Review: Packsaddle Ridge Golf Club (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is a pretty simple hole from the blue tees, playing just 340 yards to a fairly wide fairway. From the back, it's 410 yards and there's once again a narrow chute of trees to play through. But, so long as you avoid a hook and the right fairway bunker, this fairway's not terrible to find. The green has a bunker short right and left, and it's fairly long and narrow. It's a decent birdie opportunity.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole isn't very long, only just over 500 yards, but it plays very uphill. Also, trees crowd in on both sides, making this a pretty tight driving hole. You may be better off just trying to play this one as a full three-shot hole. For one, there's not much space for driver. Also, the green is tucked behind a bunker, making it extremely difficult to get close to the hole on your third if you're, say, 50 yards short. You're better off approaching the green with a full wedge so you can get height and spin. Also, it's going to be tough getting to this green in two; you'll be coming into a green that will only accept a hard draw from a stance with the ball below your feet. Not easy to pull off.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The thirteenth is just flat out a bad hole. I can accept one ridiculously uphill par 3, Packsaddle Ridge, but not two. Especially not this one. It's bad enough that the hole plays 50 or 75 feet uphill. But then there's a bunker in front of the green. How exactly are you supposed to stop a golf ball on a green that high when you have to fly it the entire way? Sure, the green's pitched pretty hard from back to front, but it's also quite small. Hitting this green in regulation is basically pure luck.

The twelfth hole.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole doesn't look too long on the scorecard at just 340 yards, but it's uphill the entire way, and with dense forest lining both sides of a not particularly wide fairway, you feel every yard. Driver is almost certainly the wrong play, as accuracy is far more important. This means the second shot will be a full wedge, if not short iron. The green is semi-blind and tucked behind a large bunker (formerly two, but one is in the process of being grassed over. You'll be absolutely exhausted after walking up this hole (it's more uphill than it looks), but when you turn around, the view you're treated to from the green is worth the climb.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green. Good thing about climbing a mountain, when you get to the top, there's usually a pretty decent view. It would have been even better without the Canadian wildfire smoke floating around, which hit its peak a day or two before this round.

The fourteenth hole is a sub-300 yard par 4, and while that's normally a green light for going for the green with the drive, especially on a downhill hole, there's a few obvious hazards in between you and green. Namely, trees. Also, a ravine 30 yards short of the green. The green itself is a small island amongst dense forest and that ravine, making it an elusive target. The safe play is a mid-iron (don't use too much, you'll go right through the fairway) followed by a little wedge. The green is not large, and it's narrow, with a single bunker right. Also, don't be like me and use a long iron off the tee, blowing the golf ball through the fairway into oblivion. At that point, I may as well have gone for the green. Next time I'll know.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is the final par 3 at Packsaddle Ridge, playing 160 yards over a pond. The back tee is 50 yards further back and up on top of a hill. I did not go and get a picture from there because my legs were still tired from climbing up 13. Sorry. Anyway, the green on this hole is massive, way bigger than anything we've seen so far, and it's also extremely tilted from back right to front left. Now, because the green speeds aren't fast, that tilt isn't a massive issue, but even still, be cautious if you end up above the hole (which is likely considering the pond is so close to the front of the green; long is the safe play). It's a shame more greens aren't like this one, it has some personality to it.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a short par 5 in every possible way. It's under 500 yards, and it plays absurdly downhill. The fairway itself isn't massively wide, but it does spread out nicely if you can carry three bunkers in the corner of the dogleg. Which is not that difficult, considering how downhill the hole is. The second shot is also very downhill to a green protected by water in front and bunkers on each side. But even a remotely competent tee shot can take the water out of play. I hit an awful drive and was still able to go for the green in two. All in all, this is probably my favorite hole here. It's just fun to play.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is fairly similar to the thirteenth in that it's a pretty short par 4 that plays steeply uphill. This fairway's a bit wider though, so you can use driver. Whether you want to is another question. If you end up, say, 60 or 70 yards short, you'll be left with a half-wedge to a green fronted by a steep slope and a bunker. The run-up isn't possible, and you'll be close enough that you won't get much height or spin. Giving yourself a full wedge may be the smarter choice.

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 that looks more claustrophobic than it actually is. Once you get past the initial chute of trees, the fairway is quite wide, and as the hole plays significantly downhill (not quite as dramatically as 16, but pretty close), you can get some big drives going off of this tee. Just steer clear of the fairway bunkers wide right of the fairway. The second shot will be just a wedge into a large green sloped from front to back, protected by three bunkers left and one right. Overall, not a bad way to end the round.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

How do I feel about Packsaddle Ridge? It's an interesting question. On the one hand, it's set in a beautiful spot and the course's isolation and subpar maintenance meant I virtually had the course to myself. I can put up with a lot if I'm able to just play golf freely. It's also surprisingly walkable. Obviously, it's not an easy walk. There's a lot of elevation change, but the next tee is never too far away from the previous green. It feels cohesive, which I appreciate. And with these mountain courses, often the golf is almost secondary. You don't come out here for the golf, but to experience nature via golf. More of a hike than a round of golf. In that regard, Packsaddle Ridge succeeds. It was an adventure getting to the course and it was an adventure playing it. 

However, as a golf course, it's not great. It's not lacking in interest, no course with this much elevation change could be entirely devoid of strategy. But it's just not that interesting. The routing is good, but beyond that, it's pretty much a case of hit the ball, just don't hit it in the woods. And the greens, beyond the fifteenth, are very mediocre. Slow, bumpy, and with little interest. That's what really kills this course for me. In some ways, Packsaddle Ridge reminds me of Cacapon, but while Cacapon also had slow, small greens, they still managed to have some interest, and Cacapon is a much more challenging and thought-provoking course from tee to green. Also, Cacapon's closer and cheaper. Perhaps a better analog is Fore Sisters. Which is also closer. And much more adventurous and wild. Now that course was a hike.

Simply put, I didn't dislike the course and I generally enjoyed my round, but there are better and closer options for everything that Packsaddle Ridge provides.  

Beer of the Week

The beer: Griswold's Doppelbock

The brewery: Solace Brewing Company, Sterling, Virginia 

Description (from the website): "Rich, sweet, malty German style beer with flavors of chocolate and dark stone fruits."

Would I buy it again? I can't resist a doppelbock, it is my favorite style of beer. Unfortunately, while it's genuinely extremely good and I can't really criticize it in terms of taste (at least not in a way that isn't nitpicking), the unfortunate truth is that Troegenators are significantly cheaper (this was $12 for a four pack, while you can get six Troegenators for that price) and the taste is ever so slightly better. Nothing against this beer, I would absolutely never say no to one, but I can't justify buying it over my literal favorite beer. 

Sorry Griswold, it was never a fair fight.

Review: Packsaddle Ridge Golf Club (Part 1)

Several years ago, when I was first getting into these golf course reviews, I created a long list of courses in the general area I'd like to play. And, for reasons I can't quite remember, I placed Packsaddle Ridge, a course near Harrisonburg, Virginia, on that list. I suppose I do enjoy a mountain course; they've always got good views and often-quirky design. And so, on a day when I had an afternoon off and was uncertain about whether or not it would rain, I decided to make the last-minute decision to make the 2-hour drive down Interstate 81 to Packsaddle Ridge, since they were just about the closest course with an open tee time schedule.

As I would discover, there's a reason this course was empty. For one, it's in the middle of nowhere. You wouldn't think that would be the case, since it's only about 5 miles from the course to the center of Harrisonburg, a town of 50,000 people. But trust me, it's not easy to get to. Backwoods roads in Virginia are something to behold. Also, course conditions are ... less than ideal. Luckily, I don't mind a scruffy course when I'm not being charged $60 to play it (looking at you Challedon), so now let's see if the 2-hour drive was worth it in any way.

The first hole is 365 yards from the blue tees (I did not play the black/longest set; from there this course is over 7,000 yards. Too long for me.) and right away, you met with a tight and narrow driving area. Left is quite obviously dead, and while you'll find a slice, you probably won't be able to go for the green. A safe 3 wood or long iron off the tee is the play here, followed by a mid or short iron second shot. The green is protected by a bunker right and features a moderate back-to-front slope. The green speeds at Packsaddle Ridge are generally pretty slow, however, so in general being above the hole isn't something you need to be concerned over.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is 530 yards but plays straight downhill. This fairway is narrow, squeezed by forest left and tall grass right. You need to be accurate if you want to use driver here, and be aware that you can easily run out of space left as you'll get a lot more distance with the driver than you would normally. In fact, unless you're going for the green in two, there's really no point in hitting driver; a small pond about 100 yards short of the green splits the green from the rest of the hole. If you can't carry 500 yards in two shots, you'll have to lay up short of that pond. I hit a 3 iron and a pitching wedge, and that was enough to get me to the water's edge. The green is long and narrow, nestled between mounds, with a bunker short left. It's honestly a pretty inviting target if you're one of the few people who can go for this one in two. 

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is a medium-length par 3 with a green tucked away in a small corner, wedged between a big hillside left and a stream in front and right. The green itself isn't particularly big, it's narrow, and there's also two bunkers, one on each side. Needless to say, this is one of those holes where you hit the green or you're making a big number.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is 415 yards and plays partially downhill, partially sidehill as it traverses the side of the mountain. It bends nearly 90 degrees about 250 yards out, giving you opportunity to cut the dogleg and leave yourself a nice little wedge into the green. The second shot is all downhill to the green, which is flanked by bunkers and tucked into a corner of the woods, with trees close in left and long.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole plays alongside the previous hole, so instead of playing downhill and sidehill from left to right, this is uphill and right to left. Driver is completely unnecessary here; the fairway turns about 200 yards out and while it doesn't actually cross the fairway (it's piped underneath), there's a small stream about 240 yards out that narrows the fairway considerably. You could hit a big draw through the small stretch of fairway over the stream, but the risks just don't justify the reward. A wood or long iron out about 225 yards is fine. That leaves a mid iron into a fairly small green, which is benched into the hillside with a single bunker short left. 

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is 545 yards, making it Packsaddle Ridge's longest hole. And it feels like it. The fairway is tilted severely from left to right and doglegs right significantly; it's tough using driver here unless you skirt the right tree line and clear a fairway bunker. But if you can pull that off, the second shot is all downhill and fairly open all the way to the green. Despite the length, this hole doesn't play all that long and is reachable in two. The green is protected by a bunker front right, so it's not an easy target, especially from the right side, so I wouldn't count on the easy birdie, but despite the tough drive, this isn't an incredibly difficult hole.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is certainly a hole that exists. Who doesn't love a long par 3 with a green perched on top of a 50-foot hill? It's almost a fact of life on golf courses laid out over mountainous terrain, you're going to get a hole like this. As long as you can clear the valley, it's not bad; the green is flat and fairly large. But it's so far away, and there are so many trees lurking on both sides. Getting to the green is more than enough challenge for this hole. Just use an extra club or two and hope you hit it straight.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is 450 yards from the back tees, and I bring that up because the tee shot from back there, high atop a hill, is absolute insanity. The chute of trees you need to thread is so ridiculously thin, I couldn't imagine hitting a drive from back there and not immediately smacking into a tree. Not to mention the fact the trees are obscuring what could be an excellent view of the mountains. From the next tee up, down at the bottom of the valley, the hole's a lot more reasonable. You'll still need to hit a draw around some trees, otherwise you'll run out of fairway quite quickly, but it's not a herculean task. The second shot should be a short iron slightly uphill to a green with a fairly large bunker left.

This is the eighth hole from the back tees. I'm not sure it's possible for the path through the trees to be less generous. 

The eighth hole from where most people play from. A slightly more reasonable tee shot.

Still a ways from the eighth green, but I liked the view.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole plays over pretty level, open ground near the clubhouse, and as a result, it's really not that interesting of a hole. Plenty of space to hit driver, plenty of space to avoid the fairway bunker. It's not a long hole either at 370 yards. A solid drive will leave a wedge second. The green does have four bunkers around it and a decent back-to-front slope, but beyond that, this hole is pretty easy. 

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

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

Cider of the Week

The cider: Apple Pie

The cidery: Coyote Hole Ciderworks, Mineral, Virginia

Description (from the website): "Apple Pie is the iconic autumn dessert, along with hot apple cider. Leaning on our Dutch heritage, we had to bring this iconic fall flavor into one of our hard ciders. Blending a unique mixture of our green apple hard cider with Dutch apple pie spices, bringing you a wonderful autumn flavored treat."

Would I buy it again? I'm not convinced on this particular cider, it sounded better than it actually is. It's extremely sweet, but there's a slight bitter aftertaste to this cider as well, and the two tastes do not play very well together. Somehow, instead of them covering each other up, you get both distinct flavors at the same time. I would pass on this particular cider in the future.