The Classic, revisited
by Mark Sculati
Two
true tests of any golf course are how it stands up over time, and how
changes are made to make the course better (see Hazeltine National after their first US
Open and the infamous cow pasture line.) A great course must maintain its standing, while
a poor course must remedy the situation, both fine lines in the golfer's eye. In the case
of The Classic at Maddens, a great course has maintained its standing as one of the top
courses in the state. Hailed by Golf Digest in 1997 as the "Third-best new
upscale public course in North America," The Classic has done nothing to lose that
ranking over the past two years.
Practice area
Many players from Minnesota have traveled to Las Vegas or Arizona at
one point or another and had a golfing vacation. One such well-known course in Las Vegas
is Angel Park. Imagine (I’ve done this) walking in and paying your green fees of
about $110.00, getting your receipt and walking out to the practice range to hit a few
balls. A man asks for your name (I figure he’s checking the tee time sheet to make
sure I belong) as you walk on the range . When finished, you head off the range and are
stopped by the same man asking for your name again – why does he want my name again,
I wonder? That’ll be $12.00 he says. What? Are you kidding me? I just plunked down
$110.00 and you can’t even let me hit a few measly balls? That scene will never
happen to this golfer again. Fast forward to The Classic. Imagine getting on the range and
as per usual hitting a couple of fat irons to begin with. Messy club? No bother, just hand
it to the 12 or 13 year old standing behind you with the white towel waiting to clean
your club after every swing. It was a beautiful thing, and about as far from
Vegas as a guy could get. The practice putting green was immaculate, with contours like
you will face on the course, a nuance missing at most courses where flat practice greens
rule the roost.
The course
Some upscale golf courses make things difficult due to layout,
length, etc. Not at The Classic. With five sets of tee boxes there is truly something
available for every level of handicapped golfer. Where does one begin when everything is
perfect? The immaculate fairways await you as you stand on the teebox. Just off the
fairway and into the second cut? No bother as the Classic’s generous secondary cut is
about as good as most golf course's fairways. Towering trees line the secondary cut but
the grass is mowed for easy finding of the ball. You may have to punch out, but that is
better than a lost ball. This setup allows for beautifully lined holes, but doesn’t
kill the average golfer’s wayward drive. This aspect makes the round just that much
more enjoyable. The Classic is different in that it strays from the traditional layout and
has five par fives, five par threes (three on the back) and eight par fours. There is
nothing like standing on a tee and looking at a beautiful par three, and The Classic has
five of them. Surrounding the par threes and lying throughout the rest of the course are
55 of the prettiest Pebble Beach-like sand traps you’ll ever see. Golfers want
consistency with sand traps and that’s exactly what you’ll get at The
Classic--pure white sand that looks pleasing to the eye and inspires confidence once
you’re lying in one.
Final analysis
This golfer, along with the Minnesota Golf Page staff, has traveled
throughout the country and played many so-called "upscale" courses. The problem
with many of them is that you are treated as a number: as in give us your money and leave
us alone. The Classic treats you as if it is their honor and privilege to host you,
rather than the "you should be honored to play here" attitude found at many
courses. For that reason alone, this course should be visited and enjoyed.
Course note: The Classic has
reversed the order of the nines, making the previous number 10 the new number one, and
vice versa. This speeds play as the more difficult original number one now falls in the
middle of the round.
Click here
to visit Madden's web site.
Click here
for golf instruction offered by club pro Chris Foley.
Click here to read our first review of The
Classic, posted in 1997.
| Hole |
Rating/Slope |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
Out |
| Tour |
75.3/139 |
540 |
173 |
379 |
409 |
420 |
543 |
213 |
440 |
436 |
3553 |
| Black |
73.3/137 |
530 |
168 |
321 |
402 |
401 |
528 |
188 |
420 |
424 |
3382 |
| Blue |
71.6/131 |
505 |
151 |
295 |
386 |
371 |
510 |
172 |
413 |
406 |
3209 |
| White |
M 69.2/125
L 74.5/134 |
486 |
131 |
282 |
369 |
360 |
448 |
155 |
341 |
343 |
2915 |
| Par |
 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
36 |
| HC |
|
15 |
17 |
13 |
11 |
1 |
9 |
7 |
5 |
3 |
|
| Red |
69.1/122 |
376 |
101 |
165 |
327 |
306 |
371 |
83 |
326 |
332 |
2387 |
| HC |
|
7 |
13 |
17 |
11 |
1 |
3 |
15 |
5 |
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Hole |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
In |
TOT |
| Tour |
470 |
448 |
218 |
638 |
217 |
419 |
535 |
159 |
452 |
3334 |
7109 |
| Black |
466 |
346 |
195 |
594 |
205 |
402 |
522 |
156 |
441 |
3327 |
6709 |
| Blue |
450 |
327 |
185 |
582 |
175 |
362 |
493 |
146 |
426 |
3146 |
6355 |
| White |
442 |
304 |
170 |
557 |
160 |
352 |
471 |
134 |
335 |
2925 |
5840 |
| Par |
5 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
36 |
72 |
| HC |
12 |
16 |
8 |
4 |
6 |
10 |
14 |
18 |
2 |
|
|
| Red |
372 |
283 |
140 |
497 |
90 |
324 |
397 |
80 |
313 |
2496 |
4883 |
| HC |
6 |
16 |
8 |
2 |
14 |
10 |
4 |
18 |
12 |
|
|
|
|