WHAT MAKES IT GREAT. I could wax poetic about every hole on the course, but here are descriptions of some of my favorites:
Tee shot on 1. Nothing can top the best first hole in all of golf (Sand Hills), but Number 1 at Dismal is a great starting hole. It’s a short par 4 that plays shorter because of the dogleg and the slope of the fairway. I particularly like the options it gives you off the tee. Take it down the left side of the fairway with a draw and you catch a hill that can get you within 100 yards of the green. You probably will be on a flat surface, but you probably will not have a clear view of the pin. Hit a shorter drive down right center of the fairway, and you will stay on top of the hill with a clear view of the green. However, you will be at least 50 yards further away. I’m still trying to decide which I prefer. From the bottom of the hill, the green looks smaller than it actually is. It’s a deep green with some significant movement, so distance control on the approach is critical.
Approach on 2. Some have been critical of the blind shots at Dismal River. I think they’re great. The approach on two is a doozy. From the landing area, the green is completely hidden, cleverly tucked away below a large blowout on the right side of the fairway. From the first time I saw this approach, I’ve loved this hole. After you arrive at your ball on the fairway, you have no idea where to go. The caddy points you over the blowout to the right, and it’s hard to believe. You look over the ridge, and, sure enough, there’s a nice big target down there on a smooth plateau, where you had assumed there would be nothing but native rough. The green is large, and no bunkers approach the putting surface. There is plenty of room left of the green and the slope on that side will send your ball towards the hole. The fairway run-up provides ample opportunity to bounce your ball in if you so desire. You have to relax and trust your senses (and your caddy) as you hit that approach. What a great feeling to crest the ridge, wondering what happened, and discover your ball close to the pin. A very tough hole the first time you play it. Much easier as you get comfortable with the blind approach. Choosing this green site was a bold and wonderful choice by the Nicklaus group.
Hole Number 4. Like many holes at Dismal, this reachable five-par is deceptive from the tee box. The fairway looks reasonably flat and wide, but balls tend to bounce hard left when they land. If you drill one right down the middle, you may end up in a fairway bunker (not terribly penal) on the left side. After that happens a few times, you learn to hit your drive down the right side of the fairway, over the fairway bunker on that side. A little draw is OK, and will help your distance, but a hook will send you into the trap on the left. A fade is the safer shot off the tee. It’s a fun shot because you have to be precise, you can help yourself by shaping the shot, and a really good shot rewards you with a great chance at birdie.
The approach is even more entertaining. A good drive from the members tees will put me 200 to 250 out, depending on the wind. There is an old windmill guarding the left side of the green, a blowout waste area around the windmill (with a water basin directly underneath), and a bunker directly in front of the green. If you are on the far left side of the fairway, the windmill is directly in your line, but you can go over it or around it with a sweeping hook. When Jack and Chris first routed the hole, there was some discussion of removing the windmill. In the end, it stayed, and we are glad it’s there. It’s quirky, but it’s fun.
The green contours are one of the many things that make the course so special, and number four is a true roller coaster with several distinct sections. High wedges landing less than 10 feet from the front may spin back to the fairway or end up in the bunker. We had a great time when I last played the course in October trying to figure out how to use the huge undulations on many greens to our advantage. I eagled this hole by hitting a 40 foot putt 12 feet by the hole (on purpose) and watching it trickle slowly back towards the cup and in the hole. It was about as much fun as I've had with any one shot on a golf course.
Hole Number 5. One of the best three-pars I’ve played. Simple but stunning. Uphill to a saddle-shaped green, with a deep bunker right in the middle. Anything on the front of the green or slightly short is going to find the bunker or roll back quite a ways. The green is not particularly deep, so it’s easy to end up in the closely shaved collection area on the back side. If you end up there, and the pin is in front, you have a delicate little pitch with a real danger of ending up back down the fairway. We all had our favorites as the initial routing was completed, and I don’t recall anyone mentioning number 5. But we saw a gem as soon as the grass began to grow. It has been praised consistently by virtually everyone that has played the course.
Hole Number 8. The par four eighth is, to me, a rarity -- a risk reward hole that really forces a tough decision. So many holes are labeled as great risk/reward opportunities (e.g., 13 at Princeville), but, in reality, the reward is minuscule (an approach shot reduced by 50 yards) compared to the risk (a strong chance you lose your ball in the jungle). Number eight at Dismal strikes an excellent balance. Without wind, it plays around 265 if you go straight for the green. The shot looks intimidating as the landing area and the green are slightly uphill from the tee, and you cannot see much of either. When I first looked at the hole, I thought that I was once again seeing a “risk reward” hole where no reasonable non-PGA pro would take the risk. But, as it turns out, there is a reasonably large run-up area just short of the green, and you also can miss the shot a bit right where the embankment tends to kick the ball towards the green. If you miss it significantly left, you likely are in a large, nasty looking blow out bunker, but you might get lucky and still have a chance at par.
The key is that you really do have a chance at a significant reward – a putt for eagle, two putts for birdie – so it forces you to make an educated, and somewhat nerve-wracking decision. When I last played the course in early October, we were slightly downwind and two of the four players in my group hit the green twice in two days, both times with fairway metals. One time, the forecaddy said one of our shots rolled right over the edge of the hole. (We’ll never know). If you lay up, the ideal shot if probably about 200 yards down the middle of the fairway. From there, it is a wedge in over the large blow-out.
Hole Number 9. Another great five-par. Sort of a blind drive. There is a fair amount of room in the landing area, but you cannot see it from the tee. Listen to the caddy and hit it slightly right of the right side of the visible fairway. A slight fade off the tee works well. A hook can get you in trouble as the fairway runs out quickly on the left. It’s reachable downwind, but there is a there is a huge blowout that protects the left side of the green, and the green is not at all deep. The right side does provide an unprotected opening but it is narrow. When playing against the wind, the hole becomes a brute as your second shot must avoid a somewhat hidden blowout that starts in the left rough and encroaches towards the middle of the fairway at about 160- 180 yards from the green.