Hidden Creek Golf Club
NJ, USA
13th hole, 390 yards; In contrast with the rolling 12th, the 13th (and 14th) are laid across the only flat portion of the property. In addition, whereasthe design teamcleared out some 60 yards behind the 12th green, they elected on this rare occasion to leave the trees close in to frame the green.
In common with the great heath courses, Hidden Creek can be walked in under three hours, thanks to short green to tee walks such as here from the 12th green to the 13th tee.
Though laid across flat land, the 13th hole is anything but straightforward to play.
A tee ball that flies this central hazard and skirts left of the second bunker leaves the ideal angle into the 13th green.
14th hole, 200 yards; In an attempt to give every hole immediate visual impact, many modern architects in the past two decades defined thegreen to such a clear degree thatitinadvertently became an easier target. In the case of the 14th,Coore & Crenshawcould have been easily highlighted the green through the placement of mounds and bunkers. Instead,theykept the 14th green as anextensionof the fairway withthe green evenslightly below its surrounds in spots and no bunkers down its left side. From the tee, the golfer is hard pressed to determine where on this 51 yard (!) deep green the hole actually is.A simple yet effective hole wherethe architect didn’t get in the way of himself.The less is more principle applied here helps reinforcethat the ground is one’s friend at Hidden Creek.
The simplicity of the 14th adds to the charm of the course.
15th hole, 410 yards; Even the world famous Old Course at Sunningdale has several indifferent holes (namely the 4th and 13th); surely, HiddenCreek must a few as well? In a compliment to Coore & Crenshaw’srouting andas a compliment to thethought and work that went into each hole, the answer is no. Once again,the hole is playable for any level golfer but an advantage can be gained by a wellshaped tee ball.
The downhill 15th bends left at the 250 yard mark and the golfer who can hug the inside of the dogleg...
...gains the best angle and shortest distance into the elevated green.
16th hole, 470 yards; Just as no two Coore & Crenshaw courses look alike, no two holes at Hidden Creek look alike either, which is no mean feat. In fact, the only knock on the once excellent Pines Course at nearby SeaviewCountry Clubis that one had trouble recalling the specific holes after the round. Not so at Hidden Creek.In the case of the 16th hole, it is made memorable and unique by a diagonal row of irregular mounds that bisect the fairway and by Jim Craig’s vexing green with its high point in the middle.
Irregular shaped mounds diagonally bisect the 16th fairway at the 285 yard mark from the tee. Creating such mounds without any hint of symmetry is a genuine art form.
17th hole, 495 yards; The drama that has unfolded for decades on the 17th at Muirfield in Scotland epitomizes the virtues of having a reachable three shotter late in the round, and this hole has similar qualities to help see-saw many a match. In a nice touch (the kind of touch that only occurs when the architect is on site for an extended period of time), a knob near the front left of the greenwas created that canhelp deflect a running approach shot toward the putting surface.
The bunker down the right protects the short way home and requires a 245 yard carry from the back.
Meanwhile, this diagonal array of bunkers encroaches into the fairway from the left.
Behind the tee on the 410 yard 18thhole is a pile of dirt. Originally placed there for a back tee, it was going to stretch the Home hole to 430 yards but after thinking about, Coore & Crenshaw vetoed the idea as it required just that bit more of a walk from the 17th green. After all, the purpose ofHidden Creekfrom dayone was always enjoyment and variety as opposed to sheer length and difficulty. Credit both the owner for wanting – and the architects for delivering – such a course.In every meaningful respect, it is an ideal course upon which to enjoy a game on a frequent basis. As Dave Axland noted during his last visit from Friar’s Head, ‘Boy, something really went right here.’
A deer plays through at the 9th!
The End