Review: Bulle Rock Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to take a look at Bulle Rock's back nine, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is a very wide hole, measuring about 370 yards. The ideal drive, in my opinion, is a fairway wood out to the right, avoiding the bunkers down the left side. Sure, it lengthens the hole a bit, but this isn't a long hole, so it's a difference between a sand wedge and, say, a pitching wedge. The green has the usual bunker protection and there is a fair amount of undulation, but nothing crazy.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is, by any definition of the word, a brute. From the tips, it's 665 yards, and from the golds it's still 625 yards. That is a lot of golf to cover in one hole. To make matters even more fun, it was playing into a fairly stiff breeze the day we were there. It's not a tough tee shot, and the fairway is pretty wide, but there are quite a few bunkers around so it's not a case of being able to blast away without worry. A series of small bunkers narrows the fairway about 175 yards from the green, and if you don't hit a good drive, they're definitely a concern. There's a big cluster of bunkers right of the green that extends about 75 yards into the fairway, plus a few bunkers left, so if you are a long hitter, it's probably still best to lay up about 100 yards away. No need to leave yourself a 50 yard bunker shot. The green is pretty big and a bit deceiving, since it looks like there's a pond right behind it. In reality, the water is 50 yards away and is nothing to worry about. Yes, I got fooled and ended up in one of the greenside bunkers because I didn't want to go in the water.

The ridiculously long eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green. 

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is the sort of par 3 you expect to see at a Pete Dye course. The pond is just a few feet from the right edge of the green, and yes, it's got railroad ties. Clearly, you'll want to avoid the water, but there are three bunkers left that make it a less palatable spot to bail out. The green is not large and fairly flat, so that's something at least. This is just one of those par 3s where you hit the green, or you risk making a big number.

The twelfth hole. Note the pond shored up by railroad ties.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is, in my opinion, the best hole at Bulle Rock. Yes, it is the longest par 4 from the gold tees, playing a not-at-all-friendly 462 yards. The hole doglegs right around a small ravine filled with jungle and a stream at the bottom. You can play away from that, but that turns the hole into a par 5 (though that's not the worst way to play the hole, it must be said). If you keep your drive close to the ravine, you'll have a mid to long iron into the green, which is not big and is guarded by a big bunker left and a few smaller ones right, not to mention the ravine further right. You even get to hit over a rock outcropping on the second shot, so there are all sorts of hazards available on the thirteenth. A fade aimed at the left bunker is the ideal shot here, since the green is tilted from left to right. This is a very tough hole, but it's not excessive, and there's room to breathe if you're not so keen on challenging hazards. The fairway even widens out 50-100 yards from the green so you can lay up without worry.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is 100 yards shorter than the previous hole and much friendlier. Most golfers will take the fairway out to the left, leaving a wedge or short iron into the green. However, the cluster of bunkers right of the fairway can be cleared if you can carry a driver about 300 yards. That leaves just a little half wedge in, and the angle is better too. For most, however, the second shot will be from the left to a pretty small green with a bit of a hump in the middle. 

Not much to see on the fourteenth tee.

A little more of the fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a bit out of position; usually Pete Dye has his short gambling par 5 as the sixteenth hole. The task on the tee shot is fairly simple: the closer you get to the stream running to the left of the fairway, the better angle and shorter second shot you'll have. Miss wide right like I did and it becomes a struggle even to carry the stream over to the second half of the hole. If you're in a good position, you can go for the green in two. It's not an easy second shot, as the green is narrow and defended by the creek (and more railroad ties) just a few yards to the right. The green does have a fair amount of bumps and humps, so it isn't the easiest green to putt either. Even so, this is a very birdieable hole, though it's also one you can make a big number on. I can attest to that personally; if it hadn't been for the triple I made on this hole I might have broken 90.

The fifteenth hole. The lighting got a bit weird toward the end of the round.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green, complete with railroad ties.

The sixteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 that plays downhill the whole way, so it practically plays 10-20 yards shorter than the 387 on the scorecard. It's a fairly wide fairway and the only trouble for most people is the pair of fairway bunkers right. If you're me, you'll manage to find a little stream in the left trees. The green is small and protected by a bunker right and four left, and there's a rise short that will kick run-up shots right, keeping them from reaching the green, which is incredibly annoying after you've hit a really good punch shot out of the trees.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is 175 yards, plays uphill, and has some reverse Redan characteristics. A fade is definitely the shot to hit here, as it gives you a lot more green to work with, plus the slope will lead the ball closer. Go straight for the hole and the green is very shallow, and that front bunker is fairly intimidating. There are bunkers left though, and if you get caught up in the rough you'll have a downhill chip to a green sloping away. Not an easy hole, but at least it's not an island green.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is a classic Pete Dye finishing hole: a long par 4 with water running down one side. The fairway isn't overly generous, but it's not narrow, and there's plenty of room to miss right. Of course, doing that means getting to the green in two isn't guaranteed. The green isn't too big and has a fair amount of undulation to it; once again, you can bail out right so long as you don't go long, as the pond does curl around the back of the green. Not too much to say about this hole, it's a long, tough eighteenth hole, exactly what you'd expect. Not my favorite thing in the world but it hardly comes as a surprise.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

I am obviously unfamiliar with Pete Dyes broader work, but nevertheless, I feel fairly confident in saying that Bulle Rock was not his best work. Was it bad? No, of course not. There was no hole that I thought: "Gee, this is dumb." Not even the 620 yard par 5, because that's more a product of me being stubborn and playing from too far back (though that hole is still just under 600 yards from the next set up). It's long, but it's wide. However, other than the second shot on 13, I didn't really feel like there were any standout holes. It was solid but unremarkable golf the whole way through. And compared with the reputations of his other designs, Bulle Rock lacked a lot of that Pete Dye je ne sais quoi. It didn't feel like a golf course a professional golfer would balk at. The greens especially were disappointing; again, not bad, but nothing memorable.

That brings us to the price. A round at Bulle Rock used to cost well over $100, but after the course was sold in 2017 (Bulle Rock and its associated housing community was supposedly losing six figures a year) to new owners the price dropped significantly. The most you'll pay now is $100, but that's still quite a lot. And you're not paying for pristine conditions either. Once again I'll say this: It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. I was expecting more for the price point. Overall, I'd say that I'm glad I played it and if someone asked me to I'd go there again (and pay for it), but I'm in no hurry to do so, and I have no plans to go back. Once was enough for me.