Review: Wentworth Golf Club (Part 2)

And here we go with the back nine. If you haven't seen the front nine yet, you can read about it here.

The tenth hole is a fairly long par 5 at just under 550 yards. The driving range is right of the fairway, behind some trees, so you definitely don't want to be over there. While it is technically possible for longer hitters to get to this green in two, I think this hole, much like the eighth, is best played as a three shotter. There are a lot of bunkers, and there are a lot of places where you don't want to miss. There's the driving range on the tee shot, there's a marshy area on the left side of the fairway about a hundred yards from the green, and the green itself is hardly an inviting target. This isn't really a birdie hole, I'd actually call this one of the toughest holes on the course.

The tenth hole.

Lots of bunkers in view here.

The tenth green is not an inviting target.

The eleventh hole is a 410 yard par 4 that doglegs pretty sharply to the left. Driver is definitely not the club to use off this tee, the hole bends pretty quickly, and you'll end up in a bunker or in a yard if you go through the fairway. There's not a lot of room there. The second shot is a short iron over a pond to the green, which also has bunkers left. Another tough hole.

The eleventh hole.

Another difficult approach shot.

The twelfth hole is a short par 3 over a pond. There are dozens, if not hundreds of golf courses in Florida that have a hole just like it. Other than that pond, it's not interesting in any way. Moving on.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 that, much like the eleventh, doglegs sharply to the left. If you didn't want to go through the fairway on that hole, you really don't want to go through the fairway here. Once again, you'll want to lay up off the tee. The second shot is a bit easier than on the eleventh since its shorter, but I didn't get a picture of it and I don't exactly remember what the green is like. I know there's a pond left of the green, there are a couple of greenside bunkers, and I believe the green is slightly elevated. Maybe?

The thirteenth hole.

The fourteenth hole is a long par 3, played to a green framed by cypress swamp. It's a tough hole, but I think it would be better if it were tougher. Other than the aforementioned cypress swamp, there are no hazards, which makes the hole a bit dull. Throw some bunkers in there, you've got a 230 yard par 3, commit to the difficulty! It would be far more memorable that way.

The fourteenth hole.

The fifteenth hole is a mid-length par 4, and I liked this hole quite a bit. The bunkers look really good here, and while I don't normally like houses on my golf courses, I have to admit, the houses around this hole weren't too bad They suited the scenery, and I can appreciate that. Anyway, there's OB extremely close to the left side, and the hole is somewhat better approached from the left, since the green opens up slightly more from that side. Not a terribly difficult hole, but definitely one of the better holes on the back nine, if not the whole golf course.

The fifteenth hole.

Come on, that's a good looking (and very big) house.

The sixteenth hole is a 160 yard par 3, played to a very small green surrounded with sand. Very Postage Stamp-esque. It's another good looking hole.

The sixteenth hole.

The seventeenth hole is a short par 5, coming in just under 500 yards. I would nominate this hole as the best on the back nine, if for no other reason than the rambunctious nature of the bunkering. 8 bunkers, some of them quite large, not to mention the presence of another rare beast. This hole has true fairway bunkers, as in bunkers completely surrounded by fairway. You don't see too many of those around. Anyway, I like how the golfer is always given something to think about, regardless of whether or not they're going for the green in two.

The seventeenth hole.

Very scenic powerline in the background there.

The eighteenth hole is a long par 4, the longest on the course. Except not really, because the tees were up when I played it. There's OB right on the drive, and since the hole is a bit better approached from the left side, there's no good reason to go right. This is where I would usually say "Which is exactly what I did" but no! I hit a good drive on this hole, defying all the odds. The second shot is, once again, to a small green flanked by bunkers. Seriously, I didn't realize the greens were so small until I looked back at these pictures. Like I've said, this course demands a lot of accuracy.

The eighteenth hole.

Another good looking approach shot.

To be perfectly honest, and in case you didn't already figure this out, I didn't really like the back nine. Both nines require accuracy, but the back nine you are punished far more for wayward shots. On the front nine, there's a good chance you'll be able to find and hit an inaccurate drive. That is not the case on the back nine. For example, despite being spraying the ball more on the front, I didn't lose any golf balls on that nine, but I lost three on the back. There's more water and unplayable opportunities on the back, and while the hole corridors may be slightly wider, it's not enough to make up for the fact that the holes aren't running parallel to each other.

That said, I really did enjoy the front nine despite the general premium on accuracy. I appreciated the scenery a lot, I think this course looks really good. The bunkering is pleasing to the eye, and the forested nature of the course was a nice change of pace from the other Florida courses I played. I haven't played a course that looked quite like this one, and I liked that. So, even considering the weak back nine, I would still recommend this course. I enjoyed quite a lot of it.

I won't lie, the golf course I'm reviewing next month is quite boring. But if you want sarcasm, there will be plenty of that! I promise March will be good though, I've saved my favorite course from the trip for last.