| Hole # 1 |
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| This can be a challenging starting hole if you have not warmed up on the practice range first. Watch for the prevailing south winds tending to move your ball toward the creek on the right. A good drive will yield a mid iron to a green that is sloped toward you. Make sure you keep your ball below the hole, and getting a par is a good start to your round! |
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| Hole # 2 |
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| This short par 4 demands accuracy off the tee. The sloping fairway will want to bounce your drive into the right rough or trees. A right to left shot gives you the best chance of positioning your approach from 100 yards out in the fairway. Take dead aim at the pin but don''''t go long. A two putt par is nothing to be ashamed of! |
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| Hole # 3 |
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| Welcome to the first of four par 3''s on the course. This is the easiest one and should be a straight forward mid iron to the center of the green. |
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| Hole # 4 |
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| If you are over par at this point, now is your chance to gain one stroke back! This par 5 can be easily reached in two by the long hitters. Keep your drive in play and get as close to the slope as possible. If you get up the slope you will have an iron to the green. A good safe play is to coax our second shot up to the right front edge of the green, and get up and down for your birdie. |
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| Hole # 5 |
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| When you stand on the tee you are already thinking a birdie is in the bag! Don''t get fooled by this short par 4. The bunker in the front is very good at gobbling up short approaches so a good strategy is to stay back a full club into the green. If you can''t get there on your drive, stay back to a full wedge. Take dead aim and grab that birdie! |
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| Hole # 6 |
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| Now comes the first real test of your long irons. Pick a strategy that gets you a par, and then move on to the next hole. If your short game is excellent, take one less club and play for the very front of the green, taking the bunkers and water out of play. If you go at the pin, don''t go left or right or a par is pretty much off the card! |
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| Hole # 7 |
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| This is a hole that just begs you to launch your drive hard down the right side of the fairway, cutting off the dogleg. This works great if you don''t push it in the pines on the right where you will be scratching your head wondering what to do next. If you want a low average score on this hole, play down the center of the fairway and wedge it to the pin. |
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| Hole # 8 |
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| Now comes a true three shot par 5 for the average hitters. Keep your drive in play and plan your layup in front of the creek to a yardage you are comfortable with. Watch for the marker in the middle of the fairway that gives the yardage to the creek. If you just get over the water, you haven''t done yourself any favors as you have a touchy pitch to the green. Your best bet might be to lay up short of the creek, giving you about 125 yards to the green on your approach. |
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| Hole # 9 |
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| Winding down the front nine is an oak tree lined hole that sets up well off the tee. A solid tee shot staying in the fairway sets up for what looks like an easy shot to the green. Watch for the south wind above the trees; it may affect your ball flight more than you think. A careful read on this green could net you a birdie and send you on to the back nine with some momentum! Don''t forget to grab a bite on the way to the 10th tee. You''ll need it, as the back nine plays tougher than the front. |
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| Hole # 10 |
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| Now it’s time to swing hard. Hit your tee shot down the right side of the fairway to shorten the hole as much as possible. If you can reach the green with a fairway wood, you will have a definite shot at a birdie. Just watch out for the pond on the right side. It’s not very visible from the fairway. Whatever you do, don''t go over this green or you will be looking at a double bogey. |
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| Hole # 11 |
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| This is a good test for hitting a right to left tee shot. You don''t have to be long off the tee, just accurate. A 3 wood or long iron is also an option. Hitting into the right trees with a driver will require that lady luck be on your side to have a shot at the green. Staying in the fairway gives you a definite advantage over the rest of your group. |
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| Hole # 12 |
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| This plays like two different holes from the white or blue tees. From the whites, hit a long iron or easy wood and stay between the pond and the trees. If you brave the blue tees, you will need a solid driver to get within a mid iron to the green. Watch out for the inlet on the left that tends to invite errant shots. If you go too far down the right side of the fairway you will find a left to right approach shot is needed to hit the green, unless you hit a very high iron shot to get over the trees. Par is a good score on this hole. |
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| Hole # 13 |
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| This is a good hole to catch one more birdie before you go in to "Amen Corner" at The Oaks. A solid drive down the center will give you a short iron to the green. Just be careful of a very flat green. Landing the ball a few feet short of the green may put you over the green. The safest way is to hit your ball onto the green using the spin to stop it close to the hole. A bump and run shot can also be an effective approach. |
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| Hole # 14 |
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| Now it''s time to find a way to get as many pars as you can from here to the finish line. This par 3 is a lot like hole #6 except for the creek in front of the green. A long iron or 5 wood will get you there, but don''t go left, right, short or long! Sounds like par is a good score! |
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| Hole # 15 |
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| Moderate hitters might benefit by playing this like a par 5. It''s a dogleg left that requires some length off the tee to give you an iron to the green. If you play the ball left to right you will have to be brave and start your ball over the trees on the left to keep it in the fairway. Hitting into the trees on the right is a sure bogey. The green is big so just find it somehow on your second shot and trust your putter to get the par. |
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| Hole # 16 |
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| This is a easy par 3 from the white and red tees and a challenge from the blues tees down by the creek. A wedge anywhere on the green can give you a birdie putt from the white tee box, however a mid iron from the blues has to carry the creek and comes in to the green at a slightly intimidating angle. Stop your knees from shaking before you start your swing! |
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| Hole # 17 |
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| Swing Hard, Swing Often!! The crest of the hill is 200 yards from the green. If you can''t get your drive over the hill, you are hitting a 3 wood and hoping to chip and putt for your par. If you do get within iron range either fly your ball right to the green or stay back 5 or 10 yards to allow for a firm bounce. And you don''t need to be told to avoid the OB on the left and those pines on the right! |
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| Hole # 18 |
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| You made it through Amen Corner, hopefully with more pars than bogeys. Plan on this being a three shot par 5. A good drive in the fairway and an easy fairway wood or long iron to the 100 yard mark, gives you a great chance at a birdie. Get your approach shot over the big tree that blocks the green and make sure you end up on the correct tier on this two tier green. A blue flag on the top shelf is the toughest of approaches. |
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