Review: Triggs Memorial Golf Course (Part 2)

It's time for the back nine at Triggs Memorial, go here if you haven't seen the front nine.

The tenth hole is the first of three par 5s on the back nine, and at 513 yards is the longest hole on the course. However, this hole was playing straight downwind, so it was very easily reachable in two. The two bunkers flanking the driving zone weren't a big concern, but the big bunker situated within the confines of the fairway about 50 yards short of the green definitely was. It's easy enough to avoid, of course, but it's extremely threatening. It's got a high, flashed-up face, so it's definitely a place you don't want to be. This hole is still a definite eagle possibility though.

The tenth hole.

That fairway bunker is very conspicuous.

Peeking over the bunker at the tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a short par 4, and in this case, you really can see everything you need to know about the hole from the tee shot. It plays downhill over a small stream, and then back up to the green, fronted by three bunkers. If you can hit a driver 300 yards, I would advise laying up. No need to put your drive into one of those first two bunkers. If you can get over the slope that cuts diagonally across the fairway and onto the right portion of the fairway just before the bunker, your view of the green will be better.

The eleventh hole. There were quite a few people out on the course.

I missed the eleventh fairway by a fair margin.

The twelfth hole is a 200 yard par 3 that plays back over the narrow stream the eleventh hole went across. The stream is about 20 yards short of the front of the green, so a shot that is only slightly short will be okay. And this is not a big stream we're talking about, it's a few feet across at most. But it is there, and it is a hazard. Otherwise, this is a pretty straightforward hole.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is a short par 5, about the same length as the third hole, which is a par 4, but they play in opposite directions. This hole also plays in the opposite direction of the tenth hole, so while the thirteenth is 50 yards shorter, it was much more difficult to reach the green in two. The drive has to clear the big fairway bunker if you want to go for the green, not a big deal in calm conditions, but it becomes more problematic into a stiff breeze. Starting around 100 yards from the green is a series of 4 bunkers, staggered on each side. This ensures that whether you're going for the green or not, you'll still have some bunkering to think about. This is definitely one of the best holes on the course.

The tee shot on 13 should clear the fairway bunker.

The thirteenth played into the wind, so two big shots were needed to get home in two.

A slightly closer look at the thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is the shortest hole at Triggs Memorial at just under 160 yards. It's a classic drop-shot par 3, there are several bunkers short, left, and right that you don't want to be in, and long isn't exactly a good option either. This is one of those holes where it's either hit the green or work for your bogey.

The short fourteenth hole.

The fifteenth hole is the final par 5 on the back nine, and is just over 500 yards. The tee shot is not exactly inviting, first you have to go over a marsh, the biggest bunker on the course is lurking on the left side of the fairway, and of course, there's OB very close on the right side. If you can negotiate all that trouble, preferably with a fade, you can have a go at the green. The OB (in the form of a high school football field), continues up the entire right side of the hole, and there are three bunkers around the green, which is quite small. While it may be a short par 5, you need to play it cautiously, otherwise you're going to have to put work in to make par.

There's a lot to process when you tee off on 15.

I like the rolling contour of the fairway here.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a short par 4, and it's been a while since we saw one of those. Four holes in a row without a par 4 is quite unusual. The most important part of this hole is the tree in the corner of the dogleg. Your tee shot has to get past it, otherwise you'll be blocked off from the green. The green has a bunker short-left and right. I'd like to tell you how the hole plays when you play the hole "correctly", but I hit a spectacular hook off the tee and ended up next to the twelfth tee. That basically turned this into a straight hole. If I were to play this course again, I'd forget about laying up, pull out the driver and go straight at the green. I admit, that's not the most elegant strategy, but I'm not a very elegant golfer.

The sixteenth hole.

I have to imagine this isn't the route most people take on 16.

The seventeenth hole is a mid-length par 4 at 410 yards. It was playing straight into the wind, so it was playing the full yardage and then some. There are no fairway bunkers, but missing the fairway left is not recommended, as there's a fairly steep drop-off. Go over there and you'll have a blind shot from a sidehill lie. However, the green does open up more if you're on the left side of the fairway. The options are subtle, but they are there.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is very similar to the seventeenth hole. Same yardage and same direction, so they both played into the wind. This hole has two fairway bunkers, but they're so close to the tee that even into the wind they were basically irrelevant. The green is also defended by two bunkers, but they're not very threatening. I would say this was a good finishing hole, it's not easy, but it's not so difficult that you can't finish with a birdie, but it's just too similar to the previous hole.

The eighteenth hole. It's not very interesting, but I do like the way it looks.

The eighteenth green.

While all three of the golf courses we played during our vacation were pretty good, one had to be the least good, and unfortunately, it was this one. Yes, I started out with my least favorite course. It certainly wasn't bad, I'd put it in the top quarter of the courses I've played, but there was one very specific issue that prevented me from really enjoying this course. The greens were horrifically, abysmally slow. I'm not a fan of super-fast greens, but seriously, it was like we were putting through molasses. You couldn't make anything because you just couldn't get putts to the hole. A pretty common theme of Donald Ross course is that they usually feature greens that slope from back to front, often severely. You really don't want to be above the hole. But here, it absolutely didn't matter where your ball ended up. All matter of subtlety and skill was out the window, what you did was putt as hard as you could and hope it was enough.

Something else that I have to mention is the length of the round. We started at 10 AM on a Tuesday. I know Triggs is in the middle of a city, but I was really not expecting any issue with pace of play. This was a mistake. The course was very busy, and the round took almost 5 hours. Neither of the other two rounds we played took more than 4 hours. It was good that we were allowed to walk, but that is a very slow pace of play for a short golf course with short walks between greens and tees.

In a comparison between Triggs Memorial and Dunedin, it should be no contest. Triggs has the advantage of rolling terrain, it had a rustic sort of aesthetic that I liked, and it has more than a handful of fairway bunkers to provide strategic interest. But the green speeds ruined Triggs. Apparently, they're not always that slow, so I suppose you'll have to take this review with a small grain of salt, but I can't review a course I haven't played. And the course I did play was not as good as Dunedin. I wouldn't necessarily say to give this course a pass, but there are better courses in the area, as you will see in the next couple months.