This Jack Nicklaus/Tony Jackin co-design near Sarasota,
Florida, which opened in 2006, is aptly named. After a few holes from the back tees, which top out at
7,470 yards with 77.6 Course and 155 Slope (the highest possible) ratings,
you're ready to cry "uncle!" I haven't seen this many long forced carries since
the E parking lot shuttle broke down at LAX. From the tips, tee balls have to
fly a total of more than 2,700 yards to reach the short stuff.
Of
course, any sane person who didn't want to torture himself just would have moved
up one tee to the more playable 6,600-yard markers, but what can I say? I have
some self-flagellation issues. Plus, I like to see the whole course.
And what a course it is. The holes at most golf course
communities exist to provide homes with a view, but the Concession is a core
course spanning over 500 acres with nary a home in sight. It is home, however,
to extensive wetlands, 200-year-old oaks and 150-foot pines. The natural beauty
is as stunning as the drives, not to mention the freeform bunkering and wavy
green complexes, are challenging.
What you can't see is almost as
impressive: a subterranean climate control wireless computer system that manages
irrigation, drainage and pH balance beneath all the greens--one of fewer than 20
courses in the U.S. that utilize Advanced Aer sensor technology. Needless to
say, the conditioning of the course was immaculate.
Although the name could come from the beating one gets
from the black tees, it actually refers to the two-foot putt Nicklaus conceded
to Jacklin on the last hole at the 1969 Ryder Cup at Royal Birkdale (pictured) to halve
their match and a 14-14 tie (the first in Cup history, although the U.S. still
got to keep the trophy since they won two years earlier). Friends since then,
Nicklaus and Jacklin had long talked about collaborating on a design.
One of Nicklaus' design philosophies these days is to no
longer stick in a set of tees in the 7,000-yard range. He knows that most
golfers will choose the second set of tees so he positions them at a length the
average golfer won't struggle with, while adding some design features with which
the lower handicap will have to contend.
The 478-yard 5th, one of the most difficult holes with
water running down the entire left side, is a good example of the difference
between playing the black and blue tees. The carry to the fairway from the back
tees is more than 200 yards, about half what it is from the blues, where if the
lower handicap can carry the second bunker at 231 yards, he'll be left with a
better angle into the green and a shot of less than 100 yards. He could play
left but it brings the water into play both on the tee shot and the approach.
The drive from the back tees isn't nearly as strategic.
My favorite hole was the 606-yard, fishhook-shaped 7th
that traverses around a wetland area to a raised green with a couple different
false fronts that fall steeply down to tightly mowed collection areas, which is
common to a number of greens. They weren't so much false fronts as false sides,
which are even more difficult. You could hit a good approach but if it were a
little left or right, it would catch the slope and you'd be left with a difficult
chip.
Concede I was beaten and move on? Not a
chance.
