Ralph Myhre (Middlebury) Golf Course Review

[vandyfan]

I had the great pleasure of walking the Ralph Myhre golf course at Middlebury on a pleasant summer day last week and wanted to write down my thoughts about it. I had initially seen the course on No Laying Up's strapped series and my family spends a few weeks up in the adirondacks each year so I made the hour+ drive over to the course to check it out. I play golf in middle tennessee so there were a number of features that I greatly enjoyed here that I never see down south. I will break down my thoughts into a few key categories going from what I think is most important to least important:

 

Layout: The course is set right on the Middlebury campus and is relatively high up compared to the rest of the campus. You start high up on a hill and work your way down and up and around over some rolling terrain. In all, it felt like there was about a 100 foot elevation drop from the highest point to the lowest point. A relatively easy walk as the holes were well connected. A number of different looks from the tee and by my count there were at least 5 doglegs and both uphill and downhill moving holes. I have to admit I really liked the gravel cartpaths because if you ball struck one it didn't bound off into oblivion like concrete cart paths tend to do. Not a ton of sand which is fine with me as the sand quality at this course is nothing to write home about. Lovely setting of trees and hardly any housing or other man made structures (aside from middlebury athletic complex) visible from most of the course. Overall, I thought the layout was intuitive and asked a number of questions.

 

Conditions: The greens rolled beautifully. The fairways were a tad scruffy but that has been my experience throughout the adirondacks. The sand was average for a public course. I saw a number of moveable sprinklers so I don't think the course has much (if any) irrigation so there were some burnt out spots in the rough. I thought there was a good use and maintenance of native areas as well as trees that were strategic but not claustrophobic. 

 

Greens: These get their own category because this is truly the defense (in my opinion) of par at this course. These greens were incredibly difficult for me to figure out. They looked fairly benign but had considerable break on almost every putt. Many of the greens are elevated and have false fronts as well. That said, they held shots well and were consistent in their movement and speeds. I think I had more 3 putts in this single round that I had, cumulatively, in 5 rounds prior. I think if you played out here frequently you would have a tremendous advantage over a newcomer. 

 

Fun Factor/Playability: For me, this course is playable for a lot of different skill levels. Probably a bit short for big hitters (which I am not) and not a ton of O.B. or overly penal features. Fairly generous fairways for a course up here leads to allowing me to hit driver more often than I would have thought. Even though the greens destroyed me and pushed me to a 79 I had a great time out there. I thought the back was more interesting than the front but I would play this course every day. Most of the course is there in front of you and I only misplayed a few shots due to not knowing where trouble started, etc. 

 

Holes of Note: #3 got my attention as it is a semi-blind short par 4 with a massive right to left slope and a centerline bunker. But the green is OUTRAGEOUS. It is fairly narrow and has this crazy right to left slope, the pin was on the right side and I flew it directly over the flag and then the slope carried it 15 feet left and almost completely off the green. That would be a fun shot to have again because I would intentionally land it right of the green and have it trickle down. Cool feature and good local knowledge. #11, a bit polarizing for me but very dramatic. 70 foot downhill tee shot but a bit of a forced layup as there is a retention pond and trees that bottleneck around 250 off the tee. Then the hole has a 90 degree dogleg left with trees blocking you unless you are on the extreme right of the fairway (hugging the OB line). This is a cool strategic play but in practice most times I would end up either bunting a driver or hitting 3W then laying up with a 7 iron and wedging on. Definitely memorable if not entirely fun. See layout below:

 

#15 was a short par 4 that I totally misplayed as the trees came in quicker than I thought. It is a downhill dogleg left with a stand of trees left and OB right. Then the green is elevated and narrow with a retention pond right. Also the green has a ton of slope in it. Cool hole but also my only double bogey of the day. 

#17 I did not like this hole at all. A bit of a bland par 5 as it is pretty straight BUT it is penal off the tee. OB right with wind blowing hard toward the OB and then a huge stand of trees left. Yes it would have been good to just hit a draw against the wind but I was pretty scared of blocking one OB so I tried to hug the left and just nailed the stand of trees left for a nice 70 yd tee shot. My fault but a very uncomfortable tee shot for me that I didn't enjoy. The rest of the hole is pretty wide open and featureless except for a large retention pond left that isn't really in play. 

 

Odds and Ends: I booked a tee time online and showed up and they were having a tournament. The pro shop said they "had no idea how I was able to book such a time." The offered to let me go out in between a group as a single (which was a preposterous suggestion) so I waited until the last two groups came by (20 minute wait) and then had to sit behind a 3some playing tournament golf for 9 holes (2 hours and 30 minutes). I had another gentleman catch up to me on 8 and we played the back 9 (both walking) in about an hour and 10 minutes. So it felt slow on the front but overall a nice experience. Not sure if I would always drive an hour+ to play this course but if you are in the area it is much better than other courses I have played in the adirondacks on the New York side. Pictures below.

 

Overall, for a public/college course this place is pretty amazing. Not quite Sewanee levels but you could (and I have) do a lot worse. Nice feature for Middlebury to have despite the fact it is probably covered up with snow most of the school year. Will try to get back there again when it is NOT a tournament day. I look forward to getting my teeth kicked in by the greens again, they were extremely tough to read. 

 

[vandyfan]

 

Above: The short par 4 13th with an elevated green, a common feature at RM. 

 

 

Above: The approach uphill to the 18th green.

 

 

Above: The downhill tee shot on the, for me, polarizing par 5 11th. Above 70 feet down and rather beautiful/dramatic. 

 

 

Above: Some of the beautiful width on offer at RM (on most holes), in this case it is the benign par 4 10th hole. 

 

 

Above: A nice picture of the 15th green framed by trees and homes in the distance. You can see a nice example of "green mountains" in the distance. 

 

 

Above: The opening tee shot at RM. 

 

 

Some subtle but devilish contouring on the #1 green. TRUST ME THESE MOVE MORE THAN YOU THINK.

 

 

Above: The green on the 3rd hole where I now know the play is to literally land it on the grassy bank to the right and it will probably feed down to the center of the green.

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by vandyfan

[smoova]

My oldest starts at Midd on Sept 5, so this is a very timely review.  He's only very recently been bitten by the golf bug (played lacrosse through high school and will continue in college), so I am very excited for him to have such a cool course to play as he really learns this game (and for us to play together when I visit in the fall/late spring)!  Thanks!

Edited August 15, 2022 by whitemb

[NCLancer]

OP,  Thanks for the nice review.  As a native Northern New Yorker, may I ask which courses you have played In the ADK's?

Hope you continue to enjoy your trip!  Be sure to try a michigan if you get over to the Plattsburgh area!! 

[vandyfan]

13 hours ago, NCLancer said:

OP,  Thanks for the nice review.  As a native Northern New Yorker, may I ask which courses you have played In the ADK's?

 

My wife's family has a camp on Lake Champlain (NY side) and I am in a bit of a golf desert to be honest (hence why I drove an hour+ to get to Ralph Myhre). We've only been up the past two years so I have only played Westport Country Club and Willsboro Golf Club. Westport is okay but has been owned by several different people in the last few years and isn't quite kept up (greens had a significant fungus on them this past time) but it has a quite beautiful back 9. Willsboro is a 9 hole course designed by a local family and is very stripped down and simple but I look forward to playing it every year. 

 

Next year I hope to get to Lake Placid or Ticonderoga (or both!) I have also heard good things about Bluff Point (right near Plattsburgh). 

[handyquacks17]

Played this course in college for a tournament hosted by the college each year. I loved it, wish I got to play a casual round in non tournament golf there. Maybe will make it up there again on vacation one day.  The 11th hole is a great golf hole.  The back 9 is so much fun to play. 

[Judge Smails]

On 8/16/2022 at 9:50 AM, vandyfan said:

 

My wife's family has a camp on Lake Champlain (NY side) and I am in a bit of a golf desert to be honest (hence why I drove an hour+ to get to Ralph Myhre). We've only been up the past two years so I have only played Westport Country Club and Willsboro Golf Club. Westport is okay but has been owned by several different people in the last few years and isn't quite kept up (greens had a significant fungus on them this past time) but it has a quite beautiful back 9. Willsboro is a 9 hole course designed by a local family and is very stripped down and simple but I look forward to playing it every year. 

 

Next year I hope to get to Lake Placid or Ticonderoga (or both!) I have also heard good things about Bluff Point (right near Plattsburgh). 

If you are willing to drive to "The Ralph" head 20 minutes further south to Neshobe in Brandon next time.

 

It's a true hidden gem.

 

It was built as an original 9 and a second 9 later but the holes are now mixed between old and new on each 9.  It looks very underwhelming when you pull up as the first hole is fairly sub-standard and the clubhouse is what you'd expect from a muni in a small town.  However, once you get "up the hill" to the new holes (even some of the old holes are very fun) the course is fabulous. I am a member at a private club up here yet some of my favorite holes in VT are at Neshobe. 

[juggernaut0629]

Middlebury is a nice course indeed. I also play Westport on occasion if I’m up that way. Ticonderoga is a nice course too. I am a member at Hiland in Queensbury. And recommend that as well. Along with Sagamore. And green mountain national. Isn’t there a par 3 right there in Moriah/Port Henry?

Edited October 11, 2022 by juggernaut0629

[vandyfan]

11 hours ago, juggernaut0629 said:

Isn’t there a par 3 right there in Moriah/Port Henry?

 

Indeed, Moriah Country Club is a 9 hole, par 32 exec course (4 holes are par 3s and 5 holes are par 4s). The two things I didn't like about it were (1) there is cartpath all over that course which makes no sense since it is like 2500 yds (just walk for god's sake) and it gets pretty burnt out and dry in the middle of the summer. Will do in a pinch but better options in the area which is already pretty golf starved. 

 

11 hours ago, juggernaut0629 said:

I also play Westport on occasion if I’m up that way.

 

I play Westport several times every year and play in a club championship the last 3 years. It's a shame the management is always changing there because there is some good potential there. A few VERY wonky holes but overall it demands a player be able to hit a host of shots. That downhill #12 hole is a monster and I don't think I have ever made a par there (seemingly I either birdie it or double bogey it). Overall it just seems like it is hard to run a public golf course up there because the season is short and there don't seem to be a ton of golfers in Westport/Essex/Willsboro that can provide enough revenue to support a nice course. I could be wrong but that is how it seems to me. 

[juggernaut0629]

We camped at port Henry for years & I never played that par 3. Just stopped going there 2 years ago