Blackwolf Run The River Course Holes 7-9

Hole 7
Glencary
Par 4
426 | 401 | 374 | 352 | 293 yards

The 7th hole is a dogleg left that doesn't reveal too much off the tee.  A domed landing zone lies straight ahead from the tees.  A short carry over a ravine is required to reach the fairway.  That shouldn't really pose a problem but the bunker that sits below the left side of the hole might.  This is a giant trap, stretching nearly 200 yards and guaranteeing anyone who tries to cut off the dogleg down the right- and misses will be punished with at least an extra stroke.

Trees wrap down the right perimeter of the hole but there is actually a little room to miss down the right.

Depending on how far you advance your tee ball your view into the green may be partially obstructed by how the fairway bulges.  This may not be a bad thing as an unobstructed view of the approach reveals how much peril there is up near the hole. Two bunkers flank the hole short of the green by 50 yards.  Closer up the fairway pinches down as it reaches the green.  A spine runs down the fairway as well with the right half sloping towards the single green side bunker on the right.  Missing left brings deep rough into play, and missing far right brings in the trees.  This is not an easy approach.

After the 7th hole you come upon "the turn" a concession stand that you come to before the 8th and 12th holes.

Hole 8
Hell's Gate
Par 5
532 | 524 | 492 | 470 | 401 yards

A very demanding tee shot on the second par 5 awaits you here.  You must navigate a very narrow chute of trees down the the fairway that sits a good ways below the elevated tees.  Not as dramatic a vista as the 5th hole, and certainly a much tougher driving hole.

Anything hit down the right will find the myriad of trees that line the bank of the river that flows along the length of the hole.  There is more room to miss left, however a pair of large trees  is likely to knock down balls hit over there.  Even a straight ball can find trouble, with a bunker sitting straight away that is reachable for long hitters off the tee.

I hit a great shot that was perfectly placed down the right half of the fairway and leaving me only 220 yards out.

As you play your second shot you have 2 options.  A lower fairway is the safer shot to the left.  This will require a third uphill shot to the green.  The angle into the green from this lower approach is OK but you do also then need to carry a large bunker that sits between the fairway and the green.

The other route plays to an elevated fairway on the right.  This is the smaller of the two fairways and can bring into play the trees and the river down the right. If you play successfully down this fairway the green is exposed for an easy unguarded pitch in.

Hole 9
Cathederal Spires
Par 4
361 | 337 | 316 | 302 | 238 yards

The final hole on the front is a short par 4.  This is an interesting hole that offers 2 different approaches to playing.  The first thing you take in here is the river that hugs the right side of the hole all the way up to the green.  Dividing the hole in half are a grove of tall pines (the spires in the holes name?).

Because of these trees you have 2 very different approaches to the hole.  Play to the right and take on the river and the narrow target.  This side rewards a good shot with a short pitch to the green.  If you are brave enough to try this shot and pull it off a bird is a real possibility.  if you mess up a big number is certain to be had.

The other route is to split the trees to the left.  This is the wider target but leaves a longer distance into the hole.  There is actually a little bit more room to the left than what the trees down that side would show.  Be warned though, behind those trees is a large pond that requires a 200 yard carry to avoid if you stray too far left.

From this left option the hole is much more guarded on your second shot.  Two large bunkers sit between the fairway and the green.  One thing you do have going for you is that the green exposes its widest portion from this angle, though the view in may be somewhat blocked by the mounding running up the center of this hole.

Perched on the hillside above this hole is the Kohler factory.

Blackwolf Run The River Course Introduction
Blackwolf Run The River Course Holes 1-3
Blackwolf Run The River Course Holes 4-6
Blackwolf Run The River Course Holes 10-12
Blackwolf Run The River Course Holes 13-15
Blackwolf Run The River Course Holes 16-18

Blackwolf Run The River Course Holes 4-6

Hole 4
Swan Lake
Par 3
219 | 195 | 185 | 146 | 117 yards

After coming off the number one handicap, there is no respite as you step onto the tee of the first par 3.  A longer par 3, your attention will be commanded by the lack of land occupying much of your vision.

There is obviously no room to miss right.  Attempting to bail out left is not a pleasant option either, as several tall mounds wait there.  Anything hit to that area will likely have a terrible lie or worse, could bound left into the long fescue on the perimiter of the hole.

There is a small margin to land the ball short of the green, but the water cuts into the hole making a shot that comes up short more and more dangerous the further you get from the hole.

Hitting the green here also doesn't guarantee a par with the 44 yards front to back that this putting surface features.

Hole 5
Made in Heaven
Par 4
427 | 400 | 388 | 376 | 275 yards

Hopefully you survived relatively unscathed through holes 3 and 4.  As you finish up the 4th hole it is a bit of a hike, or drive, up to the next hole the par 4 5th.  The first thing you see after winding your way to the 5th hole, is the sign, proclaiming this hole "Made in Heaven"  An accurate representation of this gem.

This hole was my favorite on the course.

You tee off up in the trees.  From the elevated tees so 80 feet or more above the fairway, the hole stretches out in front of you.  I had the good fortune of having a brilliant backdrop of fall colors behind the hole.  Fly fishermen plied their lines tranquilly in the Sheboygen on the far right periphery of the hole.  The fairway runs below you uphill back to the green perched atop a massive hill.

As you tee up your ball, the landing area laid out below you, is dominated by an enormous bunker sitting below the right edge of the fairway. The hole falls off steeply from the fairway down to this sandy pit. Another bunker sits up the left side closer to the hole.  That left bunker is around 280 yards from the tees and should be a lot less of a problem than the beast on the right.

From the fairway the hole rises dramatically to an elevated green.  To the right of the green is a massive drop off.  I had the  misfortune of hitting my tee shot into the right bunker and then my second shot down right of the green.  That shot from there is not easy.  The green is probably 30 feet above you and you have the narrow direction of the green to play onto.

If lucky enough to play your second shot from the fairway, your next shot is no picnic.  The green still plays uphill and offers a bit of a split level from front to back.

This is just a great, great hole.

As we teed off on 5 Paul discovered that he no longer had his phone.  After a frantic couple of minutes he decided he remembered he had set it down on the second tee after taking pictures back by the dam.  We drove all the way back, getting to look over the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd holes again.  We found the phone, right where we left it.  Apparently no one behind us was playing from as far back as we were.  I had to post this one.  Sorry Paul!

Hole 6
Jackknife
Par 4
388 | 361 | 333 | 308 | 265 yards

A big bending dogleg right is featured on this hole.  Even from the back tees it is possible to hit through the fairway on your drive.  It may be advisable to take something less than driver.  I played driver and did run through the fairway but luckily stopped in the vary narrow strip of rough down the left side.  Beyond that small rough is the cart path and then the hole falls off into a tree filled valley.  To the extreme left, before the dogleg the giant bunker from the next hole comes into play.

Down the right side of the hole trees divide the hole from the river that winds through, giving this hole its shape.  The right side also offers a couple of bunkers tucked between the fairway and the trees.

A strategic tee shot, play left and have a longer iron in, or take on the trees and the sand on the right a bit more for a shorter approach in.

As you turn the corner on the hole your view is dominated by the world's tallest flagpole at the Accuity headquarters a short distance away.  That flagpole is 400 feet tall, about 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.  The day we played it was at half-mast as a result of a State proclamation that the Flag of the United States and the Flag of the State of Wisconsin Be Flown at Half-Staff as a Mark of Respect for the Firefighters of the state of Wisconsin Who Have Given Their Lives in the Line of Duty.

Back to the hole, the turn undulates up to the green here which is protected down the right side by a sunken bunker that serves to protect most of this green, which is turned 90 degrees from the fairway.  From the far left side of the hole this bunker is mostly taken out of play, but if played down the front or right this bunker is the approach shot's central defense.  This green does slope back right to front left.

Blackwolf Run The River Course Introduction
Blackwolf Run The River Course Holes 1-3
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

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