Review: Paxon Hollow Golf Club (Part 1)

Length is not the end-all and be-all of challenge when it comes to golf. A good golf course can come up with plenty of ways to defend itself beyond length. And yet, when I saw the scorecard for Paxon Hollow ahead of my round, I was less than impressed. How interesting could the place be? It's barely 5,700 yards from the tips.

Oh, how wrong I was.

The tenth kicks off a fantastic four-hole stretch, one any golf course would be proud to have.

Let's not too carried away, Paxon Hollow is certainly not the toughest golf course in the world. That lack of length does make a difference. But not every course needs to be Oakmont or Pine Valley. And while Paxon Hollow lacks distance, it certainly doesn't lack interest. This is a fascinating little golf course. And it's no surprise either. While Paxon Hollow lacks a big-name designer, it's nearly a century old at this point, and for the past 20 or so years it's been worked on by an associate within Gil Hanse's design team. And as we'll see, that work shows.

An additional note: By the time this review comes out, the golf course will either be in the process of changing or about to start. A driving range is being added on top of the current first hole, and Paxon Hollow is taking the opportunity to replace the first through third holes. Those holes aren't the strongest, so I think this will be a very good thing. Still, I'm glad I got to see the original three.

The first hole is a 330-yard par 4 with a fairway angled 45 degrees from right to left around tall grass and a few trees. The more aggressive the line you take on the tee shot, the shorter the second will be. Go through the fairway and the second will be either under or blocked out by a group of pine trees about 100 yards from the green. The second shot should be a wedge to a fairly long and narrow green with two small bunkers left (and three short right, but those aren't exactly greenside) and a fairly steep dropoff behind. 

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is just 130 yards and tucked into a corner with dense trees left and long. The green is long and narrow, with several small bunkers in between the green and the trees. Right is the obvious bailout, but the green is subtly tilted from right to left, so chip shots from right can be tricky to keep close to the hole. It's not much, but it's enough that my brothers and I played it in a combined two over, so it's no pushover either.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is a par 5 that's just under 500 yards from the back tees (though the tees were all moved up for our round, so we played it from about 50 yards further up). The fairway bends hard right about 250 yards out, so if you want to use driver you'll need to aim up over a hillside covered in pine trees and tall grass. Obviously, you can play safely out to the left, but that turns this into a solidly three-shot hole. You'll also have to deal with a fairway bunker about 75 yards short of the green. If you're long enough, the second will be as little as a short iron or even wedge into an elevated green flanked by bunkers.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is 145 yards and plays over level terrain to a long, narrow green with a false front. There's a fairly large bunker front right and a small bunker left. This isn't a terribly interesting hole, but it is a decent birdie opportunity so long as you don't get tripped up by the false front.

The fourth hole.

The fifth hole, on the surface, seems pretty similar to the first, but this hole is absolutely more interesting, and this is the first really good hole at Paxon Hollow. This short par 4 swings left around a hillside covered in long grass, and the more you cut off the shorter your approach will be; however, this goal is complicated by two interior fairway bunkers on the more direct line most golfers will be drawn toward. You ideally want to find the right side of the fairway; this will give you the best line into the green, and of course being closer to the green will also improve the angle. The green is sloped from back to front and protected by bunkers front left and to the right, with dense trees beyond.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a tiny little par 4, playing just 295 yards. And yes, you can use driver here, and that could potentially work for you. It's certainly tempting standing up on the tee and seeing the green so close. But this is a hole where accuracy is highly rewarded. The fairway is narrow, with dense forest and some very tall trees bordering the left side. Bailouts right are of course safer, but then the second shot will be blocked out by a tree protecting the right side of the green. You can maneuver around, over, or under that tree, but it is something you will have to deal with if you play too safe with your tee shot. There's a big bunker in front of the green, separating it from the fairway; going in there will leave you with a 30- or 40-yard bunker shot, which is really not something you want. The green is small, narrow, and sloped pretty significantly from back to front. It may be less than 300 yards, but this is no hole to play casually or carelessly.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is one of two 450-yard par 5s at Paxon Hollow (remember, the course is only 5,700 yards), and it's definitely reachable in two for quite a few golfers. However, if you really want a short second shot, you'll need to hook a 3 wood or driver around trees and O.B. left to hold the fairway, which bends hard left about 225 yards out. Manage that, and you'll have just a short iron into a fairly undulating green, which is protected in front by two bunkers.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is where Paxon Hollow really hits its stride. Not that the first four holes and the seventh are bad, but from this point forward the course doesn't miss a beat. The eighth is 170 yards and while it plays parallel to the fourth over similarly level ground, this hole manages to pack in a lot more interest. It's a mini-Volcano hole of sorts, with the skyline green elevated above the surrounding landscape and six greenside bunkers by a few feet. It's not much, but it's enough to add a lot of challenge and nuance to shots that miss the green. You need to work to get up and down. 

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole, and Paxon Hollow in general, excels at taking driver out of your hands without technically doing so. The technical playing corridor for a driver is generous, and there's no bunkers or hazards in play, just a few trees on the edges. However, the fairway itself is narrow and cut into a steep slope; miss left and your drive will bounce down a long way, likely leaving you underneath a tree with the ball a foot above your feet. Not ideal. But you don't want to lay too far back on the drive. The ninth is 380 yards, long by this course's standards, and the green is tiny, with sand on both sides and massive dropoffs left and long. It isn't a green you want to approach with much more than a wedge. This is a quirky hole, but it's also a solidly strategic one.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green.

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