Review: Old Bridge Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Old Bridge, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is a very short par 5 at just 465 yards, and it's bunkerless as well. However, there is plenty of trouble to worry about. Not so much on the tee shot, though there is native area lurking right, but beyond that, this is a tough hole. About 300 yards out, a pond eats into the fairway, significantly narrowing the playing corridor as it winds between the water and the high grass right. If you did not hit a good drive and are looking to lay up, you do not have a generous amount of space to work with, which I'm not a huge fan of. You're very much encouraged to go for this green in two if you have any capability to do so, which is fine if you hit a reasonable drive, but not everyone will manage that. This hole feels too trivial for good players and needlessly difficult for not-so-good players.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a fairly long par 3 at 220 yards where the difficulty can vary wildly depending on where the hole is cut. For our round, the task was pretty straightforward, as the flag was located right of the large bunker that takes up half of the front of the green. Not an easy shot, considering the length, but not a complicated one, and missing short or right leaves a very easy chip. But if that flag is tucked behind the bunker on the left side of the green, all of a sudden the tee shot becomes very tough indeed. A long iron over a bunker is not something to be treated lightly. Of course, you can play out safely right, but that will leave a long putt in prime three-putt range. 

The eleventh hole.

The twelfth hole is the longest par 4 on the course, coming in at 440 yards (and it was into the wind for our round as well). The tee shot is very wide open if you use a 3 wood, but if you want to use driver, the fairway is narrowed by a bunker right and the pond from the tenth hole on the left. Of course, while laying back is safe, you'll be left with a long iron to an undulating green with a bunker left. We didn't get it for our round, but there's a shelf back right of the green that, if the flag was cut back there, would make this hole especially nasty. This is a tough hole, but seeing as Old Bridge is generally a pretty kind golf course, I think this works fine.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is a par 4 of modest length, playing just 350 yards to a very wide fairway. However, a large bunker from the left pinches in at driver distance, forcing a decision. Do you lay back to the wide portion of the fairway, or do you challenge the bunker? Long hitters can carry it, which will leave a little 50-yard pitch to a wide-open green, as the single greenside bunker is right. Personally, I don't think the risk is worth it, as the hole is so short even using a 3 wood or long iron on the tee will leave a wedge on the second shot. But because the hole isn't very long, it can tease you into making a decision that isn't in your best interest. Honestly, it's a more interesting hole than it appears at first glance.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole, oddly enough, is an example of the utility of trees. At 555 yards, this is the longest hole on the course, and with scrub, trees, and tall grass right, your eye will naturally be drawn right. Which is fine, but where it becomes an issue is the second shot. The idea here is that, if you're out of position on the tee shot, you're supposed to lay up short of the cross-bunkers cutting across the fairway 125 yards short of the green, which will leave a long, semiblind third shot. But why would you do that when you can just go around the bunkers left? There's nothing over there, and actually, you get a better angle at the green from left of the fairway. A tree or two would block that route off, but for now, the neat cross-bunkers are utterly trivial and this hole is basically just an exercise in not missing right.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a 200-yard par 3, and if the flag looks a little shorter than usual when you step onto the tee, there's a reason for that. This is a massive Biarritz-style green, where the center is 2-3 feet lower than the two sections at the front and back. It's not a pure Biarritz, I don't think, since the central swale is so large you can put the flag in it and of course bunkers don't flank both sides, but honestly, I'm not going to complain. This is a really fun hole, and an excellent interpretation of a classic template hole.

The fifteenth hole.

If you're playing the sixteenth hole from all the way back, it's a bit of a brute at 455 yards. For most people, it's a modest 375-yard par 4. Once again, this hole could use some trees, and not just because it shortens the hole. The next tee is almost literally on the direct line between the sixteenth tee and green, and placed quite close to where intrepid golfers like me, playing from the 375-yard tees, will have their driver end up. It's a little hazardous, not going to lie.

If you're playing from the back tees, it's not so much of an issue, and the hole plays much more as it's supposed to. There isn't any trouble on the tee shot, but the second shot is a different story, as there's a pond lurking left of the green. The slopes right do feed in toward the green, so a nice running draw is the ideal shot to hit on your second shot. The green itself is medium sized and typically undulating.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is a mid-length par 4 where a fairway bunker pinches the fairway at about 260 yards. It can be carried by long hitters, who by aiming down the left side can avoid having to worry about the trees right. They're basically out of range, so you don't have to worry much about losing a golf ball, but they can still block out people who hit big slices from going at the green on their second shot. The green here is small for this course, though being surrounded by fairway does make it appear smaller. The green slopes from left to right and has two tiers, front and back, with a knob dominating the right-middle portion.

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is 415 yards, and while I wouldn't call this a difficult hole, per se, it's definitely not a birdie opportunity. There are two bunkers right of the landing area, but it's the second shot where things get difficult. The green is large, but it is incredibly rumpled and undulating, with knobs and hollows all over. There are no straight putts on this green, and the peril of three putting is always present. It's also the most well-bunkered green on the course, with the left side in particular guarded by three bunkers. A front-left hole location would be a nasty one. 

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

Old Bridge is really a course that relies on its greens. From tee to green, I would call the layout above average but certainly nothing to write home about. But once you reach the green, the game is elevated significantly. They're not the best greens I've ever seen, but they're a lot of fun. I especially like the Biarritz green at the fifteenth, but some other noteworthy greens include the final hole, the seventh, and the third. 

Also, it's just nice to have a new golf course being built that isn't a $500 destination course, or just flat-out private. Particularly one even mildly close to my neck of the woods. The rates are a little pricy, but this is a new golf course in a state with pretty high cost of living. It's $70 to walk on weekdays and $90 on weekends. Old Bridge isn't going to win any value contests, but I don't think it's absolutely unreasonable. At the very least, there is a walking rate, and this course is quite walkable. 

All things considered, I would play Old Bridge again. Not on a weekend, but a weekday round sounds nice, and I do think the greens are worth seeing. It's a fun round, and I'm glad I played here.