After a couple days off from muni madness, we couldn’t wait to get back and our choice was the second oldest course in the state, Rose City. Our writer and host for this trip grew up playing this course in junior tournaments and warned that it might not be in the best of shape.
Such couldn’t be further from the truth. For a city-owned course that sees in excess of 300 rounds per day in the summer, the fairways and greens were a dream come true.
Even though this track is in a low-income neighborhood, it’s a spectacle of how public and private partnership can work together to make a golf course both profitable and enjoyable.
We teed off first thing in the morning and couldn’t have had a better experience. The course’s old school design makes shot making a premium although our bombers were finally allowed to go full throttle at their drivers on a few holes.
What made the day was our standard post-round beverage. Four Mirror Pond Pale Ales cost $12. The same round cost $32 at one of the private clubs the day before. The cheap price and the fact that we were able to share a pint with a retired postmaster whose been playing Rose City since the early 1980’s made the day extra special.When you come to play Rose City, and you absolutely should, make the effort to play with a local. Not only will they help you navigate the tricky greens, they’ll keep you entertained with stories of their beloved muni going back decades.
