Blackwolf Run The River Course Holes 1-3

Hole 1
Snake
Par 5
610 | 565 | 526 | 501 | 411 yards

There is no easing into The River Course.  The opening hole is the one of the longest holes you will face all day.

Right away you get a taste for the design themes you will face all day.  The Sheboygan River meanders through the Blackwolf Run property and not only divides the two courses but also becomes one of the your most formidable opponents as you play The River.  You'll face some kind of danger from it on 10 of the holes.  A couple of other holes also throw in the benefit of water lurking but not from the river.

Your introduction to the the Sheboygen starts immediately with the river running up the entire left side of this hole.  I assume the snaking river is where the hole's name comes from. A sloped bank leads down to the river increasing the danger on the left.

To avoid players bailing out easily right to avoid the river, deep rough runs all down the extreme right of the hole.  Very thick primary rough sits between the fairway and the real long grasses.

A well placed bunker also awaits you off the tee down the right side, where a typical bail out landing would occur.

If you should find the fairway, your next shot epitomizes the strategy you will use throughout the day.  A quartet of bunkers protects the hole for those who decide to lay up on their second shots.  The bunkers are in play from about 200 yards down to 100 yards from the green.  The hole also turns to the right at around 160 yards from the green. The second shot landing area is generous if you lay back but starts to squeeze in the further you attempt to get towards the green.

For those seeking to reach the green in two, the fairway chokes down considerably to a narrow neck leading to the green to discourage an easy run-up.  The green is also fronted on the left side by a large bunker.  Down the right side of the green a series of gnarly grass mounds pose a challenge.  There is also a small bunker hidden deep right that you can easily find if your ball comes in to aggressively, I know because I found it.

This is a large deep green that is around 45 yards deep.  It is divided into three sections, front to back, with ridges separating each of the sections.  Hitting onto the wrong portion of the green will require negotiating these ridges and the tricky breaks they will cause.

Not an easy first hole.

Hole 2
Burial Mounds
Par 4
377 | 370 | 355 | 345 | 310 yards

Before playing the second hole, take a moment to walk behind the tees.  Here you will find a popular fishing spot, at the base of a dam.  There are always fishermen around here, and in general this part of Wisconsin is a great outdoor recreation area.  We had the good fortune of playing as the salmon were coming up from Lake Michigan to spawn.  Lots of fly fishermen in the river, and a lot of raptors feasting on the fish.  A really cool sight, making the round even cooler.

Back to the second hole...

Thick trees down the left side from this hole that angles right off the tees.  Down the other side, a series of tall mounds give this hole its name.  The fairway here is generous, just don't stray from it off the tee of this short par 4 will become much more difficult.

If played up the left side, overhanging tree limbs can come into play on your second shot, so it is best to be down the middle.  Driver is not necessarily needed, as your second shot will not be terrible if you hit a 3 wood or hybrid off the tee.

The green here is well protected by 5 large, deep bunkers, as well as more grassy mounds thrown in.

This green slants diagonally relative to the fairway, making your approach shot making it fairly shallow from front to back but a relatively wide target.  With all of the trouble green side hitting a good approach here will help avoid costly strokes.  Be aware this green does slope from left to right and front to back as well.

Hole 3
Gotcha
Par 4
468 | 410 | 395 | 389 | 295 yards

This hole is called "Gotcha". Not sure why.  Pretty much any hole out here could have that name, what with all of the danger lurking.  This is the number one handicap though.  A long and challenging dogleg right par 4 requires driver off the tee and a longer iron in on your second shot.

The fairway landing zone off the tee is very generous.  There is serious trouble if you miss right though.  A bunker sits down a steep incline on the right corner of the hole.  Missing left is not an option as trees line this side.  It is a good thing the fairway is wide here.  Stick to the center or left to avoid being blocked out by the small cluster of trees on the right, above the deep bunker.

The real difficulty on this shot comes on your second shot.  You are likely going to have around 180 or more into this green.  All down the right on your second shot an enormous bunker will collect anything that is hit right.

 

The left side of the hole features more grassy mounding, along with some deep rough that juts in towards the green.  There is room to run a ball up, as no danger lurks in front of the green but the fairway is very narrow at the end and trouble abounds on either side.  The green also angles away diagonally relative to the fairway, similar to the last hole.  This turned into a common theme throughout the round.

Blackwolf Run The River Course Introduction
Blackwolf Run The River Course Holes 4-6
Blackwolf Run The River Course Holes 7-9
Blackwolf Run The River Course Holes 10-12
Blackwolf Run The River Course Holes 13-15
Blackwolf Run The River Course Holes 16-18