TEE

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

FRONT

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

BACK

TOTAL

4

4

4

3

4

5

4

3

5

35

4

4

5

4

3

4

4

3

5

35

70

Back

432

319

425

218

454

523

330

159

578

3438

439

409

602

443

149

446

346

208

538

3580

7018

Front

281

252

324

141

335

399

241

112

435

2520

335

281

486

358

78

342

178

111

438

2607

5120

1

Downhill tee shot to wide fairway with bunker on right.  Second shot uphill to green, past right bunker 60 yards short of green, and left, front bunker.  Shape of green is sideways skull.  

2

Terrific short par four.  Plays uphill from left to right on tee shot, with left-side bunkers as guideposts.  Not a lot needed from the tee, as long as it is straight.  The green sits at an angle to fairway, with a deep swale front left, with sand and high grass on right and behind.

3

One of three signature-style holes on the course.  Traditional right to left bender with lake on left demands precision and forethought.  Ample fairway affords room to right to miss, although second shot is thereby much longer.  The angled green is demanding, with a front right lower tier, and a back left upper tier.  Fast putts from back to front, so land it short and bounce it in for front right, and land it center for back left pin positions.

4

Difficult par three whose green is below the tee.  Plays over a gully and a creek, with bunkers left and right.  The green wraps around the left bunker to create back pin positions, 

5

Uphill par four.  Fairway crests to a zenith, with three bunkers on the right to define that side, with trees beyond them.  Corn-like rough a no-no on the left.  Lots of driving room on this hole.  The green is a bit elevated over the fairway, but there are many chipping and pitching areas short and to the side, making it a mini-par five.  The green is wide and shallow.

6

The hole that you see from the thruway (I-90) is a flowing, open par five with the practice area on the right.  Long hitters benefit from a downslope to gain added distance.  225 gets you past the bunkers in the drive zone.  A large tree on the left pinches the second-shot zone, effectively eliminating that side of the hole until the third shot.  The third shot aims for an apparently flat green, yet it breaks enough to fool you.  This hole foreshadows all the par fives at Ravenwood, where par is truly an achievement.

7

The second short par four, this one has bunkers on the left in the drive zone, and is fairly narrow in the first part of the drive zone.  It also has the prettiest, most challenging tee ball on the course.  After you carry the rough and the creek, and avoid the trees that lean in from the left, you see a wider part of the fairway, beyond the bunkers.  Longer hitters again have the advantage here, as they can hit to a fairway portion twice as wide.  There is a bunker front right.  Double-check your yardage to the green; the shot is uphill, and the GPS lied to me!  The putting surface is deep and wide, so lots of room to hit you approach awaits.

8

Another visually-remarkable par three, this one plays over an enormous declivity, filled with all kinds of nasty stuff, to an elevated green with front-and-back-right bunkers.  Do not miss long or left.  The green is daunting from the back portion, as it slopes to the front.

9

This par five plays over a large depression some thirty feet beneath (as do many of the tee shots at Ravenwood), to a fairway corner with three bunkers on the indside (left).  From the drive zone on, it's all uphill, as the fairway climbs past a bunker on the left, some hundred yards shy of the green, to a carpet protected by hill and sand(right).  The green sits in the side of the hill, providing some unique chipping and pitching opportunities, should you miss it.

10

The back nine begins with a classic Ravenwood tee shot:  from an elevated tee to a fairway that runs with you.  The hole bends to the right, around bunkers on the right corner.  The green, also in Ravenwood fashion, sits on a bluff above you, protected by at least one bunker (it is on the right front corner of this green).  The

11

Par four, dogleg right.  Big bunker in drive area on right.  Garbage area to left, so nail this drive straight.  Two bunkers near the green.

12

If you like your par fives long, step up to the plate.  This one tops out near 600 yards, and plays every bit of its yardage.  The fairway is open for the first two-thirds, then choked by bunkers as you near the green.  The putting surface is large and puttable.  Enjoy.

13

Par four, downhill all the way to the green.  Two bunkers on the right protect the fairway. The hole, although apparently straight, favors a slight draw.  The left side of the green is deceptive, as it looks like a grassy swale that traps balls short.  In reality, it will propel them forward, toward the putting surface, if you risk the shot.  Coming in from the right with a draw is preferred, as the green flows from front right to back left, set at an angle.  The big breaks come from the spine at back/right.  Everything breaks to the short side of the green.

14

The first of two "watery-grave" par three holes on the back, this one is all carry.  Bunkers side left and back right protect the wayward shot from deeper stuff, but you can find trouble if you hit too much club.  Short is wet and rocky, so know your distances.  There is a bail out to the left, but if you can hit it, you can hit the green!  The putting surface is no gimmee, as it boasts numerous cants, twists and turns on your way to the cup.  Par here is meritorious.

15

Another great look from this tee, the fairway bends from right to left, favoring the draw.  Trees on both sides border a fairway that folds to the right, seemingly against itself.  The green is protected by three voracious bunkers, so hit your best iron here.

16

A curious hole, this one.  The card reads 345, but it is straight uphill, so add thirty yards.  The tee ball must carry to the 120-remaining point, over wetlands, which is all of 225 from the back tees.  More wetlands left dissuade you from that option, while trees right eliminate that choice.  The fairway is wide, so you have a good bit of room.  The green is protected by a solitary sand pit on the left, more protective than punitive.  The green sits on a bluff, and slopes maddeningly from back to front.  Gauging a recovery from the rear can be the stuff of physics, so be prepared should you get huge on your approach.

17

This, as they say, is what it's all about.  Number 17 would make number 18 a let-down, if 18 weren't so solid.  Downhill par three, big pond front right, two bunkers left, a green that wraps around the pond, daring you to hit it.  This is a world-class hole, requiring as much as 3-or-4 iron from the tips on a calm day.  The smart shot comes in from the left, as dry is safe.  Miss it in a bunker, however, and you are blasting toward the H2O.  So, don't hold back, hit your best shot, and watch it fall from the heavens.  The green will reward you, as it is not so severe as some of its predecessors.

18

The final hole has it all:  doglegs (two), sand (10 bunkers), trees and a creek.  Oh yes, a hill at the end.  The hole bends right all the way, and presents a fairway just wide enough to tempt you to rip one.  The hole goes downhill to the creek (unreachable), so bomb it and give yourself an opportunity to get home in two.  If you miss the fairway right, well, don't.  The second shot plays across the tributary, up into a progressively more narrow fairway neck.  The target for the third shot sits a bit above you, protected by sand.  The green angles from front left to back right (opposite the other angled greens that we have seen here!), but is certainly manageable with the short iron or wedge that should be in your hand.  There are more than a few tricky putts on this green, so be cautious, take your par, and find a cool place to kick back and remember.