Review: Shenandoah Valley Golf Club (Red Nine)

You've seen the Blue Nine, now here's the Red Nine at Shenandoah Valley

The first hole of the Red Nine is a short par 4 at 309 yards. The tee shot plays downhill, and the second heads back up to a very small green. The greens on the Red Nine are, in general, smaller than the ones on the Blue Nine. Laying up with an iron here isn't a bad option, but the closer you get to the tiny little green, the better your view will be. But you'll be left with a pitch of an awkward length, so it's really up to you to decide the best way to tackle this hole.

The first hole of the Red Nine

Not a bad place to hit your second shot from.

The second hole is a straightaway par 4 of 391 yards. The green, once again quite small, is best approached from the left side of the fairway. That bunker front right is not really somewhere you want to be.

There's another decent mountain view on the second hole.

The second has another small green.

The third hole is a very short par 3, barely more than 130 yards. It's the shortest hole on the golf course. This is one of those holes where the general idea is either hit the green, or struggle to make a par, but there's not enough trouble on this hole to make missing the green that bad a punishment. If the grass bunkers right were regular bunkers, this hole would be a little bit more intimidating, and a little bit better.

The third hole.

The fourth hole is a short par 5, almost exactly the same length as the ninth hole on the Blue Nine. There's nothing particularly interesting about this hole, but I like the way it's set in a sort of natural bowl, where everything funnels towards the center. The fourth is an excellent opportunity for a birdie, it's a reachable par 5, dead straight, and there's very little trouble. It's one of those holes where if you don't make birdie, you really feel like you lost a shot.

The fourth hole plays along the bottom of a little valley.

The fourth hole is very reachable in two.

Looking up at the fourth green.

The fifth hole is a short par 4 at about 350 yards. The tee shot is quite blind and quite open for this golf course, but I wouldn't recommend a driver here. Go too far and you'll end up on a downslope with a little half wedge into the green, which is quite small and guarded by bunkers left and right, as well as by a big drop-off behind the green. Precision is very important on this hole.

The fifth hole features the return of the blind tee shot.

You definitely don't want to go long on this hole.

The sixth hole is the last par 3 we'll see. It's 175 yards and plays downhill over a valley to a refreshingly large green. There is a noticeable tilt from back to front, if the hole hadn't been on the very front edge of the green, I'd say that long was a bad place to be. But in this case, long was the better miss. That would be a tough chip from short of the green.

The sixth hole plays over a valley.

The seventh hole is the longest par 4 on the Red Nine, weighing in at 414 yards. It's also not really that interesting, although if I'm recalling correctly, the green is quite long and thin, and the left side of the fairway is slightly favored.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a shortish par 4 at 369 yards. The position of the greenside bunker would suggest approaching the green from the left, but the green slopes from left to right, meaning the second shot from the left side will run away from the golfer. So again, it's up to you to decide the best way to attack this hole. I hooked it into the trees, so my decision was pretty simple.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is a very short par 5, and a big dogleg to the right. The golfer is invited to cut off as much dogleg as possible, and if you get far enough right, you'll get a big kick off a slope in the fairway and gain an extra 20 or 30 yards. It's very possible to hit this green with a wedge or short iron if your drive is good enough. The second shot into the green is not easy though, the green has significant sloping and is guarded by a pair of bunkers. Still, it's a real opportunity to finish off with a birdie.

The last hole of the Red Nine is a very big dogleg.

The ninth green.

There is one thing that Shenandoah Valley should really do with their golf course, and I swear, I'm not just saying this because I'm horrendously inaccurate off the tee. They really should clear some trees. This golf course is set in a very scenic location, you can see the northern end of Shenandoah National Park from a couple of places. But you can't see the many mountains from most of the golf course because there are trees everywhere. Open up some sightlines, Shenandoah Valley, give the golfer more long views.

So, what about the golf course itself? Well, it's not the most interesting course I've played this year. A lot of the holes are a little too similar. There are too many straight, medium length par 4s playing through a corridor of trees. And there isn't a single fairway bunker to give any sort of distinction either. Nobody likes fairway bunkers, but they do wonders for lending a golf course a bit of variety. I did like the greens, and I liked the rolling terrain. And the few views that were available were good.

All in all, I was a little underwhelmed with the course, and while I didn't dislike it, I don't see myself going back down there to play the White Nine any time soon.