Review: The Bucks Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at the Bucks Club, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is 350 yards and plays over level terrain. The fairway is pretty narrow, with trees on both sides and O.B. lurking beyond the tree line right. You could use driver, but no one's reaching this green and driver simply isn't necessary. A good 3 wood will leave you a wedge into the green. And it's quite a green. Small, sloped sharply from back to front with a false front to boot, and a couple of small mounds within. It's also the most well-bunkered green on the course, with two long, one left, and one right. The hole location we got, perched about 2 feet above the false front, was rather treacherous. If you play the hole cautiously, it's not difficult, but I could see poorly executed aggression resulting in a big number.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a 275-yard par 4, which makes it driveable for a fair number of people, more than most driveable par 4s. And considering the group of three large bunkers right of the sliver of a fairway about 75 yards short of the green, there's pretty much no reason not to take driver (or less, if you are a long hitter) and have a go. The green is typically undulating, with bunkers right and short left, along with a steep dropoff into forest long. The hole doesn't give away birdies, but still, you can hardly ask for a better opportunity.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is the first of the new ones at the Bucks Club, and it's certainly ... something. You walk up to the tee and you can see literally nothing but overgrown brush. Okay, if you squint at the right side of the first picture, you can see a sliver of fairway bunker. The fairway's to the left of that. Now, you see greens with two tiers fairly often, but this hole has a two-tier fairway, with the right side 10 feet higher than the left. I don't know if golf balls can stop on the slope between the two sides, but if it can, have fun. The green is carved into the forest, with three bunkers left. It's on the flatter side for this course, but it's not completely out of character.

Despite all appearances to the contrary, this is the twelfth hole. Yeah, we were confused too.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is 200 yards, but plays shorter as it drops downhill over a stream valley. While there are two bunkers to worry about, the real star of the show on this hole is the green. The previous hole may not have had a particularly interesting green, but this one more than makes up for that. There are humps, bumps, and dips galore, and any putt much more than 20 feet is almost guaranteed to have to negotiate some sort of obstacle. If anything, it's too loud to match the greens on the front nine. But I still enjoyed it.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is 350 yards and doglegs hard right about 225-250 yards out. Of course, you can lay back at the corner, leaving a full wedge up the hill to the green. Alternatively, you can challenge the dogleg, skirting the forest right, and leave just a pitch for the second shot. The green here is similar to the twelfth, quieter but not completely uninteresting, with a fair amount of back-to-front slope, with a slight amount of fallaway in the back third.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is 425 yards and plays straight through a corridor of trees to a mostly blind fairway. A cluster of bunkers right threaten slices, but even a mediocre drive can clear them. A good drive will leave a short iron down the hill to a fairly small green pushed up significantly at the back. There's a greenside bunker right, and obviously long is dead. Forest, an elevated green that runs away, not much chance of getting up and down if you go over the green.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

If you thought the thirteenth had a wild green, buckle up, because the sixteenth takes things up to 11. The hole's just 140 yards and plays over a stream and brush, but the green itself is bunkerless and there's a fair amount of space short. But this green needs no hazards. If you look at the picture below, you might think: "Wow, is it just me, or is the left side of the green as high up as the top of the flag?" Yes. Yes it is. The left side of the green is indeed 6 or 7 feet above the middle and lowest portion. This is a wide green, but still, we're only talking 50, 60 feet here for the green to fall that much. Then again, we all took putts from up top there and my brothers both two putted, if I'm remembering correctly, so maybe it's not actually that difficult. It is certainly memorable, however.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green. The picture really doesn't do it justice.

We return to the original design for the seventeenth. This is a pretty straightforward hole, with a single fairway bunker right tightening up the drive slightly. But since the hole's just 350 yards and that bunker is about 100 yards from the green, a good drive can clear it, reaching the widest part of the fairway. The green here is big, and while it's not flat, it's not one of the course's best. 

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is 440 yards, making it the longest par 4 at the Bucks Club. The drive is fairly open, with no bunkers, though there are trees right and O.B. left. After the fairway turns sharply right, it crosses a pond about 50 yards short of the green. I'm not entirely sure why they bothered with the pond, it doesn't really come into play on either the drive or the second, but hey, technically this is a long par 4 with water. The second shot is plenty demanding on its own, since you'll have a longer iron in hand and the green, while on the bigger side, is closely guarded by bunkers on either side. The armada of geese, while likely not a permanent of obstacle, certainly added an unexpected hazard for the conclusion of the round. 

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green, which is protected by an army of geese.

The gooses did eventually relinquish control of the eighteenth green.

Summing up the Bucks Club is actually pretty simple: It's an average golf course with very good greens. Tee to green, the course isn't very interesting, and there are too many blind or mostly blind tee shots. The original holes simply aren't laid out over particularly compelling terrain, and the new ones are too disjointed to be much better. But you need to think around and on these greens. Your putter needs to be working; if it is, you can absolutely go low on this course. It's 6,200 yards from the back, so it can absolutely be overpowered.

As for the new holes, they're generally not too bad. Yes, they obviously don't fit, routing wise, and the long, long walks in between holes is pretty annoying. But the two par 3s, 13 and 16, are at least good for a laugh. They put a smile on your face, and sometimes you can't ask for much more than that.

Would I play here again? I mean, I wouldn't say no, I suppose, but it's not a course I'd rush back to. A bit above average, I'd say, but nothing more. The next two courses we'll see, they're a different story.