Post by chipsthedog89 on Jul 11, 2020 9:40:45 GMT -5
Welcome to The Cidery, this classic old course set in the Northeastern US was built in the early 20th Century on an old apple orchard. Playing to a 7,000 yard par 70 from the tips, it is more a test of precision than power.
Tee shots should be played for placement, while ensuring you hit the fairway to avoid the usually heavy, sticky rough. Don't expect any roll on offline shots! While the greens are extremely receptive, you want to be careful with your placement to ensure you only have uphill puts. They run to a near-maxed out speed, making even short downhill puts a recipe for disaster. Heavy green side rough and slow fairways make running shots up difficult, so prepare to play this course through the air.
An album of assorted holes: imgur.com/a/TOn6GKh
All descriptions are based on back tees, master clubs, and right-handed.
- Hole 1: This is a fairly straightforward opening hole. Playing a fade should split the two fairway bunkers and leave a wedge or short-iron into this green. While receptive, there is a steep fall-off left and a heavily sloped right side of the green. Beware the short-sided miss, but this does represent a decent birdie opportunity to start.
- Hole 2: The shortest hole on the course, typically plays between a gap and pitching wedge. The green is well protected, and slopes consistently from front to back. While it seems straightforward enough, consider shaping your wedge approach to best hold the green.
- Hole 3: This mid-length par 4 completes the descent into the flat part of the course, and gives the golfer three distinct options off the tee. A long-iron can be played straight at the bunker and leave a mid-to-long iron but clear view into the green. A fairway wood can be shaped around the corner to leave a short-iron or wedge, or a driver can be played over top of all the trees to leave just 100 yards in. The best choice depends on the pin, which is located on a two-tier green and guarded by a native area short and right.
- Hole 4: One of the harder par 4s on the course, the tee-shot calls for a draw off the water on the right. Playing to pin 1 or 2, you can get away with a three wood, but you will need a driver to get far enough around to have a good angle to pin 3 or 4. The left bunkers are a real challenge off the tee. While the green looks fairly large and benign, it is actually severely and consistently sloped from back to front, making any long approach shot lead to a fast and/or heavily breaking putt. Play for par on this one.
- Hole 5: This short par 4 is a bit of a reprieve. Lay-up with a long iron or fairway wood to leave yourself a better angle into the green. From there, it should be no more than a 9-iron, hopefully leaving yourself a reasonable (uphill) birdie putt. The water short does not really come into play.
- Hole 6: This longer par 4 presents one of the first real demanding tee shots of the round. With a driver, you must split the groves of trees or be fully blocked out on the challenging approach. A better option might be to lay back with a fairway wood to ensure you hit the fairway. The green slopes down towards the water, but chips from the left aren't impossible. Long is essentially dead, and the water looking right will present a difficult drop. Another hole where a birdie is possible, but be glad with a par as the tee shot, approach, and putting are all quite demanding.
- Hole 7: This is a brute of a par 3, and the complete antithesis to hole #2. Playing up to 260 yards, this large green has some distinct tiers. You can play a side-slope to get close to pin 3, or the back slope to keep your ball on the green of shooting for pin 4. Birdies are actually possible thanks to a large, receptive green, but be glad with another par and move on.
- Hole 8: Arguably only the second good scoring opportunity, this is the first par 5 on the golf course and is pretty easily reachable in two with a good tee shot. The creek on the right isn't really in play unless you hit a wild slice off the tee, but avoiding the lefthand bunkers is essential for going for the green in two. Pins 3 and 4 are guarded by a front slope, so be sure to come in with some loft if going for them, and be mindful of pin 2 as it's possible to be on the green but with no direct line for a putt. Nonetheless, this represents the easiest hole on the course and a good chance to pick up a birdie or better.
- Hole 9: Another short par 4, and one of the signature holes here at The Cidery. Once again the golfer has many options off the tee, but the green is very small and pitched hard from back to front. While you can cut the corner pretty good with a driver, my recommendation is to lay-up to the top of the hill and come in with a wedge off of a relatively flat lie to best control your distance. If you're long of the hole on your approach here, be extra cautious of a three-putt as everything funnels hard off the front of the green.
- Hole 10: The back 9 starts with a pretty straightforward, long par 4. You can either play short of the fairway bunker with a three wood, play a cut driver around the trees, or take driver right over the trees. Either way, you're playing into an upslope so expect to have 160-175 yards into this pretty shallow green. Hitting the fairway is a must here, especially to the back hole locations.
- Hole 11: Another short par 4 is one of my favourites on the course. The fairway is extremely wide, but angle is important approaching this small, offset green. Too far left or right will leave you blocked out by one of the guarding oak trees, but hitting the fairway could leave no more than a sand wedge in. A potential birdie awaits, but missing the green on any side is a very challenging up and down, so don't take par for granted.
- Hole 12: Similar to Hole #6, this is a tee shot where you will just have to step up and hit the ball straight. A fairly long hole that probably demand driver, missing left can leave you in the bunker and potentially blocked out by the two large trees that guard the left side of the green, while missing right can leave you in a row of dense trees, possibly having to punch out. The green is one of the simpler on the course, but as always, remains very quick.
- Hole 13: This mid-length par 3 is made challenging because of the three-tier green. The upper right side of the green is quite flat, but tough to keep a ball on top of, while both the upper and lower-left sides will fall off down the hill if you miss too far to the left. Pins 1 and 2 present decent birdie chances here, but be sure to find the correct tier on your tee shot or expect another difficult putt.
- Hole 14: The last par 5 on the course, while definitely not a gimme birdie, does begin a good scoring stretch as we turn back to the clubhouse. There is a downslope approximately 305 off the tee that, if you can hit with your drive, can make the hole somewhat reachable in two. Missing left can result in a terrible lie, or even the water depending on the bounce. Left is consistently bad on this entire hole. The ideal play would be a drive down the slope in the fairway, then a pseudo-layup to the front opening of the green (being careful to clear the cross-bunker, as it's difficult to elevate a fairway wood off the downslope). From here, you should have between a 30-50 yard pitch to any of the hole locations. Be careful of a long-left approach, as you can quickly fall down into the water if you catch a poorly timed 'very fast'.
- Hole 15: The course begins its ascent back to the clubhouse with a trio of fairly score-able holes. Make note of the pin location before hitting your tee shot on this short par 4, as location is everything. Missing the fairway right can leave you blocked out by the large maple tree, while missing left will obviously leave you in the bunkers. The green is small, with 3 distinct tiers, but can still be a good opportunity to hit one close since you'll only be coming in with a wedge or pitch-shot. Try to get a birdie here and start a good run to the clubhouse.
- Hole 16: The shortest par 4 on the course can potentially be drivable with a healthy tailwind. Players will generally be playing driver or fairway wood, unless they want a full wedge in. Otherwise, play just to the two front bunkers, at a proper angle, to give yourself a good pitch to one of the four hole locations. Be mindful of the slope guarding pins 1 and 3, as a shot can quickly run away from you if not played at the correct trajectory. The easiest par 4 on the course in all likelihood.
- Hole 17: While this hole looks intimidating with a 30 foot incline to a guarded green, it actually presents probably the easiest par 3 on the course. Pins 1 and 2 can be easily reached with a mid-iron, while pin 4 is at the bottom of a bowl which will present many opportunities for an ace (so be prepared to save your replay). The bunkers short and left can make for a tricky up and down, but the native area long is not really in play unless you really hit a fast downswing.
- Hole 18: The finishing hole is one of the more challenging tee shots on the course. Players must decide whether to lay-up to the shorter fairway or try to carry the gully and cut off more of this mid-length dogleg right. Laying up will typically leave a mid to long iron into the green, but can result in very difficult angles to pin 2 and pin 4. If you choose to take on the gully, you will be rewarded with a very direct view of the green (all four pin locations) and no more than a wedge in. A bit of a risk reward, as missing right into the rough or gully can be dead, but still a chance for some excitement and a finishing birdie. The green is distinctly two-tiered, but the upper tier can leave some flatter putts.
Overall, I recommend playing default conditions and from the back tees since it isn't too long to begin with. Making the greens overly firm might make a bit of an unfair challenge. Any pin will result in some easy and hard shots, so there's no really wrong choice here. I've designed it in low-wind, but a bit of wind should still be playable. Let me know what you think!
Tee shots should be played for placement, while ensuring you hit the fairway to avoid the usually heavy, sticky rough. Don't expect any roll on offline shots! While the greens are extremely receptive, you want to be careful with your placement to ensure you only have uphill puts. They run to a near-maxed out speed, making even short downhill puts a recipe for disaster. Heavy green side rough and slow fairways make running shots up difficult, so prepare to play this course through the air.
An album of assorted holes: imgur.com/a/TOn6GKh
All descriptions are based on back tees, master clubs, and right-handed.
- Hole 1: This is a fairly straightforward opening hole. Playing a fade should split the two fairway bunkers and leave a wedge or short-iron into this green. While receptive, there is a steep fall-off left and a heavily sloped right side of the green. Beware the short-sided miss, but this does represent a decent birdie opportunity to start.
- Hole 2: The shortest hole on the course, typically plays between a gap and pitching wedge. The green is well protected, and slopes consistently from front to back. While it seems straightforward enough, consider shaping your wedge approach to best hold the green.
- Hole 3: This mid-length par 4 completes the descent into the flat part of the course, and gives the golfer three distinct options off the tee. A long-iron can be played straight at the bunker and leave a mid-to-long iron but clear view into the green. A fairway wood can be shaped around the corner to leave a short-iron or wedge, or a driver can be played over top of all the trees to leave just 100 yards in. The best choice depends on the pin, which is located on a two-tier green and guarded by a native area short and right.
- Hole 4: One of the harder par 4s on the course, the tee-shot calls for a draw off the water on the right. Playing to pin 1 or 2, you can get away with a three wood, but you will need a driver to get far enough around to have a good angle to pin 3 or 4. The left bunkers are a real challenge off the tee. While the green looks fairly large and benign, it is actually severely and consistently sloped from back to front, making any long approach shot lead to a fast and/or heavily breaking putt. Play for par on this one.
- Hole 5: This short par 4 is a bit of a reprieve. Lay-up with a long iron or fairway wood to leave yourself a better angle into the green. From there, it should be no more than a 9-iron, hopefully leaving yourself a reasonable (uphill) birdie putt. The water short does not really come into play.
- Hole 6: This longer par 4 presents one of the first real demanding tee shots of the round. With a driver, you must split the groves of trees or be fully blocked out on the challenging approach. A better option might be to lay back with a fairway wood to ensure you hit the fairway. The green slopes down towards the water, but chips from the left aren't impossible. Long is essentially dead, and the water looking right will present a difficult drop. Another hole where a birdie is possible, but be glad with a par as the tee shot, approach, and putting are all quite demanding.
- Hole 7: This is a brute of a par 3, and the complete antithesis to hole #2. Playing up to 260 yards, this large green has some distinct tiers. You can play a side-slope to get close to pin 3, or the back slope to keep your ball on the green of shooting for pin 4. Birdies are actually possible thanks to a large, receptive green, but be glad with another par and move on.
- Hole 8: Arguably only the second good scoring opportunity, this is the first par 5 on the golf course and is pretty easily reachable in two with a good tee shot. The creek on the right isn't really in play unless you hit a wild slice off the tee, but avoiding the lefthand bunkers is essential for going for the green in two. Pins 3 and 4 are guarded by a front slope, so be sure to come in with some loft if going for them, and be mindful of pin 2 as it's possible to be on the green but with no direct line for a putt. Nonetheless, this represents the easiest hole on the course and a good chance to pick up a birdie or better.
- Hole 9: Another short par 4, and one of the signature holes here at The Cidery. Once again the golfer has many options off the tee, but the green is very small and pitched hard from back to front. While you can cut the corner pretty good with a driver, my recommendation is to lay-up to the top of the hill and come in with a wedge off of a relatively flat lie to best control your distance. If you're long of the hole on your approach here, be extra cautious of a three-putt as everything funnels hard off the front of the green.
- Hole 10: The back 9 starts with a pretty straightforward, long par 4. You can either play short of the fairway bunker with a three wood, play a cut driver around the trees, or take driver right over the trees. Either way, you're playing into an upslope so expect to have 160-175 yards into this pretty shallow green. Hitting the fairway is a must here, especially to the back hole locations.
- Hole 11: Another short par 4 is one of my favourites on the course. The fairway is extremely wide, but angle is important approaching this small, offset green. Too far left or right will leave you blocked out by one of the guarding oak trees, but hitting the fairway could leave no more than a sand wedge in. A potential birdie awaits, but missing the green on any side is a very challenging up and down, so don't take par for granted.
- Hole 12: Similar to Hole #6, this is a tee shot where you will just have to step up and hit the ball straight. A fairly long hole that probably demand driver, missing left can leave you in the bunker and potentially blocked out by the two large trees that guard the left side of the green, while missing right can leave you in a row of dense trees, possibly having to punch out. The green is one of the simpler on the course, but as always, remains very quick.
- Hole 13: This mid-length par 3 is made challenging because of the three-tier green. The upper right side of the green is quite flat, but tough to keep a ball on top of, while both the upper and lower-left sides will fall off down the hill if you miss too far to the left. Pins 1 and 2 present decent birdie chances here, but be sure to find the correct tier on your tee shot or expect another difficult putt.
- Hole 14: The last par 5 on the course, while definitely not a gimme birdie, does begin a good scoring stretch as we turn back to the clubhouse. There is a downslope approximately 305 off the tee that, if you can hit with your drive, can make the hole somewhat reachable in two. Missing left can result in a terrible lie, or even the water depending on the bounce. Left is consistently bad on this entire hole. The ideal play would be a drive down the slope in the fairway, then a pseudo-layup to the front opening of the green (being careful to clear the cross-bunker, as it's difficult to elevate a fairway wood off the downslope). From here, you should have between a 30-50 yard pitch to any of the hole locations. Be careful of a long-left approach, as you can quickly fall down into the water if you catch a poorly timed 'very fast'.
- Hole 15: The course begins its ascent back to the clubhouse with a trio of fairly score-able holes. Make note of the pin location before hitting your tee shot on this short par 4, as location is everything. Missing the fairway right can leave you blocked out by the large maple tree, while missing left will obviously leave you in the bunkers. The green is small, with 3 distinct tiers, but can still be a good opportunity to hit one close since you'll only be coming in with a wedge or pitch-shot. Try to get a birdie here and start a good run to the clubhouse.
- Hole 16: The shortest par 4 on the course can potentially be drivable with a healthy tailwind. Players will generally be playing driver or fairway wood, unless they want a full wedge in. Otherwise, play just to the two front bunkers, at a proper angle, to give yourself a good pitch to one of the four hole locations. Be mindful of the slope guarding pins 1 and 3, as a shot can quickly run away from you if not played at the correct trajectory. The easiest par 4 on the course in all likelihood.
- Hole 17: While this hole looks intimidating with a 30 foot incline to a guarded green, it actually presents probably the easiest par 3 on the course. Pins 1 and 2 can be easily reached with a mid-iron, while pin 4 is at the bottom of a bowl which will present many opportunities for an ace (so be prepared to save your replay). The bunkers short and left can make for a tricky up and down, but the native area long is not really in play unless you really hit a fast downswing.
- Hole 18: The finishing hole is one of the more challenging tee shots on the course. Players must decide whether to lay-up to the shorter fairway or try to carry the gully and cut off more of this mid-length dogleg right. Laying up will typically leave a mid to long iron into the green, but can result in very difficult angles to pin 2 and pin 4. If you choose to take on the gully, you will be rewarded with a very direct view of the green (all four pin locations) and no more than a wedge in. A bit of a risk reward, as missing right into the rough or gully can be dead, but still a chance for some excitement and a finishing birdie. The green is distinctly two-tiered, but the upper tier can leave some flatter putts.
Overall, I recommend playing default conditions and from the back tees since it isn't too long to begin with. Making the greens overly firm might make a bit of an unfair challenge. Any pin will result in some easy and hard shots, so there's no really wrong choice here. I've designed it in low-wind, but a bit of wind should still be playable. Let me know what you think!