Review: Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club (Part 2)

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

If nothing else, the tenth hole is certainly distinctive and memorable. At 175 yards, it's not the longest par 3 in the world, but the first 150 yards take you over a deep ravine, so taking enough club is crucial. And since the green is above the tee, you'll need to take even more club than you'd think. While ending up short is of course a very bad thing, right isn't any better, and while the left-hand bunker is preferable to a lost ball, it's not exactly where you want to be either. The green is wide but shallow, and not particularly large either. At least it's not particularly undulating. This is one of those holes where you're more than happy to escape with a par.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is 415 yards and plays dramatically downhill, which would be a lot of fun if the fairway weren't the approximate width of a toothpick. Perhaps unsurprisingly considering the severe topography of the site, Blue Ridge Shadows suffers from some routing issues, and it's quite apparent here, as both this hole and the fourteenth share a narrow playing corridor. Honestly, they should have just made the entire area here fairway. This hole already shares a green with the thirteenth, why not complete the set? Oh well. As the hole stands now, the fairway is squeezed between trees left and tall grass and a bunker right. I'd recommend using driver simply because the tall grass stops about 250 yards out, which is pretty easy to carry. As mentioned, this is a double green, and the eleventh's half is protected by bunkers short right and left. The green's best approached from the left side, which is obviously the more dangerous place to aim your drive. This would be a pretty decent hole if it just had space to breathe.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

After a long, arduous climb up back up the hill we just came down on the eleventh hole (and climbed up to get to the tenth green), we reach the twelfth hole, which is certainly a par 3 that exists. Not that it doesn't have things going on, because it does, but it feels bland. The hole is basically dead flat, fairly long at 195 yards, with a pond right and a small, mildly out-of-proportion bunker left. Maybe if the bunker had a bit more visual appeal and the background wasn't just houses, the hole would be a bit better, but as it stands, the twelfth is just sort of there. Not good, but not so terrible as to elicit any strong emotions.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is a very long par 4 at 460 yards, though it does play downhill. The fairway crests a ridge about 250 yards out, making the landing area blind. It is open pretty much everywhere, but you do get a better angle into the green if you stay left, flirting with the forest and fairway bunker left. Do that, and you'll have a short to mid iron down hill to a shallow but very wide green (this is the second half of the double green we first encountered two holes ago). 

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is ... well, it's something. First off, it's a poor routing decision to have a natural stream on the outside of a dogleg – especially on a shortish 530-yard par 5 – because you're automatically removing the main strategic appeal of the water. But that's precisely what this hole does. There is literally almost no reason to hit your drive left down the fairway when you can aim right of the fairway bunker (it's also extremely easy to hit over if you're even mildly competent with a driver). There's no risk and seemingly only reward, whereas playing left between the stream and bunker is all risk with no reward. At the very least, the inside of the dogleg should have more sand in play. Anything to discourage the golfer from cutting the corner.

Notice that I said there's seemingly only reward from cutting the dogleg. That's where the additional silliness of this hole rears its head. For reasons unfathomable to me or likely anyone with a functioning brain, instead of placing the green directly against the stream running through the hole, offering the gambling golfer the chance for eagle at the risk of a steep penalty for failure, the designer chose to place the green 50 yards away from the stream behind an artificial pond and a cluster of very tall trees. A professional golfer may be confident enough in their abilities to hit the high draw necessary to go up and around those trees at the green, but literally no one else would be. Your only practical option is to hit literally a 100 yard pitch shot out right and short of the creek, leaving yourself another 100-yard wedge for your third. It makes cutting the dogleg on the drive completely irrelevant, since you gain nothing from doing it, and yet the facts on the ground mean it's still a terrible decision to play left on the tee. It's barely even worth it to play between the pond and the creek, because there's really very little space in the 50 yards between the green and creek, and it's surrounded by either water or woods. I did it anyway because I'm very stubborn and got away with it, but the majority of times I have to imagine I'd end up with a drowned golf ball.

I haven't gotten to the green yet, which is its own special brand of uninviting, even if you play the hole safely. It's extremely narrow, tilted from right to left, with two large bunkers right and, of course, the extremely silly pond left. The green's the cherry on top, but rest assured, the poor routing and atrocious design choices on display render the mild silliness of the green itself almost a background element to the terribleness of this hole. It is 100% one of the worst holes I've ever played.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green. You'll notice that, despite hitting an almost-perfect drive, I have no shot of reaching the green in two short of slinging a massive hook around trees, over the stream, and around the pond left of the green.

The fourteenth green. Yes, it is silly to build an artificial pond to guard a green when you've got a perfectly good natural water hazard 50 yards away.

The fifteenth hole isn't much better than the previous hole. It's fairly long at 435 yards, though the tee shot is dramatically downhill. And yes, that does mean you have to climb up a gigantic hill to get to this tee only to immediately climb back down after hitting your drive. That's always fun. 

The big problem with this tee shot is that there's no safe play. Obviously, the pond right of the fairway is the primary threat, though the trees left also get uncomfortably close in the area where people would likely hit driver. You'll definitely feel tempted to lay up, but the problem with that is the pond left (the same one next to the previous green). It's just sitting there, lurking next to the prime lay-up zone where the fairway's reasonably wide. So basically, there's water in play if you lay back and water in play if you use driver, so why not use driver and at least get closer to the green?

Presuming you avoid the water (a tall order), your second shot will be a fairly straightforward short or mid iron to a slightly elevated green with a bunker behind. It's a fairly complex green as well, so don't count on two putting even if you do hit it in regulation.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is the longest hole on the course, coming in at 540 yards, and thank goodness, there's absolutely no wiggle room on the drive. The fairway's squeezed between yet another pond right and a large bunker and O.B. (in the form of a Hilton hotel) left. Once again, it's tempting to lay up, and considering this is a longish par 5, it's a fairly compelling argument. You're not getting to this green in two, might as well keep yourself in play. Also, it's basically out of play, but water does cut across the fairway about 225 yards from the green. 

The only real threat on the second is a bunker right, but it's pretty easy to avoid. The green is a different story. I was not expecting to find a Biarritz-like green here at Blue Ridge Shadows, but the sixteenth has one. True, it's lacking the flanking bunkers, but the green is extremely long and narrow, and the Biarritz swale running through the middle is definitely there. Well, not quite a swale, more like the green is separated into a high front section, low middle section, and high back section. But you definitely don't want to be on the wrong section; if you do, then you'll be lucky to two putt. This hole has an interesting green, it's just a shame the first half of the hole is so narrow.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole isn't very long, just 350 yards, but it's a hole you really do want to play carefully. With water right and a large fairway bunker left, there's not exactly much wiggle room on the tee shot. However, the farther you go, the better angle you'll have into the green, so there is at least some reason to use driver. Also, the fairway is wider if you lay up, though the stream crossing the fairway about 150-175 yards from the tee precludes you from being too careful. Hit a solid drive, and you'll have just a little wedge into the green, with water right and a bunker back left. It's still a bit too narrow, but at least this hole isn't long. You can use a long iron for safety on the tee and you're not overly punished for it.

The seventeenth hole. There's a chunk of fairway between the two trees right and the water that's maintained as fairway for no obvious reason. It's not like anyone could ever hit over there, not on purpose at least. Ah well, just another one of this course's little mysteries.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is an unusual way to end the round, and indicative of the back nine's poor routing. At just 310 yards, one would imagine this to be the gambling sort of par 4, where you can attempt to drive the green and make eagle, but no, this hole uses the creek in a different manner. The stream runs perpendicular to the rest of the hole, with the green on one side, wedged between water short and a rock wall long. It's a shallow target as well, with the back right portion its own separate tier. Basically, it's the sort of green you don't want to approach from 50 yards away, as it's pretty tough to get the height and spin you need to hold this green from so close. Ideally, you'd want a full wedge from 100 yards or so, but there are two large bunkers flanking the fairway right where you'd want to land your drive. And if there's one shot you really don't want, it's the 75-yard fairway bunker shot over water. I guess, at the end of the day, this hole did make me think, and that's better than nothing.

The eighteenth hole. That water in the bottom right corner shouldn't come into play if you're even slightly competent. (I was not slightly competent.)

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

Blue Ridge Shadows is a tale of two nines. The front nine is solid. Not spectacular, but I'd call it above average. I enjoyed it. The first and seventh holes I felt were very good.

The back nine, however, is not so good. In fact, I'd say it's actually pretty terrible. Poor routing, poor design choices, poor additions of artificial water hazards when a perfectly good natural water hazard was available. It gave me more than a whiff of Links at Gettysburg and the back nine of Glen Mills, and if you remember either of those reviews, the comparison is not one you want me to make. I wouldn't say this back nine is as egregiously offensive as Links at Gettysburg or as apocalyptically narrow as some of the holes at Glen Mills (though it is quite a coincidence that both this course and Glen Mills have a par 5 with a Biarritz-like green), but that's not exactly anything to celebrate. And the fourteenth hole finds its own special way to be absolutely terrible.

There is a bit of good news with Blue Ridge Shadows, at least, and that's price. Sure, we played during the week, but we started in the morning, and to walk this course, we paid $26 each. And while the course isn't exactly in country club shape, the conditions are just fine for a popular public course. I can put up with some dodgy design choices for that price, and besides, Blue Ridge Shadows certainly gave me plenty to talk about. The course isn't good, but it's never boring. So you know what? I'd honestly play it again. I think I'd even pick it over Shenandoah Valley, the other Front Royal course I've played. Blue Ridge Shadows will make you feel things. They won't all be good feelings, but you will definitely feel something about this course.