Review: Dauphin Highlands Golf Club (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is a short drive and pitch par 4 playing up a slowly rising hill. There's a bunker about 250 yards out; if you can clear that, you'll be left with a little pitch to a wide-open green. If you can't clear that bunker, however, you may be better off not using driver at all, as hitting out to the left leaves you with a slightly awkward three-quarter wedge over the corner of a front-left greenside bunker. Laying back and using a full wedge on the second shot lets you approach the flag more aggressively than from 75 or so yards. The green slopes from back right to front left, and there's also a pair of small bunkers behind the green that are best avoided.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is 410 yards and plays slightly uphill along a line of trees right. The fairway is pinched pretty severely in the landing area by three bunkers; trying to thread the needle with a driver is basically going to come down to luck. The smart play is to lay up short and settle for a longer second shot. That will leave a mid or short iron into the green, which is open to run-up shots, though there are bunkers short left and back right.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is a 520-yard par 5, and so long as you avoid the right-side fairway bunker, the tee shot's pretty simple. The bunker's not too far out, so even a half-decent drive can carry it. For those who can't get to the green in two, there's a small fairway bunker left of the fairway about 100 yards; to get the best angle for the third, you'll want to challenge that bunker. The green is pressed pretty close against the tree line, and there's a steep falloff right and long, along with a greenside bunker right.  

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is a pretty simple hole, courtesy of an incredibly wide-open fairway. We're talking about 75 yards of completely open space without bunkers, water, or trees. A good drive will leave a shortish iron slightly up the hill to a slightly boomerang-shaped green with a small bunker left.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is 375 and plays down and back up out of a valley. Using driver gets you to the bottom of the hill and a fairly level stance, but the fairway is also at its narrowest point there. You have more space if you lay further back, but the fairway is pretty sloped from right to left, which is never something you really want to have. The green is on the smaller side and pretty undulating, with three small bunkers in front.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a mid-length par 3 playing over a valley. There's a pond at the bottom, but unless you hit an enormous chunk or top, it's not an issue. What is an issue is the green, which is sloped severely from back to front, with the front third separated by a significant tier. Missing long is not something you want. There's also a couple of bunkers protecting the green, and while the front right bunker is more intimidating, the back left bunker is the one you really want to avoid.

The fifteenth hole.

The sixteenth hole is the longest hole at Dauphin Highlands, and it's an ... interesting proposition, mostly because you can't use driver on the tee. Beyond the 250-yard point, the fairway ends in dense trees and a steep falloff; not only that, you also need to favor the left side of the fairway. If you're too far right, your second shot will be blocked out by tall trees covering the corner of the dogleg. If you find position A, you're left with a very, very long and not particularly interesting second shot to a fairway sloped hard from right to left. If you're not in position A, then you either have to curve a shot around trees or deal with a couple of bunkers about 150-200 yards out from the green. It's a tough green as well, with multiple tiers and a couple of deep bunkers, alongside the steep falloff left and long.

The big issue with this hole is that, while it has a ton going on, it doesn't really use those features in an interesting way. You play this hole long iron, long iron, wedge. There's no opportunity to take on a risk and find a reward from it. It's all punishment if you don't hit the prescribed shot. The green is okay, but the sixteenth is just a slog before that point. 

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is pretty similar to the fifteenth (and the eighth) in a lot of ways. Both holes play over a valley (admittedly, this one is a lot more dramatic), both holes are about 190 yards, both have back-left greenside bunkers you don't want to be in, and both feature a green with a significant back-to-front slope. The green is more interesting on 15, but this hole has a lot more visual flair to it. Of course, I'd rather three of the four par 3s not be copies of each other, but it's a classic golf course design trick to have par 3s cross valleys that would be inconvenient for other holes to negotiate. A bit of distance variation would be nice, though.

The seventeenth hole.

The eighteenth hole is a surprisingly tame way to finish the round, especially considering how much the last two holes had going on. Sure, there's a pond in play on the drive, but the hole is only 390 yards, so there's no need to use a driver and take that water on. A 3 wood or long iron will stop short; alternatively, there's a lot of room left of the pond if you're not hitting driver. A solid 3 wood will still leave you with just a wedge or short iron into the green. While there are two bunkers short and the green's not large, it's also a pretty flat green, so birdie is definitely a possibility. This is decidedly not the stereotypical, hopelessly difficult long par 4 with water finishing hole.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

During the middle of the round, I said to my brother that Dauphin Highlands reminded me pretty strongly of Worthington Manor, just with less interesting greens. It has the same generally open, mostly treeless layout, it feels modern in design, it has some interesting strategic choices, but it's not mind blowing or revolutionary in any way. And while the last few holes get away from that general design philosophy a bit, I'm going to stick with my original assessment. It's a solid course with some interesting greens, but there are also quite a few greens that don't have much going for it. Also, the sixteenth is just a really awkward, boring hole.

In terms of value, Dauphin Highlands is pretty solid. $48 to play on a Saturday isn't too bad at all, though it would be nice if the price was reduced if you walked. However, I do have to mention the pace of play. It took 4 and a half hours to play, and while that may not sound terrible for some, I'm pretty sure it's the slowest round I've gone through since the pandemic started in 2020. And that's purely down to the 8-minute tee time intervals, which is just not enough. If you don't want pace of play issues, 10 minutes between tee times is the minimum, 12 minutes is better, and 15 minutes is best. With 8-minute tee times, you've got nearly twice as many golfers on the course as you would with 15 minutes, and it can be felt. 

That's an argument for a different time, so I'll just end by saying that I would play Dauphin Highlands again, just not during a busy and incredibly nice afternoon on a weekend. It's an above-average golf course, and definitely worth playing if you're in the area.