|
Lake Course
|
Donald Ross
design
Men's Par 35-37=72
Ladies' Par 37-37=74
- USGA rules in
effect at all times.
- Free drop from
100, 150 and 200 yard markers.
- Please repair
ball marks and replace divots.
- Please keep
golf cars and carts at least 30 feet from greens at all times.
- Yardage markers
and sprinkler heads measured to center of greens.
|
click on map for
a larger version |
|
HOLE |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
|
BLUE |
402 |
333 |
499 |
192 |
466 |
145 |
425 |
145 |
424 |
3031 |
|
WHITE |
397 |
323 |
461 |
179 |
458 |
121 |
412 |
130 |
417 |
2898 |
|
GOLD |
350 |
281 |
451 |
150 |
450 |
90 |
406 |
125 |
410 |
2713 |
|
RED |
346 |
278 |
441 |
148 |
387 |
86 |
404 |
122 |
408 |
2620 |
|
MENS |
4 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
35 |
|
LADIES |
4 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
37 |
|
HOLE |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
|
|
BLUE |
521 |
368 |
184 |
496 |
388 |
172 |
564 |
387 |
338 |
3418 |
|
WHITE |
510 |
348 |
170 |
482 |
370 |
152 |
524 |
366 |
328 |
3250 |
|
GOLD |
456 |
299 |
158 |
480 |
306 |
120 |
458 |
302 |
320 |
2899 |
|
RED |
452 |
296 |
158 |
433 |
302 |
95 |
456 |
299 |
312 |
2803 |
|
MENS |
5 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
37 |
|
LADIES |
5 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
37 |
Ratings: Blue (Course: 70.2, Slope 112); White (Course: 69.0,
Slope 109); Gold
(Course: 67.0, Slope 101);
Red (Course:
70.2, Slope 112)
LAKE 1: With trees left and
right and a small right side fairway bunker 237 yards from the
tee, Lake #1 is a demanding driving hole. To impede your second
shot, there are bunkers left and right of the green. A generous
green is receptive to the short iron approach. The green slopes
deceptively toward the lake and away from the fairway, making
this easylooking hole the third hardest on the front nine of
the lake course.
LAKE 2: Don’t let this
short par four lull you into complacency; this hole is no pushover.
The pines on the right seem to attract tee shots, while the sloping
fairway can feed the long hitter left behind a large buckeye
tree. Fairway bunkers right can catch an errant pushed shot,
creating a very narrow path to the green. Bunkers left and right
guard a narrow green that is canted from back to front and toward
the lake. As in many Donald Ross designs, a long approach creates
a delicate pitch from behind the green.
LAKE 3: Though not unusually
long, Chautauqua’s “Road Hole” can prove to be
a challenging test. Lake #3 tempts the long hitter to go for
the green in two. But left to right and a rolling fairway make
getting home no easy task. As you approach a very shallow green,
a left-front bunker protects that side of the green, making the
safe shot to the right. Slope and grain of the green are toward
the lake, while a lip in the back makes hitting a long approach
shot undesirable.
LAKE 4: The longest par three
on the Lake Course, number four is very stingy in yielding par.
Though only 192 yards, this hole frequently plays into or with
a crosswind. Should you reach this narrow, sloping green, you
will have an even greater task getting the ball to stay on it.
Green side bunkers left and right, and a subtle drop off behind
the green, challenge the golfer to use his imagination when pitching
on. Slope and grain of the green are toward the lake, which makes
reading this green tricky.
LAKE 5: In Lake #5, Donald Ross
designed another deceptively difficult par five. At just 466
yards, this hole invites the long hitter to reach the green in
two, but a rolling, uphill fairway that slopes to the right,
as well as out-of-bounds right, makes the player hit two very
precise shots. A safe second shot can be played to the bottom
of a gully, which traverses the fairway, leaving a blind third
shot (all uphill) to the green. A pond left and close out-of-bounds
right provide trouble around the green, which although level,
has many undulations to challenge the putter.
LAKE 6: This 145-yard par three
is a welcome break after the difficult par five. However, don’t
get too comfortable. The wind can swirl between the trees either
holding the ball up (in which case it may find the water), or
blowing it long into the trees behind the green. Bunkers left
and back right will catch an errant shot. The green slopes toward
the pond and the lake, making recovery shots from behind the
green and in the bunkers a test in controlling your nerves. The
undulating green offers several difficult pin placements.
LAKE 7: With trees right and
left, this long par four requires a demanding tee shot for any
hope of reaching the green in two. The uphill rolling fairway
rises about 150 yards from the green, making the approach shot
blind for all but the longest hitters. Although there are no
bunkers, the green is surrounded by trees that narrow the approach,
requiring a well placed shot. The slope and grain of the green
are toward the lake, causing subtle breaks that are not always
obvious.
LAKE 8: The third of the par
threes on the front side, this uphill 150-yard hole plays longer
than the indicated yardage. The fairway is linked by trees on
both sides and there are two green side bunkers, one in the front
right and the other on the left. The double slope of the green
is toward the tee and toward the lake, with the grain running
toward the tee. As in many of the other holes, there is trouble
long of the green.
LAKE 9: This hole is a long
downhill dogleg left par four with a blind tee shot. Wait for
the bell signal (to know that the group in front of you is clear),
then aim at the green water tank in the distance and let it fly.
Trees overhanging right can knock down a poor tee shot, while
long and left will lose your ball or leave you with no chance
of reaching the green. The ideal approach is from the right side
of the fairway to a small, narrow green. A bunker in the right
front and a lateral water hazard behind make any approach shot
tricky. Grass bunkers on the left and behind will catch many
errant shots, but a long approach risks getting wet. Slope on
the green is not too severe and from the back to the front.
LAKE 10: This long downhill par
five usually plays downwind, making this hole reachable in two
by the long hitter. From the tee, the player should either hit
the ball short of the hill or all the way to the bottom of the
hill. If your ball stops on this swale, you are left with a difficult
downhill second shot. A long rolling fairway, trees right and
a water hazard left, combine to challenge even an expert golfer.
The small green appears to slope toward the fairway more than
it actually does. This small green is protected by bunkers in
the front left and right, and by a severe drop-off behind the
green, which makes pitching back difficult, especially to back
pin placements. Grain is toward the lake.
LAKE 11: The yardage does not
show the difficulty of this hole, as this uphill par four plays
into the wind. Its rolling fairway slopes to the right offering
many difficult lies. The sloping green, elevated some 30,’
creates a demanding approach. Even a mid-iron approach does not
guarantee holding the green. Short of the green, the ball can
bury in long grass on the bank or end up in bunkers at the bottom
of the bank. Balls that hit the back of the green can end up
over the green, leaving a nerve-racking pitch onto a green that
slopes toward the lake.
LAKE 12: This simple looking
par three often plays shorter than indicated because of typical
following wind and a tee which is elevated some thirty feet.
The slope of the undulating green follows the slope of the hill
to the left and away from the tee. A sand bunker and trees on
the left make the smart play to the right side of the green to
feed the ball left to the hole. But don’t play too far to
the right because apple trees are there for your ball to hide
under.
LAKE 13: This downhill par five
is one of your best opportunities to make a birdie. Though the
hole is reachable, this hole features a demanding tee shot with
lateral hazard left and trees to the right. From here the fairway
rolls down to a second tier, which could leave a downhill lie
from about 190 yards. The green, while protected on both sides
by bunkers and behind by long grass and trees, is open to running
the ball on from the fairway. The green is relatively level with
the grain running toward the lake.
LAKE 14: Though this hole does
not appear to be difficult, you will find it does not yield par
easily. A lateral water hazard left dares you to bite off as
much as you can chew. Your tee shot should be left of a bunker
on the right fairway, because right of this bunker leaves a very
long approach to an elevated green. The green is protected on
the right by a large overhanging tree and protected left by out-of-bounds.
This elevated green is mounded all around, which can bounce your
ball into trouble if you miss the green. The slope and grain
of the green are toward the lake.
LAKE 15: This tough little par
three is deceptively difficult. From an elevated tee, you must
hit your tee shot over a water hazard in front of the green.
A steep bank, which can kick your ball back to the bottom if
your tee shot is short, rises to the green out of this hazard.
However, don’t hit your tee shot too far because the bank
continues to rise behind the green, where it ends in the woods.
There is not much trouble left and right of the green except
the slope of the bank, which makes for difficult chipping onto
the green. Slope of the green is from back to front and the grain
is toward the lake.
LAKE 16: The longest of the par
fives on the golf course, Lake #16 is a true “three shot”
hole. A blind tee shot up over the hill requires you to aim at
the middle of three tall trees off in the distance. Three fairway
bunkers protect the right side of the fairway on your second
shot, making the smart play to the left to set up your third
shot. A bunker in the left front and small trees behind frame
this large green, which has a slight pitch toward the lake not
obvious to the naked eye (grain is also toward the lake). The
fact that this hole frequently plays into the wind combined with
its rolling fairway makes Lake #16 the fourth most difficult
hole on the Lake Course.
LAKE 17: This uphill par four
plays much longer than its measured 387 yards. Its rolling, uphill
fairway also slopes to the right, funneling many tee shots into
the right rough. From the fairway, an optical illusion makes
the green appear much closer than it really is (a fact you will
be familiar with when you find your ball twenty yards short of
the green). The green is protected by a front-right bunker and
depressions left and behind. Severe slope from back to front
and left to right make it nearly impossible to get up and down
from behind the green. The grain also runs toward the lake, making
a two-putt a good goal. Par is a good score here.
LAKE 18: A single pine tree and
a pond on the left and pines on the right make this short par
four a demanding driving hole. The rolling fairway dips off the
tee then rises again from 150 yards to the green. From the fairway,
the surface of the green is not visible except for the longest
hitters. A bunker on the right protects this green, which slopes
to the right and away from the fairway. Grain follows the slope
of the green on this tricky, fast green. An excellent finishing
hole to this fine Donald Ross course. |
