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.

Review: Mohawk Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Mohawk Golf Club, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is 366 yards and plays slightly uphill to a fairway tilted significantly from right to left. There's a line of trees (and O.B) right, which is the preferable side to be on, since you get a better view on your second shot. The green is tilted from back right to front left, and there's a bunker left and a smaller one front right.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is the longest par 4 on the course, playing 440 yards with O.B. very close to the right. It's not a very inviting drive, with the landing area completely blind and trees on both sides. But it does open up a bit, so you can use driver. You actually want to favor the left side anyway; an approach from that side avoids the two bunkers right of the green, and the one left isn't the most significant hazard in the world. The green slopes significantly from back right to front left, and putts from above the hole are very slippery.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

After eight par 4s in a row, I'd be inclined to look favorably on any hole that breaks the streak. Not that there's a bad hole in the bunch, but I like a bit of variety. Fortunately, the twelfth hole, a 185-yard par 3, is one of Mohawk's best (and toughest) holes. The green is elevated and protected by six bunkers, two left and four clustered together front right. In case it wasn't hard enough to hit already, the green is also rather small and filled with plenty of undulation. There's a particularly nasty runoff on the back left corner that is really something to avoid. This is the toughest par at Mohawk, and even bogey isn't the worst thing in the world.

The twelfth hole.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is the second and final par 5 at Mohawk. From the back tees it's 515 yards, meaning it's reachable in two for most, especially if you can hit your drive long enough to catch a downslope. That extra bit of roll helps. If you can go for it, you'll need to hit a draw in, carrying a bunker about 20 yards short and skirting around a deep bunker front left. If you're laying up, you'll want to favor the right side, making sure to avoid a fairway bunker 100 yards short, placed right where you'd want to go. The green is two-tiered, with the back higher than the front. It's not a difficult hole, but it's definitely not one where you can slug two big shots and have no issues making birdie.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is a short par 4 of the drive and pitch variety, playing 340 yards. The fairway is initially quite wide, but is narrowed significantly by bunkers about 200 yards out. So you can play risk free on the drive, but that will leave 150 yards for the second, and on a hole this short, with a green as well defended as this, that's not exactly ideal. You will probably want to take on the bunkers in some capacity, but the further you go, the narrower it gets. Whatever club gets you to 100 yards is probably the best choice. The green is small and protected by sand on three sides, and is ideally approached from the right side, which perhaps not coincidentally is where the majority of the fairway bunkers are. Funny how that works out.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is Mohawk's signature hole (their words, not mine), a short par 3 playing over a pond to a small green surrounded by a tiara (again, their word, not mine) of 11 small bunkers. It's referred to as a Punchbowl, but it shares little in common with the Macdonald/Raynor Punchbowl. This is its own hole, a short but challenging little par 3 with a green severely sloped from back to front. Missing the green means having to work for par, hitting the green means you have a great chance at birdie. It's a good hole, and I love short par 3s, but I think I prefer the twelfth.

The fifteenth hole.

Mohawk finishes off with a stretch of three mid-length par 4s, all playing back in the same direction back toward the clubhouse. The sixteenth plays along the side of a hill, with the fairway sloping pretty significantly from right to left. For most, that means the second shot will be a wedge or short iron with the ball above your feet. The green is protected by three bunkers, one left and two right, and there's a ridge running through the middle.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole has a pretty open fairway, though there is a small ditch and high grass left, along with a pair of small fairway bunkers. The fairway is tilted from right to left, though not as much as the previous hole. The green is on the larger side, with a bunker left and a small bunker back right. It's not the most interesting hole in the world, which is a little odd considering its place in the round.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole does present a decent challenge. Like the previous two holes, the fairway slopes from right to left, and is squeezed between clusters of trees. It may not be the greatest idea to use driver, but of course, laying back will leave a much longer approach into the green, and this green is very tricky. There are six bunkers around it, four left and two right, and the green is sloped sharply from back right to front left. Of course, with the clubhouse close behind, you don't want to go over the green either. You need a precise iron, which I think befits a closing hole. If you want to finish with a birdie or par, you can do that, but you have to earn it.

The eighteenth hole

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

There is a lot to like about Mohawk. It's a very good course. There are a few weaker holes, ones that aren't exactly spectacular, but there are as many strong holes to make up for that. All three par 3s in particular are very good. The short par 4s are also quite good (especially the fourth). But Mohawk also suffers the same issue that I had with Rock Spring, in that there are just too many par 4s. Death by par 4, my brother likes to call it. Two par 5s and three par 3s means that Mohawk has 13 par 4s, and you really notice that in the middle of the round, when Mohawk strings eight par 4s in a row. The stretch of 6 to 10 is especially egregious; the longest of those five holes is 394 and the shortest is 366. Less than 30 yards of difference. I think even the best architect in the world would struggle to avoid a certain repetitiveness, and while Devereux Emmet was a capable architect, he couldn't avoid the trap. Not entirely. 

Another drawback is the finish. While 18 is fine, 16 and 17 are on the weaker side, and it does kind of  feel like that the round is essentially over after 15. Mohawk's given you its best by that point, and the last three holes are simply there to get you back to the clubhouse. I exaggerate, but I think 16 and 17 would be better served if they were 350 and 450, rather than both being 400 yards. 

Something else that isn't a huge deal but nevertheless should be mentioned are the conditions. You expect a certain standard from a rather private country club, and Mohawk did not meet that. There were noticeable bare spots in the green and in portions of the fairways. Now, obviously they're not going to make what happened public knowledge, and the most we heard was that it was a rough winter, but other courses in the area didn't have the same issues in late May, so there was probably some greenkeeping mishap. Mohawk wouldn't be the first course to accidentally fry their own greens. It happens, and like I said, it wasn't the biggest deal. The greens were still puttable. If I'm lucky enough to get another chance to play here again, I'd happily go. Mohawk has a few drawbacks, but it's still a very worthwhile round.

Review: Mohawk Golf Club (Part 1)

Another year, another Devereux Emmet course. The streak continues. And unlike 2022, we have a well-preserved example. Mohawk Golf Club, located in Schenectady, New York, just outside Albany, has a rather interesting place in golf history. While the Emmet version of the course was built in 1904, the club was incorporated in 1898, and included as one of its members a certain A.F. Knight. Now, that name is not going to be familiar to anyone, but Mr. Knight is responsible for the creation of a unique golf club: the Schenectady putter. He used this putter to great effect, and great ridicule, since most believed it to be goofy and ridiculous. In 1902, however, Mr. Knight was introduced to Walter Travis, famed amateur player and golf course designer, who took one look at this putter and was intrigued by the possibilities. He had one built for himself, promptly finished second in that year's U.S. Open, and 2 years later became the first non-British person to win the British Amateur, almost entirely due to his stellar putting (Travis was a very short hitter, but made virtually everything). This so scandalized the R&A that they banned the so-called Schenectady putter for nearly 50 years.

That has very little to do with the golf course at Mohawk, but it's a neat little tidbit of information, and I'm glad I dug that up. Anyway, the course. The initial Emmet design was actually a par 74, whereas the current layout is a par 70. That said, other than the eighth hole losing over 150 yards to become a fairly short par 4 instead of a mid-length par 5 and some general lengthening, the routing hasn't really changed much. Mohawk's also had some restoration work done in the past few years, namely to remove trees from the interior sections. And it really does help; obviously, this is no great beauty of a golf course, being in the middle of suburbia, but those long sightlines to multiple holes in the distance really does give Mohawk a pleasant connectness that many courses lack. 

The first hole is not a gentle handshake sort of opening hole. At 430 yards from the back tees, it's the second-longest par 4 at Mohawk. The tee shot isn't exactly difficult, but neither is it easy, as the fairway isn't excessively wide. It's the second shot that's tricky. There are two bunkers on each side of the green, and the green itself is rather undulating, being especially high on the left middle portion and falling away on either side of that high point. You need precise iron play here, and that's something you'll see throughout the round.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole isn't most Redan hole to ever Redan, but that's basically the hole we're dealing with. The green is tilted 45 degrees away and sloped from right to left, meaning the best play is a draw. The bunkers front left are especially hazardous on this hole, being 10 feet deep. Not quite as extreme as the bunkers at Keney Park's Redan, but still really not someplace to be. And missing right isn't much better either, since the green slopes away right into those deep bunkers. You can very easily run right through and be in a 10-foot deep bunker on your third shot rather than your second. Definitely not speaking from experience there.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is the first of just two par 5s at Mohawk, and if you're crazy enough to play it from all the way back, you'll be confronted with a 620 yard hole negotiating rolling terrain. It's a much more reasonable 530 from the next tee up, which is probably where most golfers should be playing. While there are a few trees right and an O.B. line left, the biggest issue on the drive is the shallow valley cutting across the fairway at about the point where a drive would end up. Go in that and you'll have an awkward stance for your second. Long hitters can carry it, however, and if you do that, the green is reachable in two. It's not an easy shot, hitting a long iron or fairway wood into a fairly small green guarded by three bunkers as well as a significant dropoff left, but it can be done. For most, however, this is pretty safely a three-shot hole.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

Hopefully you're a fan of par 4s, because starting now, we'll be seeing eight in a row. The first of this impressively long streak, the fourth, is just over 300 yards and definitely drivable for the long hitters out there. If you can't quite do that, you have a few options. If you're feeling especially safe, you can hit a mid iron into the first section of fairway, which is wide open but will leave a full wedge second. Use a longer club and the fairway bunkers come into play, but you will obviously have an easier second, especially if you favor the right side. The green is protected by a small bunker front left and a larger one right, but that's not its primary defense. The green is highest on the front left section and falls away from there, making it extremely tough to keep any shot from the left close unless you are extremely precise and get a decent amount of spin. There is definitely something to be said for laying up off the tee so you can get the spin you need, but on the other hand, it is a small green, and the further you are, the more inaccurate you'll be. This is really a very deceiving hole: You see a 300-yard par 4, you expect to have a good shot at birdie, but instead you're happy to walk away with par. 

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a 420-yard par 4 playing to a mostly blind fairway. It's not an especially wide fairway, especially with dense trees lurking to the right, but there are no bunkers, so it's more open and inviting than it looks from the tee. A good drive will leave a short iron into the green, which is sloped from right to left and guarded by three bunkers.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a mid-length par 4 playing uphill to a fairly narrow fairway flanked by two bunkers about 230 yards from the tee. How big an issue these are depend on how long you are. This is one of those holes where you can definitely see the age of the course. 230 yards used to be a big issue back in the early 1900s, and while the bunkers still are in play for many golfers, they're not really in play for even moderately long hitters. That said, there is a plateau at that distance, providing a flat stance for a wedge or short iron. If you go past that, you'll have a downhill lie to a green sloping from right to left protected by bunkers on each side.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is slightly longer than the previous hole, but it plays downhill (and parallel to the sixth), so it's effectively the same length, or even slightly shorter. The tee shot is blind, but the fairway is completely wide open, so feel free to use driver, favoring the right side. That will leave you the best angle for a wedge or short iron approach. The green is slightly domed and protected by two bunkers on each side.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is 370 yards and plays over essentially flat land. Without natural topography to provide interest, clever design has to take over. The hole doglegs significantly about 250 yards from the tee, so some restraint is necessary off of the tee. But not too much, and it's important not to stray too far right as well. You'll be blocked off by trees. Of course, the same thing happens if you go too far through the fairway. The green has one bunker right and two left, and also possesses a rather significant false front. When the flag is located just over that false front, like it was for our round, putts from above the hole are quite nerve-wracking.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is the fourth sub–400-yard par 4 in the row, this one 380 yards and playing slightly downhill. It's a tricky drive, with the landing area pinched by a couple of bunkers left and O.B. in the form of the course's driving range right. In addition, the fairway is tilted from left to right, which is especially tricky from the back tees, which are offset to the left. You have to hit a draw, be extremely precise, or play conservatively to hit this fairway. The second shot will be a wedge or short iron to a green sloped pretty sharply from back to front and fronted by four small bunkers.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green.

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