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.