A
wide open 10th tee THE
HUNTERDON COUNTY NEWS |
TITLE: REVIEW - HIGH BRIDGE HILLS - BACK NINE (pics)
DESCRIPTION:
Time: 09:27:02
Before we start his review we want to give a nod to assistant pro Jeff Marx who set this adventure up for us and was accommodating, professional and quite simply friendly to deal with, and we give our thanks to Jeff, who is playing for his pro status this Wednesday and we wish him great luck in his pursuit of 156 strokes or better in the 36 hole marathon.
To the course -
High Bridge Hills, located just off of route 31 North between Clinton and Glen Gardner, is a tough golf challenge for any skill level. On Wednesday July 29 and Monday August 3, 2009 The HC NEWS ventured our for our annual golf review and what we found was links like rough, with its flowing wheat like grasses, was three feet tall in places and thick on ground level. The greens were rolling as good as they have been since the course opened, quick and true and the fairways were tight and allowed one to spin the ball back on the greens if a proper shot was applied.
The other interesting thing we were allowed to observe was how the course reacted to weather. On Wednesday our front nine was delayed by a huge downpour and yet an hour later the course had drained in amazing fashion and we were able to continue, for about two hours before the next rains came and scared the digital camera away. Then we played on Monday after Sundays deluge that left the town of Clinton completely under water. Once again the course was in excellent condition a mere 24 hours later, so the bottom line is, on those border line days when you are thinking about playing but not quite sure due to weather, take a trip to High Bridge and if any place will be playable it will be here.
The course plays 6640 yards from the back tees, mostly due to several short par threes, so don't be confused by that number. Holes like number 5, which plays uphill at 462, and number 8, a 230 yard par three over a ravine, are a bear from the back, so be wise and choose the right set of tees. For the short hitter looking to keep the ball in play the white tees are enough of a challenge to allow for an enjoyable round.
Overall this is a very good golf experience. The staff is nice, the carts have GPS, and there is usually a young lady running around providing beverages on the course and make sure after the round you go see Shelly at the 19th hole.
During the week pace of play is wonderful. We played 27 holes in 5 hours and that was with a lot of looking for balls in the rough. However when this course gets busy on the weekends it can be a slow play nightmare. The aforementioned par three hole number 8 sometimes has three foursomes on it which can get a bit tedious and the high grass has some people looking for 20 minutes for that 1 dollar ball, Drop One Please, so don't expect to race around the track on a Saturday mid morning. It just won't happen, but that is not uncommon in a lot of places. Get there at 11 a.m. during the week and you will sail through. Do call ahead as it is a popular place for scramble tourneys and also be aware that the local high school team uses this as home base and you don't want to get behind them or one of the local afternoon leagues which typically go off around 4 p.m.
Overall rating for public golf, 4 out of five, with the length of play when it's busy being the lessening factor.
http://highbridgehills.com/view.asp?id=74&page=845 scorecard
http://highbridgehills.com/view.asp?id=74&page=844 - rates
http://highbridgehills.com/view.asp?id=74&page=853 directions
http://highbridgehills.com/view.asp?id=74&page=842 the generic home page
When you go you will most likely start on what is officially called hole ten, but it might as well be hole number one because the morning dew burns off the back nine faster and you are usually told to begin from there. The first four holes are relatively short from the white tees and allow adequate warm up into your round. On Hole ten take an extra club on your approach as it is more uphill than it looks. The same goes for 11 where a subtle climb often leaves you short of the green. Hole 12 is easy - lay it up to the middle of the green regardless of pin and you will make an easy par. On Hole 13 there is a transformer on the telephone pole that is a good aiming point of the blind tee. Do not go left as the woods are tighter than they appear and anything in that jungle is dead. Though it may not seem so the right side of the green slopes severely and the ball breaks a lot further left than you might think, take it another 6 balls to the right from front to back.
Once you hit hole number 14 your round is in full swing as you tackle this uphill par three over a pond. Most players wisely bail out to the right as anything left is dead into the woods.
15 is a reachable par five you can hit with two good strikes. Hug the left which will leave you a flat second shot where you can see the pin in the distance. On an uneven lie watch the pull hook into the left woods.
Depending where you play hole 16 you will face several different challenges. The back tees put you way atop the crest of the hill line and adds 65 yards to the hole. It’s a nice vista but unless you hit a big ball you most likely won't climb the hill in front of you and you will have a blind second shot. The white tees play at the bottom of a ravine and your drive goes straight up the hill with out of bounds right and the tall stuff to the left. Aim for the 150 marker and be diligent, although the cart path has aided many to reach the top of the summit.
17 is a straight out honest three shot par five. Right is dead and out of bounds off the tee and there are also bunkers out about 230 yards on the right. The large net on the right side protecting the neighboring houses indicates where a lot of balls end up. Play it conservative, hit it straight and you will have little problems.
18 is a tough hole. From the back it plays 435 yards uphill into the prevailing wind. Cregar Road borders on the right and the storage building on the other side of the road has a lot of ball ending up in their yard. The bunkers to the right are easily reachable from all the tees so the play is out to the left. The second shot climbs straight up the hill. The flagpole will show you just how hard that wind is blowing and the bunker in front is deep. A shot into the lip is dead.
A
wide open 10th tee
The
approach is farther uphill than you think, that bunker right grabs a lot of
shots
Right is
dead on 11 tee, playing off teh left side allows the ball to drift to the middle
of the short hairs.
Looking
back toward the tee
11th green,
subtle slopes need to be recognized
Aim middle
on this par three, there is a sneak bunker front left that is hard to see off
the t.
Here's your
view from the box, stay right and you will be fine, trying to cut the corner
left more times than not puts that penalty shot on the card.
Here is the
view of the green, you can see in the distance the 150 stick at the corner.
par three
up the hill - Left is dead, I repeat LEFT IS DEAD
The par 5
15, reachable par 5 with the tee box in the distance.
Your third
shot should have this view, can you see the ball one inch from the pin??
The view
from behind the green
Up up and
away on 16
From behind
the green, the top tees are up in that small gap in the trees
Bunkers on
right are the only risk
Looking
back up the fairway
The view
back up the 18th
And the
opposite looking up at the green
A little
bit closer so you can see those dreaded front bunkers
And a
moon over High Bridge, when we finally ran out of enough light to hit the ball.