To get you warmed up we start with a short Par 5 which plays 452 from the blacks, 440 from the whites & yellows, and 425 from the reds. Off the tee, there are trees left and right and a pond that acts as a ball magnet down the right side. If you are laying up, your 2nd shot has lots of room, but if going for the green, beware of the bunker in front, trees to the left, and a creek behind the green. Once on the green, the severe back-to-front slope makes a putt below the hole much easier.
The Par 4 2nd is another relatively easy hole is in front of you. The yardage is 298 from the blacks, 292 from the white & yellows, and 265 from the reds. Long hitters must avoid the large tree and pond down the right side. The 2nd shot is the key to this hole as 2 front bunkers and trees to the left guard the green. Once on the green, putts break more the closer they are to the front of the green.
Position off the tee is the key to Hole 3 which is a relatively short Par 4. The yardage is 335 from the blacks, 325 from the whites, & 305 from the yellows & reds. Two large bunkers sit just to the right of the landing area. If you can nestle your drive just to the left of the bunkers you will have the best angle to the green which is guarded by bunkers on the left and trees on the right and long. The green is flat, but all putts do break slightly.
A dogleg left par 4 awaits you at the 4th hole. The yardage is 352 from the blacks, 345 from the whites, & 340 from the yellows & reds. There is lots of room to the right for your drive, but a tee shot down the left side of the fairway must be long or your approach shot will be blocked by trees. Two small mounds sit 20 yards in front of the green to that add an interesting look to the approach shot. The front of the green is sloped, but the back features a flat section. Be careful about going long.
The Par 5 5th is 558 from the blacks, 545 from the whites, 445 from the Yellows & Reds. The longest hole on the 9 hole course is a dog leg right. Off the tee, a shot down the right side will cut off some yardage, but will also bring mounds, water and trees in play. Your second shot must be placed in the middle of the fairway to avoid being blocked by trees witch frame the hole. The large green is guarded by a bunker front left and trees all around. The green slopes from back to front and is receptive to approach shots. The closer to the front you are the more the green breaks.
The Par 3 6th is 145 from the blacks, 13 from the whites & yellows & 124 reds. Accuracy is the key to the shortest hole on the course. A small green is flanked by a bunker to the left and another one short right. For those that go long, a creek awaits your ball. Shots that hit the green are often stopped by the severe slope at the front of the green, or taken to the right by another slope. These slopes also make putting fun, but tricky.
The severe dog-leg left makes the Par 4 #7 a tough test. The yardage is 397 from the blacks, 355 from the whites, & 325 from the yellows & reds. Your tee shot must flirt with the trees on the right to have a good angle to the green, although there is more room to the right then it looks from the tee. Your approach shot is framed by a tree that guards the right side of the green and a stone wall at the back of the green. If your ball lands close to the wall, you may have to play your shot backward off the wall to reach the green which is slope from back to front and left to right.
The Par 3 8th features an elevated tee for those playing from the blacks at 189 or whites at 170, The lower red/yellow tee has yardage of 139 yards. A new green and surrounding area was constructed in the Fall of 2013. The new green slopes slightly from back to front to help receive your shot and several mounds frame the green. There is lots of room to the right of this green which will leave you with a short chip and a great chance at PAR
The Par 4 9th hole is made for everyone. The yardage is 286 from the blacks, 280 from the whites & Yellows & 252 from the reds. Long hitters who can avoid the trees short left and a lateral hazard and trees to the right can drive the green. For those that can’t reach the green, hitting 2 reasonable shots will get you on the green. Everyone must avoid the large tree to the centre of the fairway and the traps that are short of the green. If you do this you can end your day with a sweet birdie.
The 1st hole plays between 308 (reds) and 359 (blacks) yards. It is a dog leg right with a stream running across the fairway at 75 yards. The green is elevated and slopes from back to front, which makes it a fairly receptive green to approach shots. The fairway gradually climbs from tee to 150 yard marker then descends to base of elevated green. The 1st hole is the 3rd handicap hole and often provides some difficulty to the start of your round.
There are a couple of different ways to play this hole. The most common successful approach is to hit an iron or hybrid off the tee. From the whites it is 160 yards off the tee to the top of the fairway. Hitting this shot will leave you with between 140 – 150 yards home. From here you may want to take an extra club to get up onto of the elevated green, ending up short is not an issue, but you don’t want to go left or right and have to chip up to the green from the rough. Depending on your aim, it is much better to miss left than right as there is some long grass and a pond if you miss too far right. Missing long will land you with an uphill chip and potentially a tree to deal with (back middle/left of the green).
Off the tee there is not a whole lot of room for error. Although the tee to fairway opening is quite wide, going left or right leads to trouble. Hitting left is trees, which eventually open up, but will leave you with a 200-yard approach shot. Hitting right is trees all the way to the dog leg corner. If you end up in these trees your best bet is to chip back to the far side of the fairway where you will actually have a shot at the green. If you manage to hit your ball long and through the fairway off the tee you will find long grass and a stream.
Often, players will attempt to cut the corner of the dog leg, if successful you will be left with 100 yards to the green, if you miss right you will end up in the trees, if your shot, you may end up in the fairway, or rough, but with no shot into the green.
Anyway you play it, the 1st hole is not a grip it and rip it hole, it takes a little restraint to hold back off the tee and requires an accurate 2nd shot, if you can make these two shots then you may start your day with a birdie.
The 2nd hole is a straight away par 4 that plays between 338 and 435 yards. The green is big and flat with bunkers front left and right. The 2nd hole is the 5th handicap hole on the course and is the second longest par 4 on the course. There is trouble far left of the green (lateral hazard) and long of the green (pond).
The 2010 season sees an upgraded tee deck for the white tees.
Off the tee you are hitting through a fairly tight shoot with trees both left and right. Once through the trees (around the 200 yard stake)the fairway opens up making it a pretty wide hole overall. There is a small group of trees and a lare rock to the right of the fairway around the 150 yard stake. The only real trick to playing this hole is that the tee deck is not lined directly up with the fairway, in that off the teee a shot that looks to be going right may actually end up in the fairway or at least not as far right as it looked. With that said, I shot that looks right down the middle may actually end up in the left rough.
Click here for a video preview of the 2nd hole from the tee box.
There is lots of room for error on 2 and lots of opportunity for a birdie if you hit 2 solid shots.
The 3rd hole is a tight par 4 that plays between 315 and 353 yards. The narrow fairway leads to a large and relatively flat green, although the front right portion of the green is quite narrow and slopes from back to front. Off the tee there is trouble in the form of trees both right and left. On your approach shot there is trouble left and right long in the form of trees, however missing short right is open.
With the narrow fairway the tee shot is of utmost importance. The ideal shot off the tee is down the left hand side of the fairway, hitting down the right hand side will potentially leave you with overhanging tree branches blocking your approach shot. From the fairway you are looking at a 1 club difference depending on whether the pin is in the front or back. The two most common pin placements are back left and front right.
Being a shorter par 4 hitting a good tee shot can set you up for a short iron into the green and a good birdie opportunity. Spraying the ball left or right can lead to having to hit cuts around trees, punching back into the fairway, or worst of all penalty strokes. If you’re not confident with your driver off the tee I would suggest hitting a fairway wood or long iron off the tee to ensure you hit the fairway.
The 4th hole at Metcalfe Golf is a slight dogleg left par 4 that plays between 311 and 407 yards. The 4th hole is the 7th handicap hole with trouble down the left hand side and long. The green is severly sloped from back to front, a bunker and creek awaite any shots that sail over the green. The front of the green is protected on the right hand side by a large tree which knocks down many shots heading to the right side of the green. There is also a bunker way left about 20 yards from the green which protected the old 4th green, but rarely comes into play now.
Like the 3rd hole, a good tee shot is imperative on the 4th. I tee shot too far left is in the trees, down the left hand side of the fairway, but not long enough leaves you with no shot at the green, a tee shot too long down the middle puts you in a fairway bunker and a safe shot to the middle of the fairway that clears the corner (about 220- 230 yards from the whites) leaves you with an approach shot inside 150 yards. If you’re shorter off the tee, keep your tee shot right so you have a view of the green on your second shot.
If you walk away with a par on the 4th hole you played it well, birdies are a bonus and bogey’s are common.
The par 3 5th plays between 124 and 140 yards and is the 17th handicap hole. The green is slightly elevated, large and relatively flat. Trouble awaits left and to a lesser degree right and long. Anything pulled left of the tee will flirt with trees down the left hand side. Anything left and short will likely get caught by the green side bunker. To the right and long the green dips down to the cart path, on the right hand side you are looking at long grass to the right of the cart path. If long, you are looking at an up slope and some trees beyond the cart path.
Like all par 3’s the key to scoring well is hitting the green off the tee. The two most common pin placements are back left (behind the green) and middle right.
Being such a big green, center of the green is always a safe shot, but may leave you with a very long putt. As the green is slightly elevated shots hit short do not normally role up onto the green.
Enjoy this short par 3 because up next is the longest hole of the course, the 472 – 565 yard par 5 6th.
The last of the original 18 holes on the front 9 (7 – 15 are new holes as of 2004, old front 9 is now 9 hole course) the 6th hole is a monster. It is the longest hole on the course, plays between 472 – 565 yards with a dog leg right starting around 150yards from the green. Off the tee there is trouble down the left hand side in the form of a lateral hazard and if too far right off the tee you might catch the large fairway, but will have to work your ball around a large tree that sits on the right hand side of the fairway. Your second shot is the most important shot on the 6th, too far left you’re wet, too far right you’re in trees. Short and right leaves you having to hit over a group of trees to the green. The green is significantly elevated and is protected by large bunkers on both the right and left front sides. Missing the green left or right leaves you with a difficult up hill chip or bunker shot. Once putting the green slopes from back to front. Pin placements seem to move around this green, but front left or right, back right and right in the middle are pretty common spots.
The key to this long par 5 are 3 solid shots. Off the tee your best play is down the left hand side of the fairway. For most hitting a good drive off the tee will leave you with just over 200 yards to the red stake (100 yards to the green). This is where a lot of people get into trouble. If you are not confident you can land your fairway wood or long iron between the water on the left and the trees on the right (the narrowest part of the fairway), I suggest hitting a mid iron to the 150, but make sure you stay down the left hand side, this will give you the optimal angle coming into the green. From there, whether hitting from 150 or 100, take an extra club as the green is elevated enough that a little more club is required.
If you can hit those 3 solid shots you are looking at a birdie putt, if you miss off the tee, from the fairway or on your approach you could be looking at a par putt or much worse.
Click here for a video of the 6th hole from the tee box.
From the 6th you have a bit of a walk to 7, with the halfway hut along the route .. time for a beer.
The 7th is a par 3 that plays between 133 and 169 yards. The hole is relatively flat, trees on both the right and left side of the tee create a shoot for the first 50 yards or so, then the trees continue all the way down the right-hand side. The green is big and flat with a bunker on the left, a group of trees on the right, and a pond way left. Common pin placements are back right, front left, and middle.
For whatever reason the wind is in your face on this hole a disproportionate amount of time, at times there doesn’t appear to be any wind on the tee, however, the flag will be blowing right back toward you. Furthermore the fairway slopes slightly up to the green so a lot of balls short may not role on. So, I suggest you take an extra club on this par 3 when you see the flag blowing in the wind.
This shorter par 3 is a nice change of pace from the long par 5 6th and is a nice setup for the two par 4s that finish out the front 9.
The 8th hole is a 306 – 392 yard dogleg left par 4. The fairway descends to the green starting around 75 yards. The green flat with a slight slope from back to front, however the slope looks much greater than it is and often leaves you hitting putts that don’t break down as they appear they should. There are no bunkers on 8, but long as well as left will leave you with tough chips.
Position A off the tee is a drive straight at the rain shelter. This will leave you with under 150 yards to the green. If you’re not long enough to get there, set up a shot to the far side of the fairway in between the 200 and 150 yard mark. Leaving anything short or left off the tee will limit your approach shot as you will have to shape it around the outlying trees of the dogleg.
For your approach shot, take 1 club less than you normally do as the fairway descends to the green and anything short normally rolls up. Missing the green on 8 can lead to some trouble, the cart path runs to the left and behind the green, and the rough is littered with stones and bare patches. Missing right leaves you in very thick rough.
The 2nd last hole of the front 9 provides an excellent opportunity for a birdie if you can get into a good position off the tee, but also brings into play a big number if you falter off the tee and fail to hit the green with your approach.
The front 9 finishes off with an up hill par 4 with one of the smallest greens on the course.
The 9th hole is a 318 – 367 yard dog leg right par 4 that comes back up the hill that you descended on the 8th. Hitting through the fairway can land you in a bunker that sits on the far left side of the fairway right at the dog leg. The fairway itself ascends from the tee to the 200 mark and then descends into a valley reaching a low point at 150 yards where it begins to ascend to the green. The green is bunker free but is a small pedestal green in that it slopes away from the center of the green on all sides. The green drops off significantly at the back.
There is minimal trouble off the tee on 9 as the landing area is quite wide. You could be in trouble if your natural ball flight is right to left as a group of tress sits 50 yards from the tee box on the right-hand side and tend to knock down any balls hit in their direction. The best option on 9 is to hit a left-to-right fade (or draw if left-handed) off the tee. Anything way right off the tee could end up in the trees that line the rough separating the 9th and 10th holes. When hitting your approach shot you need to be aware that anything long is going to give you a tough chip back up onto the green. Personally, I find that many shots that land center of the green also roll off the back, my suggestion would be to take 1 club less than normal when hitting into the 9th green. Once on the green, every putt seems to be uphill, with minimal break.
That’s your front 9, Par 35 2625 – 3188 yards.
The 10th hole is a 408 – 556 yard par 5, with a large landing area for your tee shot, that narrows considerably from 150 yards into the green.
Keep your tee shot down the middle or a little right to the right side of the fairway on 10 as anything too far left will leave you with a blind second shot over trees, to a narrow landing area. Too far right off the tee could land you in some trees that separate the 10th hole from the 9th or could lead to hitting your second shot out of a drainage ditch that runs down the right hand rough. If you have the distance the 10th can be reachable in 2, but distance isn’t required to score well here, accuracy however, is.
The fairway slopes from left to right from the tee to just inside 150 yards where it flattens. At the 150 yard marker you have water on your right and a large mound on your left. Hitting anything right you will also flirt with a single tree overhanging the fairway at the 150 yard marker. The key to playing the 10th is to get your second shot to the flat part of the fairway to the 100 yard marker (or past it).
Trees continue down the right and left hand sides of the fairway from 150 yards to green side. These trees lead to nowhere and have lots of thick under brush, so stay out of them as a ball hit into them is as good as gone.
The green is large and generally slopes from back to front and left to right. There is a pond left of the green, but is far enough off the green that it doesn’t come into play that often (unless you miss left by a lot). Depending on where the pin is you can be looking at a full club difference between hitting to the back or the front. The front of the green is pretty flat as is the back right corner, pins in the middle and back left tend you leave you with some pretty tricky putts. Keeping your approach shots below the hole is a good idea on the 10th.
The 10th is a great back 9 opening hole, although it is the 4th hardest hole on the course it creates an excellent opportunity to start off the back 9 with a birdie or at least a par. However, one bad shot can lead to some disastrous scores on 10.
Coming off the 10th with a good score will help your confidence on the 11th tee, and confidence is what you are going to need to hit a good tee shot on 11.
The 11th hole can be one of the most intimidating holes on the course. This 259 – 406 yard par 4 is the 6th hanidcap hole on the course for men and features a narrow landing area with trouble on the left, trouble on the right and a stream, running about 75 yards in front of the white tee blocks. From the white and black tees you are hitting out of an alley with little room for error. The ideal tee shot on 11 is down the left hand side of the fairway, anything to the right of center will leave you with an approach shot over a lone tree which sits just off the fairway at the 150 yard marker. From the yellow and red tees the hole plays fairly easy (it is the 10th handicap hole for women) as you don’t have as big of a threat of trouble on the left and the right as from the back tees, but keeping your ball down the left hand side of the fairway is a must to score well.
If you can get your tee shot out past the 150 yard marker (about a 250 yard drive from the blacks) the hole opens up. The green is one of the smaller greens on the course, but does not present much danger with no water or bunkers in play greenside. You don’t want to hit long as OB comes into play only a couple of yards behind the green and hitting your approach shot left is a much safer play than right, as the fairway runs up along the left hand side of the green, with thick rough on the right hand side. Once on the green it is fairly flat with no significant contours.
If you can overcome the intimidating tee shot the 11th can be an easy par, hopefully providing you the confidence to go for a birdie on the short par 4 12th.
Well you made it through the 11th hole, if you managed par or better you are ahead of the game. The 12th hole is a true risk reward hole, playing 245 – 285 yards, the 12th is a 16th handicap hole on the course. Although short, an accurate tee shot is required whether you are laying up or going for it. The fairway ascends to the green from the 100 yard mark and the green slopes from front to back.
There isn’t much flat ground on 12, so if laying up, plan for a 145 – 200 yard tee shot and make sure it is down the right hand side. Too far right and your in the trees, too far left and you may find your ball, but will have to carry a group of trees into the green. If your going for the green off the tee don’t be too long, too short left, too far right or too far left as each situation will leave you with some interesting shots, or penalties.
The green is tucked in behind a grouping of green side trees. An approach shot coming from down the right hand side will have a clear shot at the elevated green, but anything coming from the left will have to carry the trees.
Depending on where the pin is located the 12th can be a very hard green to hit. If located in the front (right hand side) your best bet is to land a little short and let the ball bounce on, most shots landing on the front of the green end up at the back, making for a long putt. If the pin is located at the back (left hand side) a shot the middle of the green will normally trickle down the slope to the back. The green itself is not very deep, so accuracy is key.
The 13th will provide some relief if the 11th and 12th got you into some trouble, the straight away par 3 is the easiest hole on the course.
The 13th is a 110- 152 yard par 3. It is the 18th handicap hole on the course, features a large green that is protected by left and right greenside bunkers. If you are going to miss the 13th green miss left or short as right and long lead to some interesting shots, with trees long and a stone wall right.
Click here for a video of the 13th hole from the tee box.
Club selection is the key to success on the 13th as the large green means the difference between a front pin placement and a back one can be up to 2 clubs depending on the wind.
Most issues players have on 13 relates to putting as the large green is one of the most undulating greens on the course. For the most part everything funnels to the middle, but depending on the pin location you could be looking at a variety of different breaks.
Hit the green and don’t be too agressive with your putts are the key’s to success on 13. Walking away with a par sets you up nicely to get agressive on the short par 4 14th.
The 305 – 354 yard par 4 14th is the 12th handicap hole on the course and although short, it can land you into a lot of trouble if you are not careful…
Off the tee there is trouble left and a bunker down the right-hand side of the fairway. Right of the bunker is pretty open and a safe spot to bail out. For long hitters, this green is within reach off the tee given the right conditions.
The fairway descends to the green at the 75-yard mark and anything landing short of the green tends to bounce hard onto the green, or over the back. A miss to the right on your approach shot could land you in a pond, missing left is safe. Your best chance of getting it close on 14 is to land a ball about 10 yards short of the green and let it bounce on..
Once on the green the putting surface slopes from back to front, with not much break other than that..
The 13th, 14th and 15th holes provide 3 excellent scoring chances, with 13 and 14 out of the way all that is left is the short, but tight par 5 15th.
This 402 – 481 par 5 is short, but that doesn’t mean it is easy or straight forward. It is the 10th handicap hole on the course, but can really turn a good game upside down if your tee shot and approach shot are not perfect. The hole features a sharp right hand dogleg with the 200 yard marker sitting right at the corner.
From the white and red tee’s most players are going to want to take a long iron or hybrid off the tee and try to land it in the fairway left of the corner. The closer you head to the corner, the more risky the shot gets, anything short leaves you with a punch out to the corner and anything too far right is in the thick bush. From the Black tee’s you have a little more freedom to swing away, but leave the driver in the bag and hit a fairway wood.
Once on the fairway, assuming you have hit your tee shot far enough to see around the corner, you will have two options for your second shot. The safe lay-up is not so safe when you consider fairway at the 100 yard marker is a mere 20 yards wide with dense bush on either side. Also, between 130 and 50 yards the fairway severely sloped from right to left, funneling most shots that land in the area into the left hand rough. Your second option is to pull out a fairway wood, hybrid or long iron and go for the green in two. The 15th features no water or sand between the fairway and the green, but make sure you hit it straight, a push or a pull is as good as a lost ball.
The green on 15th is one of the larger greens on the course, with a narrow front 1/3. Depending on whether the pin is in the front, middle or back your club selection from the fairway could be impacted. Although a couple of tricky slopes through the middle of the green, it is fairly flat on the front and back.
Par is good on 15, birdies are possible, but so is bogey or worse. If you have managed to pick up some strokes on 13, 14 and 15 you are in good shape as there is a good chance you will be giving some back on 16, 17, and 18.
The 16th dogleg left plays 433 – 303 yards and is an absolute monster from the back tees. Even from the white tee’s the 16th demands a perfect drive if you want any chance of scoring well. The 16th is the 2nd handicap hole for the men and the 4th for the women.
Off the tee, thick forest borders the left hand side and two fairway bunkers are waiting for anything hit right. Whether playing the blacks, whites, yellows or reds, you must get your drive out to the corner. If you don’t, you are looking at a 3 shot par 4. From the blacks you are looking at a solid 275 yard drive to truly get to the corner. From the whites you need to get one out there 240 to get to the corner. You can cheat a little by getting the ball down the right hand side of the fairway, but watch out for the 2 fairway bunkers. Depending on your drive you could be looking at anything between 150 and 200 yards into the green. If you come up short and left off the tee your best approach is to pitch up to the 100 yard marker, trying to cut the corner over the trees has lead to many high scores.
Missing the green left or right won’t get you in too much trouble on 16, but whether you are hitting from 200 yards, 100 yards or chipping, make sure your ball is below the hole on the green. In addition to a super long dogleg, the 16th also features the most severely sloped green on the course. The dreaded back to front slope has caused many players to putt the ball right off the green when putting downhill.
If you escape 16 with bogey or better you played a great hole. Now onto the long par 3 17.
The 17th hole is, from the blacks and whites, a long par 3. At 209 yards from the blacks (189 from the whites) the 17th is the longest and toughest par 3 on the course.
The holes features OB down the left hand side and lots of trouble down the right. The fairway features a dip right in front of the green that captures most balls that land short, preventing players from landing it shorting and bouncing it on.
A new green was built for the 17th hole in 2009. Although relatively flat, the green is very large, which means a back pin placement can add a good 10 yards onto the hole. The green is protected on the left by a bunker and a bunkers also lurks back left looking to catch anything long.
Getting the ball to the green, or keeping it straight are the keys to success on 17. Once on the green you are provided with a pretty flat putting surface.
Many golfers faulter on the 17th, but fear not, a shorter par 5 with a great risk reward opportunity exists in the form of the 18th hole.
We finish off the round with a reachable par 5 (from most of the tees). The 18th is a 530 – 440 yard par 5. The 8th handicap hole on the course is guarded down the left hand side by a laterial hazard, features a water hazard at the 150 yard mark (that you have to go over, no going around) and a tight tree lined fairway from the 150 mark into the green. To say the least the 18th presents some challenges.
Off the tee you have to hit the left hand side or center of fairway if you have any chance of going for. Landing down the right hand side will provide you with no line of attach to the green.
Once off the tee you have a decision to make, you can either lay up of the water (at the 150 yard makr) or go for it. If laying up, stick to the left hand side of the fairway for the same reason mentioned above. If going for it you need to be really accurate or really long. In most scenarios you will be looking at somewhere between 240 (if playing the blacks) and 190 into the green. A common approach is to go over the water, but lay up to the 100 yard marker. Again, this shot require accuracy as there is only about 20 yards from the left hand side bunker and the right hand side trees.
The green tends to be one of the firmer greens on the course, so you will need to take this into account on your approach shot. Once on the green the putting surface slopes from back to front and downhill putts can be quite quick.
All and all the 18th is a great finishing hole, played smart there is a great chance to finish your round with a birdie, but beware as the 18th can also leave you walking away with a big number.