Review: Augustine Golf Club (Part 1)

So, funny thing happens when half the golf courses in the country close, the ones that are open are really busy. While golf courses in Virginia were allowed to be open at the end of March, quite a few weren't. So not only were there fewer courses for Virginians, I'm sure there were quite a few golf refugees from states where all the courses are closed. No idea who that could be (thanks Maryland). So while there are quite a few courses in Virginia that are closer to Frederick than Augustine Golf Club, which is just north of Fredericksburg, they were all swamped on a pleasant Saturday afternoon. So Augustine it was.

The first hole is a mid-length par 4, playing slightly downhill, but the most notable aspect of the hole is the split fairway, separated down the middle by a native area. However, I'm not entirely sure there's any reason to go down the right side; that fairway is narrower and the second shot will be over a bunker to a shallower target. Going down the left side gives you more room to miss, an unobstructed second shot, and more green to work with. The green is long, fairly thin, and reasonably undulating, though nothing too severe.

The first hole.

The first green. It was a little weird seeing so much brown, considering grass had started growing back in Maryland.

The second hole ups the difficulty by quite a lot. At 440 yards, it's the longest par 4 on the course, and the entire left side is closely guarded by a pond. The fairway bends left alongside it, and drives that carry more of the pond are rewarded with a shorter second shot.  But you can't drive it too far, as the pond cuts in about 300-325 yards from the tee. Admittedly, not a concern for most people, but it is something else to think about. The green is similarly close to the pond, with water also curling around behind. Shots hit out to the right on both the drive and second shot will tend to funnel back down, so bailing out is possible. I'm usually not a fan of really tough holes so early in the round, and this is no exception.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is a mid-length par 4, just like the first, but the similarities end there. There isn't a whole lot to see on the tee, as the hole quickly crests the top of a hill. Ideally, the top of that hill is where you want your drive to end up. This may require using a 3 wood, but you really do not want to start going down unless you're comfortable hitting a wedge from a severe downhill lie. Of course, if you don't reach the top, the second will be blind. The green is not a particularly inviting target even from a flat lie at the top of the hill, there are several grass bunkers left and right, and long is basically dead, even if you don't go off the course.

The third hole features a very blind drive.

The third green.

The fourth hole is the only par 5 on the front nine at Augustine, and it's also the longest hole on the course by a significant margin, being 60 yards longer than the next longest hole. Plus, it's an uphill 560 yards as well. The hole is of the switchback variety: It bends left at first, meaning draws are better off, then bends right, favoring a fade. There are no bunkers on the tee shot, but a stream and trees guard the left side. But plenty of sand threatens the lay-up area, and a bunker protects the right side of the green as well. The green isn't big, and there's a bowl of sorts at the front, making putts from the back to the front section quite tricky.

The fourth hole bends to the left very quickly.

It would take two impressive shots to get to the green in two.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fifth hole is another roughly 400 yard par 4, playing downhill to a blind fairway. Long hitters would do well to use less than a driver off of the tee, as a stream cuts into the hole about 300 yards from the tee, not to mention there's quite a severe drop-off leading up to it. The green is protected by a bunker to the right, meaning a fade is the better shot to hit. The green has quite a lot of slope from back to front, so being above the hole or missing long isn't recommended.

The downhill tee shot on the fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is the first par 3 at Augustine, and it isn't easy. The green juts out into a pond, with water lurking left and long. Miss in either of those places, and you're probably wet. Now, short isn't the worst place to miss, and neither is right, but when the hole is cut so close to the water as it was the day we played, it's tough to get the chip all the way to the hole with any sort of confidence.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is another mid-length par 4 at 415 yards, but it does go uphill as it bends right between a whole bunch of pine trees. It's a little odd how this course has some holes completely framed by pines while others have virtually none. Anyway, there's a single fairway bunker on the left side, and because of those tall pines, a well-hit drive is going to be aimed at it, and will end up in it if you don't hit a fade. Using a 3 wood to stay short is also an option. The green is bunkerless, but the terrain clearly favors a shot hit from the left side of the fairway. I kind of liked the green complex here, it was very open yet because of the contours, it wasn't a wide open shot.

The seventh hole winds through pines.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is something I didn't really expect to see here at a golf course that is, and I apologize if this is your favorite course, nothing special. Truly short par 3s are something you don't see very often at serious golf courses, especially ones built more recently, but yet, here we are with a 135 yard par 3. Is it the finest short par 3 in the world? No, but it's still pretty fun. There's a couple of bunkers and the green is divided into two tiers to make things tricky. It's an easy hole, but I appreciate the attempt.

The eighth hole.

The ninth hole is yet another mid-length par 4 (there's not a huge variety in length -- five of the six par 4s on the front are between 395 and 417 yards), though the large bunker eating into the right side of the fairway may make the hole play longer, since you may not want to use a driver. However, shots hit from the right side will have a better angle into the hole, as the green is angled toward the right and there are two bunkers short and left of the green.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll take a look at the back nine.