Continuing the tour, here are holes 7-12.
The 7
th hole is a par 4 and a serious test at 445 yds. This hole plays back toward the family house and is the last hole on the West end of the property finishing just above the first tee.
The tee box is set at a diagonal line to the right side of this fairway, which felt to be a very large one. The tee shot while not blind does not reveal the green or even the flag as this hole seems to play kind of up and over a gentle slope. A strong drive down the center or left will leave a mid to long iron (or even fairway wood) to this green which is down the hill to the left from the center of the fairway. This green will be accessible to chasing one in as well but there is a large bunker on the right side to take into consideration.
Here is the approach from closer to the green note the open area is not the bunker mentioned. that is lower down to the right.
At this juncture the walk to the 8
th hole will be really the only sizeable walk on the course and take about 5 minutes. The routing was not 100% certain when I was there as the bridges still needed to be put in. Will it lead directly in front of the family residence as mentioned by Adam Lawrence or will it duck down the hill slightly out of view? I think the answers here will say a lot towards the families intent with regards to the course. I don’t have these answers.
The 8
th hole is a short par 4 of 321 yds and requires a serious double take from the tee. The landing area seems very small and appears to be heavily sloped from right to left. There are a couple stone walls in view adding to the drama and decision making process. I think in the right conditions a long hitter could actually go for this green with a safe bail out on the right side. None of us fit into this category and all chose to hit rescue clubs off the tee. The results were solid leaving a 6 iron approach the first day from about 130 yds out (incidentally my 155 meter club) It was playing straight into a heavy wind. The second day I hit a 9 iron on the second shot as there was little wind.
The approach to this green is the kind that makes your hands sweat and requires trust and commitment. There is ample room right even though there is a greenside bunker to deal with. Left is dangerous but not sudden death unless you really pull it. Nevertheless it’s a testing approach into the wind and requires control of your ball flight. A spectacular hole that to my understand was extremely difficult to route here given the severity of the slope of the landing area.
The 9
th hole is yet another wonderful short par 4 at 310 yds. It plays along the cliff all the way down from tee to green. There are some rock outcroppings in the fairway to deal with which makes careful judgment from the tee a necessity. Obviously the left side is sudden death but there is ample room to the right. Taking on the left side provides the shortest route to the green as well as a confortable line in though this also depends on the pin position. The green is perched on close to the edge of the cliff.
The 175 yds par 3 10
th hole provides a serious visual challenge. There are a couple tees in play plus a novelty back tee that Mr. Harrison did not personally choose for several reasons, mainly for safety perspectives. We played the hole from both tees and my personal opinion is that they are both great fun but the back tee won’t do wonders for anyone afraid of heights. I played it into a very strong head wind and will admit to feeling a bit wobbly out there balancing on this perch surrounded by cliff drop offs. The photo makes it look a bit smaller than it actually is. 3 of us plus the Estate Manager stood out there at the same time with not too much issues. It’s more visually challenging than anything else but it’s the smallest tee box of this sort I’ve ever seen. The hole requires a solid 155-160 yds carry over cliffs to the green which has ample bail out to the right side. I thought it was a spectacular hole from both tee boxes though the main tee box along the cliffs (as opposed to the eagles perch tee box) is safer and give a slightly better look and better angle to approach this green.
This is the view from the Eagles perch tee
This is the view from the standard back and medal tee.
[size=78%]The 395 yds par 4 11[/size]th[size=78%] hole takes us out to the boat house/halfway house set out on a point where 3 sides meet water down at water level rather than up on the cliffs. This hole requires a long drive where the left side must be avoided. There is plenty of fairway to work but the best line seems to be down the left side, also the shortest route.[/size]
The approach to this green is really the first one that I believe will provide significant trouble to higher hcp’ers, it might require a lay up to be able to go at it with a more lofted club. Again it’s a very challenging shot IMO with no wind as you have to be relatively precise, short is landing unplayable and long or left would also be lost ball. On day one into the wind I approach after a strong drive with a 5 iron. Day two with a 6 iron. Tough clubs for me to hit really precisely. I managed not to lose a ball but didn’t manage to hit the green.
The halfway house is a great little building which has been renovated and is one of those places that would be wonderful to just park yourself and have a nice lunch and some drinks split between enjoying the wonderful place it’s located or heading back out. Both IMO fantastic choices. I went for the golf each time.
The 178yds par 3 12
th hole play slightly uphills to a long narrow and raised green. Pin position can hugely vary on this green which could stretch this hole out to over 200 yds in my best estimate. Give it’s uphill nature I wouldn’t rule out the need to hit anything from 5 iron to 3 wood which makes this hole play completely different in length from the previous par 3 reading nearly the same yardage. It’s fair to say this holes is tough and requires quite a precise tee shot.
Finally looking back from the green.
