Review: Dunedin Golf Club (Part 1)

Good news! I've been smart about my backlog of Florida golf courses, and I've saved the best course for last. And even better, the weather was great when I played there, so you'll get to see plenty of blue sky for our last trip south.

We finish things off at Dunedin Golf Club. The course opened in 1927 and was designed by Donald Ross. This course actually has a fair amount of history behind in, beyond being designed by one of the most prolific golf course architects in history. From 1945 to 1962, Dunedin was the home of the PGA of America, and hosted the Senior Tour Championship during that time. So perhaps not quite as historic and noteworthy as Atlantic City Country Club, it's no birthplace of the birdie, but it's interesting nonetheless. Also interesting, Dunedin was renovated and restored in 2006-2007, so the course I played is pretty close to the original Ross design. There are ample sea breezes here, after all you're very close to the ocean. You can't see it, but there's a marina no more than a mid-iron from the eighteenth tee. I don't know how historically interesting that is, but as always, the addition of wind makes a golf course much more compelling.

The first hole is a fairly long par 4, doglegging slightly left, and with OB left, it's a pretty stern start to the round. Actually, Dunedin opens up with a oddly tough stretch, with the three longest par 4s on the golf course all coming in the first four holes. The idea tee shot is a gentle draw if you've got one to a reasonably wide fairway, and the second shot is to a medium-sized green guarded by bunkers left. The greens here are generally quite enjoyable, they run well and have enough undulation to make them interesting.

The first hole. It was 8:30 in the morning when I started, and my group was very nearly the first on the course

The first green.

The second hole is a long par 4 at 466 yards. This hole really illustrates what separates Dunedin from the other Florida golf courses I played. The tee shot plays significantly downhill, and the second plays significantly uphill. While playing up and down giant mountains isn't fun, being able to utilize actual elevation change really does improve a golf course. This hole wouldn't be as good if it were dead-flat. This hole is also home to one of the few fairway bunkers on the course. I'm not sure what it is with the old Florida golf courses and not having fairway bunkers, but Clearwater had one, and Dunedin has four, two of which are on one hole. And this course was recently renovated, so the lack of fairway bunkers was definitely intentional. It's too bad, I think a few fairway bunkers would improve the course, but that's me. Anyway, a draw is once again the best choice off the tee, and the second is a mid-iron up the hill to the green, which is not big, slopes sharply from back to front, and is well-stocked with bunkers. This is definitely a tough hole, I'm not sure it's the toughest on the course, but it's up there. And better yet, it's completely playable and fair to everyone. There's OB left, but it's not close, there is plenty of room to miss, and no significant hazards other than the bunkers.

The second hole. The lighting was a bit weird on the first couple holes

The approach to the second

The second green, which is definitely not flat. This is not an easy par.

The third hole is a mid-length par 3, and is ringed by four greenside bunkers. There's really not much give on these first few holes, but again, there's nothing wrong with the challenge provided. The golf course is very clear about the challenge, the hazards are fair, there are no forced carries so if the golfer so wishes, a lay-up short of the green is most definitely an option. It won't win any awards, but it's a decent par 3.

The third hole. The lighting is much better from here on out.

The fourth hole is the end of the tough opening stretch. At 433 yards, it's the second longest par 4 on the course, but unlike the second, it doesn't have some neat elevation change to help make it interesting. So instead we get a fairly significant dogleg right around a group of palms and live oaks. If you're really long you can trim off the dogleg, but in general, this hole plays a full 433 yards. There's not even much to be gained by going over the trees, if anything the hole is best approached from the left side of the fairway, which would make the hole play longer, not shorter. I wish I could tell you what the approach is like, but I've gone way right both times I've played here, and so I've never played the hole correctly. But there's a bunker front-right which is very much in play, and a bunker back-left that I only realized was there when I looked at the hole on Google Maps. That's not so much in play.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green. The interesting little green contours are visible from back here.

The fifth hole shouldn't be a particularly interesting hole. It really shouldn't. It's less than 370 yards, it's dead straight, and there is absolutely no hazard on the drive except for a few trees. But look at it. We're in Florida, less than a mile from the ocean, and we've got a hole that plays significantly uphill. If I saw this hole back in Maryland I wouldn't think twice about it, but here? There's a certain charm about a hole that's this much uphill. And while the tee shot is easy, the second shot really isn't. If you're a professional golfer, there's nothing difficult about a little wedge to a green surrounded by sand. But most of us aren't professional golfers, wedges aren't easy for us, and those bunkers are very much a factor. A good wedge is definitely required here.

The sixth hole. You can clearly see the elevation change.

The approach to the sixth is a wedge, but it's not an easy wedge.

The sixth hole is a fairly short par 3 playing over a big bunker. I don't know if you've gotten this impression yet, a third of the way through the round, but Dunedin puts a big emphasis on iron play. If you're not hitting your irons well, it's not going to be a good day for you.

The sixth hole. Yes, this isn't a great picture, you'll just have to trust me when I say there's a green behind this bunker.

The seventh hole is the only par 5 on the front nine, and is definitely the weakest hole on the front nine. As I said, this golf course only has a few fairway bunkers, and while not every hole has needed them, they really could improve this hole. There's simply not a whole lot to do on the tee shot, and if you're not long enough to go for the green in two, not much to do on the second shot either. The green is a bit more interesting, but otherwise, this isn't a hole really worth noting.

The seventh hole from the tee. Not much to see here.

Alright, now we're starting to get somewhere.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a 350 yard par 4, and it's surprisingly tough for a little par 4. It's fairly narrow and doglegs significantly left, I would argue that a 3 wood is the best play off the tee. There's just not a lot of room and the hole is short enough that driver seems like unnecessary force. Now, I've used the phrase "surrounded with bunkers" or some variation a few times in the review thus far. But I haven't meant it as much as I do here. Five bunkers, including one in front, surround a very small green. You definitely want to be on the fairway approaching this green, another very good reason to not use driver off the tee.

The eighth hole doglegs left around the trees.

The approach to the eighth is another tough wedge.

The ninth hole is a mid-length par 4, doglegging back to the right around a group of oaks. This is a hole where it is worth your time to cut the dogleg, if you can. Those oaks are a lot tougher to carry than a few palm trees. Hit a good drive, and this green, while guarded by three bunkers, is a little less crowded by them. There's some breathing room, and this hole is a definite birdie opportunity. Not the only one on the front nine, of course, but it's nice to end the front with an opportunity to get some momentum going on the back.

The ninth hole doglegs right. That's the green on the right side of the picture, and the fairway left.

The ninth green.

That's it for today, next week we'll get the back nine.