Golfing Mississippi Dunes

This week I was able to take an afternoon off work and go play my first round of my Common Man golf card at Mississippi Dunes Golf Links in Cottage Grove.

I really like this course but it is a definite challenge to ones game.  I think every green on the course is atop a dome so there is no pitch and run here.  Combine that with very fast greens and the course can be a bear just getting on in regulation.

I drove down without a tee time and was able to get out right away as a single.  The parking lot was surprisingly full for a Tuesday afternoon so I don't know how safe it is to go without a reservation.

The course gets its name from the proximity to the Mississippi river.  The first 2 holes and the ninth hole all play right along the river and it does come into play.  The winds off the river can also affect you on these holes.  The course describes itself as a links style course and while several holes have that feel the topography and amount of trees make it feel a bit more like a hybrid than a true links style.

Hole 1 is a testing first hole. A par 4 at 345 yards from the white tees. The river is to the right and anything hit too far that direction is lost.  Left are trees so that is a no go too.  If you play to the left side of the fairway you will have a blind shot to an elevated tee.  The left side also runs out about 230 yards out and rough and several pot bunkers are placed beyond the fairway here. If you play to the right side the green is a little more accessible.

A couple of hawks sitting in a tree by the first green.

The second hole is fairly easy as long as you hit the green, and hit it to the same side as the pin.  The green is fairly large with a spine down the middle.  The green is on top of a massive dome.  If you miss right your ball will again find the Mississippi.  Short, left, or deep and you will have a massive uphill second shot.  This par 3 is short, only 130 yards from the whites and downhill but wind off the river can affect club selection here.

Hole 3 is the first of 3 par 5s on the front.  The tee shot here is a blind uphill shot.  The best position is to split the trees at the top of the hill.  Right of the big tree is OK but the fairway does run out over there and you can find trouble.  Long hitters can find the end of the fairway even if down the middle but no trouble awaits there.  A short 438 yard hole if you can get your drive out there you can try for it in two but the green, like all the rest, is extremely difficult to hold from a distance.

Hole 4 is a long par 3 that can be made even longer by prevailing winds that always seem to be noticed on this hole for the first time.  The hole plays at 196 yards from the whites. T he green is massive and so is the waste bunker in front of the green.  Your tee shot is between pine trees on either side but they are not too close to affect the shot.

Hole 5 is a tough dogleg left par 4.  The best place to aim the tee shot is just to the left of the hill in the fairway.  Don't try to cut the dogleg as plenty of trees and the 4th holes tee box are over there.  A long iron is the best club here as anything longer will likely run through the fairway and into trouble.  Your second shot requires some distance but don't go long as trouble awaits there.  I don't know if I have ever parred this hole and I bogeyed it this time.

Hole 6 is another difficult hole to par.  A 165 yard par 3 that requires you to hit through a chute of trees, the green dramatically falls away in front and left.  Long leaves an awkward downhill shot.  The safest place to miss is right.

My tee shot was long and I faced the tough pitch from behind the green on a down hill lie.  I hit a real beauty though and saved par.  You can see the mounding of the greens fairly well in this shot and how the green drops off the earth in front.

Hole 7 is a par 5 at 505 yards that looks narrower than it is from the tee.  A dogleg left, I would recommend playing this as a three shot hole as the green is one of the hardest on the course to hold.  Aim your tee shot just left the small tree off the tee.  You second shot should be a layup to 100 or less.  Favor the left side of the fairway for the better shot to the green.

 Again in this shot you can see the massive mounding of the greens.  It can be especially hard to hold these greens of you are hitting from any distance or if you do not possess a nice high shot.

I like to call hole 8 blinds man bluff since both the tee shot and shot to the green are likely blind.  The hole runs right off the tee.  This is the second consecutive par 5 and this one is a shorter 471 yard affair.  Aim your tee shot to the right.  The best shot would be right over the cart path.  Don't try to cut it too much though or you will find trouble.  Your second shot should be a layup to a 100 yards where you will have a downhill shot to the green.  Going for it in two is not advised unless you have played here a lot and actually know where the green is.

The ninth is a very short par 3 (105 yards) with the river back in play, this time to the left.  Do not go left or deep here as your ball will be given to the big muddy.  Bunkers are right and just over the green.  A good chance for birdie on such a short hole.

The tenth hole requires an accurate tee shot to avoid a myriad of fairway bunkers.  The left side of the fairway runs out at about 230 yards.  The right side keeps going but several bunkers are placed there.  The best play is just to the right of the large bunkers visible from the tee but left of the fairway pot bunkers.  Laying up leaves a long second shot into a green surrounded by trees on this 413 yard par 4.

The 11th hole is a 467 yards par 5 that offers a fair amount of room off the tee.  Going too far left will place your ball on the road leading to the course.  Going right will loose your ball in long grass or trees.  If you manage to find the fairway your next shot will need to decide if you want to carry the water or layup short.  Reaching the green in two is not easy with the large hill in front of the green.

The 12th is a 168yard par 3.  Long grass from the tee to before the green requires a good shot off the tee.  The green is fairly large but again atop a mound so anything that just misses will require a delicate chip shot to save par.

The 13th is a fearsome looking hole from the tee.  A 476 yard par 5, I think of this hole as the signature hole that best represents this course.  You must carry a hazard off the tree and past a stand of trees.  The entire left side of the hole is OB but right offers more room than what it looks like from the tee.  Several deep bunkers lined with railroad ties offer the most challenge on your second shot.  Watch for the large bunker short and left of the hole.

 The view from the tee

One of the large fairway bunkers.

14 is another back to back par 5 at 510 yards.  The best shot here is between the large bunkers off the tee.  Then you must clear a second set of bunkers on your second shot to leave a short lob shot to the green.

15 is a really tough hole if the wind is in your face.  This par 4 is only 338 yards long.  Unless the wind is at your back trying to go for the green will likely find your ball in a large waste bunker that runs across the left side of the hole.  The right side offers a more open approach if you can hit it.  I think the intended play here is to force two mid length shots, one in front of the waste bunker and then to the green.

Hole 16 is an uphill par 4 at 262 yards.  Your aiming point should be the tree in the fairway that leaves a comfortable wedge up to the green.

Hole 17 is another daunting looking hole from the tee.  A par 3 at 175 yards the hole opens up around the green but because of the elevated green anything that misses the putting surface will run away.

Walking to the green on 17, aside from finding a stray golf ball or two you can take in some wild flowers.

The 18th is similar to 8 in that you have a couple of blind shots to finish the round.  Off the tee your ball should be aimed down the middle.  Your second will then be downhill to the green.  At 368 yards a good tee shot is needed to not have a blind second shot to the green.  While the green is downhill you can not run the ball up onto the green off the hill since the green is again elevated.