TEE

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

FRONT

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

BACK

TOTAL

4

5

4

3

4

4

5

3

4

36

4

4

3

4

5

5

3

4

4

36

72

M

371

483

423

176

392

351

526

183

359

3264

388

375

211

350

576

480

223

464

392

3459

6723

L

292

403

346

134

245

270

377

114

267

2448

335

302

157

284

425

345

136

314

284

2582

5030

1

The first hole at Byrncliff is a preview of things to come, yet on an understated scale.  You must clear a narrow creek with your tee ball, portent of the hazards to be carried on future tee shots.  The fairway is ample, although trees do lurk on both sides if the shot is erroneous enough.  The approach must fly the same narrow creek, as many other approach shots will demand forced carries.  The green is protected by bunkers, and has a certain element of risk, due to subtle breaks and speed.  A par four to start the round eliminates much fear.

2

Number two at the ‘Cliff is a gambler’s dream.  This par five ascends to a crest at some 280 yards from the tee, then drops precariously down to the second half of the fairway.  If you can squeak your ball over it, you will gain some 75 yards as you descend the fall line.  A farm to the right signals out of bounds, and Old Bessie has a nest of golf balls from sliced tee shots.  Left is safe, so use it.  The second shot is played down, then up, to an elevated green being extended back in 2002.  Much timber was cleared from a far-too-cozy putting area, which made the hole too difficult.  Here is the hidden danger on number two.  Just off the putting surface to the right lies a hidden creek, which cannot be seen from the fairway, and from which no recovery can be played.  Left is the better horizontal miss on two.  Once on the surface, get the ball below, then in, the hole quickly. 

3

Number three is a bit of a breather, a downhill par four with ample room to let out the shaft.  The first hole where the tips really make a difference, more carry and length toughen the hole from the blue tees.  Something of an inverted number two, you carry the same humpback in the middle of the drive zone, then scamper down the hill toward the green.  As with number two, keep the ball below the hole.

4

A blind, uphill par three, number four is a masterful expression of deception.  The bunker to the right is a good twenty yards shy of the putting surface, yet seems from the tee to lie parallel to the green.  Hit enough club to get there, then putt carefully on this two-tiered green.

5

Number five is the par four version of number four.  From the back tees, three wood takes you to the woods.  From the member’s tees, five wood gets you there.  Do not hit driver, unless you can bend it on command at a 90 degree angle when it reaches 190 yards out!  The fairway narrows tremendously at the left bend, then continues to bottle neck until it reaches the elevated green.  Pie-shaped, this putting surface has multiple hidden breaks.

6

Number six is not deceptive, as are 4 and 5, but instead, simply strategic.  Three wood off the tee will get you to the bend; do not cut the corner, as a creek lies hidden, waiting to claim your orb.  The uphill pitch, played with no more than 9 iron, is simple enough, and the green is not as severe as others, offering a one-putt opportunity.

7

Number seven is a heroic, double-dogleg par five, over the same creek twice.  If you play one hole from the tips, let it be this one.  You will be privy to one of nature’s miracles, the gentle waterfall, that sits adjacent to the back teeing area.  120 yards gets you over the creek, but consider hitting three wood, as a sliced drive will flirt with OB, and certainly land an awkward lie on the hillside.  The fairway tree is gone, blown down in a storm, and has been replaced by two left-side bunkers, narrowing the drive zone.  The second can be played short of the creek, leaving some 100 yards to the green, or risk flying over, revealing a short pitch to the putting surface.  The green complex rises to a table top in the back, a dangerous and favorite pin location of the deranged greenkeeper.  Par here is well earned.

8

Number eight is a stylish hole, a par three from an elevated tee to an elevated green, over a swale.  From the tips, play one club less than expected, allowing for forward pitch.  Short can be painful, while a chip or pitch from either side or the back is no certain thing.  A traditional round, back-to-front putting green completes the hole.

9

Nine is a dogleg right par four, uphill to the fairway crest, then flat to the bunkered green.  There is water hidden off to the right, so err to the left, although not too far.  A well-played tee ball leaves a short iron to the green, and nothing creative nor fancy is required to par this hole.

10

Ten is a demanding start to the back nine, a blind par four over a crest to a hidden landing area.  Left is rough, right is rough and trees.  The approach, typically played from a downhill lie, must carry a creek that lies flush against the front of the green.  Sitting below the fairway in a natural amphitheatre, this setting plays havoc with the wind, a la Amen Corner at Augusta National.  Distance control is everything, as short is wet, while long leaves a frightening downhill chip to an undulating putting surface.

11

Eleven would be a respite, like number three, if it weren’t so long, didn’t play into the wind as often, and didn’t have such an enormous putting green, chief ingredient in the three-putt recipe.  A dogleg left around a bunker, it is plain, but tough.

12

Twelve used to be the longest par three in the area, at 250 from the tips.  Thankfully, that tee is no longer used.  Now it plays a mere 220 yards all the way back.  Like the other back nine, par three, number 16, it plays one to two clubs shorter than the yardage indicates.  The putting surface is guarded by two bunkers, and is somewhat large.

13

Thirteen is the reverse of number six; instead of downhill-then-uphill, 90 degree right dogleg, this one is uphill-then-uphill, 90 degree dogleg left!  It is tougher, as you have to hit the ball farther to have a clear shot around the corner, which is to say, hit driver.  The green is elevated and bunkered, making it a small and demanding target tot hit.  A pounded putt will roll off the short grass, so be tentative in your stroke.

14

Fourteen is one of the most demanding par five holes in the area.  A forced carry over a creek begins the hole, and a left-canted fairway causes tee shots to roll down to the left.  The second shot is played along this upper ridge toward a distant green.  There are no fairway bunkers, as none are needed.  This parkland-style hole also provides some of the most gorgeous vistas of the course and region.  The approach is played to a green tucked into an Irish amphitheater, part hillock, part declivity.  The woods, wild, dark and deep, await behind, so don’t be long.  The putting surface tends to trail off to the back, so be gentle with your putts and chips.

15

Fifteen is an endangered species.  Soon to be converted into a par four, it is a gambler’s par five.  A cannon-like tee ball will leave you some 200 yards over a bluff and a green-front bunker, for a shot at eagle.  Aim your tee shot left and unload; the natural lean of the land will bring it back to the right.  The lay-up is to a point some 140-120 yards short of the green, high above the target area.  There is some room to miss the green on the right, while the overhanging trees on the left swat balls down like a flyswatter does insects.  The green is not the toughest on the course, so give your first putt a run.

16

Sixteen is even more endangered than fifteen; instead of conversion, it will simply be eliminated.  This is not to say that it is a bad hole, but it so resembles number twelve (which lies two fairways over) that it is essentially a repetition.  Downhill slightly, to a twice-bunkered green, it plays generally a club or two less than yardage implies.

17

Seventeen is a monster from the back, and not quite as severe from the member tees, exactly as a demanding par four should play.  Not only is the distance increased from the blue tees, but the angle and severity are, too.  The pond must be carried, and the big tree must be avoided.  The left-side pond in the drive zone was eliminated, leaving only the bigger, right side one.  Left, therefore, is the place to miss.  The green awaits, uphill and guarded by bunkers, with a false front, a lower putting terrace, and the majority of the putting surface sculpted higher up.

18

Eighteen is the most intellectually and emotionally demanding hole, and an appropriate finish to a formidable round.  The tee ball is played in the general vicinity of the big, right-side pond.  It can be carried from the member’s tees, leaving a pitch to the green.  From the tips, no such luck.  An iron from the tee, to avoid the pond, will leave 190 yards to the green.  If you dare, run a three wood farther up the thin veil of fairway, between the road (OB) and the pond (water).  The flat green is protected by two front bunkers, but can be single-putted.