Inside Golf - Carrick's New Design At Predator Ridge Is A Gem

By Jeff Sutherland

Last week the iG Blogger was honoured to be part of the first foursome to tee it up on the new Doug Carrick design at Predator Ridge.

At course openings when they say this person or that person was the first to play, it usually is only somewhat true.

For this course, GM Rod Cochrane emphatically stated that the new Ridge layout had remained virgin territory without one shot having been played.

That was at least until the previous night.

It was at that point that owner Wesbild's Deputy Chairman Randy Zien could not wait any longer and had to beta test the new layout.

And given that Zien had been the quarterback who had managed this spectacular redesign from the outset, it was more than understandable that he could not wait to tee it up.

This course looked that good.

Still to be one of two media groups who would be the first foursome to tee it up was a considerable honour.

A coin toss later, the foursome of Predator Ridge's General Manager Rod Cochrane, myself, Brad Zeimer from the Vancouver Sun, and the Golf Show's Brad Ewart were following Doug Carrick's ceremonial first drive... some straighter than others.

Even following Doug at all was actually a tall order for the blogger. He is a solid low handicap golfer and was a top provincial level player in his younger days.

Carrick had spoken the previous evening about what he was trying to accomplish with a redesign of nine existing holes added to nine new ones.

"The clients here wanted a course that everyone could play and enjoy...  fun and playable for the average golfer but would still provide some challenge for the expert golfer."

The course starts with a medium length uphill par four with a relatively generous fairway, allowing for some margin of error on the opening tee shot of the day. The two large bunkers that frame the left side of this two level fairway, encourage play to the upper level of fairway on the right side. (ed. note: portions of these hole descriptions are courtesy of www.carrickdesign.com )

This would be a theme repeated throughout the day, bunkering sloped toward you that suggests where to go and unless you are a strong, low handicapper, is not that much in play.

The second and third holes are great examples of how Carrick had approached renovating the previously existing nine.

In some cases they took the sections of the holes virtually to bedrock and then rebuilt them. In others they built up tees and fairways to remove blind shots and give better sight lines. In every case, they reworked the putting surfaces from scratch.

The second is a good example of where they took at least part of the hole down to bedrock.

A long downhill par four measuring 447 yards from the championship tees, a drive placed down the right side of the fairway leaves the best approach angle and view into the large plateau green.

Aside from giving the fairway the dramatic sweeps that seem to be a Carrick signature here, they exposed a large rock outcropping that flanks the right side of the narrow crevice leading into the green.

Carrick stated,"When we started shaping, we found this rock had been covered up with eight feet of soil during the previous design. We exposed it as a feature and are sure that it will no doubt contribute to a variety of lucky and unlucky bounces on errant approach shots."
 
The 3rd hole plays uphill through a dramatic wooded valley, and is one of several transition points on the golf course where the landscape changes from a more open setting with long
views, to a setting of seclusion and enclosure.

Measuring only 378 yards from the championship tees, the 3rd hole is deceptively challenging. Even though the fairway appears to be quite wide, a tee shot hit too far to the left will require golfers to hit a right-to-left approach into the elevated green. The sloping false front on the green will direct downhill putts that are hit too boldly off the green and into the fairway.

Predator's Head Of Greenskeeping, T.J. McNamara was very impressed with what Carrick had done with this putting surface, "Aside from the false front encouraging players to hit enough club to reach this deep green, he was able to do this only using a small amount of total square footage of green."

Carrick again here built up the fairway to make the green more visible.
 
It is on the 5th where you get to play the first Carrick-only designed hole.
 
The first par three to be encountered on The Ridge Course is the longest and perhaps the most dramatic of all the par three holes.

Measuring 244 yards from the championship tees, the 5th hole plummets almost 100 feet from tee to green into the backdrop of Okanagan Lake and the surrounding mountains.

Two bunkers and a dramatic rock outcrop frame the large green. The tee shot must clear a large mound guarding the front left side of the green.

Still the redesigned holes blend so seamlessly that if you had not played the course previously you would never have guessed where that change took place.

Behind the tee on the fifth is a snack shack and deck where it intersects with the 13th hole.

The trail system also passes through this spot and it would be hard to imagine a better place to come out for a walk on a warm summer evening and stop for a glass of wine.

Eco-friendly, the building is actually solar powered.

The signature sixth hole is a dramatic downhill par four measuring 438 yards from the championship tees. Uniquely on the course, there are seven different tee decks here (most holes have four).

Rod Cochrane explains, "I got this call from Doug and his first words were 'I screwed up'. What had happened was that after building the tee down below, Carrick had found a natural bench higher up on the hill side that would provide a spectacular place to tee off. I took a picture with my phone and showed it to the bosses and there was no question we had to build them."

The bowl shaped fairway is more generous than it appears from the tee and the dramatic surrounding slopes will help to funnel errant shots back into play.

Once in the fairway, golfers will be challenged with a slightly uphill approach shot from a downhill lie. The large plateau green is guarded by three bunkers on the left side and a long slope on the right.

The visually stirring bowl shaped fairways are a recurring theme throughout the layout.

The Ridge course is sited over some 600 feet of vertical drop and the bowl shaped fairways are an effective way to make the course more playable. Still if you miss the short grass, you are going to likely have a tough time finding your ball.

Even if you are hitting the drives straight, there is also one other area of concern that could be tickling your subconscious.

The dramatic drops from the fifth and sixth holes mean that you are going to have to play back up this mountainside.

And this is where Carrick's true talent as a designer shows through.

Using a routing that is nothing short of genius, there is not one hole with an uphill tee shot after the third.

The par five seventh may have a slightly uphill approach but starts with a downhill drive and second shot.

The par three eighth plays slightly downhill as well.

Speaking with Harvest General Manager, Gilles Dufort, it was these holes with their cathedral settings created by the lines of pine trees that he found reminiscent of Pinehurst in South Carolina.

The par five ninth is basically level and an intriguing risk/reward hole.

The twisting and turning fairway weaves around several dramatic rock outcrops and gradually narrows as it approaches the green.

A long drive into the wide fairway is only half the battle as the second shot must be threaded through the narrow gap in the rocks to reach the small green.

Fun. Fun. Fun.

Even the tenth, one of only a few holes where the approach plays dramatically uphill has somewhat downhill drives.

Small tees perched precariously on top of a series of elevated rock outcroppings offer dramatic views to the fairway and surrounding landscape.

Measuring only 376 yards from the championship tees, this may be the most deceptively challenging hole on the course. A long straight tee shot is required to reach the most level part of the fairway, leaving an uphill approach to a tightly guarded green. The bunkers along the right side are to be avoided at all costs.
 
The 11th Hole is GM Rod Cochrane's favourite and it's easy to see why. The rolling fairway here looks amazing... like green waves on the water.

A strong, undulating par five measuring 558 yards from the back tee, rugged rock outcrops frame the right side of the first landing area and a treacherous slope flanks the left side of the fairway, ready to swallow up a drive hit too far off line in that direction.

A long drive placed into the right half of the fairway leaves a long approach shot into a slightly elevated green, guarded by two bunkers on the front left side.

A lay up approach shot must be carefully planned in order to leave a reasonable pitch into this tricky green site on the third shot.

The 12th hole is a picturesque and relatively short downhill par three surrounded by bunkers, rocks and dramatic slopes. At 171 yards from the championship tees, this hole will play one to two clubs shorter because of the dramatic elevation change.

The final par five to be played on The Ridge Course is also the longest hole on the course at 562 yards from the championship tee. All relatively straight drives on this hole are rewarded with forgiving bounces towards the centre of the fairway, by the surrounding slopes and rock outcrops.

A well hit second shot through the narrow valley will leave a relatively straight forward approach into the long narrow green. The deep bunker guarding the left front side of the green is to be avoided at all costs.

The 14th hole is a beautiful medium length par four that weaves through a deep valley surrounded by dramatic slopes and rock formations.

Drives that are hit to the right half of the fairway are rewarded with a clear view into a large green that is partially obscured by a large rock outcrop on the left.

The final par three on The Ridge Course is also the shortest hole on the course measuring only 165 yards from the championship tee.

While the yardage may seem short, the 15th hole is all about precision and proper club selection.

Front pin locations on this green call for accurate distance control in order to avoid the water, while back pin positions require pin point accuracy to avoid the bunker on the left or the rocks behind the green.

This is another hole where significant changes were made (holes 14 through 18 are the remaining part of the original nine).

The original green was sited more to the left closer to some cottages. Carrick moved it to the right changing the backdrop. It was on the tee box, however, where subtle but important renovations were made.

Originally the tee boxes were the same height as the pond and had the players hitting an uphill tee shot. Carrick raised them more than eight feet so that players had a clear view of the green.

The 16th hole is an enticing short drivable par four measuring only 336 yards from the championship tee.

It also represents the last reasonable opportunity to make a birdie or eagle, before completing the round on the demanding final two holes of The Ridge Course.

For the aggressive long hitting players, the green is certainly within reach from the elevated tee. The perfect drive is a long right-to-left draw that finds the narrow opening to the green between a pond and the bunker. Of course, a tee shot with a long iron or hybrid that avoids all the trouble will also present a legitimate opportunity to make a birdie.

This is just one of the many holes where fescue has been planted to frame the holes and you cannot help but think that this course has been here forever.

Doug Carrick confirms this feeling, "The job done getting this course ready has been unbelievable. It feels like this course is ten years old. The grow-in is just that good. The only place we even used sod at all was the edges of the bunkers."

The 17th hole is a long, demanding par four measuring 472 yards from the championship tees.

Water flanks the left side of the fairway for the entire length of this hole and three bunkers frame the right side of the landing area, placing a premium on length and accuracy from the tee.

A well placed drive in the fairway is rewarded with another long second shot into a large green protected by two bunkers on the right side and water on the left. Par on the 17th hole will be well earned.
 
The closing hole on The Ridge Course at Predator Ridge is a classic par four measuring 461 yards from the championship tees, played into the backdrop of the clubhouse.

The drive must avoid a deep, gaping bunker on the right side as well as two bunkers framing the left side of the generous fairway. Approach shots played from the left side of the fairway are afforded an easier line of play into the large elevated green that is protected by two deep bunkers on the right and one large bunker flanking the left side.

Is this the best new course in Canada?

Well, it is fair to say that it is instantly one of the best courses in the province... in the top five for those built after 1960 and comparable to Greywolf (another Carrick design), Tobiano and Talking Rock.

The views are simply breathtaking.

The fairway bunkering frames and defines each hole, visually pleasing for everyone but in play only for the longer hitters.

The putting surfaces are more than fair. There are slopes but none too severe and the subtle breaks around the hole are readable.

The difference here is that Carrick has made a course over some very demanding terrain that is playable and enjoyable for every level of golfer.

There are virtually no blind shots, virtually no uphill tee shots, and almost zero long traverses from one green to the next tee.

The fairways are designed to bring balls back into play for the shorter hitting, higher handicapper while longer errant tee shots will earn their just reward.

Marry this with an opening day manicure quality never seen before in B.C. and you have got a true winner.

It does not matter how you get here... drive, fly or hitch hike. This course is a must-play for 2010.