THE HOME HOLE AT PDGC
This is the second part of my review and video on Pete Dye Golf Club. Normally when a course takes sixteen years to build, the end result is not good. Pete Dye GC though proves that sometimes the wait is worth it. The back nine is not as strong or compelling as the front, but it is a very good nine holes of golf. (Video after the jump)
The back starts out with a cape hole that plays to a green that has a waterfall in front of it. This is a natural stream that has been diverted to pop out below the green. It then disappears into a pipe. This is one of the few areas of the course that could use a little work as I believe it could be made to look more natural. The next tee shot is a little awkward as it appears that they correct line is over the large bunker oon the left. There is actually no fairway over the bunker but a deep, rough filled hollow. A little local knowledge helps on the eleventh.
THE INTIMIDATING FIFTEENTH
The middle stretch on the back is a little weak with the short twelfth, a fairly generic Pete Dye par three thirteenth. The fourteenth is a good par four playing downhill to a large green. The fifteenth is a good par five with a lake running the length of the hole on the right. This again is fairly typical Pete Dye but it is a good hole.
The sixteenth is a good downhill par three that can be played with a running shot. The seventeenth is another short four, but features the most undulating green on the course. This one of the dew greens where one would want to spend a lot of time just goofing around. The course then finishes with a another strong cape hole.
All in all the back nine is a solid nine holes of golf. While the front is clearly the class of the course, the two nines combine to create a stunning golf experience. So is it better that Ballyneal or Friars Head? Probably not, but it may be Pete Dye’s best golf course. It deserves its spot near the top of the Golfweek’s modern rankings. This is a course worth going out of your way to try to get to and play.
For the front nine video and review, click here.
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