Gopher Hills - May2010

Cannon Falls is a sleepy little town on the banks of the Cannon River, about 30 miles south of the Twin Cities. Home to three distinct public golf courses, Cannon Falls is a wonderful place to spend a weekend-long golf trip. One of those courses is Gopher Hills, a 27 hole complex carved into the rolling hills north of town. Originally named Elmdale Hills, at that time it was a 9-hole course most famous because of the odd creatures that golfers could rent as caddies. It’s the only course I’ve ever heard of that had used llamas as caddies. Apparently golfers would strap their bag on to the side of a llama, and then lead the furry creature around the course. I am not really sure what the ultimate downfall of Elmdale Hills was, but the course has since changed owners, changed names, and gotten rid of the llama caddies. Hopefully nothing bad happened to the llamas, and they are all spending the rest of their lives hanging out at some local farm. Since the name change, Gopher Hills has expanded to a total of 27 holes, 18 holes comprising the championship course, and 9 holes making up an executive course. The original 9 holes (which now make up the back nine of the championship course, known as The Glen Nine) were designed by the late Dr. Gordon Emerson, the most prolific golf course designer in Wisconsin history. The front nine, known as The Heath Nine, and the executive nine were added to Gopher Hills in 1999 by golf course architect Garrett Gill. When playing the championship course, it really is a tale of two very different nines. The newer Heath Nine is routed through very hilly prairie land, with hardly a tree in sight. The lack of trees does not mean that you will have an easy round, though. There are tricky undulations everywhere, and many holes that seem to go straight uphill. The extra-tall and thick heather-like rough makes it almost impossible to find your ball if you miss the fairway. The lack of trees also means that the wind plays a major factor. The day we played at Gopher Hills the wind was gusting at about 30 miles per hour, making for some very treacherous playing conditions. Consider yourself lucky if you can manage a good score on the front nine at Gopher Hills.
    The Glen Nine is more of a traditional parkland setting, although the hilly topography from the front nine is still in effect. There are many more mature trees on The Glen than there are on the Heath Nine, but not as much of the extra-long rough, so things kind of even themselves out. There are a multitude of great holes at Gopher Hills, but for the sake of this article, I’ll just highlight a few from both The Heath and The Glen. When standing on the 1st tee at Gopher Hills, you can get a real sense of how hilly the course is. You can see almost the entire Heath Nine from this vantage point, and with the lack of trees, it seems as though you can see every nook and cranny. The 1st hole quickly heads downhill, and then takes a hard turn to the right before it heads back up another steep hill towards the green. The lack of trees seemed to affect my depth perception, since I thought I could easily cut off some of the fairway and give myself a shorter approach shot to the elevated green, but when my well-struck drive came up far short of the fairway, buried in the deep rough, I knew I was mistaken. If you attempt to go the same route that I tried by cutting the corner, watch out for the wet drainage area at the bottom of the swale. And remember to take an extra club when hitting back up the hill.
    The 4th hole, nicknamed “Grande”, is the longest hole at Gopher Hills, measuring 537 yards. The tee shot heads up a sloping ridge, so if your tee shot is on the left side of the fairway, there is a good chance the slope will take it into the left rough. If your tee shot is in the left rough, there’s a good chance the slope will take it into the deeper rough that borders the hole. You don’t want to go too far right, though, either, since there are several large trees guarding the right side. Once you maneuver through this part of the hole, the fairway heads a little left, and flattens out on the top of the ridge. The green is isolated on a peninsula of level ground, with both sides falling away into an abyss. If you miss this green with your approach shot, you’ll probably have an uphill chip shot, so be ready for that.
    What I would call the “signature” hole of The Heath would probably be the 7th hole, which has been named “Ichabod” by the course owners. Ichabod is a 501-yard par-5 that probably wouldn’t cause too much concern for better players if they were just going by the length of the hole. The problems start when looking at the hole from the tee box, which is perched high up on a hill. The fairway sits 25-30 feet below, but at about 250 yards out, danger seems to pinch in from both sides, making the landing area look like it’s about 10 yards wide. The hole is set up so that golfers hit towards a gravel road that angles back towards the clubhouse, and there is an out-of-bounds fence running along the road. But a grove of trees, some of the few trees that are on The Heath nine, slashes in to the right side, so, visually speaking, it looks as though the trees and the road are going to converge and completely snuff out the fairway altogether. This is a very intimidating hole, especially when looking from the tee box. Once I got down to the fairway, I realized the fairway is not actually 10 yards wide; it’s probably more like 25 yards wide, but it’s true there isn’t any extra room for error, so the best way to play this hole might be to make sure to lay up off the tee, so that you don’t have to worry about the skinniness of the fairway. From the landing area, the hole parallels the road on the left, and is guarded by a hill on the right side. The green is quite skinny, to go along with the rest of the hole. This hole has the potential to give you nightmares, so it is wise to play it conservatively, which should help minimize any problems.
    The Glen has several holes that could be considered the signature hole. The double fairway par-5 “Vale” (Hole 11) is the first that comes to mind. On this 505-yard hole, golfers can choose to aim for the right fairway, which stays on top of a plateau, and is cut off from the second section of fairway at the bottom of the hill. Or the left fairway can be utilized off the tee, which heads steeply downhill at about 250 yards out, and can really add some significant roll to well-aimed, and well-struck, tee shots. Problems can result from poor tee shots, though, since the fairway is so narrow heading down the hill, and really thick rough is grown perilously close to the fairway. I hit what I thought was a perfect tee shot to this left fairway, and it looked to me like my ball was heading right down the middle and far down the hill. But I must have been off by a couple feet. Luckily, I was able to find my ball a foot or two into the heather, chop it out with an 8-iron, and have a good shot at the green for my third. I wasn’t home free, though, since a lovely pond fronts the green on this devilish hole. What a great par-5!
    The picturesque par-3 “Ledge” (Hole 13) measures just 147 yards from the back, and doesn’t seem that intimidating from the tee box. But, let me tell you, if you miss this kidney-shaped green to the right, you could be in for a world of hurt. Just a foot or two from the edge of the green the ground falls away, and your ball will, too, if you hit it over there. Your ball could very easily end up 75 to 100 feet down the hill, or more, requiring a very tough chip shot back up the hill and under some thick tree branches. When you do get on the green, you’ll need to navigate around a very slippery putting surface that is sloped from back to front. Another great hole!
    The last hole we’ll discuss on the Glen Nine at Gopher Hills is the 192 yard par-3 “Gorge” hole, otherwise known as the 16th hole. This is an absolutely treacherous looking hole that might have you quaking in your boots while you’re trying to hit your tee shot. The tee boxes are perched on the side of a steep hill. The green sits on top of another hill, and in between the two is a deep gorge that is sure to swallow up a lot of golf balls. If a tee shot is not struck with enough gusto to reach the green, it is sure to roll back down the steep descent to the bottom of the gorge. This is a beautiful, yet daunting, hole, that will cause nightmares, possible phobias, and maybe even a case of the screaming willies in golfers who find their golf ball lying at the bottom of the gorge.