CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. – Tom Doak mentioned he hasn’t sought out renovation or restoration work lately after having executed loads of such work earlier in his profession. However working with Eric Iverson of Renaissance Golf, they made an exception at iconic Cherry Hills Nation Membership.
Commissioned in 2007 and ending in 2022, Doak and Iverson touched nearly each a part of Cherry Hills. They restored Little Dry Creek that meanders throughout the course, reintroduced cross bunkers at No. 17, renovated different bunkers and restored greens to the unique kind as designed by William Flynn within the Twenties.
Doak mentioned the work was targeted on how the members play the course greater than internet hosting giant tournaments, of which Cherry Hills has seen many.
“The funny thing is, the best players in the 1920s hit the ball about as far as club members do today,” Doak mentioned. “So if it was designed for Bobby Jones, it works really well for the membership at Cherry Hills right now.”
The course options among the greatest “tilt” greens on the planet, with typically sturdy slopes throughout all the size of a placing floor as a substitute of many inner contours. It may be tougher to construct tilted greens with notable slopes at this time as a result of greens speeds have elevated as agronomy has improved.
“We’re envious that they got to build greens like that back in the day, when that was easy to do and made sense,” he mentioned “It’s hard to build just a simple, tilted green now, because it’s either half a percent too much slope and it doesn’t work at all, or half a percent too little and it’s boring. But we didn’t really have to do much to those greens. They’re really good.”
Editor’s observe: Golfweek’s Finest course raters choose programs in 10 classes on a factors foundation of 1-10, then supply a non-cumulative general ranking.
No. 7 of Cherry Hills Nation Membership in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. (Courtesy of Cherry Hills/Evan Schiller)
How properly the holes individually and collectively adhere to the land and to one another.
Set inside a shallow valley, the intelligent design contains a figure-8 entrance 9 on the inside with the again 9 looping counter-clockwise round it. Little Dry Creek – don’t let the title idiot you, it’s filled with water – meanders via the western facet of the property and options prominently on six holes (whereas crossing one other), particularly because the 2022 restoration.My ranking: 8 out of 10
No. 14 of Cherry Hills Nation Membership in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. (Courtesy of Cherry Hills/Evan Schiller)
The extent to which the present holes both conform to the unique design intent or, for these programs which have been renovated, the extent to which the holes embody a personality that’s cohesive moderately than fragmentary.
Doak and his crew targeted on restoring William Flynn’s unique shapes and types wherever attainable. Particularly vital was the emphasis positioned on Little Dry Creek, the results of which had been considerably negated in previous work over the a long time.My ranking: 8
No. 2 of Cherry Hills Nation Membership in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. (Courtesy of Cherry Hills/Evan Schiller)
Ease of integration of all built-out components with place of birth, together with course, clubhouse, actual property, roads, native topography and landforms. Extent to which land plan facilitates lengthy views of surrounds and/or inside views of property.
From the stately clubhouse on the jap flank of the format, views stretch throughout the course on the sting of the Excessive Plains to the distant Rocky Mountains. The again 9, particularly, makes nice use of the encircling hillsides. Surrounding houses which have been inbuilt latest a long time are in view however actually solely in play for actually errant pictures.My ranking: 8
No. 12 of Cherry Hills Nation Membership in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. (Courtesy of Cherry Hills/Evan Schiller)
Curiosity, selection and playability of placing surfaces, collars, chipping areas and greenside bunkers.
Restoring the greens and surrounds to William Flynn’s unique types was a key a part of the Doak crew’s work. Most of those are tilt greens, which means they characteristic excessive and low sides. The subtleties of the inside slopes mix superbly into the general tilts. A missed strategy on the incorrect facet of such a inexperienced results in a fragile pitch over the inexperienced’s highest level onto a downhill floor.My ranking: 9
No. 8 of Cherry Hills Nation Membership in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. (Courtesy of Cherry Hills/Evan Schiller)
Differentiation of holes by size, membership required, topography, look and angle of strategy.
The par 3s vary from 165 to 242 yards off the again tees, however they’re much nearer in size as a gaggle from the member tees, with two of the holes enjoying to the precise 188-yard size on the scorecard. Adjusting every gap’s enjoying size to varied pin areas every day is essential to stop such parity in size.My ranking: 6
No. 3 of Cherry Hills Nation Membership in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. (Courtesy of Cherry Hills/Evan Schiller)
Vary of right-to-left and left-to-right drives and second pictures required, in addition to unfold of size, topography and look of the holes.
Lengthy, medium and brief: Cherry Hills presents just a little of all the pieces with its par 4s. Properly-placed fairway bunkers drive gamers to make strategic choices off the tees as they angle for the very best strategy traces into tilted greens. Holes transfer properly in each route.My ranking: 8
No. 11 of Cherry Hills Nation Membership in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. (Courtesy of Cherry Hills/Evan Schiller)
Number of danger/reward alternatives on tee shot; how attention-grabbing the second pictures are; number of third pictures required.
For members the format performs as a par 72 with the uphill 18th gap a par 5, however it’s a par 4 in championships. The par 5s fluctuate drastically, together with the island-green seventeenth. The reintroduction of cross bunkers on the seventeenth is a favourite side of Doak’s renovation. No. 5, additionally enjoying uphill at its finish, options probably the most tilted greens on the course, excellent for difficult strategy pictures performed with a wedge.My ranking: 7
No. 5 of Cherry Hills Nation Membership in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. (Courtesy of Cherry Hills/Evan Schiller)
Extent to which ornamentals, hardwoods, conifers and different flora improve the design and playability of a course with out overburdening it or compromising strategic flexibility and agronomy.
Cherry Hills was by no means completely overgrown, however lots of of timber have been cleared within the restoration. This opened enjoying traces permitting for strategic width of fairways, promoted higher turf situations and improved views.My ranking: 8
No. 16 of Cherry Hills Nation Membership in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. (Courtesy of Cherry Hills/Evan Schiller)
General high quality of upkeep, discounting for short-term points (climate or high dressing); extent of native areas; range of plants and wildlife.
An excessive amount of emphasis is usually positioned on the pursuit of pace and smoothness of placing surfaces. That mentioned, it’s unimaginable to play Cherry Hills with out being blown away by the situation of those greens. From tee to inexperienced, Cherry Hills is a lofty (and sometimes unobtainable) instance of what may be achieved by well-financed, fashionable agronomy.My ranking: 9
A plaque commemorates Arnold Palmer’s victory within the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills, the place Palmer drove the primary inexperienced within the ultimate spherical and went on to shoot 65 to carry off Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus, amongst others. (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
The sense of the place as worthy of spending 4 hours on it.
From the plaque commemorating Arnold Palmer driving the primary inexperienced en path to successful the 1960 U.S. Open, to the climb again up the hill on No. 9 and once more on 18, Cherry Hills is without doubt one of the definitive greats of American parkland golf. It’s a stroll to be savored.My ranking: 8
This isn’t a cumulative rating.
The restoration has put Cherry Hills again into place to host top-tier championships. The give attention to basic design components shines via, particularly on among the greatest tilt greens discovered anyplace, forcing gamers to strategize off the tee to arrange the very best angle of assault to any pin positions.
My ranking: 7.8
CommonGround in Aurora, Colo., close to Denver was designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2009. The course was developed by the Colorado State Golf Affiliation. (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
