Description of Golf Holes
Hole #1: Play begins with an easy hole, mostly free of trouble for the average player. The better player can swing away to the large fairway, but must carefully place their second shot because a ridge nudges into the line of play between the first landing area and the green. A lay-up shot short of the ridge leaves a longer approach, however, the terrain is less sloping. A more aggressive shot can reach the green, or find a much more difficult stance from which to play the approach shot. Another ridge fronts the right half of the green making it a bit more difficult to judge the shot. The green is a simple two level green surrounded by fairway.
Hole #2: This doglegged left hole provides a large fairway area that has four bunkers in its middle, surrounded by fairway, and a bunker on the left side in a direct line between the tee and the green. The average player should play to the right of the middle bunkers, which is higher terrain, and will give them a peek at the flagstick. The better player may want to play along a more direct line to the green, making the approach shot shorter. This tactic brings all of the bunkers into play, and leaves the player with a difficult approach shot from which to judge the distance. The green reflects the natural terrain in its area. Three bunkers front the right half of the green. There is plenty of fairway in front, and to the left of the green, although it slopes away from the green, so the player should favor the left side of the green with their approach unless they are certain of hitting a fine shot at the pin.
Hole #3: This is the first of three par three holes on the outgoing nine, and the longest of all the par three holes. No bunkers occupy the green site area, and there is plenty of fairway surrounding the green. The player does not have to reach the green in the air; rather they can play a shot short of the green and expect it to roll onto it. However, a deep swale bisects the green so it is imperative that the player’s ball finds the correct area of the green or risk having to putt through the swale to get close to the hole.
Hole #4: A somewhat blind tee shot confronts the player, who would do well to hit a draw or right to left shot. The draw gets the ball going toward the green taking advantage of the downhill sloping fairway, and likely will help avoid playing into the two fairway bunkers on the outside bend of the fairway. The expert hitter who knows the course can pick a line to the green and play a mighty tee shot to the fairway on a direct line to the green, leaving a short pitch to the green. The green is somewhat modest in its design, however a ridge bisects it making two putts a challenge if one is on the opposite side of the ridge from the hole.
Hole #5: From the tee through the green area the natural terrain provided a tremendous opportunity to make a strategic par five hole of the highest order. The tee shot must bend to the right to avoid a hidden bunker at the end of the fairway. A big hit is necessary because of what awaits the second shot down the fairway. Seven long, snakelike bunkers have been carved into a hillside that is in front of the player about to play their shot. Fairway completely surrounds the bunkers. Starting at the tee the average hitter can hit two full shots, and be short of the bunkers. A long hitter must either play through a narrow fairway area to the right of the bunkers or pick a line on which to play a carry shot over the bunkers. A line to the far left is the shortest carry, but the fairway slopes towards the property boundary. A line to the far right is the longest carry, but the safest. A similar design confronts the player at the green. In this instance two bunkers are in front of the green, one set more in the approach fairway. Fairway wraps around both sides of the fronting bunkers, and enters the green on the far left and right sides. There are a number of interesting, subtle contours throughout the green that make for some exciting pin locations.
Hole #6: The natural terrain here is the big challenge. A steep uphill climb confronts the player on the tee shot, requiring power and skill, then the hole bends sharp to the right. A slight fade, or left-to-right shot, is ideal. A safe play to the left must be careful because the left portion of the fairway actually slopes away from the green leaving the player with a long approach shot. The green is a simple affair, which is a welcome sight after the demanding tee shot. Fairway nearly surrounds it so careless shots will roll downhill and away from the putting surface leaving the player with a challenge recovery shot.
Hole #7: In contrast to the first par three, this green is well protected by bunkers on both sides, and one in front of the small fairway. The right bunker is carved out of the hillside with the result being exposed rock along its right side. A patch of fairway is beyond this bunker, which tempts the adventurous golfer to use it to feed the ball into the back, right pin area. Because the hole is down hill, and sometimes into the wind judging the distance and selecting the proper club are important to playing the hole well. A small ridge punctuates the front pin area, as well a bump in the back, middle of the green make putting a challenge to any pin position.
Hole #8: An exhilarating shot awaits the player on the shortest par four on the outgoing nine. The tee shot is played into a valley populated by fairway, bunkers and trees. The average player has plenty of fairway to play to. The better player can choose to lay back short of the two fairway bunkers on either side of the hole, or play a mighty shot over the right side bunker toward the green leaving a short pitch up the hill to the green. From the valley floor in the fairway, the approach shot must carry the long slope up to the green while avoiding a deep, long bunker along the left side of the green. The slope alongside the right side of the green can aid the player by softening the impact of the approach shot, and feeding it down the hill onto the green.
Hole #9: Being the shortest of the par threes on this nine may be a welcome relief to the player. The green encourages either a direct shot at the pin, or a right to left shot that avoids the two bunkers in the front left, and the two bunkers in the back right. A ridge along the right side of the fairway helps direct the short, rolling shot onto the green, however a fast moving shot will bound over the ridge and find more fairway. From here the recovery shot is delicate because the lie is tight, the green slopes away, and the ridge continues as green along the right side sloping down to the two right side bunkers. So, while it appears simple to understand the challenge from the tee, one may not be aware of a few of the intricacies that can confound even the most observant and skilled players.
Hole #10: Plenty of action and challenge is packed into one of the shortest holes on the course. As usual the average player has plenty of fairway to play to especially the area short of a rough covered ridge that splits the fairway. A tee shot to the right of the ridge is safe. A play toward the ridge is risky, and could leave the player with a most uncomfortable lie. Some may play at the ridge hoping to hop over it onto more fairway leaving a short pitch into the green. The green site was left after a flat area was shoveled out of a steep hillside. In front is a small pond; in back is the rock-faced hillside that was left from the excavation work. A narrow alleyway of fairway leads into the left portion of the green. In the same area is a big bulge in the back of the green that can be used to back spin the approach to the front, left pin position. To the right of the alleyway is rumpled ground clothed in rough: its broken terrain continuing into the putting surface. Right of this is a more sedate portion of the putting surface that rests above the pond. Caution on this hole may be the prudent approach, although a birdie here could separate a player from their opponent by few strokes.
Hole #11: The tee sits atop a ridge with a panoramic view of Easton in the background. Playing sharply downhill, this par 4 does not reveal much from the tee other than a glimpse of fairway bunker on the right, and some fairway leading down to it and curving around its left side. Most players are encouraged to play to the left of this bunker, letting their ball bounce down the slope, and hopefully coming to rest on a somewhat level lie for the approach shot. The better players may want to make a bold play over the bunker they see, but they better keep the ball in the air for what is unseen is downright treacherous. The glimpse of bunker actually is just the beginning of long serpentine bunkers that follow the land’s contour down the hill. The bunkers are narrow with high ridges on either side of the sand. With a downhill lie, the player will find it difficult to recover from here. The green is an extension of the fairway in front with dramatic slopes on either side covered in fairway making it a much smaller target than what it appears to be from the fairway. Any careless shot will be carried away down the slope and far from the green. The right side is especially challenging because the edge of the green curls down in dramatic fashion.
Hole #12: Much like the tee shot on hole #11, the tees here sit high above the hole with distant views to Easton. All of the elevation difference is within one shot though; and can be enjoyed by peering down to the green, which sits well below the tees. From the tees, it is hard to appreciate or judge the dramatic movement in the green. A high arching shot has only begun its journey for once it reaches the green it is hard to predict which way it might roll before coming to rest. A bunker is left, a high bank is in front of the green, with a steep slope diving down into the green, and a ridge pops up in the middle of the green. There is plenty of slopes and movement along the edge of the green to make one carefully consider the placement of any recovery shots.
Hole #13: This is one of the best natural holes on the course. A large, multi-fingered bunker that is cut into the hillside guards the right side of the tee shot area. The big hitter can play directly over the bunker or skirt around it with a left to right shot. A deep cavernous bunker is carved out of the middle of the fairway a little farther down. A poor tee shot will cause the player to consider where to play their second shot in order to avoid this bunker. After a good tee shot the player has an enormous fairway ahead of them. To the left is a lower fairway that gives a good view of the green, but the angle is difficult from which to play to certain pin areas and expect the ball to stay on the green. The right portion of the fairway is a big towering ridge speckled by bunkers. To hit over the bunkers on the second shot takes courage and faith because the shot is blind but the results can be rewarding. Once over the ridge the ground breaks downward and sweeps toward the green so the player can get very close to the green. The green is small, undulating in parts, and surrounding by fairway, which can be especially challenging in front because of the long slope that descends from the edge of the green.
Hole #14: The last par three on the course is in many ways opposite of the previous par three hole #12. Hole #14 plays uphill, the green is not visible, and the putting surface while large is not accented by any bold undulations. There is a lot of fairway left of the green. A large, deep bunker sits below the entire right side of the green. The temptation is to play far left in hopes of working the ball back to the green knowing that if unsuccessful the ball with end up on the undulating fairway. This sense of security could be dangerous because a careless shot could find a tricky lie, or worse bound into the trees that border the fairway.
Hole #15: Another grand par five, a wide open, left to right sweeping hole, awaits the player here. The tee shot has much fairway to aim at, although the far right fairway is only for the mighty hitters in the group. This line is most tempting because it is more in a direct line to the green. A good drive leaves the player with a good look at the fairway area in front of them that has been prepared for the second shot. Bunkers are scattered throughout a wide area. The left side of the fairway has much slope and is punctuated by a single bunker. Farther down toward the middle are two sister bunkers. To the right of these are a low bunker that marks the front of this fairway area, and a large bunker just beyond this one. So, the player has much to contemplate as to where they would feel most comfortable playing their second shot. The green seems simple. It is crowned in the middle and surrounded by fairway that descends dramatically away from the putting surface on the right side and behind. The terrain slopes uphill from the green toward the approaching player. Into this slope is cut two bunkers in the fairway but near the front of the green. The player must judge the location of these bunkers and be careful not to play too short of the green.
Hole #16: This doglegged left par four sits above hole #15 as the course makes its steady climb to the top of the hill. Like hole #15, the hole is wide open offering the player different routes to the green. A bunker is at the turn where the hole bends left, and comes directly at the player. Most players will be short of this bunker. The longer hitter must work the ball with their most reliable swing to avoid it, or they can make a long carry over another bunker on a more direct line to the green, avoiding the dogleg and lessening the approach shot by 3 to 4 clubs. The green sits up high above the fairway and is open in front except for an approach bunker. A good shot that just lands over the approach bunker will find a slope that feeds the ball onto the green, an especially useful shot when the pin is anywhere along the right edge of the green. The green has many interesting slopes.
Hole #17: Here at the tee on a hole bends slightly to the right, the player is treated to a spectacular view of the Delaware River. The green is well below the tee, and in between the tee and the green is a fairway that tumbles down, an uninterrupted mixing of ridges, valleys, slopes, small bumps, and hollows. The fairway is especially wide, and seems easy to find, except for a lone, blind bunker that is carved into it. The hole requires a left to right tee shot. After that the ball begins its downward journey hopefully onto a favorable lie from which to approach the green. The green is perched on a ledge that falls off on the left and backsides. Fairway is wrapped around the green in an interesting manner. Some rough is injected between the fairway and the green, so a stray approach shot could leave the player with any number of different and challenging recovery shots. The internal movement in the green will require precise putting, but the edges of the green are most interesting because of the way they are sloped to carry careless shots off the green and onto the surrounding fairway.