Conditioning, Layout, Greens are perfect

Can't think of any

This is my home course and I grew up playing it, so I'm a bit prejudiced but, and people who play here will back this up, I can honestly say that our North Course is amoung the best courses I've ever played. Its long, its hard and if you're not careful, it will bite you. Fairways are fairly narrow and the bent grass is nearly perfect while the rye overseed provides year-round conditioning. Rough tends to be long and with the tough and very fast greens you have to be close to the pin to score, try keeping it close out of that rough. You must stay out of the bunkers. The par 5s are quite long, only two are reachable by the long hitter and only the longest hitters will reach the other two. The par 3s are each excellent holes. Three have water but it doesn't come into play unless you can't get the ball in the air. The real difficulty on the threes is the greens. You must be near the pin. Sixteen has a false front, as does two. Thirteen and Six are undulating with tricky breaks. The par fours are excellent with all but one in the 380-440 yard range. Perhaps the most difficult holes on the course are nine and twelve. Nine is long with the range on the right protected by a tree line and mounds. The left side parallels eight. You can make par here with a bad drive, but you won't reach the green b/c you'll have to play a long club or chip out from the rough on either side. Twelve is a long dogleg left requiring either a perfectly shaped driver, two long irons or a hooked three wood. The green is protected by bunkers. Distance is key, the putting surface, like all the greens is fast and requires you to be close. Three putts abound on this course. The best looking holes are five, a shortish par five which plays long due to the lake on the right side of the landing zone for the average driver, the long hitter has a three wood off the tee. Another three wood or a long iron will get you to the green, way up hill from the landing area. There are bunkers on each side and given the severely sloping green, you must be close. Fail to carry the false front and a tough 20 yard chip awaits you when your ball runs off the front, long of the pin is death as you watch any putt missed long run back off the green. Seven and Eight provide opportunity for the big hitter who wants to gamble but allow a safe path as well. ON seven the bold player can cut the dogleg over the trees on the right for a short wedge in. Eight requires negotiating a bunker on the right of the fairway and then a second shot to the elevated green. Any back pin placements on these greens are tricky while a pin in the front of the green requires carrying the ball over bunkers and stopping it dead. Eighteen used to be a fairly weak hole but the new design requires negotiating two yawning bunkers to reach the putting surface. Ten is a huge par five which the best players play as a par four type drive to the left center of the fairway avoiding the first bunker on the right. The next shot leaves options. A huge bunker on the right and a well placed trap on the left must be avoided. The best play is either 100 yards out on the right side or about 150 more to the left of the big bunker. From there it is a short iron or wedge to the elevated green surrounded by bunkers. One is a 400 yarder, bunker on the right, dogleg left, tricky green, par is a good start. Two is a par three, about 220 over a pond to the green well back from the pond. Bunkers on the left and right front of the green await. The green itself is tricky, I've seen as many four putts here as one putts. Three is the first par 5, 500 and some yards. A trap in the landing area is unreachable from the back tee to all but the longest knocker. Left here is death OB into a neighborhood that used to be a pig farm (old timers still call #3 the pig hole). From the landing area its uphill to the green. The entire fairway slopes from right to left so the best shot is a long club designed to follow the hill down to the green. Short and right of the green is a real problem, bunkers and ugly rough. This green is notorious for not breaking as much as one would think. Number four is a break. Short dogleg right to a raised green. Traps protect the fairway on both sides so either lay it in easy to the center or bust a big three wood past the trouble. From there the largish green is easy to hit, but you best be close. Six is another par three, no water but two traps short left and mounds right mean you need to hit it on to make a par. Eleven is another hole which doesn't look hard until you walk off the green shaking your head. A series of bunkers guard the right side of the fairway which is fairly narrow. On the left, trees and rough make hitting it close impossible. The green itself is rolling, big breakers are the rule there. One bunker guards the green short right. Thirteen is another par three which requires perfect distance and accuracy. One look at the hole suggests that it would be better if the green and tees were reveresed. The tees are fronted by a small pond. The green guarded by bunkers all around the front left and right of the green. The putting surface is not too tricky. Fourteen has been stretched quite a bit over 400 yards. A huge lake lies right of the green, pretty but out of play. The real difficulty on this hole is the length, I've never had less than a nine iron in. Putting it close is crucial. If the pin is in the back, the putt is impossible, in the front, it is merely hard. Fifteen is the last par five. Long dogleg right with a new trap going in the right landing area. This hole is only reachable with three huge perfect shots. The smart play is driver mid iron and a wedge to the elevated green. Seventeen is a real gem. Fairly long from the tips but only about 350 from the white tees. The drive is an easy shot but the green is protected by a pond left and around the entire front of the green. When the bank is shaved, I've seen many a good shot spin back into the water. The south course has its own charms, especially on the back nine where the twelth and thirteenth holes are quite difficult. But overall, it is very much overshadowed by its older brother.

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Maintenece is great

South is too easy

I played both North and South courses. Both are completely different. The North contains bent grees and rye fairways and rough. The South has zoysia fairways. North is extremely challenging. Since I layed the back, it played around 7,000 yards. It was recently re designed by Hills and I have to tell you, It is amazing. The bunkers are EXTREMELY deep, so I tried to avoid them. Unfortunately, when one does that, he either hits the green, or has to deal with some NASTY rough. The fairways are narrow, and if you miss, the rough will get you. No wonder it hosted the largest open sectional this year with 193 players. Yes I also played the South course (where Shigeki shot the 58). It is a lot easier than the North. How much easier? Well afer shooting a 58 on the South, he played his second 18 on the North and sot a 73. PLAY this course and take a caddy. They will help you read the difficult greens!

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