THE
HUNTERDON COUNTY NEWS |
TITLE: GOLF REVIEW - BEAVER BROOK - an old friend has grown into a great challenge BACK NINE
DESCRIPTION:
Time: 11:51:24
Hole 10 - making the turn you go into a completely different course, this nine winds through the woods away from the bustle of the condos and into a wooden wonderland. Hole ten's fairway is wide and in front of you. The best play is to hit it next to the cart path on the left as it will cascade forward and toward the middle of the fairway. The second shot is drastically uphill, take not one, but two extra clubs as the pin is usually on the back edge of this two tiered green and if you don't get to the upper ridge you will be facing a 40 foot uphill slider with a four foot break.
Hole 11 - Ouch - this is a tough one for several reasons. Off the tee aim for the tree on the left edge. From the back tee box it’s a long carry and if you don't get up on top of the hill the ball will bounce severely to the right, which blocks your access to the green. If you happen to make it to the top of the hill the second shot is no picnic either. The pin is usually tucked on the right side of the green, which means you have to hit a downhill shot, over a bunker and hope to hold the green or go rolling off the back into some thick rough. The green slopes left to right, with a small bump in the middle to send your ball wayward.
Hole 12 - The first breath on the back nine. This is a short uphill par three. It plays about 135, is wide open and should provide little trouble. If the pin is in the front being short is better as the green slopes back to front. If it's in the back, fire away, there is little trouble here.
Hole 13, decisions, decisions, decisions. The tee shot is blind. There is a 150 stick to aim at in the middle of the fairway, but what to hit off the tee?? Five iron perhaps to lay it in the middle, but pull it a bit left and you have a long shot in. The gutsy play is to take three wood out and try to hit a deep cut off the 150 stick, spinning the ball left to right so that you end up at the bottom of the hill, but it is a true risk reward as danger lurks the more you try to bite off. The second shot is mentally difficult. If you are right at the 150 stick you are almost equal with the green. But the large raving in front of you gives you the illusion that the green is high above your head. The inclination is to swing to hard to get it up there, you don't have to, calm your nerves and hit your regular 158 shot and you will land softly on the green. This green breaks left to right and back to front. If the pin is near the front you can easily putt it off the green so beware. It's a great hole, posting 5 is nothing to be embarrassed about.
Hole 14. Again it's all in your eyes. This is a shot of 145 yards. It looks menacing because of the ravine you have to shoot over but put it out of your mind and hit a nice easy 7 iron to the middle and gun for birdie. The green has a subtle left to right break in it that is hard to pick up in your eye, play just outside left and you will be happy.
Hole 15 - hang on - this is the second hardest hole on the course. Off the teen you need to smash one about 270 to get to the corner, anything less and you can be blocked out by the tree on the left. Your approach shot should start out left, there is a deep trap right and a pond further right. Hitting it left allows the ball the dance off the hillside and roll onto the green if you don't have enough to get it there 190 yards in the air. The green breaks left to right but is relatively calm. Five is a fine score.
Hole 16 The ideal tee shot puts you just over the hill in the middle of the fairway, but it’s a good poke to get it there. Most likely you will be in the middle base of the hill and have a blind second. Being left is better than right into the trees and left also leaves you a good pitching angle into the green. The green has a large undulation running through the right middle. If you are putting up the hill from the front it will slide drastically to the right.
Hole 17 - Par five. Hit it hard. If you can get it to the top of the hill on a fly you will pick up an extra 60 yards with the bounce down the hill, which will leave you about a buck ninety five to the green. Take out your five wood and give it a go. There is a bunker to the right of the green that gobbles a lot of balls, but it’s a pretty easy up and out from there. Playing conservatively will leave you a third shot of about 100 yards with a great view of the green. Putting can be nasty. The green slopes back to front, has a large mound middle right and if you happen to be putting from the back of the green to the front be wary, it's fast.
Hole 18 THINK BIRDIE to end the day. This is a par five, straight up the hill to the clubhouse. Your only peril are the bunkers to the left and right, out at about 235 from the tee. Avoid these and a five wood will leave you about 80 yards to the green. A crisp sand wedge off the turf should get you dancing close, but take the uphill slope into account if you are farther back and might need one club more than you think. While the green slopes left to right with a rise from front to back, don't worry much, it's pretty forgiving. Gun the ball at the hole and you might post that 4 that will leave you smiling for the rest of the evening.
Beaver Brook is a fine day of golf. You won't be disappointed.