Quirky Crow Creek worth taking from virtual to reality

By Chris Baldwin,
Contributor

CALABASH, N.C. - Staring down the long, twisting fairway with its three separate set of bunkers brings up a disconcerting feeling. It seems like you've been here before.

And no, not been here in terms of staring down an impending double bogey. Really been here. Like on this specific Crow Creek Golf Plantation course you have never swung a club on before today, on this particular No. 1 handicap-rated, 574-yard par-5 seventh hole.

Eerie? Nah, not really. Twilight Zoneish? Not at all. This isn't a Halloween tale. It's a technology tale.

The reason many golfers find Crow Creek so familiar the first time they play it is because...they are familiar with it. Crow Creek offers a virtual tour on its website that gives an extended overhead look at every hole complete with audio commentary, pause, rewind and fast forward. It is an option that many first timers seem to take advantage of pre-round.

"Sure I did the whole tour thing," said Larry Foti, a Cleveland winter escapee. "It gives you a good idea of what you're getting into, a lot more than just the usual scorecard and few signature hole pictures on most course web sites. From looking at it on-line, I didn't think I'd have any problems. Thought it played to my strengths.

"Of course, that still didn't stop me from posting an eight a few holes back. I can hit the ball like Tiger Woods in my kids' video game too. Doesn't mean I can do that out here either."

Virtual reality's limits quickly become apparent on Crow Creek's No. 7. The bunker clusters look a lot wider and deeper than they did on your laptop the night before. And the water running up the entire right side of the hole is farther away from the tee than it appeared in preview.

"Truthfully, I thought it looked tougher on the computer than it played," Foti said of No. 7.

This illustrates the drawback to virtual reality. Anyone who takes the tour is likely to come to Crow Creek with preconceived notions. Still, it is a small price to pay for the overall preview benefit. Former Crow Creek general manager Patrick Crean came up with the idea for the virtual tour a few years ago, expecting other golf courses to follow. Few have, which actually makes Crow Creek stand out even more among the 120-course land of the Grand Strand, a place where standing out is a priceless business feature.

Then again, when it comes to standing out, nothing is quite like the fishing shack. Er cabin. That is what the McLamb family called their modest on-farm vacation home off the eighth tee. The cabin with its cute front porch has stood on this land for almost 40 years. For most of its life, it served as a base for the McLambs' hunting and fishing adventures. Now, it serves as the ultimate golf course conversation piece.

When Jerry McLamb decided to turn his 500-acre farm into a golf course in the late 1990s, he could not come to grips with the idea of tearing down the cabin. Thankfully, architect Rick Robbins found a way to work it into his design.

Which just might be one of the best decisions Robbin has ever made.

"We get a lot of comments about the No. 8 cabin," current GM Bryan Thomas said, laughing. "A lot of comments. Through everything that's happened in this area, that old cabin's still standing there."

Now nobody can imagine Crow Creek without the cabin. It is one of the touches that makes this four-year-old course seem like it's been around a lot longer than it has been. Robbins crafted a largely traditional design, taking advantages of many of the natural features that the McLamb clan enjoyed for years.

When Robbins did put in a man-made lake on No. 8, he kept a few pine trees standing on the bottom of it. So not only do you face a large tree adjacent to the tee box on this 193-yard, par-3, you're shooting over water with pines rising out of it. Which might qualify as the inept hacker's ultimate nightmare. It is possible to land in the trees and the water with the same shot here. Possible.

Sure, it is a little gimmicky, but this gimmick works. The pines halfway submerged in the pond can make you feel like you stumbled upon an upside down Planet of the Apes world.

The dogleg left 545-yard, par-5 No. 3 is another hole in which Robbins forces you to make choices. With a bunker seemingly as large as Oklahoma left off the tee, it is tempting to go right. Go too far right and you might just be running into a stream.

"If you didn't hit a good drive on No. 3, you're set up for a lot of trouble," Thomas said. "It's one of my favorites."

Still overall, a masochist is liable to be disappointed with Crow Creek. This isn't a course that offers many opportunities to infuriate. For all the water in sight, the wet stuff is more often out of play than in. Crow Creek is more about the experience, its quirky little touches not seen on many courses. Things like the sprayed bunker pattern on No. 16. Golfers fret about the long left side bunker that looks like it has branches intruding onto the fairway and end up in one of the small, undistinguished straight ahead bunkers.

Welcome to Crow Creek, reality-reality style. There's nothing virtual about that sand.

The Verdict

Crow Creek looks scarier on your computer screen than it actually is. In the virtual tour, the fairways can seem awfully skinny, when in reality on most holes there is plenty of generous landing area. If you're looking for that Grand Strand round for your lost ball legend tales, this probably isn't it. If you're looking for a decent challenge with some entertaining features, it could fit the bill.

The par 3s are Crow Creek's best and not just because the old survivor cabin is off a par 3. These holes showcase Robbins' creative side, from the tee-side, shot-altering tree on No. 8 to the bunker painting on 16. The par 3s are also the holes that cause the most shot selection debates. Next to them, some of the par 5s seem downright pedestrian.

The course is in good shape (it actually looks greener in person) with L93 bent grass greens that obviously receive regular, tender, loving care. The farm family that used to retreat to that cabin would be proud of the reverence for grass. All in all, Crow Creek is worth experiencing from the tee box. This is an instance where the previews might not always be right, but they won't lead you wrong.

Places to eat

Café Latte ((910) 575-3033) offers choices ranging from smoked bacon burgers to spinach raviolis in a subdued setting. For something a little more casual and upkey, Logan's Roadhouse ((843) 272-3435) provides peanuts in the shell for you to crack open (and it appears throw on the floor) and blaring country music. It's not for everyone, but those that is for swear by it.

Places to stay

Village at the Glens ((843) 249-1046) is the perfect base to hit the many courses along the north Grand Strand. The North Carolina border is a quick jaunt away and Myrtle Beach itself is still in range. The Glens are a virtual home away from home with large living rooms, in-unit washer & dryers, multiple bathrooms and TVs and full kitchens. These rental condos are not the Ritz, but they are superior to many of the hotels in the area. The individual owners decorate the units so the Glens is refreshingly clear of the cookie cutter hotel feel. The multi-bedroom villas are especially good for large groups of four or more. And it's golf crazed enough to have a putting green in the backyard courtyard.

The Suburban Extended Stay Hotel (1-800-951-STAY) offers a more traditional hotel experience with a mini kitchen in each unit. The rates are discounted the longer you stay, making this a home for transferring executives that many golfers have found suits their needs as well.

November 23, 2004

Chris Baldwin keeps one eye on the PGA Tour and another watching golf vacation hotspots and letting travelers in on the best place to vacation.

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.