Beer of the Week

The beer: Scallywag

Brewed by: Thick-N-Thin Brewing Company, Hagerstown, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "Light, refreshing golden ale with blood orange, key lime and sea salt."

Would I buy it again? When I bought this beer, I knew nothing about it other then that it was a shandy, and since it was a warm day, it felt like a great choice. I was expecting this to have a strong lemon flavor, not orange. I know they're both citrus, but lemon works better for beer when it's a dominant flavor. The orange in this just didn't really work for me. I would not buy this again.

Review: The Architects Golf Club (Part 1)

Nearly 8 years ago, I did a review of McCullough's Emerald Golf Links, a collection of replica holes based on the best golf holes from across the pond in Great Britain. It was a solid enough golf course, if a bit underwhelming. Little did I know, though, that New Jersey was hiding a second tribute golf course, one with a concept equally as intriguing, at Architects Golf Club, located just across the border from Pennsylvania.

As the name implies, rather than each hole being a replica of another, more famous hole, each hole at Architects pays homage to the style of a famous Golden Age architect (mostly, there are a few exceptions). So, there's a hole in the style of C.B. Macdonald, a hole in the style of William Flynn, and so on. At least, that's the idea. Whether or not the execution is there is another story, as some of the selected architects have notoriously difficult styles to pin down. But hopefully Architects will provide some fun, since it at least has some ambition behind it.

The first hole is in the style of Old Tom Morris, which right off the bat represents a challenge. While Old Tom is considered one of the first true golf course architects, to say he had a design style is really pushing it. He had no complex tools and worked with what the land offered in the most sincere expression of that phrase. Also, you know, he only worked with British linksland, not an old farm in northern New Jersey. So, interpreting his design into a single hole could really take any form.

What we have is a shortish par 5, playing 510 yards gently downhill to a wide fairway with several bunkers scattered around the edges. I will give it this; there are plenty of points where the green is blind, which is honest to Old Tom's style. He had to work around blindness, and so does this hole. For those laying up, there's a left-side fairway bunker about 75 yards short of the green to think about, and for those going for the green in two, there a small pot bunker with sod walls (naturally) right in front with another more traditional bunker right. The green itself isn't too interesting, though it isn't dead flat either.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is a par 3 in the style of C.B. Macdonald, and the homage is a pretty obvious Eden. The hole is 195 yards but plays uphill, with deep bunkers left and front right, along with a hidden bunker behind. The green is sloped severely from back to front, making putts from above the hole very treacherous. Of course, the back of the green is the safe place to play, as the two bunkers in front make a more aggressive tee shot much more hazardous. No complaints about this hole, this is an honest and pretty solid interpretation of a Macdonald staple.

The second hole.

The third hole is another par 5, this one 520 yards and inspired by Hugh Wilson, who doesn't have many golf course credits to his name, but of those few, one obviously stands out: Merion. I've never played Merion (duh), so I'll just have to judge this hole on its own merits, and it's solid enough. To bring the green into reach on the second, a pair of bunkers must be cleared on the drive; bail out right and you'll have a terrible angle at the green, not to mention the small clump of trees guarding the right side of the fairway up in the lay-up zone. That isn't the only difficulty presented for those laying up, as there's another bunker left and two right extending from about 75 yards short most of the way to the green. The green isn't spectacular, but there's a greenside bunker left and a big falloff long and right, so accuracy is important.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is a long par 4 at 440 yards, and it's in the style of Devereux Emmet, which of course got my brothers and I very interested. Of all the Golden Age architects, Emmet is the one we know best. So, does this feel like an Emmet? Sort of, I'll say. The big cross-bunker is reminiscent of hazards on other Emmet courses, particularly the 13th at Leatherstocking. The green is a different story. On the surface, yes, Emmet courses often did have mounding around their greens, and this green does have slightly interesting contours. But I just don't know, it isn't quite right to me. It's close, but not completely there.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is an homage to Walter Travis, who did the Country Club of Troy and Cape Arundel. Not his most famous work (that would likely be Garden City, which of course was originally by Devereux Emmet), but two very well-respected golf courses, particularly Cape Arundel and its wild greens. That, more than the heavy bunker scheme, is what Travis was known for, and while the heavy bunkering and mounding around the fairway of this 355-yard par 4 is solid and fun, there are plenty of non-Travis examples of similar holes. In particular, this hole reminds me of the last hole at Bedford Springs. Same length, same preponderance of bunkers, roughly similar green. It's a solid hole, honestly, but without a wild green it has to fail as a tribute to Walter Travis.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a tiny little par 3, playing under 150 yards from the tips. It's downhill as well, so you really don't need much on the tee shot here. However, the green is small and surrounded by deep bunkers, with a steep falloff behind leading into forest. It's supposed to be a tribute to H.S. Colt and C.H. Alison, but since I'm completely unfamiliar with either of them (Colt never did work in the US, and unless Timber Point gets restored, Alison's surviving work in this country is pretty much all private), I can pretty much only judge this as a fun little short par 3. It's a likeable hole and honestly one of the best on the course.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is the A.W. Tillinghast tribute hole, and if you know anything about Tillinghast's work, you'll know that distilling him down to a single hole is an effort in futility. A Tillinghast course can look like pretty much anything; he had no distinct style or calling card. But Architects tried to copy him anyway.

What they came up with is a mid-length par 4 with a tee shot playing through a chute of trees to an initially wide fairway below. A 3 wood or long iron will find the wide part of the fairway, but if you're feeling aggressive, you can try to thread a faded driver into a narrow gap guarded by bunkers on both sides. Do that, and the second will be a wedge; the safe play on the tee shot will leave a short or mid iron into the green, which is elevated and protected by two bunkers. Each bunker on this hole is supposed to refer to the bunkers from a different Tillinghast course, but they kind of just look like bunkers to me. Not every replica can be a winner. 

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

Speaking of not capturing the spirit of the architect, the eighth hole is pretty clearly the worst attempt Architects has to offer. This is supposed to be the homage to Seth Raynor, student of C.B. Macdonald and template hole extraordinaire. This would seem to be the easiest architect to copy for Architects' entire gimmick and yet, they screwed it up. 

The eighth hole is a mid-length par 3 playing uphill to a two-tiered green with several bunkers left. I suppose the bunkers are kind of geometric and hard-edged, but in no way does this resemble a hole Seth Raynor would have built. It just doesn't. A Redan would have worked; the tee shot approached the hillside in the appropriate diagonal fashion, and an uphill Redan would capture the traditional lower angle of approach that marked the original. That would have been a cool hole. Instead, we got something kind of boring and not related to Seth Raynor in any meaningful way.

The eighth hole.

The eighth hole.

The ninth hole is a long par 4, playing an uphill 450 yards, and is an homage to Donald Ross. Ross is another tricky one to try and emulate; he certainly had a style, unlike Tillinghast, but it was generally subtle and conservative, fitting the land. Which makes sense, considering how many courses he's responsible for. So basically, as long as you don't do anything really flashy, you can make pretty much anything a tribute to Donald Ross.

The tee shot here has to go past a pair of top-shot bunkers (which is a very Ross feature, to be fair) and needs to be hit with driver to get to the top of the hill. From there, the second shot appeared to be quite difficult, with a bunker right of the green and a pond short and left. However, while left is pretty clearly dead, there is a bit of visual deception at play with the pond short of the green; there's actually 10-20 yards of space between the water of the green. Not a huge amount of space, but far from nothing. And the green itself is actually kind of interesting, with a trench sort of cutting across the green diagonally. The front left and back portions are elevated, making hole locations on those sections quite tricky. It's apparently based on drawing from Mr. Ross, which explains why it's so much more interesting than the greens we've seen before. Overall, I think this hole is a decent facsimile of a Ross design.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll check out the back nine.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Patagonia Provisions Kernza® Lager

The brewery: Tröegs Brewing Company, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Description (from the website): "This is the start of a new brewing project in our small-batch beers. In partnership with Patagonia Provisions, a portion of select beer’s malt bills will use the regenerative perennial grain Kernza®. The plant’s deep roots, high yield and long life are positively impacting both agriculture and the environment. The clothing company’s side focus on cuisine has a goal to benefit soil and a sustainable food chain. 

Our first-ever time using the wheatgrass grain is in a Helles lager. As 15% of the grain bill, Kernza® combines with organic Pilsner malt to build a crisp backbone. Lightly hopped with organic Perle hops, this wildly drinkable lager has notes of rustic crackers, bright wildflowers and a touch of grassiness."

Would I buy it again? Doesn't everyone love a beer with a copyright symbol in the name? Yeah, yeah, reserved, I know. The point stands. 

This is still Troegs, though, a brewery who is extremely good at making both beer and lagers specifically. It's a good light beer, pleasant and easy to drink. The only issue is that they have so many beers in that niche that this one sort of falls through the cracks. I wouldn't say no to getting it again, but there are more interesting choices.

A Viking of Infinite Morbidity, of Most Severe Sinus Infection

In life, the Vikings had a reputation as fearsome warriors. A reputation perhaps only partially warranted, considering their extensive trade network that spread across the entirety of Europe, but there is no denying that for hundreds of years, the prospect of Viking attack put a chill into the hearts of millions of medieval Europeans.

In death, however, the multitude of Vikings buried at Varnhem Abbey in Sweden are much the same as any other thousand-year-old skeleton: frail and brittle. This presents a challenge to scientists who wish to study the bodies, as most methods of analysis are incredibly invasive, and the methods that aren’t, such as a strictly visual analysis, are very limited. It’s difficult to tell how a thousand-year-old Viking lived and died simply by looking at their bones.

A team from the University of Gothenburg may have a middle ground — a way to look deeply into the heart of a Viking skeleton without dragging it into the lab and dissecting it. In a study published in British Dental Journal Open, the researchers examined a set of skulls from fifteen individuals buried at Varnhem using computed tomography, or CT scans. The CT machine takes a series of x-rays and forms a 3D image, allowing the researchers to dive deep into the skeletal remains without actually disturbing them in any physical way.

“While we can't study the damage in the soft tissue because it's no longer there, we can see the traces left in the skeletal structures,” study coauthor Carolina Bertilsson said in a press release.

And what did the Swedish researchers find specifically in the remains they analyzed? Quite a lot, actually. Perhaps unsurprisingly for a group of people living hundreds of years before the advent of modern medicine, the Vikings of Varnhem had quite a few medical problems. Far more than anticipated. Through CT scans, the researchers were able to identify osteoarthritis, various oral diseases, cysts, and even sinus and ear infections in almost all the individuals they examined.

Of course, while the work of archaeologists has undeniably become easier, there is a crucial downside to the new research: Somehow, Hamlet delivering his famed soliloquy to a 3D model of Yorick’s skull on a computer screen lacks the je nais se quois that Shakespeare intended. And somehow it seems unlikely that the local theater company will be able to rent out a CT machine every time they want to perform Hamlet. It’s either that or hospitals will have to start doubling as playhouses.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Baby Bear Oatmeal Stout

The brewery: Hub City Brewery, Hagerstown, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "Our oatmeal stout is loaded with flavor. An addition of oats to the mash leads to a silky and smooth mouthfeel and full-bodied beer. The dark roasted grain bill is reminiscent of coffee and dark chocolate."

Would I buy it again? There are definitely strong hints of coffee to this beer. Not overwhelming, but very noticeable. Overall, I found this to be a nice beer to drink. I don't know how often I'll get it in the coming months, since it's not exactly the beer you want on a hot summer afternoon, but I would buy it again.

Review: Neshanic Valley Golf Course (Lake Nine)

It's time to check out the Lake Nine at Neshanic Valley, go here to see the Meadow Nine. Also, since the course treats each nine as its own entity, I will do the same, so we're going to go one through nine again.

The first hole of the Lake Nine is 435 yards, which is on the longer side for par 4s, but as the hole plays dramatically downhill it doesn't feel quite that long. The fairway is pretty wide, but with three fairway bunkers left and a sharp slope leading down into a native area right, there isn't a huge margin for error if you are a bit wayward off the tee. The second shot is a short iron down to a green filled with broad undulations protected by two bunkers left, with the native area lurking off to the right.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is not a long par 4 at 360 yards, but it features a tee shot over a marshy native area to a fairway well protected by three fairway bunkers, with the marsh continuing to threaten right. Because the hole is not long, the best play is a 3 wood or long iron out to the wide part of the fairway out left; this will leave a wedge or at most short iron into the green. You'll even have a better angle that if you try to squeeze a driver between the bunkers and native area. So, no reason at all to be aggressive, as you don't gain anything from it. Play for par here and move on.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is a mid-length par 3 benched comfortably into a hillside. The green is fairly narrow and sloped from right to left, though the most noticeable feature of the hole is the large and very deep bunker covering the entire left side of the green. Missing right may leave you with an awkward stance on the chip, but if you're not confident out of bunkers, it's easily the better place to miss. It's a pretty simple hole, but a solid one nonetheless. 

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole a long par 4 at 460 yards, and it's a tough one too. The fairway is generous, but with multiple bunkers right and a native area left, there isn't much in the way of wiggle room. To make matters more difficult, the last fairway bunker drastically narrows the fairway right at the point where many people will hit their driver. Of course, one could use a 3 wood to give yourself more space, but that really does turn this hole into a par 5.

Provided you do hit a solid drive, the second shot will be a long iron to a fairly open target. The green is large and slightly punchbowl-like, gathering slightly wayward shots and bringing them in closer. There's a bunker left, but plenty of fairway and open space right if you're looking for a bailout. I would say this is a good example of the Robert Trent Jones maxim of "hard par, easy bogey."

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is nearly 600 yards from the tips and routed straight into the prevailing wind, which was blowing quite strongly for us. No getting to this one in two. Obviously, the lake left of the fairway is attention grabbing, but it's not as in play as you might think; even a mediocre driver will get past it. What it does to is encourage you to play out to the right, which brings a pair of fairway bunkers into the equation. The smart choice is to ignore your instincts and favor the left side.

While there is no grand decision to make on the second shot, it does have to negotiate three large fairway bunkers scattered around the lay-up zone, so simply blasting away isn't a great idea. And while the green is bunkerless, it is far from an easy proposition. A swale of sorts eats into the left center of the green, and all the slopes feed toward it. Front hole locations are particularly tricky here, as the green slopes away, making it difficult to get even a wedge to stop close to the hole. The fifth isn't a hole for the thinkers, but there is something to do on every shot, which is something a lot of par 5s struggle with. This is no easy task and no birdie hole, so I do appreciate it for that, at least.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a mid-length par 4 that doglegs hard right around a large fairway bunker. The fairway turns about 250 yards out, so if you want to comfortably hit driver without worrying about running out of fairway, you do need to challenge the dogleg. Carry the bunker and you'll have just a wedge into the green, which is also bunkerless but does have a subtle front-to-back slope to it. A careful second shot, landing just short of the green, will work well here.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole isn't a particularly long par 4 at 380 yards, but with bunkers down the left side and water lining the right, there isn't much room for error on the tee shot. Of course, since the hole does bend left, you can use driver to try and cut the corner, but that brings both the water and sand more into play, since the fairway is narrower the further you go. A 3 wood to the heart of the fairway is the safe play, followed by a wedge or short iron into the green, which has water right and a bunker short left.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a fairly long par 3 at 220 yards, and while the tee shot looks intimidating with the water right and short, it isn't quite as in play as you think. The small bunker right of the green is really the most important hazard here, as I'm confident not too many people overclub enough on a hole this long to find the back bunker. The green is tilted pretty sharply from back to front, so it's definitely beneficial to leave the ball below the hole.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is not a tremendously long hole on paper, playing 525 yards from the tips, but on a rapidly cooling evening with a fresh wind straight into our faces, even a par 5 of modest length can become a long slog. The fairway is pretty wide, though there are three bunkers scattered around and O.B. left to catch big hooks. A good drive is vital in order to carry a strip of native area cutting directly across the fairway about 150 yards out from the green. Obviously, carrying 400 yards in two shots isn't usually a big deal, but in adverse weather conditions, even that can become difficult.

Once you cross the native area, the hole climbs dramatically, with two cross-bunkers from the right cutting in about 20 yards short of the green to give long hitters something to think about on their second shots. The green is medium sized and a bit lumpy, with bunkers short left and long right. In better conditions, I don't imagine this hole is tough, since it's very wide, but through in cold and 20 MPH winds and even this hole can wreak havoc.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

Neshanic Valley is obviously a very different animal to Hendricks Field and has very different strengths and weaknesses. This is a beefy, broad-shouldered sort of golf course, whereas Hendricks Field is much smaller scale and ultimately easier. That said, I generally enjoyed them about the same; they're both good golf courses, but both lack something to really elevate them beyond that level.

In Neshanic Valley's case, it feels like a golf course I've played before. You could switch out a hole from a course like Worthington Manor or Dauphin Highlands and place it here, and it would fit in just fine. You'd never know you'd added in a puzzle piece from a golf course a couple hundred miles away, because they're all basically the same. A solid, pleasant modern design, not overly tricky but far from easy, somewhat lacking in pizzazz or charm. The whiff of upscale daily-fee "country club for a day" is strong here. Yes, it is a fairly affordable round – $75 with cart included isn't terrible, especially considering where Neshanic Valley is – and unlike the municipal courses closer to New York City, getting a round here wasn't an exercise in futility, but still, this isn't a course I'd go out of my way to play again. The golf here is good but relatively uninspired, with no real standout or memorable holes. You'll have a good round here, but not a great one.