from back to front. If you can hit it, it'll probably stay on, but actually doing that from 200 yards out is a challenging proposition. 

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is about the same length as the third hole at a little over 400 yards and plays similarly straight along a relatively open fairway, but this hole feels better because of the more interesting topography. The landing area is partially blind as it crests the top of a hill, and if you don't get far enough on the tee shot, the second shot is also blind. The green is on the small side and sloped pretty significantly from back to front. My second shot ended up about 40 feet right of the hole, and my birdie putt had more than 5 feet of right-to-left break to it. Also, because the green's been built up so much, missing long is pretty much instant death. Not a difficult hole, but there is at least a little thought required.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is a not very exciting longish par 3 playing 210 yards to a medium-sized green with a fairly large bunker right. The green itself is also not particularly exciting. This is a hole that's just kind of there.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is 560 yards, making it the longest hole on the course. The safe play on the tee is out to the left, avoiding the trees in the corner of the dogleg, but that adds quite a bit of length onto an already pretty long hole. It also brings water into play on the second shot, as a pond lurks left of this fairway about 100-150 yards from the green. A more aggressive drive can take that water out of the equation. The green here is quite small and is protected by two bunkers, one of which absolutely screwed my third shot. My wedge was a little weak and to the right, and I figured it would end up in the right bunker. But oh no, to my great surprise the ball bounced about 30 yards up and away, sailing way over the green into a spot where getting close to the hole was virtually impossible. Turns out that out of all the bunkers on the course, this one lone bunker has a wooden lining along the top edge, and I hit the unlucky lottery. I won't claim to be great out of bunkers, but I could have gotten up and down for par from the bunker. I could not do so from where my golf ball ended up. It's probably not the worst break I've ever gotten, but it's definitely up there.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green. You can see the wood lining my golf ball ricocheted off of on top of the right-side bunker. Why does that bunker need a wooden lip? Who knows? 

The ninth hole is the longest par 4 at The Bridges, playing 430 yards. The drive is extremely wide open, though the fairway does traverse some nice rolling topography as it bends left toward the green. A solid drive should leave just a short iron second. While the bunker front right looks intimidating, the green slopes pretty hard from back left to front right, which means the bunker is probably the best place to miss, especially if the flag is cut on the left side. Chips from the left side will definitely roll out more than you'd like.

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.