Beer of the Week

The beer: Maximilian

Brewed by: Hofbräuhaus Traunstein, Traunstein, Bavaria, Germany

Description (from the Brauhaus Schmitz website): "Dark fiery color, velvety soft to drink. An unforgettable intense malty flavor of toasty aromas, caramel and a delicate hint of chocolate. Dark – strong – powerful. Already a beer legend."

Would I buy it again? This is the second doppelbock I had at Brauhaus Schmitz, and this one is much more traditional than Aventinus. Very dark, very malty, very good. Everything you could ever hope for in a doppelbock and more. If I ever see it out in the world and not at one specific restaurant, I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

Review: Tot Hill Farm Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Tot Hill Farm, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is about 360 yards, and the first impression you get on the tee here is of the rock wall on top of the ridge that extends well out into the fairway. While it provides a good deal of visual intimidation, it doesn't factor in all that much, as a driver can easily clear it and reach the widest part of the fairway. That will leave just a wedge slightly uphill to a very precarious elevated green that falls away on all sides. We're not talking about some small falloffs eithers, we're talking anywhere from 15 to 30-plus feet. You miss this green in the wrong place and you're staring at a very, very large number. I speak from experience on that one. Ping-ponging back and forth across the green as I vainly attempted to get a chip to stay put was not an enjoyable experience. I think you could even end up on the twelfth green if you were unlucky enough — it wasn't the case for our round, but the tenth and twelfth greens have been connected in the past.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is 185 yards from the tips, and while it does play a bit downhill, there's no getting around the fact that this is quite a long hole for the challenge this hole provides. The green, while quite large, falls away into hazards on all sides; it's effectively an island. There is no leeway either, as the banks are cut closely enough that balls will roll into the hazard. Ultimately, the green is less of an issue than the length of the hole; if this hole was 145 yards, it'd be fine. With a mid iron in hand, though, it becomes kind of unreasonable.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

This seemed like as good a time as any to demonstrate the absolutely labyrinthine routing of the back nine. I don't think I could adequately describe it in words. I have no doubt that this was probably the best option, but still, this is not a good routing. 

The twelfth hole is a mid-length par 4 and Tot Hill Farm's variation of the infamous fishhook hole that Mike Strantz loves so much. The fairway, while not exactly narrow, feels a bit claustrophobic with the pond left and trees right. Still, you obviously want to favor the left side to give yourself a shorter shot, and if you use a 3 wood, you can end up in the widest portion of the fairway. That will leave a wedge or short iron over the water to a peninsula green jutting far out into the pond. A miss long right will run back down onto the green, which is undulating to a reasonable degree. I have to say, this hole concept is more fun as a par 5; here, there's no incentive to gamble and the hole becomes a simple matter of "execute drive, execute second shot."

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is video game golf brought into the real world. This 160-yard par 3 plays alongside a rocky (boy, are there rocks) stream, which lines the entire right side of the hole and presents a thoroughly formidable hazard. A grassy and rocky (naturally) hillside protects the left side. Then there's the green, which is very long, quite narrow, and features multiple sections divided by gigantic tiers; there's probably six or so feet of elevation change from top to bottom of this green. And we didn't even see this green in its final form, as there's a back right shelf that could be maintained as green but wasn't for our round. Trying to get a ball back to that hole location would be an absolute nightmare. Simply put, this hole is silly. The rocks were more than enough, I don't quite understand why we also needed to through the most insane green on the course here as well.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is 460 yards from the tips (and a much more modest 360 yards from the tees most people will play), and plays to a fairway that is the very definition of sprawling. Seriously, it's all over the place, though it is pinched in significantly by rocks about 250-300 yards out from the back tees. Of course, we're still talking about 40 yards or so, so a driver into that narrow spot is perfectly okay. And you do want to be as close to this green as possible, as the approach here is the real challenge. The green, while quite large, is sloped significantly from left to right and falls away at the front and right toward a steep-walled valley. If you're unlucky, your ball will run a long way down and a very big number will likely result.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is the shortest hole at Tot Hill Farm, playing 140 yards downhill to a narrow green wedged between a rocky hillside left and a stream right (complete with tumbling waterfall in the background). Happily, this green is relatively restrained, so if you do hit the green, birdie is definitely a possibility. Plus, since the hole is so short, the fact that there's precious little space to miss isn't nearly as big an issue as it is on the eleventh or thirteenth. Also, it undeniably looks good, though I'm not sold on the naturalness of the waterfall behind the green. 

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole emerges out onto an open and relatively flat field that contains the final three holes. This 530-yard par 5 bends right around trees to a fairway that narrows significantly as it goes until about 300 yards out, where a pair of bunkers cut in from the right. In addition, a stream borders the outside of the dogleg; all of this makes driver not really the play. It's far better to use 3 wood and accept this as a full three-shot hole than to try and work a driver into the narrow gap between the bunkers and stream. There's just no margin for error. Of course, that lay-up will be rather dull, as the fairway just short of the green is very wide and only the stream left provides any sort of hazard. The third will be a little wedge over the stream to a shallow green with a hillside (and a stone wall) just behind. Shots missed long will roll back down onto the green. While this hole is certainly a far cry from the insanity of 10-14, it's just not particularly good. There's only one real way to play it, and it's the most boring way.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is 410 yards and plays to a relatively flat and extremely wide fairway. This is by far the easiest tee shot at Tot Hill Farm. However, it's not completely mindless either, as you want to favor the right side. That does leave a slightly longer second shot, but beyond having a more level stance, it's worth it. Despite being bunkerless, this green is modeled after the Road hole at St. Andrews (complete with stone wall and actual road just right of the green), with massive falloffs in front and left serving as approximations of the Road bunker. The green is long, narrow, and tilted so that shots from the right side have a better angle along its axis. It's a wild and extremely difficult green, but I think that's okay here, as the rest of the hole is very open and playable.

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is a big uphill par 5, playing 535 yards. The fairway is odd, proceeding normally for about 250 yards before shunting off right 50 yards, then coming back to the left as it approaches the green. There are some stone walls that I imagine Strantz wanted to incorporate, but it's just a strange fairway, as is the lone tree right in the middle of it all. It's not even an especially impressive tree, I don't know why it's there or why we needed to go around it. 

A good drive is aimed just right of that tree, which will bring the green theoretically into reach. Practically, with the green being quite small and perched 50 feet up, I doubt too many people are hitting it in two. There's a big, deep depression just right of the green you very much want to avoid, so the safe play here is to hit a long iron up the left side; this will leave a fairly simple pitch into the green, which is sloped hard from left to right. 

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

Both of my brothers were quite firm in their assessment of Tot Hill Farm: It's the worst golf course they've ever played. It was goofy circus golf and the epitome of "the only things missing were the windmill and the clown's mouth at the end."

I can't quite bring myself to agree, however. Don't get me wrong, there are some truly ridiculous moments at Tot Hill Farm, particularly the first half of the back nine. But I honestly think the front nine at least (barring the fifth green) is pretty good. Wild, but reasonably playable for the most part. And the last four holes are also decent enough, even if I didn't care for the stream outside the sixteenth fairway. To me, the things that Tot Hill Farm does right outweighs what it does wrong. Plus, there's no questioning the ambition on display. Mike Strantz designs are many things, but dull is not one of them.

In terms of value, Tot Hill Farm is around $100 for a round, which is in line with Royal New Kent (True Blue and Caledonia, being in a vacation hotspot, are of course more expensive) and also about what I paid to play Mid Pines. It's more than I would like, of course, but not horrible for a course that had to be quite expensive to build (and maintain). But never has the phrase "I'm glad I played it once, but I never need to see it again" been more appropriate. It's just too much to deal with regularly. I do think this course is worth seeing, as much of it is a engineering and technical wonder, but it is not for the faint of heart, and there are some majorly dumb holes around. If you can accept that, Tot Hill Farm can provide some fun.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Aventinus

Brewed by: G. Schneider & Sohn, Kelheim, Bavaria, Germany

Description (from the Brauhaus Schmitz website): "For golden moments by the fireplace: 'Mein Aventinus' - the wholehearted, dark ruby coloured wheat beer, intensive and fiery, warming, well-balanced and tender. Bavaria's oldest wheat 'Doppelbock' - brewed since 1907! Its sturdy body in combination with its sweet malty aroma is an invitation to profound indulgence - an ingenious blend with a strong body. Perfectly matches rustic dishes, dark roasts and sweet desserts."

Would I buy it again? One of the benefits of living in a large city is access to a wide variety of excellent cuisine. One particular restaurant that happened to catch my eye is Brauhaus Schmitz, a German restaurant that boasts (according to them, anyway) the largest German beer list in the country. I don't know if that's true, but they have 30-plus German beers on tap. And that's quite a few.

Best of all, they have several different doppelbocks, including Aventinus, which is actually classified as a weizendoppelbock. What this means is that, while it has the heft and maltiness of a doppelbock, it also possesses a sort of mild fruity spiciness, similar to a hefeweizen. The result is quite simply one of the best beers I've ever had. It is pricy ($10 for 0.5 liters), but as an occasional treat during return trips to the restaurant? I don't think it could be beat.

Review: Tot Hill Farm Golf Club (Part 1)

We continue our tour of the North Carolina Sandhills by ... leaving the North Carolina Sandhills. Hey, when you have the chance to play a Mike Strantz course, you take it. 

Located an hour north of Pinehurst in surprisingly rugged (and ridiculously rocky) terrain, Tot Hill Farm has had a complex history. Opened in 2000, the course owners were staggered by the 2008 recession and course conditions suffered significantly. Tot Hill Farm was heading for closure (a tale its sibling Royal New Kent knows well), but in 2022 the course was bought out and, over the next two years, restored to its original state. 

Like a surprising number of Strantz golf courses, Tot Hill Farm is not especially long — it's just over 6,700 yards from the back tees. It's also (mostly) quite wide. But rest assured, no one will come out of a round here and think "gee, what a pleasant round of golf that was." Buckle up, because Tot Hill Farm is a course that really does have to be seen to be believed. Words can't quite do it justice.

To me, a great first hole has to set the tone for the upcoming round, acting as a microcosm for the entire course. In that regard, Tot Hill Farm's opener is nearly flawless as it showcases the downright heaving terrain you're going to see for the next 17 holes. At 450 yards, this par 4 is quite long, but that distance is mitigated by the 50-plus-foot drop down to the twisting, partially blind fairway. There are no bunkers and the playing corridor is generous, but with trees and rocks right and a hillside covered in tall grass left, you do need to hit that fairway. Favoring the left side on the tee shot will give you a more complete view of the green, which is tucked into a small flat spot with a hillside right and a narrow stream just left. The green itself is fairly restrained in terms of contour, which is to the hole's benefit. This is just the first hole, and if a golfer can hit the green in regulation, why not reward them with a decent chance at birdie?

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is a mid-length par 4 with a fairway that's narrowest about 200-250 yards from the tee as its pinched in on both sides by rocks. As a result, there's almost no reason not to hit driver, as that will get you to the widest part of the fairway. Also, get used to having rocks so close to the fairway; if anything, we'll only see rocks get closer to the direct line of play. Tot Hill Farm has a tendency to use rocks in the same way other Strantz courses (like Caledonia or True Blue) use waste bunkers. A good drive will leave a wedge or short iron to another fairly flat green tucked into a corner, with rocks and trees hard against the left and back of the green. Shots missed right will kick down toward the green, so that's the place to miss.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

After two holes with restrained greens, Mike Strantz had to be sweating, chomping at the bit for something wild. And at this 180-yard par 3, he delivered with a massive boomerang-shaped green, divided roughly in half by a ridge, with a giant bunker occupying the empty space right and a stream lining the other sides. It also fulfills his penchant for oddly routed par 3s; the fourth tee is to the right of this green, and to reach the fourth fairway you play directly over the front portion of this green. It's a bit mild as a routing quirk, but don't worry, we'll see plenty more oddities as the round progresses. 

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is not a particularly long par 5, being just over 500 yards, but it plays uphill pretty much the whole way as it swings right around the same small stream that threatened the previous green. Despite the dogleg, you don't want to favor the right side here; about 300-350 yards out the trees cut in, narrowing the fairway and blocking out shots from the far right portion of the fairway. If you want a clear view of the green on the second shot while still being close enough to go for it in two, you need to hit straight down the middle. There's plenty of space left, but that turns this into a three-shot hole, especially as the green is perched up at the top of a steep hill. Going the long way also brings the creek into play on the second shot, as it cuts across the fairway about 50 yards short of the green, right where you'd want to lay up. The green, while being quite shallow, is pretty quiet. Overall, this is a tougher hole than you'd expect, but not unreasonable.

The fourth hole. The third green is pretty much directly "below" the cart here.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The first four holes at Tot Hill Farm have represented a wild but reasonable opening stretch. The fifth hole, a 540-yard par 5, takes things to the next level. The tee shot is certainly inviting; the fairway is ridiculously wide as it spreads out down below. It's a fun drive, but beyond that, things get dicey. Like the previous hole, a stream cuts across the fairway 50 yards short of the green, but unlike the fourth, there's so little space beyond the stream that there's absolutely no reason to try and get past that creek. The green here is shoehorned into a wildly small space, being T-shaped with the stream left and bunkers right; the front portion of the green is incredibly thin and separated from the back portion by a 5-foot-high tier. Honestly, this green is so well defended you might as well go for it two if you've got the length. Approaching this green is no less intimidating with a wedge in hand over a fairway wood or long iron. Oh, and let's not forget about the rocks that jut out of pretty much every available space. There are boulders poking out of the bunkers and even within 5 feet of the green itself. This is penal golf at its peak: You have no choice but to step up and hit the required shot into this green. If you don't, the consequences are dire.

The fifth hole. If you're like my brother and I and thought that the mountain in the background looks an awful lot like a volcano, there's a reason for that. Tot Hill Farm is located in the Uwharrie Mountains, an ancient volcanic mountain chain. 550 million years ago, that mountain was a volcano. This region's volcanic geology likely also goes a long way toward explain the course's ridiculously rocky nature.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

Also the fifth green. Note the big rock mere feet from the green surface.

The sixth hole, a 155-yard par 3, is downright boring in comparison with the previous hole. Once again, rocks are omnipresent, particularly left, but the green is pretty big and relatively straightforward. Also, there's some space to miss right, and if you do, the golf ball will run down off the slope and back toward the green, if not fully reaching the green itself. I initially missed the green by at least 10 yards right, but my tee shot ran back down. It wasn't close to the hole, but it was on the green, and I can't complain about that.

The sixth hole. I'm honestly not sure what function those two little bunkers are performing.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is 380 yards with a tee shot that certainly appears intimidating from the tee. From what you can see, the fairway seems to be 20 yards wide and sharply tilted from left to right as it squeezes between big bunkers on both sides. Of course, that's only what you can until the fairway crests a ridge about 200 yards out; in reality, beyond the ridge the hole opens up to what is quite possibly the widest fairway at Tot Hill Farm (no mean feat on a Strantz course). You can freely hit driver pretty much anywhere, though if you can favor the right side, that will give you a better angle into this green, which is narrow and squeezed between a hillside long and a stream short. While the green does possess some wildness (in particular, a big knob in the back that I unfortunately had to negotiate on my birdie putt), much of it is pretty flat. This may just be the best birdie opportunity on the course.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a 515-yard par 5 that, despite playing steeply uphill for about 80% of the duration, is somehow downhill from tee to green. The drop from tee high atop a ridge down to the sprawling, heaving fairway is just that extreme. The green is certainly reachable in two, though the approach will almost certainly be blind (you can just barely glimpse the green from a few of the higher points in the fairway). However, if you fail to fully reach the green, your shot will roll back down 20 or 30 yards into a wide stretch of fairway that certainly gets a lot of play. The green here is long and narrow, with two distinct sections sharply delineated by a steep tier; there's also a big backboard to stop shots from going over the back. It's a wild hole, but the lack of rocks make it tolerable in my book.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is not a long par 4 at 370 yards, but it plays uphill and turns quickly right around a cluster of tall trees. This essentially precludes hitting driver on the tee, as going through the fairway will leave you blocked out by two trees on the left side about 50 yards short of the green. A fairway wood or long iron will leave you with roughly 150 yards up a giant hill (use a couple extra clubs) to a small, reasonably undulating (as in, the contours are of a reasonable scale) green surrounded by rocks. Be sure not to end up short, as the golf ball will run back down the hill. 

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

That's it for now; the insanity will continue next week. And trust me, it's only just begun.