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The course planner states that the 5^th hole a long par five is a score wrecker, but I have to say that the first three holes need careful consideration before dragging the driver out of the bag I was caught out by the tightness of the trees each side of the fairway some 190 yards from each of the tee and wished that I had taken irons on the first few holes after only registering 1 point. The third hole has a tricky slope just before the green, which also slopes to the back so you have to pitch, well short or fly it at the flag to hold the green. Hole four a par three 180 yards was playing straight into the wind anything short of the hole bounces down the hill which fall left to right between the tee and green I hit a five wood in the morning and over shot the green but landed my shot in the afternoon with six foot in the afternoon a three iron. The fifth hole is only 408 yards on the card and described as a score wrecker it does play long but you can easily see that in the summer holding you drive on the fairway would become very difficult, also the close proximity of the trees to the green make you second shot of sloping left to right fairway very difficult. Hole six another par three with a blind green at the top of a hill it has a sneaky bunker just short and left of the green, which is obscured from the tee. Hole seven is a lovely driving hole and my favorite as I played this hole to perfection both times in the day. All you need is a long drive up the left side of the right to left sloping fairway giving you a clear shot with a seven iron past the tree just short of the green on the left. Hole eight was a little disappointing I expected it to play much harder as its stroke index was 1 apart from the large clump of trees on the right and a narrow green there wasn’t much of a challenge other than maintaining a straight shot up the left side. Hole nine takes you back towards the clubhouse and the half way house (which wasn’t open) the hole is an easy straight short par four guarded by two bunkers. Hole ten is the first of the two par fives on this course and is also relatively easy at only 474 yards as long as your tee shot is straight. Even into the wind your second shot will pass the two bunkers either side of the fairway, you then only have a short wedge on to a fairly large green. Hole eleven is a short par three about 150 yards but only plays a eight iron the green is quite large and flat and is protected by three bunkers two at the front and one behind. Hole twelve is another lovely driving hole which dog legs right and is guarded by two large bunkers just off the fairway on the right and out of bounds stopping you cutting the corner off, but because its down hill if you can hit a straight shot it shouldn’t cause to many problems. I hit a long drive leaving an eight iron into the wind, which hit the front edge. The green has a gentle contour from left to right so putting from the left side is difficult. Hole thirteen was out of play the day we visit the course and we played 7A earlier in the round, which was the same length. I can remember hole 13 from the last time we played and found my tee shot, which was well hit coming up short of the green. The fourteenth is another dog leg right with a bunker in the middle of the fairway about 50 yards from the green but don’t worry about it doesn’t come into play unless you squirted one off the tee. Hole fifteen a 412 par four has a large bunker in the middle of the fairway about 260 yards from the tee. The day we played it we had the wind directly behind us and I guess that is the norm for this hole and that is why the bunker is placed there, however there is plenty of room right and left to avoid it. A grass mound, which guards the green on the left, had some deep rough on it the day we played.  It left me with a tricky chip down to the green. Hole sixteen is only 400 yards long and a dog leg round trees on your right. I played a five wood over the bunker on the right close to the trees to leave me about 150 yards over a valley to a elevated green “ a lovely hole”. Seventeen takes to back up the hill and dog legs left following the fairway of the previous hole you need to be well right of the fir tress on the left as there is a hidden bunker just after them, your next shot is to one of the narrowest greens on the course. The last hole a par five is a straight drive just let rip there is plenty of room and not much trouble but you have to think about the next as there a tree smack in the middle of the fairway protecting the green about forty yards from it. The green is two tiered sloping back to front quite a nice finishing hole.   

 

Kevin Burnett-Whalley