November 6, 2008

AMHERST, VA — On October 13, 2008 the Captains Club awarded the 2009 Carl Spackler Open Championship to Poplar Grove Golf Club. It will be the first time the Open has been played at Poplar Grove and the second time the Open has been held in Virginia. Poplar Grove will be the second true upscale community golf course to host this event in the 9-year history of the Carl Spackler Open.

Poplar Grove sets a few miles east of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and just southeast of downtown Amherst, VA.

"Easily the stunning visual course ever played," says Greg Long, Chairman of the Captains Club. "It started beautiful, stayed beautiful, and ended beautiful."

Poplar Grove’s front nine weaves in and out of stands of hardwoods with a few shots over lakes and streams – uphill shots, downhill shots, varied terrain. The back nine moves out towards and around the large lake that dominates the property, with more interesting ups and downs.

Poplar Grove is a 6,557-yard par-72 golf course. It includes 10 holes dropping in elevation and 4 holes rising in elevation.

"Fairest course that I have played," said Greg Garrett. "The landing area of most fairways is wide enough where even I did not miss them."

Sam Snead had a design philosophy that is definitely at Poplar Grove – reachable par fives, and a drivable par four.

"The 5th, 11th, and 14th rise in elevation," says Greg Long. The 5th rises a smidge with a fairway wider than anything at the Grande and flagstick just 356-yards. The 11th rises after your tee shot. It is a very short 491-yard par-5. The 14th hole has the largest rise in elevation and just 267 yards from tee to green.

The 18th hole drops in elevation before rising quickly from 100 yards. The 387-yard par-4 could be considered the 5th hole rising in elevation.

"The 6,557-yard Poplar Grove plays much shorter when considering the 10 downhill holes," says Long. "Multiple tee shots will hit slopes that allow the ball to roll and roll and roll."

Poplar Grove has 10 holes crossing a ravine. "I have never seen a course where a ravines cause so much trouble," says Greg Garrett. "There is a lot of them and 3, 6, 11, and 15 will gobble your balls up if you play without a game plan."

Poplar Grove has 5 holes touching a small lake and one hole with a large pond. The 4th goes over a pond from tee to green. Your approach at the 12th goes over a lake. The 2nd and 16th are designed adjacent to a lake from tee to green. The 17th is the same thing except going back the other way.

There is considerable forest at Poplar Grove. The 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 13th, 14th, and 15th have dense forest outlining the fairways.

"The 3rd hole is not the 11th hole at Jack Nicklaus' Muirfield Village, but it sure is close," says Greg Long. "The similarity characteristics were felt immediately and still remain."

Long added, "The 14th hole is not the 3rd hole at Pinehurst #2 either (which was Snead’s favorite course), but it is another slight uphill dogleg right where many players can hit the green from the tee – but if you miss, you might have a hard time making bogey."

"The par 3's at Poplar Grove are the worst holes," says Kevin Long, Jr.. "The 17th is the worst hole. It is a solid hole, but there are lots of open par 3's over water. The 7th, 13th and 17th are clearly the worst holes at Poplar Grove."

Garrett likes the very wet 2nd hole.  Kevin likes the 6th hole, which is a downhill dogleg right to a green pushed back in the forest behind a creek with rock wall. Slick likes the 5th hole, which has a split fairway, one tall tree in the middle, and large tiered green like the 13th at the Grande. The clubhouse signature hole is the 3rd hole.

"None of the best holes are par 3's," says Kevin Long, Jr. "That is what really sets this place apart."

There are 21 sand traps on the front nine and 18 sand traps on the back nine. The 5th hole has the most bunkering with 7. The 9th hole has the least with just one large greenside bunker. "Some of the bunkers are deep around the greens," says Garrett. "There is more square feet of bunker than green & fairway combined at the 13th hole."  

Member Michael Gibson asked, "How about the conditions?" Greg Long replied, "I want to be very careful with the conditions. It takes a tornado or bulldozer to change the layout, but conditions can change quickly with lack of rain or excessive heat."

Long continued, "The conditions in September were dark checkered fairways, edged deep white sand traps, plush tees except for divots at the 13th, thick four-inch rough, cemented cart paths, and greens as true as the Grande and fast as Tanglewood Park."

The 2009 Carl Spackler Open Championship will begin official registration on November 15. All participants must have four scorecards posted online before June 1. Dates of play must be between 2007-2009.