Applewood Hills Feb2010

Applewood Hills is an executive course in the eastern Twin Cities suburb of Stillwater. It was cut out of an old apple orchard, hence the name. Applewood Hills is a superbly manicured course that plays to a par of 62, with a mix of par-3s and par-4s. A majority of the par-4s are on the back nine, so the front nine plays to a par of 30, and the back nine is a par of 32. I went and played Applewood Hills in late September, when most of the apple trees were full of fruit. The course’s web site advertised that golfers could bring a bag and pick as many apples as they wanted. Although most of the apples growing on the course would be considered baking apples instead of eating apples, you can’t beat free apples, so make sure you bring a bag if you plan on playing Applewood Hills in the fall.
    The front nine starts with a beautiful little par-3 that plays to 129 yards from the blue tees. The hole is lined with apple trees up and down both sides. This hole plays slightly downhill, so take that into consideration when you’re choosing your club. The second hole is another par-3 of 150 yards. This hole also plays downhill, and is guarded by a large oak tree that looms over the front left portion of the green. There is also a lovely little pond that sits behind the green, but it shouldn’t come in to play unless a big mishit is made off the tee. The green on the first hole is quite flat, but that isn’t the case on the rest of the course, and the second green is the first proof of that. It is very long and narrow, and severely sloped from back to front. The pin was placed on the front portion of the green when we played it, which was very sloped, and made for very difficult putting situations. Both my playing partner and I were very lucky to get our two-putts and get out of there.
    Holes 3 thru 5 are all par-3s that play between 145 and 161 yards, but then things get a little more interesting on the sixth hole, which is the first par-4 on the course, playing 308 yards from the tips. The length of this hole shouldn’t make anyone too nervous, but it is set up as a sweeping dogleg from right to left, and the landing area is quite small, being pinched in on both sides by pine trees. Once you make your way through the trees, the hole heads slightly uphill to the green, which is quite large and somewhat kidney bean shaped.
    Hole 7 is the longest par-3 at Applewood Hills, measuring 220 yards from the back tees. The front nine ends with two more par-4s, the first of which is a short, downhill hole that turns slightly right from the tee box, and the second one, Hole #9, is pretty straight away, with some ups and downs within the fairway. There are two big fairway bunkers on the right side of the hole, and a small pond in the left side of the fairway. The smart drive would be a lay-up of about 180-200 yards to keep it short of the water.
    The back nine at Applewood Hills begins with a lovely par-4 of about 330 yards that plays downhill. The smart golfer will lay up off the tee, leaving an approach shot of around 130-150 yards. If your tee shot goes further than that you will run the risk of finding the pond that encroaches in on the right side of the fairway, or you could easily wind up behind the grove of pine trees that slices out from the left. The green is long and narrow, like many at Applewood, but isn’t as severely sloped as some, so it shouldn’t pose a big problem. This is a very nice par-4 that is a fine beginning to the back nine.
    Number 11 is the longest par-4 at Applewood Hills, measuring 381 yards from the back. It heads uphill, making it seem even longer. Four fairway bunkers surround the landing area, so the proper club needs to be chosen on the tee box. The terrain behind the green falls away quickly, so going long will bring a difficult chip back up the hill. And, you never know, your ball might come to rest behind an apple, which can make for an impossible shot. So, just make sure you don’t go over this green.
    Hole 14 is another memorable par-4, playing 339 yards from the tips. What makes this hole memorable is the placement of the fairway bunkers. There is a very large bunker, that I am sure must grab a lot of errant tee shots, on the right side of the fairway, but the most problematic bunker is positioned directly in the middle of the fairway, about 225 yards off the tee. This is a big bunker, which is surrounded by thick rough, and it’s right where most people would be aiming their tee shots. Luckily, and I don’t usually say this, I pulled my tee shot well left, so I was able to completely avoid the bunkers on this hole.
    Applewood Hills is one of the nicest and best designed executive courses I have ever played. For better players, long irons won’t be required on a lot of holes, but everybody will get a good workout with their short irons. And the greens are some of the best I have played, period. They are easily the best greens I have seen on an executive course in a long time. Next time you’re in the eastern Twin Cities, and want to get in a quick round of golf at a beautifully maintained course, check out Applewood Hills.