STOP IT RIGHT THERE. Take all thoughts, instincts, predispositions, and any other ghastly things you might have to say about the French and toss them out the window. We’ve packed up the Golden Tee Course Bus, crossed the big blue, and are pitching our tents just under the Eiffel Tower.
That’s right. Golden Tee is putting on their finest ensemble, eating cheese that smells like feet, and taking over Bois de Boulogne. Say that ten times fast after your 17th glass of merlot.
I, marketing man by day and GT wannabe guru by night, have finally logged some quality 2011 hours and have some interesting thoughts about each course.
No need to spin the trackball. We’re starting at the far-left of the course selection screen to get things under way. Although I don’t want to spoil your experience of testing out the new courses by unveiling all the secrets, here are just a few of things to expect on Laurel Park – the first course in Golden Tee 2011.
La Fountaine Blue
Holy water. No, not Holy Water – I mean, “Wow, that’s A LOT of water.”
Almost every single hole on Laurel has water and tons of it. And this water isn’t just for show either. Your tee shots and approaches are going to be impacted by water in almost every scenario.
This water in a lot of instances also happens to be perfectly placed, particularly on some of the well-crafted drivable par-4s. There will be some decision making when it comes to crunch time, and certain tee boxes and wind combos will drastically impact if and when you go for the gusto.
Although certain courses have their share of “distinct” hazards, there’s no doubt that Laurel will be taking thousands of virtual balls come fall.
Say Concrete in French. SAY IT
A new surface has made its way into Laurel and it’s going to play a major role – perhaps for better and worse. This new concrete/cobblestone sidewalk surrounds greens, fairways, hazards, and serves as a pathway throughout much of the course.
This concrete path is like a cart path on steroids and the bounce you get will certainly impact where your ball ends up. In one instance, the path actually propelled my ball onto the green and three feet away from the cup. In another, I went over the green by a yard or so and the path sent my ball soaring into the water. (See: hazard above)
It’s hard to say how this will impact your round this early on, but it’s safe to say that it’ll impact it one way or another. I look forward to seeing if players use this launching pad to their advantage or if it becomes a beast of burden. We shall see…
Holes 16, 17, 18 are Fantastique
This is where the magic happens, or more often than not, when the round comes crumblin’ down.
Without giving too much away, I hereby proclaim these three holes Adam Kramer approved. The round finishes up with a par-3, par-4, and a par-5 although we won’t list them in any particular order. You’ll have to be creative to succeed here and the possibility to pick up strokes is ripe for the taking. Where there’s a chance to gain strokes, however, there’s also usually plenty of room to lose them as well. (shaking head, reaching into golf bag for more golf balls).
These three holes feature a little bit of everything and this all culminates with the sure-to-be-talked-about 18th. Oh, the 18th hole is something that players new and old are going to love, and I dumped plenty of balls in the water just giving it a little test drive. Bring. On. The. YouTubes.
‘Nough said.
I just touched the surface on what you can expect on Laurel Park. The rest you’ll find out soon enough. Thanks for playing along with my reindeer games and be sure to tune in for the other four courses. For now, here are a few more screens to bridge the gap between now and launch day.
-AK signing off
