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<\/a>Have you ever seen such a sign?<\/p><\/div>\n
You might have thought that they knew I was coming.\u00a0 Seriously, when a golf course has a sign that completely disregards the Rules of Golf, something is amiss with the design.<\/p>\n
Tot Hill Farm is a very striking design by the late talented Mike Strantz on a dramatically beautiful piece of property.\u00a0 While I admire his work particularly at Tobacco Road, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, and Monterey Peninsula Country Club, he really got carried away here.\u00a0 You will find all sorts of odd-ball challenges and weird shapes and angles at this very scenic layout, one that “Golf Digest” once rated the 7th toughest golf course in the US – quite a ranking for a public-access layout.<\/p>\n
Anyway, the layout is “Strantz on Steroids” or something over-the-edge.\u00a0 While it is a layout that a few do love, it is simply too difficult for most, and even advanced players will tire of this as a steady diet.\u00a0 That said, Tot Hill Farm is a course that everyone should want to play once for its unique challenge and beauty.\u00a0 It’s really fun if you don’t take your golf seriously.<\/p>\n
I met and talked with Mike before he died from throat cancer, but I had not yet played Tot Hill Farm.\u00a0 I would have loved to have asked him about his intentions with Tot Hill Farm.\u00a0 Was he instructed to build an “extreme” golf course or was the final product his idea?<\/p>\n