Since some seemed to like my summary of the holes at Trump National, I'll try to provide the same for Mountain Ridge.
The first thing you notice about Mountain Ridge as you drive up the driveway is the stately clubhouse, built in 1930.
The clubhouse is simple, functional and elegant. It sits on top of the property overlooking the golf course and countryside to the west.
I think the strength of Mountain Ridge lies in its par 4's, although the four par 3's and three Par 5's are good holes.
I believe that the 8th hole, a 465 yard par 4 was once a par 5 from a back tee. I don't have the exact yardages from the new green tees, but will provide them in the next day or two
# 1 is a great introduction to the golf course with a par 4.
The tee sits high up on the golf course, overlooking the fairway, bunkers and green below. The prevailing west wind is directly in your face. The bunkers are staggered and the green is slightly elevated, angled back left to front right, well bunkered on the left, with roll-offs on most of the well sloped and contoured green. It's a solid 1st and 19th hole.
# 2 plays blind on the tee shot, over a ridge, with the green emerging from the fairway. Roll-off areas exist and the green has some slopes to it. A good drive will probably leave a 4-iron or more in. # 2 heads south
# 3 is a wonderful short hole with a creek running down the right side and a new bunker complex in the drive zone down the left side. The green is more like a "short" par three green.
Elevated, semi-volcano looking, and well bunkered. The green has very little slope to it. I hit a perfect drive, but an iron off the tee is the prudent play. # 3 plays south
# 4 is a wonderful uphill par 3, probably 230+ from the back tee. The green is sloped with some contour and is visible from the tee. It's a large green, well bunkered up the left side. The fronting slope eats up mis-hit or short shots.
# 4 heads north.
# 5 is a good par 4 that heads slightly uphill with the fairway canting right to left, with some good fairway bunkering staggered on both sides. The green is pitched toward the golfer with a little right to left slope in some areas.
# 6 is a great par 5, reachable in two, it heads east.
Fairway bunkers are right. The fairway dips about 120 yards from the green then goes uphill with bunkers cut into that hill which sits about 30 feet above the dipped fairway. The green is probably another 70 yards from the top of the fairway cross bunkering and the green is a great skyline green with a good deal of cant to it.
#7 is a true dish or punchbowl green par 3, uphill, well bunkered short and you better not be past the pin because the green slopes severely back to front. # 7 heads north
# 8 is a 465 par 4, from an elevated tee, heading west into the prevailing wind. There are no driving zone fairway bunkers off the tee, but, there are fairway bunkers toward the green. This may be a vestige of the hole being a par 5.
The green is sloped with a good deal of contour or back tier.
It's a strong golf hole.
# 9 is a reachable par 5 back uphill, east, toward the clubhouse, with a fairway that slopes right to left.
A new leftside fairway bunker is contemplated in the drive zone, half in the rough and half in the fairway. The second shot is substantially more uphill. An old bunker which was located on the right side about 30 yards short of the green, which made it risky to hit a rolling hook into the green no longer exists, and the club should consider restoring that bunker. It would help this relatively easy par 5.
The green slopes back to front with some minor contour.
# 10 is a good par 4. The tee sits up on the hill not far from the clubhouse, like # 1 it plays into the prevailing west wind.
The hole is downhill and all of the fairway, bunkering scheme and green are visible. The green is pitched back to front and balls that hit this green usually hold very well. The fairway fronting the green encourages running shots into this green.
# 11 is another good long par 4 that heads south, with the tee shot blind over a small ridge. A long iron or wood will be required into a well bunkered green that rolls off into deep chipping areas right.
# 12 is a short dogleg right par 4 with trees right and a pond short and right of the green. It heads south. The green is slightly elevated and sloped. The fir trees that form the corner of the dogleg should probably be removed, since they were planted about 30 years ago. The club should consider doing the same thing they did on # 3, putting a bunker complex where the trees were.
# 13 is a terrific par 4 that heads north.
A creek crosses the fairway, but is out of reach for all but the John Daly types, and even he might not get there.
The green is slightly elevated, well bunkered, and moderately sloped. I hit driver, choked down 3-wood and made an 8 footer for my only birdie, and that wasn't from the back tees.
# 14 is a good uphill par 3, probably in the 190 range, which heads north, Big green, almost a skyline green, sloping right to left.
# 15 is a medium length par 4, heading south, dogleg left, from an elevated tee, over a good 1/2 cross bunker in the fairway. The green is well bunkered on the sides, pitches back to front with moderate slopes.
# 16 is a par 3 over water to a moderately sized green, which pitches back to front. # 16 heads north.
# 17 is a dogleg par 5 heading northeast to east, with a waterhazard running most of the length of the hole on the left.
A creek comes halfway across the fairway, but really isn't in play for most shots. The green sits elevated and well bunkered above the fairway with a good back to front slope.
# 18 is a great finishing hole, a dogleg par 4 heading east to southeast, uphill, with OB on the left, and a large tree guarding the right side of the fairway. The second shot is substantially uphill to a very sloped back to front green.
Miss it short and your ball stays there, go long, and a 3 putt is almost assured.
I hope to have the yardages shortly, and will try to take some pictures when I play there next. More trees are scheduled to be removed, and hopefully some bunkering that was removed years ago, will be restored.
This is a great golf course. One that you can play every day and never tire of it. It is also very challenging to every level of player.
If you get the opportunity to play it, don't pass it up.