Review: Rich Valley Golf Course (Part 2)

It's to take a look at Rich Valley's back nine, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is a 180-yard par 3 that plays over a native area to a dome-shaped green with a bunker left. If this green shape seems familiar, that's because it's quite similar to the fifth. This course struggles slightly when it comes to par 3 variety.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a mid-length par 4 playing sort of close to a line of trees left. There's actually a tiny amount of strategy involved here, as the green is best approached from the left side, closer to the tree line. If you bail out more to the right, you'll have to more directly confront a bunker short-right of the green on the second shot. It's about as basic as strategy gets, but something's better than nothing.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is the final par 3 on the course, and it's pretty similar to the fifth. Same length, similar sort of ever so slightly elevated green falling away on all sides from the center. This one only has one bunker, but otherwise, it plays the same tricks as the fifth and the tenth too, if we're being honest. 

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is the final par 5 at Rich Valley, and this is where the yardages at Rich Valley get a little iffy. The scorecard says this hole is 525 yards. Now, I hit a very good drive on this hole and it was playing downwind, but I only had 150 yards on my second shot. I did not hit a 375-yard drive. I'd say this hole is, at most, 475 yards. Maybe shorter. Anyway, the hole. It's got trees close in along the fairway the whole way down the left side, but beyond that it's pretty open. And unlike the eleventh, you'll want to stay out to the right at least a little bit; you can easily get blocked out from the green if you're too far left. The green has a bunker right, but so long as you don't end up with a severely uphill stance on a random small rise in the middle of the fairway, you can easily get to this green in two.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is the first of a stretch of five par 4s to end the round, and this one is a little perplexing. The hole itself is fine; it's a short 330-yard hole that doglegs hard left about 200 yards out, so you'll want to use a wood or long iron off the tee, skirting along the left tree line. Doing that will leave just a half-wedge into the green. The confusion lies in the fairway bunker on the right side, which appears to be on the outside of the dogleg from the tee, but in reality is about 50 yards away from the fairway in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, it's not in play on any hole, yet it's clearly maintained regularly. Why is it there? I have no answers.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is 380 yards and plays significantly uphill the whole way. It's also right next to I-81, which runs down the left side for the first 150 yards, but you'd be surprised how a few trees and a bit of elevation muffle the traffic noises. This hole isn't nearly as bad as the ones on the front nine. Then again, I hit my drive wide right, so I never got close to the road. So long as you avoid the line of tall grass left and the cluster of trees right on the drive, the second shot is a wedge or short iron to a green protected by a single bunker right.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

Rich Valley is ridiculously easy for the first 15 holes. For whatever reason though, the course ends with three long par 4s. The sixteenth is the first of this tough closing stretch at 455 yards. The hole bends left at around 250 yards, and with trees close beyond the fairway, you can't really use driver unless you're confident you can draw it. A typical drive will leave you a mid iron over a marshy area to a slightly elevated and shallow green. 

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole claims to be 495 yards, but in reality it's maybe 450. Still long, but not stupidly long. While the large pond directly in front of the tee isn't really an issue, two bunkers flank the landing area. Thread between them (or utilize the nearly infinite space around them) and you'll be left with a mid to long iron second shot to a bunkerless green. Okay, beyond length, this hole isn't very tough.

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is pretty simple for the first 300 yards. No bunkers, wide fairway, the usual story for Rich Valley. But then things get interesting. After crossing the pond from the previous hole, the eighteenth green is the one actually challenging green on the entire course. It's small, it's got two tiers and a noticeable right-to-left tilt, and it's got a deep bunker just right guarding the straight line from the tee. Not to mention you're approaching it with a fairly long iron, as the hole is supposedly 460 yards. It's not that long, I don't think, but we're not talking as huge a difference as 13 or 17. Maybe 430 or 440 yards. It's such a weirdly tough hole after 17 holes of basically mild golf.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

Rich Valley is not what the experts would call an interesting golf course. It's pretty flat, and you can pretty much hit it wherever. But you know what? Not every course needs to be tough. Sometimes it's nice to play a course that flatters your ego, and Rich Valley does that very well. Except for that last hole, of course. And 16 to a slightly lesser extent. And the price isn't terrible. $30 to walk 18 holes isn't a steal, but it's reasonable. Though perhaps they could plant a few more trees between the interstate and the front nine. Something to muffle the noise. Please.