Review: Omni Bedford Springs Resort (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is about as short a par 3 you'll see on any full-size golf course, coming in at a miniscule 124 yards, and it's an event from start to finish. The golf course has been very flat for the past few holes, and when you finish the ninth, the walk to the tenth is up a long, spiraling path ascending up a 50-foot hill. From the tee, you're greeted with a little wedge over a deep valley to a green on the other side, with massive falloffs both short and right. Going long isn't much better, since you'll be left with an incredibly delicate downhill chip to a green that slopes pretty significantly from back to front. So even if you hit the green, it's not necessarily an easy two putt. So yes, this hole is really short, but that doesn't mean it's easy.

The tenth hole. Missing short or right would be a very bad idea.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is by far the longest par 4 at Bedford Springs at 465 yards, but it does play pretty far downhill, which does mitigate the length somewhat. It's a pretty wide fairway, with the only real trouble being the road about 10-15 yards right. So feel free to pull the driver and get as far as you can. The second shot will be a short or mid iron into a fairly small green closely guarded by two bunkers. This is a long hole, but it's not really that tough.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is 410 yards, making it the second longest par 4 at Bedford Springs. This course doesn't have very long par 4s despite being almost 6,800 yards from the back tees. The hole is pretty much dead flat, and there's O.B. right and two fairway bunkers left. The second shot is a wedge or short iron to a green guarded by a series of mounds right and bunkers left and long. 

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is 615 yards, and yes, this is the longest hole on the course. Finally. The hole is flat, just like the previous hole, and the road continues down the entire right side, so it's constantly in your mind. The tendency is going to be to bail out left on this dogleg right, lengthening a hole that really doesn't need to be any longer. Provided you hit two solid shots, the third will be a wedge or short iron into a green with a fair amount of back to front slope and protected by three bunkers. 

The thirteenth hole, with the resort in the background.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

Not only does Bedford Springs have one par 3 under 150 yards, it actually has two: the tenth and the fourteenth. This is slightly longer than the tenth at 135 yards, but it plays significantly downhill. This hole is quite a bit easier as well, despite the abundance of hazards. There's water short and four bunkers going around the back of the green, but it's still less threatening then the big hill on the tenth. The green is flatter as well. I do like the hole, and it's nice to have a little wedge off of the tee after slogging through the thirteenth.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a 360 yard par 4 with one defining feature: a big tree right where you'd want to aim your drive. I suppose the stronger hitters could try to go over, but for most, you'll either have to go right and leave a very long second – you could easily have 150 yards or more – or slot a long fade in between the lone tree and the line of trees by the fairway and leave a more reasonable wedge. A cluster of three bunkers behind the lone tree further complicates matters. The second shot is to a bunkerless, undulating green. I'm not sure about that tree, I imagine it's a polarizing feature among regulars, but I'll say this, it definitely makes the hole more memorable.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is the fourth and final really long par 5 at Bedford Springs, coming in at 593 yards. The fairway slopes from left to right, and there's O.B. left. It's not too threatening, and in general the drive is pretty open. The second shot is more challenging. You'll be naturally drawn away from the road and the big fairway bunkers, but if you stray right of the fairway at all, your third shot will be blocked out by a small group of trees. And the space between the trees and the road isn't super generous either. Provided you do get into a good lay-up position, the third shot is to a fairly narrow green with a bunker left and two bunkers and a steep dropoff right.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

I'm not sure if the seventeenth hole (and the eighteenth) are restorations of former holes or entirely new, but I do know that they weren't around 15 years ago. This was the driving range, which has been moved out beyond the fifteenth green where a hole (or maybe two) used to be. While at 175 yards it's a bit shorter than a typical Redan, it does play pretty similarly to one. There's the deep front left bunkers, a green sloping gently from right to left, and a distinct benefit to hitting a draw off of the tee. It's not a shining example, but it's still a good hole.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is the sort of finishing hole I like. At 355 yards, it's not overly punishing and it's definitely reasonable to finish with a birdie. However, it requires some thought and consideration. The fairway meanders between three bunkers left and one right, and long hitters need to be wary of the cross bunkers about 300 yards from the tee. The prudent play for many is to lay up on the tee short of the right bunker, but that will leave a tougher second shot with a poor angle over a greenside bunker. The green is elevated and reasonably flat with a dropoff right. Precision is the most important thing on this hole, and if you hit two patient shots, you can definitely end with a birdie.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

Let there be no question, Bedford Springs is a very good golf course, and the restoration has done a lot of good. It looked good and it played well, even in the middle of December. The course also has a very good set of par 3s, probably the best that I've ever played. It's worth seeing Bedford Springs just for those. The second is the worst of the five, and that's still a good hole. Then there's the fourth. There may come a day when I've played enough great golf courses that Bedford Springs' Volcano will fall off of my personal top 10 favorite holes, but I don't think that day will come anytime soon. It's long, it's ridiculous, it's incredibly difficult and punishing, and I love it. It's a hole with a sense of humor. Yes, it's insane, but whoever put the hole there knew that, and they did it anyway. They stuck a flag up at the top of a hill, put a tee an unreasonable distance away, and said: "Figure it out." Crucially though, they kept the hole simple and relatively hazard free. If there was any sort of water or long grass anywhere close to the green, it wouldn't work. It would be too punishing. If you triple it, it'll be because you took six shots, not because you dumped a golf ball in a pond or lost it in unreasonably high grass. 

Unfortunately, the same quality does not extend to the rest of the course. Not that they're bad, not by a long shot. However, Bedford Springs does occasionally suffer from the same issue as Cape Arundel, in that there's just too much space to miss. Despite being wedged into a narrow valley, the property is pretty flat (the par 3s are an exception, which is probably why they're so good), and it's also very open. You have a ton of room to use driver and get away with wayward shots, since there's very little punishment for it. That leads me into my second issue: The length of the course is poorly balanced. Bedford Springs is 6,800 yards from the back tees, which is perfectly fine, but that length is reached in a weird way. Of the eight par 4s, only three are more than 360 yards, and only one is over 410. I like short par 4s, but aside from the first and maybe the last, there isn't anything terribly special about the ones here. Then there's the par 5s. Leaving aside the ninth, the other four average over 600 yards, which is a lot. And like I said before, there's not much to do on them other than hit the ball as far as possible. 

Now, if this course cost at most $50 to play, I'd be a lot more lenient with my criticism. Bedford Springs has a lot of good things going for it, and I do think it's a very good golf course. But I treat these high-tier courses with big greens fees a bit harsher, and for $150 or whatever they charge in season, Bedford Springs just doesn't offer enough to be worth that price. I think you should go and play it because the par 3s really are special, but don't go in the summer. November or April, that's when you should go.