I haven’t walked many golf courses since moving to Florida, but when I got the opportunity to play Alpine Country Club, I knew I wanted to track my steps and miles for a blog post. I have been in Rhode Island for a few weeks helping out at Alpine. They are shorthanded and needed the support. We are slow down in Naples, and this was a good learning opportunity for me. So here I am! It also gave me a chance to visit a lot of local breweries like Buttonwoods Brewery, Tilted Barn Brewery and Whalers Brewing Company.
Alpine Country Club is located in Cranston, Rhode Island. The club features a gigantic clubhouse, ballroom, pool, multiple dining establishments, a simulator and a championship golf course measuring 6918 yards from the tips. That is a little long for me, so when I play the course, I will play the Standard/Blue tee.
The golf course is really nice. They have a good superintendent here, and even though the course gets a lot of play during the summertime, they keep the tee boxes, fairways and greens in pristine shape. There aren’t any homes on the course, either, which is not something I am used to! The trees are tall and mature and the layout demands an accurate tee shot all the way around. Don’t even get me started on the greens… EVERY green out here slopes back to front. They are solid, too, and I have a tough time getting the ball to stop below the hole. If you get above the hole, good luck!
Yesterday I got the chance to play 18 holes. It was only my second day off since being in Rhode Island, but I wanted to make sure I played the golf course before going home. They allow walking, so I grabbed my bag and headed to the first tee. The front 9 forces you to hit a lot of different clubs off the tee. There are also 3 par 5s on the front. Par 37. You don’t see that every day! By the time I made the turn, I had walked 2.88 miles. That is 6,831 steps. They keep telling me the back is harder, so I headed to the 10th tee to find out… Another par 5!
The back is tough. I was +2 through 9 holes, but went bogey, bogey, bogey, bogey to start the back. I didn’t have a birdie all day, either. There are some pretty holes on the back, water comes into play on a few, and again, you are forced to hit accurate tee shots. The final 3 holes are brutal, too. By the time I finished the back, I had walked 3.27 miles and 7,327 steps. It felt longer, too.
By the time I was finished, I walked 6.15 miles and 14,158 steps.
Alpine is a Troon Privé facility and offers a lot more than just 18 holes of championship golf. I am glad I got the chance to spend so much time here to see how a truly private club works. I got to meet a lot of people and hopefully will get to play some more golf courses in the area before I’m done. Regardless, I enjoyed my time at Alpine and look forward to what tomorrow brings.
