Pond

The 15th at Midland, named Pond, by Jim Urbina, is a fantastic short par four. But studying Raynor’s drawing (and according to Urbina), it was originally, and arguably, an all-world, short par 4. The first thing to notice in the drawing below, is how the pond came out into the players eye off the tee, […]

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Alps

The original 12th, now the 14th, at Midland is an original Raynor Alps. A rare Template, mainly because the correct topography was needed to find the hole, in its natural state, without having to move a lot of earth as part of the design process. Raynor, undoubtedly, was more than pleased when he found the […]

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Spring Fever

Winter has been long. The snow is gone (for the next few hours). Everyone wants to get out and play. A tradition like no other in Minnesota, sparked by the first few nice, warm days of early Spring, is “when will the golf course open?” This question is usually followed up by, “well xyz golf […]

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Leven

The 13th at Midland was determined by Jim Urbina to play as the template, Leven. The history of the original 11th has a lot of unknowns, as well as a few assumptions. Unfortunately, proof of those assumptions cannot be found. Because of Raynor’s drawing, there is an assumption that the hole originally had 2 fairways; […]

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Biarritz

The 12th hole, Biarritz, is one of the most unique Raynor Template holes, and Midland’s does not disappoint. The history of the Biarritz is interesting, and just like many Templates, comes with differing opinions on how the hole should be presented. Most of the differing opinions revolve around if there should be greens height of […]

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Westward Ho!

“Wind, I consider, the finest asset in golf; in itself, it is one of the greatest, and most delightful accompaniments in the game. Without wind, your course is always the same, but as the wind varies in velocity, and from the various points of the compass, you not only have one course, but you have […]

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