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Hole-by-Hole Descriptions Hole #1 - Par 4, 303 Yards A benign start to your round but don’t let the yardage fool you. Play your tee shot about 200 yards which will leave a short iron into a difficult green. The green slopes away and to the right as you approach the green. Avoid the large front bunker on the left. Back right location of the hole is the easiest to get to. All others, just get on the surface and two putt and you’ll be off to a great start.
Hole #2 - Par 3, 160 Yards Choosing the correct club is key to making par on this great golf hole. Too short and your ball will roll back down the approach. Too long and you might as well put an X on the card and go to number 3. The green is receptive sloping slightly from back to front. A very deceiving green as many a ball has gone from the back of the green off the front and down the slope.
Hole #3 - Par 5, 555 Yards One of the great par 5’s on the south shore. A drive which goes downhill with a second shot and a third shot having to climb back up the hill to an elevated green which will accept only the most solid of shots. A receptive green which slopes from back to front and very steep. Do not go over this green. One has to work extremely hard to salvage a 2 putt when you are above the hole. As in most cases here at South Shore, stay below the hole.
Hole #4 - Par 4, 333 Yards A nice breather after the difficult 3rd. Pick a club to leave yourself about 100 yards to the hole. Stay straight off the tee or the tree guarding the left side of the green will hinder your approach. A back to front sloping green awaits the shot. Better once again to remain underneath the hole location for your best chance at salvaging par.
Hole #5 - Par4, 403 Yards A narrow driving hole with out of bounds all the way down the left side. Many times this hole plays dead into the wind so be extra careful you hit a straight shot off the tee. The green is elevated once again and one of the flatter greens on the course. Play the yardage. The green is fairly large front to back and can be deceptive. Bunkers await the errant shot to the left.
Hole #6 - Par 4, 420 Yards One of the toughest par 4’s on the course. Blind tee shot. Make sure you wait for the bell to be rung by the group in front of you before teeing off. Slight dogleg left and downhill from the tee shot. Take the proper club for the yardage coming into the green as it also is slightly elevated. A shot landing short will once again fall back down the slope leaving a difficult pitch shot up the hill. Do not go over this green. It is a very difficult up and down beyond the flag as well as a difficult 2 putt from above the hole.
Hole #7 - Par 4, 384 Yards Very difficult to hit the correct club for your second shot on this severe uphill par 4. A very accurate drive is required. Looks wide open but best to be in the fairway here. Very difficult to advance the ball out of the left rough. Play your tee shot to the base of the hill. Any further potentially has you on the slope and a more difficult shot. Take an extra club as the shot always seems to play longer than it shows and seems it is always into the wind. Only one bunker on the left side of the green so come in from the right. A fairly flat surface gives you a better chance to salvage par.
Hole #8 - Par 3, 201 Yards A very picturesque downhill par 3 and close to 200 yards. Dangerous hole with woods all the way down the left side and a green that is situated between 2 green side bunkers. Another fairly flat surface and receptive to any shot coming from the high elevated tee. Many a par has been made by laying up just a bit short of the green and chipping on as more trouble is pin high and beyond.
Hole #9 - Par 5, 503 Yards A risk and reward par 5. The long hitters can go for this green in 2 with a nice tee shot. A brook cuts across the fairway about 20 yards in front of the green so make sure you take the correct club and hit the ball solid if you are going for it in 2. Those who take the normal 3 shot approach can find this hole to be forgiving as long as you stay clear of the brook. 2 good shots will leave you a short iron in to another receptive green sloping back to front slightly. Out of bounds lurks behind the green so don’t lift your head on that approach.
Hole #10 - Par 4, 321 Yards Another short par 4 but this one climbs uphill. Play a club which again leaves yourself 100 yards which also will leave you the best angle to approach this heavily guarded green. The shot plays a bit longer seeing it is uphill and the green can be tricky. Best once again to leave yourself an up hill putt and to come from the right side. This green can get really fast downhill and also from the left.
Hole #11 - Par 3, 185 Yards A terrific par 3. One of the flattest greens on the course. A well guarded green with bunkers on the left and right. Club correctly here as over the green is jail and long and right is walk to the next tee material. Same as number 8, many a par has been had with a short approach and a good chip and 1 putt for par and you move on.
Hole #12 - Par 4, 378 Yards One of the best par 4’s in the country. Not a bunker on the hole and it is one of the most difficult holes to par around. An elevated tee shot to a tiny landing area with the ball bounding both to the right and to the left. The further you hit it on this hole the more danger as the fairway comes to a tight hourglass shape longer off the tee. Drive your ball in the area of 150 yards to the hole and you will find the widest part of the fairway. It isn’t easy from here as the next shot requires all carry to the putting surface. A shot just a bit short and the ball will roll 40 yards down the hill leaving an extremely difficult pitch up the bank from a tight lie. The green once again slopes from back to front and being above this hole too makes a difficult 2 putt. If you make par here you have mastered one of the great holes in golf.
Hole #13 - Par 4, 405 Yards Just grip it and rip it for this tee shot. Stay down the center or center left for the best approach into this tiny most difficult green. Another elevated shot which is very unforgiving. A bit short and it runs back down the slope. A shot just left finds the heavy rough leaving an almost impossible chip and long on this hole spells bogey at best. Stay beneath the hole on this approach shot if you can. This is one of the most sloped greens on the course and is very difficult making par coming from anywhere else but directly underneath the hole.
Hole #14 - Par 4, 330 Yards Not a long par 4 but narrow with out of bounds down the left side and a brook all the way down the right with a pond directly in front of the green. Play a club off the tee leaving you 100 yards and a short iron approach. Make sure you club properly and make solid contact. The green is sloped slightly from back to front and will accept an iron approach. On paper a short birdie hole but one that will test your nerves. Trust your swing and take dead aim.
Hole #15 - Par 5, 569 Yards Another good test of golf especially from the back elevated tee. A dog-leg right with out of bounds down the entire right side. Don’t bite off too much of the dog-leg or you could be stuck in the rough. A solid second shot should leave you anywhere from 150 yards to 100 yards. The approach needs to be accurate as the green is well guarded with bunkers with a large drop off to the right of the green. The green is small and tricky but not the toughest on the course. Most putts on this green can be made.
Hole #16 - Par 4, 384 Yards Another dynamite par 4 especially into the wind. Woods all down the left side off the tee shot with the ball bounding towards the trouble so aim right. A shot sliced to stay away from the left trouble could be lost in the right wilderness. Your approach is as if you were playing the Old Course at St. Andrews, having to bump and run the ball in from the left if you want to get it close. A lone bunker awaits an errant shot to the right along with some treacherous mounding.
Hole #17 - Par 3, 160 Yards What a great short hole. An elevated green which is 2 tiered. Hole locations on the bottom level can be had but the top tier locations are extremely difficult. Most shots off the tee settle in the bottom area making a difficult 2 putt to the top location but a smart play. Long on this tee shot and put double on the card. As if this hole wasn’t tough enough, check out the “Palmer-Player” tee sometimes used for special occasions. A 225 yard tee shot to this menacing green. Good luck!!
Hole #18 - Par 5, 476 Yards What a gorgeous view from atop the 18th tee. Don’t let the view lull you into a false sense of security. This relatively short par 5 has many more bogeys per day than pars. Out of bounds stretches all the way down the right side. Aim at the American Flag and let the ball gingerly drop to the right off the slope. Now the fun begins. Do I go for the green or lay up? Either way it must get airborne as a brook cuts across the entire fairway. Heavy rough awaits an errant second or third shot right of the green. This green is the absolute toughest green on the course. It slopes big time from back to front and promises to be an automatic 3 putt when you are above the hole. It is far better to be short on your approach and work your way up the green than being above the hole. Many a round has been ruined with a brilliant drive, a superb second to 15 feet above the hole and sadly putting 5 or 6 down on the card.
Course Photos by Art Cicconi - Golf Shots Inc
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