May 14, 2008

PERU, IN — Stick a pickaxe in your golf bag because this dynamite Rock Hollow layout was sculpted from a former gravel quarry mined by the father of PGA Tour player Chris Smith. The rocks that remain provide lots of character and a stellar back nine.

Golfers have completed a stellar front nine and will not be disappointed with the back. At the turn, golfers will stock up on cheap beer and food. "Golfers looking for the spectacular clubhouse and amenities are clearly setting high expectations," says Greg Long, Chairman of the Captains Club. "Expect a small town pro shop at best with small town hospitality."

Taking full advantage of its natural surroundings, Rock Hollow mixes old-growth forests with cattailed wetlands and a plethora of thoughtfully placed rocks to make each round a tough, yet fair challenge.

The 10th tee is right behind the clubhouse. It is a very tight tee shot that goes out to a ridge. The fairway slants left and eventually falls off approximately 5 feet into thick rough. The 513-yard par 5 draws left and slightly downhill for about 400 yards to a tiered green that runs away from the player. A lone pot bunker short of the green in the center of the fairway complicates the idea of trying to bounce one in as distance control becomes paramount.

"These pot bunkers will keep the tournament field thinking," says Long. "They are deep small circles, strategically placed, sharply cut, and ensure players think before just grabbing a club."

The 11th hole is just 163 yards, but it's a beauty. There is a waste bunker that snakes on the left from tee through a deep green that resembles waves on a windy lake.

"The next hole is the longest par 4," says Long of the 12th hole. "You take the cart to the bottom of a small hillside to the lowest point on the golf course." The hole requires an uphill tee shot through 'Mountain Valley dense forest' rewarding the power fade. The fairway banks right and narrows from the left side just beyond the landing area.

"You keep waiting for the letdown, but it just never happens," says Long of the Rock Hollow character. "Tim Liddy has risk and reward all over the place and loves to temp the golfer."

The 13th and 14th (shown in photo) are a couple more signature holes. "The 13th is perhaps the best hole on the course," says senior member Tom Fowble. "A very short dogleg right suggesting easy par, however a lone deep pot bunker defends the landing zone just short of the apron. The fairway is very undulating near the green, which also provides additional risk. "The small green slopes left to right with a steep falloff to a large bunker on the right that wraps around the back side of the green adjacent to another rock quarry."

The 14th hole is picturesque 201-yard par 3 whose enormous and elevated green is guarded all along the right by a rocky quarry. The extreme turtle back green is 147 feet deep and 66 feet wide. Long said, "The turtle back design is similar to the 4th hole and requires a shot similar to the signature hole at the Neuse, which is on your bagtag. The deep green shape with hazard on the right is also similar to the 6th green at the Grande in Michigan." It is here where players can really get a feel for the stark, dramatic landscape that was once a rock quarry.

"Some golfers may ask after the 14th, like Shoeless Joe Jackson did in Field of Dreams, whether they are in heaven," says Long. "The answer would be obviously no. You will be in Peru."

The tee shot at the 15th, a 527-yard par 5, shoots out over a rock quarry about 75 yards to a fairway fading right. The hole snakes right, elevates itself, and then slides back left. The second shot is blind over a rise. Playing along the left side is not afraid to walk over the hill and find their shot. If one lays back, the right side of the fairway does allow a view of the green. "There is no shot on the golf course that requires more notes than your second at the 15th," says Long. "There are many possibilities here." The two sectioned green is a great equalizer for the long bombers who get home but have to putt to the other half over a ridge.

The short 326-yard sixteenth hole uses the water filled rock quarry as the deterrent on the inside line, but the ideal path to the hole is on the outside of the slight dogleg to get an elevated and flat landing spot to get a great view of the green. A long tee shot with the right angle heads toward a pair of hidden pot bunkers. The sixteenth green looks like something from a William Langford course with the style of green construction. The green is oval shaped and humped in the middle as it falls off to the deep sides. "Take an oval shaped green and turn it so it is very deep," says Long of the 16th. "That is your view from the tee box at 326 yards. Almost all golfers will hit a stinger out to the fairway to the right, which turns the green 75 degrees for your approach."

The 17th is another beautiful hole. Similar to the 5th hole, Liddy is giving you every opportunity to lay back. The fairway is obese until you decide to punish the ball with driver. The largest waste bunker in 7 years of tournament golf tightens the fairway immediately from the right side after 250 yards. The waste bunker is 20 yards wide and 140 yards deep as it wraps completely around the back of the green. "One of my favorites," says Long of the 385-yard par 4. "The 17th is sure to be memorable."

The closing hole has the potential to be one of the toughest in the state. At 389 tournament yards, the par 4 would be a decent hole if it were straight and hazard-free. Add in a long carry over water, water from tee to green on the left, woods and thick rough on the right, and strategic bunkering nearer the green, and you've got yourself one mean 18th hole. "A great finishing hole," says Long.

"Totally unrelated, but finding the tips at the 18th hole will generate immediate thoughts, 'You have got to be kidding me.' The tee box is unplayable for 70 percent of the tournament field. The view has 'holy cow' written all over it. Makes the 11th at the Grande look like childs play. Very similar to the 4th hole tips at Thunder Hill Golf Club suggesting 'they are not serious'."

The 2008 Carl Spackler Open Championship begins on June 5. The third phase of tournament preparations is complete. Balances were officially collected this week. The final phase will be the collection of required rookie scorecards for handicapping.