Lost Spur GC-May 2010

Not far from the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport lies one of the nicest nine-hole courses in the Twin Cities area. It’s in Eagan, and the course is known as Lost Spur. Formerly a private course that was available for use only by the Shriners, Lost Spur has become a very popular course for all area golfers, whether they are just beginning in the game, or whether they have been playing for years. Lost Spur is also home to one of the largest practice ranges around, as well, with a huge driving range, target greens, a practice bunker, and multiple chipping and putting greens. There also are great banquet facilities on the premises, making Lost Spur a very popular place for weddings and other festive occasions. But let’s take a look at the course, shall we?
    Lost Spur is a 9-hole track that has a par of 34. It is made up of five par-4s, three par-3s, and a single par-5. Several holes are built on and around a very large hill that gives golfers beautiful views of the nearby Minnesota River valley, as well as the MSP Airport and Mall of America off in the distance. The first hole is a lovely tree-lined par-4 of about 350 yards that plays slightly uphill. A small pond, which shouldn’t pose much of a threat to most golfers, sits right in front of the tee box on this first hole. This pond is just big enough to make some golfers nervous, and I suppose if a golfer hasn’t stretched enough prior to his or her round, this pond might grab an errant shot or two. After the pond has been traversed, the only obstacles on this hole are the stately oak and maple trees that line the fairway. The green is fairly flat, and the greens always run true and quick at Lost Spur, so your putts should be pretty straightforward on this hole.
        After the relatively flat first hole, the second hole is quite the change, as it heads up the very steep hill to a plateau where the green sits. The fairway falls away on the left side of the fairway, so many tee shots will roll towards the left. Because of this, many approach shots will need to be hit from an awkward sidehill lie. This is not a long hole, measuring just a tad over 250 yards from the tips, but the extreme elevation change definitely adds some length to the hole. Try to aim as far to the right as you can, so that your golf ball doesn’t roll into the grove of trees to the left of the fairway.
    We’ll stay on top of the hill for the par-3 third hole, which is a relatively benign 160-yard hole. The only danger lies right in front of the green, in the form of a medium-sized sand trap. The short par-4 fourth hole is capable of bringing much more drama to your round. At least it did during my round! Teeing off from high up on the hill, this hole heads straight down, where it curves around a little creek, and then takes a pretty hard right towards the green. The entire hole is a little under 300 yards long, but the twists and turns along the way can make it seem much longer. Don’t follow my example if you want to play this hole correctly: I laid up with an iron off the tee, but pushed my ball too far right, and it ended up somewhere in the creek. After taking a drop, since it’s a lateral hazard, I crushed my third shot way over the green, and had several huge pine trees between me and the putting surface. After several more shots, I was about ready to trudge back up to the tee box and start this hole over, but I muddled my way through, and ended up with a triple bogey 7. Really, this hole shouldn’t be so difficult – I will probably hit my driver off the tee next time and try to take the creek out of play. I can’t imagine this strategy being any worse than the way I already played it!
    After the straight and short par-4 fifth hole, golfers have to make another trek up the steep hill to the sixth tee box. Better bring an oxygen tank with you, since this is quite the ascent. Okay, so it’s not quite like golfing on Mt. McKinley or anything, but it’s still a very exhilarating climb. The reward for making this climb is a beautiful view of the metro area, most specifically the photogenic skyline, and the expansive Minnesota River valley that is just a short distance from the course. After checking out the lovely view, you’ll also see the sixth green sitting far below you. It’s about 210 yards from the tee box, but the drop in elevation helps to shorten it quite a bit. A lone sand trap sits to the right of the green, expertly placed to grab any sliced tee shots from right-handed golfers. If you like scenic golf holes, this one is sure to please.
    The final three holes at Lost Spur are comprised of the short par-5 7th which is bisected by the same creek that gave me so much trouble on hole number 4; the mid-length par-3 8th, which seems to be completely surrounded by trees; and the short par-4 9th. Overall, Lost Spur is a well laid-out and wonderfully groomed 9-hole course that can test all golfers’ abilities, as well as give some wonderful views of the natural beauty that is within the Twin Cities metro area.

Sawmill GC-May2010

I remember playing Sawmill Golf Course back in the early 1990s during a junior tournament that I probably had no right to be in. Luckily there were no requirements to get in to the tournament. Any high school-aged player with a pulse was allowed in. Needless to say, I did not play well enough that day to win a trophy, and probably was nowhere near the top ten finishers, however my exact score remains a long-forgotten mystery. One thing I do remember about that day was the fact that the Stillwater area in which Sawmill is located got a healthy amount of rain the night before, and it continued to rain during the time that the tournament was going on, and the total amount of rainfall was obviously too much for the course to handle: I distinctly remember that at least two, and possibly three, of the greens at Sawmill that day were completely water-logged, with squishy water seeping up from the ground under each footstep. The worst of the water-logged greens had a visible layer of water still sitting on top of the grass, waiting to be absorbed by the already-full ground. The cup on that green that day was filled to the top with rain water, so our golf balls made a nice plop sound when they dropped in. Looking back at it, I wonder why the groundskeepers at Sawmill allowed us to play on those greens. Having 30 to 40 junior golfers loping around on them couldn’t have been good for the grass in those types of conditions. Ah well, at least most of us didn’t weigh as much as full-sized adult men would have. Maybe we didn’t cause as much damage as I imagine.
    Recently I was happy to learn that the owners of Sawmill had changed some of the holes a few years ago and had addressed some of the drainage issues that were such a problem in the past. I wanted to see for myself how these changes had affected the playability of the course, so I made a tee time to play a round there with my friends Mike, Terry, and Paul. We were fortunate enough to get a tee time right at the beginning of the twilight rates on a Monday afternoon. The twilight rates at Sawmill are some of the lowest in the entire Twin Cities metropolitan area, which was nice to see. We played 18 holes with riding carts, and only paid $26 per person. This price is at least $20 less than a majority of the courses in the area, making it an excellent deal.
    Although the price was certainly right, I still wanted to see what kind of shape the course was in. Right from the first tee I could tell that the course was in wonderful shape. Even though the Twin Cities area was in a bit of a drought that summer, every part of Sawmill that I could see from that first tee box looked lush and green. The first hole is a short par-5 that was playing to about 470 yards when we played it. There is a small creek bisecting the fairway at about 250 yards off the tee, and a single large tree right in the middle of the landing area. I guess I was fortunate that I popped my drive up a little more than I usually desire, because it left me short of the creek, and far enough back from the tree that I had no problem choosing the correct path to get around it. The green on this hole is beautifully framed by a clump of mature trees on the right side, and the aforementioned creek bed, which snakes its way up the left side of the fairway. The green itself is fairly flat, but in very good condition and running smooth on the day we were there. All in all, it’s a very nice looking, and fair, hole to start your round at Sawmill.
    The second hole at Sawmill is a short par-4 of about 300 yards, but it is filled with danger. There are 3 sand traps situated directly in the middle of the fairway, just waiting to gobble up tee shots. The good people at Sawmill have given golfers another option that would allow them to bypass the sand, however. There is a newly added second part of the fairway that has been built to the right of the original fairway, giving another landing area option. There is no sand on this new section of fairway, and the golfer who can hit this new landing area is given a much better angle in to the elevated green. The 2nd hole at Sawmill does a nice job of giving players multiple options off the tee, which I think makes it a very good hole.
    The 5th hole is the signature hole at Sawmill, and is a par-3 playing over water. There are a multitude of tee boxes that play from various lengths and angles to the green, making it possible to change the length and the difficulty from day to day. The back tees on the east tee boxes makes the hole measure over 200 yards, which is a difficult par-3 in itself, but that difficulty is multiplied by the fact the there is a long carry over the water to get to the green. If the groundskeepers decide to use the west tee boxes, the entire tee shot is a forced carry over the water. The east tee boxes are situated on the edge of the lake, and bring possible escape routes into play, since players that hit to the right might be able to avoid the water. The forward tees on this hole play to just over 100 yards, but there is still a lot of water directly in front of the tee box that can come in to play on wayward shots. This is a very lovely par 3 with the elevated tee boxes looking down on the green and the lake in front. It is definitely a worthy “signature hole”.
    The 8th hole at Sawmill is another very good par-3. It can play anywhere from 115 yards to 175 yards, depending on which tee box you’re hitting from. What’s interesting about this hole is the fact that there is a long bunker lining the entire right side of the fairway. This bunker must be at least 70 yards long, and while it shouldn’t come into play too often, just having it there surely gets into the mind of some golfers while standing over their tee shot. Right before the green, the sand ends and a small, marshy water hazard sits in front of the right front edge of the putting surface. Standing on the tee box, looking at all the sand lining the entire hole, and the water hazard directly in front of the pin, the desired landing area on the green looks miniscule. But once we got up to the green, it was obvious that the green is actually quite large, and there’s plenty of room to land a golf ball, even if it’s not hit exactly where you’re aiming.
    The back nine begins with a very photogenic par-4 that plays right at 400 yards from the tips. The tee boxes on this hole, like many at Sawmill, are surrounded by beautiful flower beds. The fairway parallels the first hole, and the same creek bed that crisscrosses the first fairway comes into play on number 10. It runs along the right side of this fairway, and has another small rivulet which crosses the fairway from the left and joins the main creek bed. This hole has a large green that is framed by a large stand of trees on three sides. It is a very well-designed hole that is a great start to the second nine.
    The 16th hole is a fantastic par-3 that only measures 140 yards from the tips, but it is fraught with danger. A good-sized pond sits in front of the elevated green, and prodigious trees surround the small green, which is also abutted by a small sand trap in the rear. If your tee shot isn’t accurate, a big number can creep on to your scorecard after playing this photogenic little hole.
    The 18th hole is a fun finishing hole, because it has two fairway options to choose from on your tee shot. The right fairway is the more straightforward option, but the terrain goes up a slight incline, so a golfer deciding to follow this path won’t get much roll on their drive. The left fairway heads downhill, so a drive down this side will get some extra roll, but this route isn’t as straight, so the extra distance on your drive might not be as big of a benefit as you think. This side of the fairway also brings a very deep greenside bunker into play on the approach shot. The bottom of this bunker sits about 15 feet below the level of the green, so a sand save from this bunker can be very difficult to achieve. This is a great finishing hole to a fun round of golf at the scenic Sawmill Golf Course.

Product Review-Straight Aim Putters Feb2010

Richard Patten is a man who sees a problem and figures out how to fix it. During his years as a human-factors psychologist, he helped make products better, safer and easier to use. As he puts it, he has the ability to look at a product, and “see aspects of it that make it difficult or dangerous to use.”  This unique ability made him realize that most store-bought putters on the market were, in fact, quite difficult to use, or at least didn’t give him the results that he was looking for. So, he set out to design a putter that was both user-friendly and highly effective. Now, twelve years later, he has turned his quest for an improved putter in to a business. He sells his Straight Aim brand putters through his website, www.straightaimgolf.com, and through face-to-face fitting sessions.
    There are several unique features built in to each Straight Aim putter that you won’t find in other putter brands. The first and foremost feature that Dr. Patten incorporated in to the design of his putters was a bold and distinct aim line that makes for easy alignment. This aiming line looks even brighter since every putter head is given a nonglare finish. This strikingly bright aiming line really helps a golfer to keep their eyes right on target.
    Straight Aim putters are all face-balanced and they all have extreme heel-and-toe weighting, and removable tungsten weights that allow the user to customize the weight from 300-330 grams. Now golfers can test out their putter on the practice green and adjust the weight before the start of their round.
    Another innovative feature of Straight Aim putters is the tall face height. Dr. Patten noticed that many popular putters have faces that are too low, and often hit the golf ball below the centerline, causing the ball to jump in the air upon impact. Straight Aim putters have a face height of 1.25 inches, almost half an inch higher than many other putters. Added to this tall face is one of two insert options. The first option is a standard polymer insert, but the newest innovation coming from Straight Aim is called the Error Variance Reduction, or EVR insert, which provides die-at-the-hole distance control, according to Dr. Patten. This new insert has undergone strict testing, and reports show that it can improve putting accuracy by up to 25%. I’m not sure how it all works, but I can say that this new insert feels very nice while striking the ball, which should at least improve your confidence. The EVR inserts have a wonderful soft feel that really gave me confidence while striking the ball.
    One of the coolest features of every Straight Aim putter is the built-in ball pick-up. Being in my mid-thirties, I can admit that I always thought of ball pick-ups as being aimed at older golfers, and something that I wouldn’t need for a long time. But the Straight Aim pick-up is really cool. It came about because of all the weight Dr. Patten wanted to remove from the middle of the putter. He took a ball-shaped mass out from the underside of the putter head, added a rubber gasket that perfectly fits around a golf ball, and voila, the coolest ball pick-up mechanism that I’ve ever used was born. Genius!
    Straight Aim putters come in both blade and mallet versions, and are very customizable as far as length, choice of grip and insert options go. Prices are extremely competitive, starting at only $50, and ranging up to $75 – a mere fraction of what the name brand putters go for these days. Check out the Straight Aim website to get more information: www.straightaimgolf.com; call Dr. Patten at 612-722-1189; or email him at richardpatten@comcast.net.

Como GC-Feb2010

I have a special place in my heart for the St. Paul city courses: Highland National, Highland 9, Phalen, and Como. As a teenager, I spent the spring months, while school was still in session and the high school golf season was still going on, playing at some of the nicest private courses in the area. But during the summer I didn’t have an exclusive private course to play on, and neither did any of my friends, so we spent countless hours chopping up the fairways of the St. Paul courses. I remember these courses had special “junior” rates for high schoolers, so we could play 18 holes for something like 8 bucks. I spent pretty much all my money those summers playing as much golf as I could at these cheap rates, and the city courses were where I finally figured out how to play the right way. I have had many wonderful rounds at the St. Paul city courses, and Como is no exception.
    Driving around some of the winding roads that lead to Como GC will lead you to notice two things right from the start: first is all the water hazards on the holes near the roads, and second is the cool clubhouse. The clubhouse looks like a large green gazebo, or maybe a greenhouse. Every time I walk inside of it, I half expect to see it filled with a plethora of exotic plants. If you do want to see plants, the adjacent Como Park has a beautiful Conservatory that can fulfill your needs. As far as the water hazards go, there are quite a few at Como GC - large ones that come in to play on multiple holes. The water hazards help to make up for the lack of length on this course; Como measures under 6,000 yards from the tips. Most of that water is situated on the back nine, but comes in to play on a few holes on the front, too. Let’s take a look at the front nine, shall we?
    The first two holes are relatively straightforward par fours, although there is a lot of elevation change built in to them. Hole number 3 is where the fun really starts. The tee shot on number three appears daunting from the tee box. A huge hill runs along the left side of the fairway, sloping the entire hole from left to right.  In our foursome, most balls hit into the hill ran back down into the fairway, but I was not as fortunate. Hitting my second shot with the ball several inches below my feet is not my idea of a good time. Avoid the hill! But even from the fairway below, the second shot is intimidating. Though the hole slopes from left to right, the green is actually back to the left. You will need some extra club to reach the elevated green. Let’s just say that by the time you are done with the third hole, your legs will be feeling it!
    Hole number eight is memorable for a number of reasons. First, the hole is the longest on the front, a par-5 measuring 489 yards from the white tees. On a rather short course, it is a nice change of pace. Second, the fairway is lined with trees, and hitting into them leaves you with little choice but to lay up. Third, the approach shot requires a great deal of accuracy, as the green is guarded by a semi-large pond. All in all, hole number eight is a beauty.
    The back nine begins with a neat par-4 that heads high up a hilll at about 100 yards out. The main obstacles on this hole are the trees. Trees line the entire left side, and a nicely sized grove is to the right, exactly where right-handed slicers are apt to hit their drives. Since I normally hit a hook off the tee, I wasn’t scared, but apparently I should have been, since the grove of trees is exactly where my drive ended up. Oh well.
    The 11th hole is the first water hole on the back nine. This hole is a very interesting layout, with an elevated tee box, hill on the left side of the hole, a skinny fairway that is very hard to hit, and a nice big pond just off the right side of the landing area. The fairway then heads back up to the left, to an elevated two-tiered green. A golfer could hit a driver on this hole, but the pond sneaks in towards the green the farther you get from the tee box, making an already skinny landing area that much skinnier. Everybody in our group hit irons off the tee, and we all managed to hit the fairway and leave ourselves a wedge or 9 iron in to the green, so I guess I would say that’s probably the smart way to play this hole.
    After a couple more par-4s and a lovely little par-3, you’ll find yourself at the impressive par-4 15th hole. The fairway heads straight out in front of golfers for about 175 yards, the entire way paralleling a large pond. At the 175 marker, the fairway takes a hard turn to the right, and heads up a skinny chute in between ponds to a lovely two-tiered green that slopes from right to left. This green is framed by trees and all the water hazards, and requires a  high, soft shot if you want to score well. This is just a beautiful little par-4 that definitely has the ability to drive golfers crazy. I love it!
    Hole number 16 uses the same pond that played such a big role on hole 15, this time forcing players to hit over it from the tee box. Being a short par-3, at least the forced carry isn’t all that long. The green is quite wide, but not very deep at all, so make sure you dial in your iron before you tee off. You need to get your ball over the water, but you don’t want to go long, since a big bunker sits directly behind the green.
    Como Golf Course is a beautiful track that the city of St. Paul should be very proud of. Although not a very long course by anyone’s standards, it is packed with peril around every bend. If you have your irons working and aren’t intimidated by water hazards, you should have a great time during your round at Como.

Black Brook @ Izaty's-Feb2010

Izaty’s has long been known as one of the premier resort getaways in all of Minnesota. The resort is set on the beautiful south shore of Lake Mille Lacs, which is one of the most popular fishing hotspots in a state that has hundreds of fishing hotspots. Izaty’s has always catered to people who come for the fishing and other water sports, but in the 80s & 90s the resort grew and began to cater to families, couples, and other groups as well. The resort really became a popular destination when two championship-caliber golf courses were built in the late 90s. The Sanctuary was the first course built on the Izaty’s property, and in 1996, Black Brook became the second course on the premises. For reasons that we won’t get in to here, this popular resort fell in to financial crisis some time after the year 2000, and bankruptcy forced the entire resort to be closed in 2007 & 2008. The early months of 2009 brought new owners to Izaty’s, and by early spring of 2009, Black Brook was ready to be reopened to the golfing public. I was eager to see what kind of shape the course would be in after not being open for a couple of years, so my friend Mike and I made the two hour trip up to Izaty’s from the Twin Cities on a beautiful early July morning.
    Our first impression of Izaty’s as we drove in on that Tuesday morning was that it looked like the resort’s best days might have passed it by. Some of the buildings looked like they could use a new coat of paint, the grounds were a little haggard, and there didn’t seem to be anybody around. There was a slight feeling that we were driving in to a ghost town. There were a few cars parked in one of the parking lots, so we joined them and tried to find the pro shop. It took us a little while to figure out where that pro shop might be, but we soon found it, and in no time we were standing on the first tee ready to learn more about Black Brook. The tee box on the 1st hole is right next to the Links Lodge, which is the on-site hotel housing double and king rooms, as well as king suites, some of which overlook the golf course. This first hole is a medium length par-4 that plays to 389 yards from the back tees. There is a small creek and some swampy area in front of the tee box that must be carried, but compared to most of the holes at Black Brook, this hole is relatively dry. At about 150 yards from the green, the fairway turns to the left around a grove of trees. At the green there are a couple of small pot bunkers waiting to snatch errant shots, but the sand is soft and well-kept, so there was no problem for this writer to get up and down for a par.
    Black Brook has some of the best, and toughest, par-3 holes in the state of Minnesota. The first of these tough par-3s is the short third hole. This beautiful little hole only plays to a length of 123 yards from the tips, and the day we played it only measured about 105 yards. What makes this hole interesting is the fact that a pond guards the front and the left of the green, so your ball has to reach the green in the air, or it will find a new watery home. A tee shot pulled left will also be wet, as this writer can attest. I pulled my tee shot with my pitching wedge just a little left of the green, but it found one of the rocks that line the bank of the pond, and careened straight left in to the water. Even if your tee shot does find the putting surface on your first try, the double-tiered green can make it very difficult to two-putt, making this very short hole a real challenge.
    The short par-4 fourth hole continues the challenge, as golfers are forced to carry a marshy area off the tee, but tee shots should not go too far, since a creek runs up the right side of the fairway, angles diagonally across the fairway, and then turns back to the right around the very shallow green.  A 200 yard drive should play perfectly for this 333 yard hole, and the short approach shot should help golfers avoid the water on three sides of the green, and the four bunkers that surround the putting surface. This is another short hole that can wreak havoc on your score.
    Holes 5, 6, and 7 bring some length to the front nine at Black Brook, with each playing over 400 yards from the tips. The 5th is the longest of the three, at 464 yards, and the length makes it the number 1 handicap hole on the course. Although this hole is quite long, there is a very generous landing area that most people should be able to hit with their drive, and the hole plays downhill almost the entire way, so it doesn’t play as long as the yardage would seem. Holes 6 & 7 are relatively straight par-4s that are fairly wide open as far as trees go, and the only hazards are in the form of sand traps.
    Hole 8 is the second dangerous par-3 at Black Brook, however this one isn’t nice and short like hole number 3. This one also forces the golfer to carry water on their tee shot, but the water on this hole starts directly in front of the tee box, and continues about 155 yards to the front of the green. The designer of this hole did make some nice bailout room for right-handers who have a slice, which is the majority of golfers everywhere. Aside from the water that seems to be everywhere on this hole, there are also 3 bunkers surrounding the green, making it very difficult to hit the green in regulation. This is a very beautiful, but also very tough, par-3 hole that is bound to give a lot of golfers fits.
    Black Brook is different from most courses in the U.S. in the fact that the front nine does not loop back to the clubhouse. In fact, the end of the front nine and the beginning of the back nine are located far from the clubhouse out in the middle of the forest. I was ready for a snack as we were finishing up our front nine, so it was a welcome sight to see the snack cart being driven towards us as we were making our way to the 10th tee. The young lady driving it couldn’t have had better timing.
    Standing on the 10th tee brought a strange sight to us: a view that didn’t have a drop of water anywhere. Mike and I had gotten very accustomed to seeing vast amounts of liquid-style hazards, but Hole 10 didn’t have a single one. It does have a very long sand bunker paralleling the fairway in the lefthand rough. And this hole is plenty long enough to pose a problem, since it measures just under 430 yards from the tips. Thick forest to the left, and sporadic trees on the right also bring some difficulty to this hole.
    Water, and quite a bit of it, comes back in to play on the 11th hole, a 538-yard par-5. A large pond guards the left side of the fairway, but is far enough away from the tee that it shouldn’t come in to play until your second shot. There is a rather wide landing area on the far side of the pond, but don’t hit your second shot too far because another pond sneaks in to the fairway from the right side of the hole. If you can land your second shot in the landing area, the second pond and three bunkers must be traversed on your approach shot to a very narrow and undulating green.
    More water abounds on the next two holes, a 400-yard par-4 and a 500-yard par-5, but the biggest water hazard on the entire course is nestled along the 140-yard par-3 14th hole. You see, the 14th is perched right on the south shore of Lake Mille Lacs, which provides one of the most beautiful vistas you’ll find on any golf course in the Upper Midwest. Of the four par-3s at Black Brook, I would probably rate the 14th as the easiest, since the lake shouldn’t pose much of a problem unless someone hits a great big slice off the tee. The course designer even built a nice big sand trap along the shoreline to help keep errant shots from reaching the water. But it would be easy to get intimidated while standing on the tee, especially if water hazards give you a case of the screaming willies. This little hole is a truly gorgeous place to tee up a golf ball.
    Hole 16 is a much more difficult par-3 that forces everyone to hit over the water, at least for part of the tee shot. Sixteen plays to 220-yards from the back tees, and the entire shot requires a carry over water. This time there is no bailout area for those right-handers who hit a slice. Slice your tee shot here and your ball will find a watery grave. I can never remember playing a course with four more intimidating, yet beautiful, par-3 holes.
    Black Brook Golf Course at Izaty’s Resort is already in really good shape, especially when you take in to account the fact that it hadn’t been open for two years. From the looks of things, the rest of the resort is getting back in to good shape, as well, so if you are looking for a nice place to play an excellent golf course, take a look at Izaty’s. I have a feeling you’ll be glad you did.

Spring Valley GC Feb2010

The town of Spring Valley is an easy 50-minute drive from St. Paul, Minnesota. It’s located about 7 miles south of Interstate Highway 94 at the Glenwood City exit, which is Exit 28. The surrounding areas are primarily farmland with some wooded acreage mixed in. As you drive into Spring Valley, you leave the farmland behind and enter a deeply forested river valley that was carved by the Eau Galle River, a small trout stream that flows through town. There are still farms around, but the beautiful river valley makes you feel like you might be in a quaint Swiss village. The Spring Valley Golf Course was built on the top of one of the bluffs that make up the valley walls. The course is a tale of two nines, the front being more wide open, and the back being cut out of a thick pine forest.
    The first hole at Spring Valley begins right next to the clubhouse. It is a short dogleg left par-4 of under 300 yards. It’s best to go right if you miss the fairway, since there’s a pond left of the fairway about 230 yards out. Right of the fairway is a fairway bunker and a few small trees, but nothing that might cause too much trouble. In order to avoid all trouble, a golfer could always hit a five iron off the tee to lay up short of any hazards.
    The second hole is a short par-5 that plays under 500 yards. It should be quite easy for big hitters to reach the green in two on a hole of this length, but the second shot is uphill and usually the green is not visible from the fairway landing area. Even if a player can’t see the green and elects to lay up on the second shot, the approach shot shouldn’t be more than 50-75 yards, making a birdie a distinct possibility.
    The longest hole on the front side is the 515-yard par-5 6th hole. This is another par-5 that is much more imposing than the yardage would indicate. The landing area for the tee shot is fairly wide open and flat, but the second shot takes the player down a hill and around a couple of small water hazards along the right side of the fairway. The second hazard butts up to the right front edge of the green. To add to that, there are two bunkers on the left side of the fairway, which work to grab shots that attempt to run up on to the green.
    Holes 8 through 14 have all been cut out of the forest, and the trees pretty much come right up to the edge of the fairway on all these holes, so accurate shots are required if you want to score well. Because most of the surrounding trees are pines, the needles help to keep the weeds and other underbrush to a minimum, so many balls hit in to the trees can be found, but a short punch shot is usually required. Hole 8, the first one in the woods, is a fairly straightforward par-4, but the ninth hole can be a doozy. It’s not a real long par-4, but the fairway makes a pretty abrupt turn to the right, and becomes extremely narrow as you head uphill towards the elevated green. A par on this hole is a very good score.
    The tenth hole is another short par-4, but it has its own perils that the golfer has to deal with. It is short enough to be driveable for long hitters, but there are so many trees that come into play between the tee box and the green that I wouldn’t advise anyone try to go for it off the tee. The better play would be to lay up in the fairway about 200 yards off the tee, but even if you do that, trouble is not out of the question, since a tentacle of trees reaches out from the right side of the fairway in an attempt to grab shots that go too far right off the tee.  The perfect tee shot on this hole is between 180 and 210 yards down the left side of the fairway, which should leave a short wedge shot around the tentacle of trees, and up the steep hill to yet another elevated green.
     Holes 11 and 12 are back-to-back par-5s, the first of which is a very straight hole, and the second of which is very crooked with a 90 degree turn built in. Although the 11th is straight, there is a lot of undulation in the fairway, as the tee shot requires a shot to the bottom of a deep ravine which funnels balls towards the right edge. Because most tee shots end up at the bottom of the ravine, the second shot is usually up the hill to a blind landing area. The fact that the second shot needs to have quite a bit of loft in order to make it up the hill makes it almost impossible to reach this green in two. But if the second shot is kept in the fairway, the approach shot shouldn’t be more than a short wedge or 9 iron.
    The 12th hole has far less elevation change than the 11th does, but the difficulty level is even higher. The fairway goes out straight in front of the tee box for about 225 yards, and then takes a hard, 90 degree turn to the left around the pine trees. A perfect tee shot on this hole would be between 200 and 225 yards long, which should put you at a good position to make the turn without having trees directly in your line of sight. The second shot should hug the right side of the fairway to avoid the trees that jut out from the left side about 100 yards in front of the green. The green on this hole is fairly flat, so the golfer who can hit it in regulation should have a good shot at birdie.
    The 13th hole is the last one in the pine forest, and is a medium length par-3 of about 150 yards. There is a small bunker on the left side of the green and a lone tree in front to provide some excitement, but there is also excitement once the golf ball reaches the green, since it is a three-tiered green with many difficult pin placements. If you can, try to make sure you hit the correct tier, or else you’ll be in for a world of hurt.
    Thankfully the final 5 holes are more out in the open, the most difficult of which is the par-4 16th, which is another 90 degree dogleg left. This hole, however is a par-4, but the fact that there are almost no level lies in the fairway makes it very difficult to hit the green in regulation. Whatever you do, make sure you don’t leave your approach shot short or to the left of the green, because that area falls away into another ravine which is very difficult to get up and down from. Did I mention that this course is hilly? 
    This has been just a quick tour of the beautiful yet difficult Spring Valley Golf Course in Spring Valley, Wisconsin. Just a short drive from the Twin Cities, it is truly an excellent and inexpensive test of golf no matter what your handicap is. 2

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.