Review: Hickory Heights Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to see the back nine at Hickory Heights, go here if you haven't seen the front.

The tenth hole starts things off on a tough note, which is unusual, considering the tenth is a par 5. At 550 yards, it's slightly shorter than the second, but while that hole was a slugfest, this hole demands precision. The tee shot is awkward, with the fairway wedged between O.B. left and a line of trees right. A driver hit well could easily end up either out of bounds or stymied behind trees. A high fade matches the shape of the dogleg, but be aware there's a steep dropoff right where that tee shot would end up. In wet conditions, you'll definitely have a hanging downhill lie. And that's a very bad thing if you want to be at all aggressive on the second shot. The green is theoretically reachable in two, but you'd have to hoist a shot over trees to get to it. In all likelihood, you'll be laying up to about a 100 yards, leaving a wedge to a small green guarded by a bunker front left and a small bunker behind.

The tee shot on 10 doesn't give away too much.

You'll almost certainly be laying up.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a short par 3, but it definitely plays longer than the 145 yards it says on the scorecard. That's because the hole goes straight up a mountain. Not only that, but the hole is very narrow, with only a narrow corridor through a dense forest to work with. All things considered, I'm surprised the green was as healthy as it was, since most greens surrounded by trees like this one tend to not get enough sunlight. Anyway, other than the obvious, this hole isn't particularly interesting, just eye-catching. Also, it stopped raining at this point, which was nice.

The eleventh hole, with the green at the top of a mountain.

Looking back down the eleventh hole.

The twelfth hole is the longest par 4 at Hickory Heights, but it's definitely not a very interesting 420 yards. The hole is basically flat and there are no fairway bunkers. Just get your tee shot in the fairway, and that's about it. The green is guarded by three bunkers.

The twelfth hole could really use some elevation change.

Approaching the twelfth green.

Looking back down the twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is the final par 5 at Hickory Heights and, at 485 yards, is by far the shortest. It's also incredibly easy; once again, there's no trouble off the tee. The two greenside bunkers suggest a drive down the right side, but other than that, this hole is wide open. This is a great birdie or even eagle opportunity.

The thirteenth hole.

It's better to approach the green from the right.

Those bushes are doing a very good job of obscuring the thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is a short 320 yard par 4, and a welcome return to more interesting terrain. Seriously, a varied topography can lend even the most basic and rudimentary golf course some reasonable strategic interest. Here, the golfer can choose to lay well back, leaving a longer second shot but from flatter ground, or blast away into the valley, leaving a partially blind shot from a severely up or downhill lie. The hole is most certainly birdieable, but it's not brainless, and that's better than the last couple holes.

The fourteenth hole features more interesting topography.

The uphill approach to 14.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is also a short par 4, virtually the same length as the previous one. But it clearly plays a lot differently. The drive is kind of an awkward one through a narrow gap in the trees to a fairway that snaps to the left. There's really no need to go for a driver here, just get the ball in play. The second shot is a fairly simple pitch to a small green.

The drive on 15 is through a narrow chute of trees.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is the final short par 4 in this little triplet. It's fairly impressive that all three holes manage to play significantly differently, especially considering that this is a fairly rudimentary golf course. When you stand on the tee, you are presented with... not much of anything. There's a field that drops down toward the little stream you just played across on the last hole. If you're smart, you'll lay up at the top of the hill, giving yourself a level stance to approach the green, which is small and tucked down at the bottom of the narrow valley, fronted by the stream. I was not smart. Let me tell you, it's awkward playing a three-quarter wedge when the ball is a foot above your feet.

You don't get much of the sixteenth hole while standing on the tee.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is a medium-length par 3 with a tee tucked away up at the top of a hill. Other than the steeply downhill tee shot, this is a pretty straightforward hole. The green is small and flat, and there's a bunker short left. Nothing to write home about.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is anything but straightforward. In fact, it's not often that I'm this perplexed standing on a tee. I wasn't thinking up some crazy strategy, I was just wondering where the hole was. You really can't see much of it from all the way up on the back tee. A little sliver of fairway straight ahead, then a line of trees with the tenth hole behind it. The hole plummets downhill then quickly turns left alongside a narrow stream. You can use whatever club you like on the tee and bite off as much of the dogleg as you choose. The hole is 375 yards, but if you're particularly bold I don't see any reason you couldn't go for the green. I don't know how long that distance is, but I bet it isn't long. The straight line from tee to green definitely isn't 375 yards. Anyway, the second shot is much less interesting, although the further left on the fairway you are, the flatter your stance will be. That's balanced out by a bunker short-left. All in all, the eighteenth is a fairly unique hole. Is it good? I wouldn't go that far, but it is pretty memorable.

This is the view from the eighteenth tee. Yeah, I was confused too.

The slightly more normal approach to 18.

Looking back town the eighteenth.

When I got to Hickory Heights, I was hoping for something similar to Westminster National. That is, I was hoping for a golf course that wasn't necessarily spectacular from an architecture perspective, but a golf course filled with quirk and put a smile on my face. Well, considering the weather, not a whole lot of smiles were had, but I'm not going to blame the course for that. Overall, I'd say that Westminster National is the more goofy, offbeat course. The terrain is rougher, and Hickory Heights has no answer to the seventh hole at Westminster, which is a hole I don't think I'll ever forget.

That said, Hickory Heights certainly has its merits as a fun and cheap round of golf. The terrain is used fairly well, and only a few holes are devoid of any strategic interest. I wouldn't rush to go back, but I wouldn't say no if I'm ever in Hanover any time soon.

And with that, we've reached the end of the 2018 golf course backlog. I don't imagine the April review will be any place earth-shattering, but depending on the weather in the next couple weeks, it may be more interesting than you'd think. We'll see.