Review: The Golf Club at the Equinox (Part 2)

It's time to see the back nine of the Equinox, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is a big dogleg right with bunkers and O.B. in the corner of the dogleg. The rest of the hole is very open and there's no distinct advantage for going down the right side, so you can aim left and hit driver here. Sure, that lengthens the hole, but at 355 yards it's not a very long hole to begin with. The green is fairly small and almost entirely surrounded by sand.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a mid-length par 4 that goes downhill on the tee than gently back up. There's a long fairway bunker to the right that you'll want to get close to in order to have the optimum angle into the green, which is angled right to left and protected by a cluster of three bunkers to the left. Not the most exciting hole in the world, but solid enough strategically.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is 360 yards and has several bunkers lining the left side of the fairway. The right side is a bit more open though. The elevated green is very heavily bunkered in front, and pretty significantly sloped from back to front. It's got a similar sort of bowl in front like the eighth, though not quite as extreme. 

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The views at Equinox are enough to make the trip worthwhile, but the thirteenth hole makes a compelling argument on its own. Very few holes have a feature as unique or quirky as this one. My brothers and I first saw it as we were walking up to the eleventh green: A massive pit, something like 30-40 feet deep, guards the right portion of the thirteenth green. This is no decorative feature either, the thirteenth is 425 yards and the pit is just feet away from the edge of the green. It is very much in play, as you'll probably be coming into the green with a fairly long iron. But let's back up a step. The drive is to a fairly wide fairway with a big slope to the left. The approach is up a big hill, with the pit right and a bunker left that is not nearly as intimidating but admittedly still a concern. The green is sloped fairly sharply from back to front, which makes it easier to hit but less than fun to putt when you're above the hole. I don't know if I'd call this a good hole, but it's certainly a unique one, and I'm glad it's there.

The thirteenth hole. The pit is hidden behind the trees.

Approaching the thirteenth green. 

Looking up at the thirteenth from the eleventh green.

A benefit of playing on a Wednesday: the course was pretty empty so we had time to throw golf balls down at the bottom and attempt an escape from the pit.

The thirteenth green.

Quite a view from behind the green.

The fourteenth hole isn't quite as funky as the previous one, but it's interesting nonetheless. The fourteenth is tiny, only 125 yards at most, shoved into a little corner of the property, downhill, and when we were there the tees were up 10-15 yards. Plus it was playing downwind, so it was effectively only 90 yards or so. The green is not large and fronted by three bunkers, and there's O.B. close behind. Sure, it's a small target, but it's a very small hole, and I'm a fan of it.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a short par 5 with a very awkward tee shot. The hole is pretty straight, but the fairway starts way right at the bottom of a ridge, then swings left up and over through a saddle in the ridge before straightening out. Again, I don't know how much was changed in the redesign, but I'm guessing this tee shot is pretty original. The second shot, if you've cleared the hill, is gently downhill. The green is easily reachable in two, even when the hole is playing into the wind, however it's protected by eight bunkers, with six left and two right. 

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

It's a much more inviting approach from here.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is about 200 yards, making it the longest of Equinox's three par 3s. I don't think it's the best of the three, but it's almost as good as the fourteenth, thanks to the green. There's a swale running through the middle in almost Biarritz fashion, though the slope isn't quite as extreme as actual Biarritz greens. Still, it's definitely something to think about. There are three bunkers short right and one short left, and O.B. lurks beyond the green. 

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

While it's not unusual that a course measuring 6,400 yards from the back tees has only three par 4s over 400 yards, it is a bit odd that Equinox saves two of them for the last two holes. Not only that, neither is particularly good. The seventeenth hole is the longest par 4 at Equinox, playing a slightly uphill 435 yards. The hole doglegs quickly to the left, meaning you either need to hit a big draw or use a wood or long iron off of the tee. And that leaves you with a 200 yard approach. And when the green is small and protected all around by three bunkers, you don't want a long iron into it. This is a tough hole, to be sure, but it's not tough in an enjoyable or fun way like the thirteenth.

The seventeenth hole. I'd be willing to bet the containment mounds on the tree line are a new addition.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole commits a cardinal sin of routing: It is a completely legitimate strategy (and maybe even the best one) to play down a wrong fairway. The problem is the big tree sitting in the dogleg. If you go to the right of it like you should, you can only hit the drive maybe 225 yards. The hole is 415 yards and uphill, so that'll leave you a mid or long iron into the green. That's not ideal. If you go left and hit into the tenth fairway next door, you can hit driver and have a wedge or short iron into the green. And there are no trees once you get within 150 yards of the eighteenth green. Yes, I suppose you do have to hit over a big deep greenside bunker, but I think that's worth it. The green is protected pretty closely by that bunker and O.B. right, so it's not like you've got smooth sailing if you play the hole the correct way. No one's ever sliced or hooked a 5 iron, right?

The eighteenth hole. Yes, this tee shot looks awfully similar to the previous hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

I'm a bit torn on how I feel about Equinox. On the one hand, it's a beautiful golf course. The scenery is spectacular, the conditions were solid, and there were a few fun, quirky holes thrown in. The thirteenth is something I'll always remember fondly. The last two holes weren't great, but everything that came before was pretty good. At $80 in mid-October, I wouldn't consider it great value in any way, but I did feel as though the conditions matched the price, which is something I didn't feel at Bulle Rock.

On the other hand, those really fun, quirky holes like the thirteenth (like 5, 7, 14, and the drive on 15) offer a tantalizing glimpse of what was probably a more fun golf course. Equinox got changed at a bad time in golf course design by someone with very strong and often-opposite opinions on golf course architecture, and I think that shows. No ponds were added, thank goodness, but there's often a homogenous feel to the greens that I don't imagine existed before. Walter Travis is known for his greens, but Equinox didn't have anything outstanding. I'm sure it'll never happen since the course seems to be doing just fine with the guests of the resort, but I would love to see a restoration.