It's time to check out the back nine at Bryce Resort, go here to see the front.
The tenth hole is a 350-yard par 4 that plays through a fairly narrow corridor lined by trees to a fairway that slopes noticeably from left to right. No need to hit driver here, a 3 wood or long iron will still leave you with a wedge second shot. There's a big bunker right of the green, which actually has its highest point in the middle; past that point, the green falls away, making back hole locations a bit tricky to get at.
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| The tenth hole. |
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| Approaching the tenth green. |
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| The tenth green. |
The eleventh hole is 180 yards, just like the previous two par 3s. There are two bunkers, one on each side, though there is a bit of breathing room between them and the green. The green itself is a bit punchbowl-like, with the slopes all working to filter golf balls toward the center. Not a particularly difficult hole.
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| The eleventh hole. |
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| The eleventh green. |
The twelfth hole is a short par 4 at just 310 yards, which is out of range for all but the longest hitters. Still, you can get quite close, and this is where a decision needs to be made. If you use driver, you can leave yourself just a little pitch for the second shot, but the green is small and well protected by sand. That 50-yard pitch could be very awkward and difficult to get close. You can also lay back, but a fairway bunker right is in just the right place to threaten long irons and fairway woods. The fairway bunker is easy enough to avoid, but still, if you purposely play conservatively and end up in the bunker anyway, you're going to feel pretty silly.
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| The twelfth hole. |
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| The twelfth green. |
The thirteenth hole is a 550-yard par 5 that plays slowly but steadily uphill. The fairway is initially quite narrow but the forest does bend away in the landing area, so there's a bit more room left than you might think. The second shot isn't very interesting and is mostly just a matter of advancing the ball to the best place for the third. The green here is fairly small and quite significantly sloped from back to front, more so than any other green on the course.
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| The thirteenth hole. |
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| Approaching the thirteenth green. |
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| The thirteenth green. |
The fourteenth hole is a downhill 370-yard par 4 with a bunker right of the fairway slightly pinching in and making the drive a little bit tougher. A solid driver will leave just a wedge into the green, which is quite small and guarded by bunkers on both sides. There's also a pond wide right, but the hole is short enough that it shouldn't come into play on approach shots.
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| The fourteenth hole. |
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| The fourteenth green. |
The fifteenth hole is thankfully a par 3 that isn't 180 yards. This is the shortest hole on the course, playing 145 yards slightly downhill to a fairly large green.. There are two big bunkers both left and right, and there's a bit of a dropoff behind, so long isn't a particularly good option either. Still, the green's big enough that the tee shot is hardly uncomfortable.
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| The fifteenth hole. |
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| The fifteenth green. |
The sixteenth hole is 530 yards, and it's the lone example of quirky fun that Bryce Resort has to offer. A small stream cuts across the hole about 260 yards out, meaning you have to use a wood or long iron on the tee shot. The second shot is then a long or mid iron off to the right to a section of fairway on a high plateau, which will leave a wedge third from a hanging lie down to the green. The green itself is fairly small and protected by a pair of bunkers. Is this a good hole? No, but I appreciate it immensely for at least being memorable. I was hoping more of the course would be like this.
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| The sixteenth hole. |
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| Approaching the sixteenth green. |
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| The sixteenth green. |
The seventeenth hole is 355 yards and plays straightaway to a narrow fairway flanked by large trees. The entire hole is tilted pretty sharply from right to left, so a fade to counter that tilt will do very well. A good drive will leave a wedge into the green, which has bunkers both right and left. I know, quite imaginative there, we definitely haven't seen that 10 times on this course.
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| The seventeenth hole. |
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| The seventeenth green. |
The eighteenth hole really says it all about the limited space Bryce Resort had to work with. I don't imagine anyone is particularly happy with a relatively uninspired, vaguely Redan-like 155-yard par 3 with a bunch of apartments immediately behind, but it was pretty clearly the only that could be accommodated, given the space. Sure, they could have not built so far along, but come on, we all know that housing comes before golf concerns. At least there's no odious ponds lurking, just the single big bunker protecting the green.
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| The eighteenth hole. |
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| Approaching the eighteenth green. |
I really want to like this golf course. Genuinely, I do. It's in such a cool spot, and I loved driving to and from the place (especially on the way back, when I took the scenic route through part of George Washington National Forest). But it's just so boring! It's aggressively pleasant, and while that's fine if you're playing in a foursome with your buddies, riding around and drinking beer, it's not what I'm looking for after a 90-minute drive. It's a typical Ault course then, and an expensive one at that. $90 is not cheap. Granted, I was using a cart (it was very hot, and I was coming off of a bit of an illness), but still, this course is not worth nearly three figures. If you want a golf course routed through a narrow valley in the mountains, go play Cacapon. Even with conditions being mediocre, it's way more fun and interesting, not to mention much, much cheaper.
