| In very general terms, courses built during the dark | | | | ponds found on the first six holes, namely at the one |
| age of golf architecture (1950-1970) were long in | | | | shot 2nd and in the landing areas for the second |
| length and short in both character and charm. The | | | | shots on the par five 3rd and 6th. (Forty three years |
| bunkering was unimaginative, repeatedly forcing the | | | | later, the Club acquired the property to build a true |
| same kind of aerial approach shots. Monotonously | | | | coastal hole - today's 4th - which is also a water hole, |
| long holes resulted in the birth of the dreaded '7,000 | | | | albeit a totally natural one). Plummer used the fill from |
| yard championship course' phrase. As with any | | | | the ponds to build up the tees and greens a few |
| generalization, there are exceptions with one of the | | | | feet, thus providing the necessary drainage on these |
| most important being Ralph Plummer's design of | | | | first six holes. With no extraneous land movement |
| Tryall Golf Club.Opened in 1958, the course measured | | | | from tee to green, Plummer's low profile design at |
| 6,324 yards. Yet, thanks in large part to its sloping | | | | Tryall still enjoys a timeless appeal. His complete |
| greens and the ever present trade winds, golfers of | | | | absence of clutter is most appreciated, especially |
| the highest calibre have failed for over five decades | | | | relatively to other courses built after WWII. Plummer |
| to tear it apart. Recognized early on as the | | | | didn't build three bunkers when one would suffice. |
| Caribbean's first course of genuine character, Shell's | | | | Plummer didn't follow Robert Trent Jones horrific |
| Wonderful World of Golf staged a match here in | | | | example at Oakland Hills six years prior in 1952 of |
| 1962 between Dow Finsterwald and Peter Alliss. | | | | pinching in fairways with bunkers on either side. |
| Finsterwald won the match with a score of 72 to | | | | Instead of reducing width and ruining playing angles |
| Alliss's 75. Twenty years later, a desire by the club to | | | | by overbunkering holes off the tee, nine of the |
| host important events manifested itself and the | | | | fourteen nonpar three holes at Tryall originally had no |
| Mazda Champions LPGA - Senior PGA were held at | | | | bunkers off the tee (the 3rd, 8th, 9th, 11th, 13th, |
| Tryall from 1985-87. This event was followed from | | | | 14th, 15th, 17th, and 18th). In addition, Plummer |
| 1988-1990 with the LPGA Jamaican Classic, which in | | | | eschewed containment mounds and framing green |
| turn set the stage for the Johnnie Walker World | | | | sites. The challenge at Tryall intensifies the closer one |
| Championships from 1991 through 1995.Just prior to | | | | gets to the greens - a tenet of classic architecture |
| the 1991 Johnnie Walker World Championship, a | | | | that allows the greatest range possible of golfers to |
| sports columnist not so shrewdly predicted that one | | | | enjoy a course (in fact, so fierce where Plummer's |
| of the professionals would break 60 as this par 71 | | | | orginial green slopes that the greens on holes 7, 8, 11, |
| course still measured below 6,800 yards. That year's | | | | 12, 13 and 16 were softened when Club switched |
| winner was Fred Couples and not only did no one | | | | from the old bermuda grass greens to today's swift |
| break 60 but Couples was the sole person in the field | | | | tifton dwarf greens).Starting at the 7th, Mother |
| to break par for the four day event. The subsequent | | | | Nature's natural attributes are more profuse and |
| winners of the Johnnie Walker (Faldo, Mize, Els, and | | | | Plummer took full advantage as he perfectly draped |
| Couples again) were all major championship winners, | | | | the holes onto the rolling foothills of the property. As |
| which suggests a quality course.What then are | | | | with his other best west works like Preston Trail Golf |
| Tryall's attributes that promote the best to flourish? | | | | Club, Great Southwest Golf Club, and the Cypress |
| Certainly, the course's island setting adds much to | | | | Creek Course at Champions Golf Club, Plummer's |
| Tryall's allure and inspires one to play his best. | | | | routing makes intuitive sense to the golfer as one |
| However, it speaks little as to the lasting merits of | | | | good hole follows another with the green to tee |
| repeated games here. The trade winds which | | | | walks always short. The golfer's judgement is |
| average 20 miles per hour pose the same question | | | | continually taxed at Tryall on the variety of approach |
| as the winds in the United Kingdom: can the golfer | | | | shots required: the uphill approach at the 9th, the |
| control the trajectory of his shots? The golfer with | | | | sharply downhill one shot 10th where one doesn't |
| the talent to do so shines here. Those who followed | | | | want to be long, the uphill approach at the 11th, the |
| Nick Faldo during his 1992 win of the Johnnie Walker | | | | downhill one shot 12th where one wants to be long, |
| marvel to this day at his complete ball flight control | | | | the uphill approach at the 13th, the downhill approach |
| with every club in the bag.The first six holes at Tryall | | | | to the 14th. The continually shifting demands keep |
| are routed near the coastline, and apart from the | | | | the golfer off-balanced, a great attribute for any |
| romance of such a location, Mother Nature didn't | | | | architect to achieve (though few rarely do) as it |
| imbue this flat portion of the property with many | | | | means the golfer will never tire of playing there.Ran |
| natural features. Thus, Ralph Plummer did what every | | | | Morrissett is an avid golfer and host of the popular |
| good architect should: he created the character but | | | | website that features course profiles highlighting the |
| he did so in a manner that is peaceful to the eye. | | | | finer virtues of golf architecture found in over 140 |
| The land in no way looks tortured and the holes sit | | | | courses world-wide.**For more information visit |
| peacefully upon the property. In The Golf Course by | | | | Jamaica's visitor website, the complete source for |
| Ron Whitten and Geoffrey Cornish, Whitten notes | | | | travel and tourism information featuring hand-picked |
| that 'Plummer was known for the attractiveness of | | | | deals on vacation packages, hotels, villas, flights and |
| his layouts and for his remarkable ability to estimates | | | | car rentals** Jamaica's source for travel and tourism |
| cuts and fills and shape greens and bunkers by eye.' | | | | information. |
| The only man-made water hazards on the course are | | | | |