Is this the end?
The season is drawing to a rapid close. The temps for the rest of this week are supposed to be highs in the 40s. Supposedly today was the last nice day for a while. Except it wasn't. It was like northern Scotland with constant mist. At least there was no wind.
I took today off, as I did not get to go out last weekend at all due to other commitments. I headed out to Hammond Wisconsin to play Pheasant Hills.
Hammond is just east of Hudson on I-94 and is about 45 miles from downtown Minneapolis. The area is very rural. To get to the course, you have to drive on some side roads through farm fields.
Pheasant Hills is a course that was built on old farm land. As you can see from the Google maps image, it sits surrounded still by farms.
The course is very rustic feeling. That image is helped by the clubhouse, which is an old barn. One axis of the barn is used for cart storage, the other is offices, the clubhouse/bar area. Immediately behind the barn is a small practice putting green. In front of the barn is the driving range which is basically just a flat field with three "greens" cut into it.
The overriding theme of this course is one of relatively unvaried terrain. The course is almost exclusively flat with just enough elevation changes to make you forget this is once a farm field. The greens are a highlight, well kept and quite large. While they are well maintained, very few have any serious undulations and I would consider a majority of them to be flat. The course website says the front nine averages greens of 7,500 sq ft, with 4 being over 10,000 sq ft. For reference the average green size used on the PGA tour is 6,000 sq ft.
The other common element of the course is the relative openness of the layout. There are the requisite fairway and green side bunkers as well as 13 ponds/wetlands scattered around the course. What there are not is a lot of trees lining the fairways. There are scattered trees to be sure, but most are small and unlikely to cause much trouble.
The course has 4 sets of tees. From back to front they are:
- Blue (7,093 yards 73.4/127)
- White (6546 yards 70.7/124)
- Gold (6000 yards 68.2/119)
- Red (5175 yards 69.5/116).
Let's look at the course now.
Hole 1- Par 4 (377/357/313/270)
A straight ahead par 4 with slightly elevated tees starts off the round. Down the right is a pond and down the left is a fairway landing bunker. Other than these hazards, only a scant few small trees pose a problem.
The approach to the hole is flat.
The large green, is typical of the size on the course. A pair of bunkers flanks either side of the green.
Hole 2- Par 5 (527/493/475/402)
The tee shot is slightly uphill and therefor blind on this par 5. The hole doglegs left within driver range. Balls hit down the right side can find a bunker there on the outside corner of the dogleg. Far left is a farm field.
Here you can see the fairway bunker down the right side with a pine tree right in front. I thought my tee shot was right down the middle off the tee only to discover the hole turns left and I was in the bunker.
As you approach the green the hole is only slightly downhill. Short of the green are 2 bunkers on either side of the green.
A shot of the number 2 green, taken from the falr left side of the hole.
Hole 3 Par 4 (334/298/276/235)
The tee shot on this hole obviosuly can not go right. A pond runs nearly the entirity of the right side on this dogleg right hole. The preferred tee shot is to aim at the 150 pole in the fairway. The tees are elevated here and hitting to the 150 yard marker is maybe a club less than you think.
As you approach the green a single bunker sits between the water right and the green.
Hole 4- Par 5 (560/526/464/419)
This par 5 offers water trouble down the left side of this dogleg right hole. Down the right is open though some hills there can result in an awkward lie.
From the fairway, the second shot in is a wide open proposition. There are 2 bunkers flanking the green short but planty of room otherwise.
A shot showing an approach from 100 yards to the hole from the right edge of the fairway.
Hole 5- Par 4 (442/406/3711/323)
This hole is bisected at 150 yards, just by the large tree, by a creek. The right side of the hole is open but the left side is lined by a rare stand of trees. I tried to play my drive at the tree, hoping to avoid it but I clipped the top and my ball ended up just short of the creek.
Here you can see the tree and the creek just inside of 150 yards. The hole rises towards the green slightly once you cross the creek.
Hole 6- Par 3 (205/163/154/136)
A long par 3 that must carry the pond front the entire way. The green is protected by a single bunker on the right side. Left of the green is open for a bail out, as well as behind the green.
A shot of the 6th green taken from behind looking back down the hole.
Hole 7- Par 4 (423/392/361/333)
A straight ahead par 4 with an open right side and trees lining the left.
The rare hole with leaves on the course. It was hard to see where my ball ended up. The approach to the green here is just slightly uphill and the green is protected short on either side by a pair of bunkers.
Hole 8- Par 3 (212/189/167/124)
Another long par 3 with a road and OB down the left. The green is protected by one bunker right and two bunkers to the left. This is a rare two tiered green and is very deep.
A closer shot into the green.
A view back up the hole showing the length of the green.
Hole 9- Par 4 (403/371/335/287)
The ninth hole rises uphill slightly the entire length to the green. A pair of bunkers down the left side along with several small trees frame that side of the hole. Down the right is essentially open. Far right is bordered by a farm field.
The approach uphill to the 9th green The green is flanked by the common pair of bunkers on either side of the green.
Hole 10- Par 4 (407/380/357/326)
From the elevated tee, the hole drops as it travels straight to the green. Down the left side is a pond, and beyond that a long bunker. The right side is open as it plays adjacent to the 18th, which runs in the opposite direction.
The flat green is protected by a bunker lining the front/right border of the green.
A view of the green looking back down the hole.
Hole 11- Par 4 (402/373/348/256)
In a first for me, this hole doglegs left around a corn field. Before you think of bombing across the corn, realize there is also a large pond down that side. Those playing it safe can find a bunker down the right edge of the fairway but aside from that, the right is open.
As you approach the dogleg you can see the pond down the left side.
The green is large, but again. flat.
Hole 12- Par 3 (172/147/134/118)
A par 3 with a small pond short right. A bunker lines the left side of the green. There is plenty of room to miss long but the green is large so finding it should not be hard on this medium length 3 shot hole.
A shot of the large, flat green.
Hole 13- Par 5 (630/573/500/44)
A monster par 5 from the tips, this hole doglegs right near the landing zone of a driver. 2 more good shots are going to be needed to get on here. Off the tee, there is water trouble down the left side. The hole falls off on the left towards the water so you have to stay on the fairway on that side. Down the right side, there is a bunker to catch those trying to cut the corner of the dogleg.
As you turn the corner on the hole, the hole drops downhill about 150 yards out.
The approach into this green is flat. The typical twin bunkers flank the flat green.
A shot of the large flat green from the left side.
Hole 14- Par 4 (377/364/328/276)
A dogleg left hole with the green just behind the trees lining the left side of the hole. On the right a bunker sits at the corner of the dogleg but that side is otherwise open.
The approach into the 14th green. So flat it is hard to see the green!
Hole 15- Par 4 (418/409/373/346)
A straight ahead par 4 with water down the right side, reachable off the tee. As you approach the green, another pond sits on the left side.
A bunker sits on the right edge of the fairway at about 100 yards out. Another bunker guards the green short right.
The green on 15 is actually slightly domed. Slightly= by a foot or so.
Hole 16- Par 4 (456/421/375/342)
The 16th is a dogleg left.
Off the tee, your tee shot should be straight or right. There is plenty of room to miss right but there is water past the trees on the left.
The approach to the green, of played from the right side will not have to carry the water on the left. The approach is otherwise flat and uneventful.
Once again, another flat large green.
A view back down the hole from behind the green. You can see the pond that runs down the left side.
Hole 17- Par 3 (187/178/142/111)
A longer par 3 that has water down the left and behind the hole. On the right of the green, a single bunker requires you to hit putting surface on this well guarded hole.
The large, and surprise, flat green.
Hole 18- Par 5 (561/506/497/431)
A finishing par 5 that plays longer with an uphill tee shot to the fairway. At the base of the single lone tree is a bunker. Once you clear the hill there is really not a lot of other danger.
A view as your crest the hill. The hole falls downhill before rising to the green.
At about 100 yards, off the left of the fairway is a pond. From the fairway, the hole rises up to the two tiered green.
A view of the other tiered green on the course (hole 8 being the other).
It was a soggy day and I was pretty much drenched by the time I got done. With the rain, everyone else gave up. As I came back to the clubhouse I was one of two cars left in the lot.
I played 2 balls today. On my first ball I shot even par on the front 9, with one bird and one bogey. That is a first for me. My previous record was one over. For the rounds I shot a 75 and a 79.
