Thursday, July 12, 2001
Golf course spotlight: Sugar Ridge
Challenging layout becoming even tougher
By Carey Hoffman
Enquirer contributor
Many golfers believe their sport is a mystical endeavor controlled by the unseen hands of the gods of golf. Which begs the question: How does one interpret the sudden appearance of 13 wild turkeys on the 13th hole at Sugar Ridge during our round there last weekend?
It was a Wild Kingdom experience.
|
ENQUIRER RATINGS
|
Challenge -- 3 balls (on 1-5 scale)
Conditions -- 3 balls
Aesthetics -- 3 1/2 balls
Overall -- 3 balls.
|
|
VITAL STATS
|
Yardage: Gold tees -- 6,684 yards; Black tees -- 6,120 yards; Silver tees -- 4,634 yards.
Greens fees: 18 holes -- Weekdays before 2 p.m., $34; after 2 p.m., $25 twilight rate; seniors before 12 p.m., $25; Weekends $39.50; after 3 p.m., $25 twilight rate. 9 holes -- Weekdays $19; weekends $22.
Cart path policy: Cross fairways at 90 degrees, weather permitting.
Directions: From downtown, take U.S. 50 west through Elizabethtown to State Line Road. Turn right on State Line Road. Course is at top of hill, 1 1/2 miles ahead.
Phone: (513) 333-0333.
|
While it would be easy (and accurate) to consider the turkeys' entrance to be a just commentary on the kind of golf being played, the encounter also makes a point about the setting of Sugar Ridge, which is located just outside of Lawrenceburg, Ind.
“It's a course where you see a lot of wildlife,” Sugar Ridge's Mike Macke said. “It's amazing, but you see even more wild turkeys out here than deer.”
Macke and Carl Tuke Jr. own Sugar Ridge through their M.T. Golf Management company, and Macke joined Arthur Hills protege Brian Huntley in designing the course, which opened in 1994. A deal soon was struck to sell the course to National Golf Properties, but after five years it put the course back on the market and Macke “ran down there to buy it. “I always liked the course and regretted selling it when I did,” he said.
For the past three years, Macke has worked to make Sugar Ridge the kind of golf course he envisioned it could be. The most dramatic change has just been completed — the addition of three new holes on the back nine.
No.13 is where you first begin to see evidence of change, with the fairway widened to create a larger landing area off the tee. (But the par-5's severely sloped green, one of Sugar Ridge's most memorable features, remains intact). No.14 also has had its fairway widened.
The first of the new holes is No.15, a par-3 built upon a broad shelf. It can play as long as 257 yards from the back tees but is a more mortal 175 yards from the middle. The green is the largest on the course and is surrounded by an extensive, closely mown area, giving the hole a different feel from any other par-3 at Sugar Ridge.
Possibly the most visually striking hole on the course is No.16, a 283-yard par-4. It is one of those new breed of risk/reward short par-4s: Yes, you could knock it on the green with a perfect drive, but 80 percent of the green's front is a dead zone thanks to a greenside pond. And should you really uncork a shot off line, a steep hill left and equally steep dropoff right will impose a heavy penalty.
“Most players won't be able to resist the temptation,” Macke said. “I think by the end of the year, we'll have a lake full of golf balls out there.”
No.15 and No.16 have been cut out of wooded areas that weren't previously in play. From No.16, you head uphill to the site of the old No.15, which has been cut down to a short downhill par-3 that plays into the old green down in a hollow surrounded by trees.
Right now, you finish your round on the former No.16 hole, a rugged par-5 up a narrow valley that earned a spot last year on The Enquirer's 18 Most Diabolical Holes list. But later this year, Sugar Ridge will go back to using its former No.18, as Macke starts a massive make-
over on old No.16 that will flatten and widen the fairway, add two lakes and create a 600-yard, par-5 finishing hole by next year.
The rest of Sugar Ridge remains much the same visually, though Macke said 95 percent of the drainage problems on the course have been corrected, and the grounds staff has worked to clear out areas that previously had been left overgrown. Still, with woods and hills throughout the course, most holes have at least one side you don't want to flirt with.
On the front nine, holes No.4 and No.5 remain one of Golf Plus' favorite combinations in the area. No.4, a downhill tee shot into a narrow valley with water guarding the green front and right, is probably more deserving of the “diabolical” tag than any other hole on the course. The followup on No.5 is a par-5 that slides uphill left away from the tee, creating the illusion the hole is much longer than its 521 yards.
Every pin on the course is equipped with a marker that allows golfers who have picked up a laser viewer in the pro shop to determine their exact distance from the pins. There is no charge for the viewer, but you have to ask for it.
“We have just been trying to make the course more playable this year,” said Brian Krinsky, Sugar Ridge's general manager and director of golf. “We've been working on the details. Our priorities are making a course more playable and more fun for the average golfer by detailing this golf course.”
Check out our Tristate golf guide for a directory and features on local courses, coverage of the Men's and Women's Met, and other news.
Sports Stories
Dunn, Rijo callups not imminent
Dunn hits two HR, wins All-Star MVP
Larkin having roughest year
Braves may have need for Reese
Reds-Indians Scouting Report
Xavier drops Midnight Madness
Price says he's headed to Delaware St.
Prison term renews Douthard's NFL drive
Bengals' 6th-rounder signs
UC awaits Maxiell's eligibility
Golf course spotlight: Sugar Ridge
