Review: Manor Golf Club (Part 2)

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

The landscape at Manor takes a significant turn for the rugged on the back nine, as immediately evidenced by the tenth hole. The tee shot on this 155-yard par 3 must carry a 100-yard-wide ravine to reach the green, which is perched on a small finger of land that falls away on all sides. There's a single bunker right (which functions more to catch golf balls from bounding into the trees than as an actual hazard), and the green slopes from front to back. There's also a little knob in the center to make the task of putting that extra bit more difficult.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is just under 300 yards, but it is very distinctly not a drivable par 4. The hole crosses over a ravine to a fairway that bends hard right along the side of the opposing hill. Trees block the direct route to the green, so unless you've got a big high cut in your arsenal, you'll be using a long iron or fairway wood on the tee. Of course, you still need to think about where you're aiming; you don't want to go through the fairway into the trees, but you also don't want to come up short. The second shot will be a little wedge with the ball ridiculously below your feet to a small but benign green with a big dropoff right. You can absolutely bail out left and have the ball bounce down onto the green, though, which is nice. Is this the most strategic hole in the world? No, of course not. But it's memorable and fun, and that's just as important.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is a 405-yard par 5. Yes, you read that correctly. It does play nearly 100 feet uphill, so while it is still incredibly short, it's not quite the pushover you'd think. The fairway is wide and heavily sloped, but trees do narrow the playing corridor right about where a good drive would end up. The second shot is massively uphill and basically blind, though the only hazards (a pair of bunkers) are at the green itself, so if you are laying up, you have a green light. The green is tilted from right to left, though, so you are better off approaching from the left side. If this was a par 4, it would be very difficult, but as a par 5, you've got a good chance of making birdie.

The twelfth hole.

The twelfth green.

Looking back down the twelfth fairway.

The thirteenth hole is 190 yards, and I'll be honest, it's not the most exciting hole in the world. Minimal elevation, a not particularly exciting green, and while the bunker right and former bunker (now a grassy hollow) left do provide some challenge, overall the thirteenth represents a bit of a breather. 

The thirteenth hole.

The fourteenth hole, while not Manor's longest hole, is by far its most challenging. This 540-yard par 5 is draped along and around a large hill, with the sprawling fairway tilted hard from right to left, with the slope increasing the further left you go. Your eye is naturally drawn to the right, but trees cut in, completely blocking your second shot and forcing you to lay up more than 150 yards from the green. The further left you go on your tee shot, the closer you can get to the green. But even from position A, you still have to be careful; there's a small pond jutting in from left of the fairway about 50-100 yards from the green. It is extremely easy to go too far and end up in that hazard, particularly considering how steeply downhill the second shot is. Ultimately, even if you can lay up closer than 100 yards, it's probably smart not to.

While the green complex is significantly propped up, with big dropoffs left and long, the green itself is mercifully simple. No big breaks, and sloped gently from back to front. Frankly, if you can get yourself a birdie putt on this hole, you've earned a respite. This is an absolutely brutal par 5, one where you have to carefully think and execute on every shot. It's pretty easily the best hole on the course.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

We go directly from a long and very tough par 5 to the shortest hole on the course. The fifteenth hole is just 90 yards, but it's one of those classic "hit the green or suffer" short par 3s. Miss short and you'll have a pitch from an incredibly crooked stance. Miss long and you'll have an equally awkward stance, only this time the green is running away from you. Same with missing in the greenside bunker right. You're either walking away with an easy par or birdie, or you're working to make double.

The fifteenth hole.

The sixteenth hole is a 280-yard par 4, making it distinctly drivable for longer hitters. There is a complication, however, in the form of a large tree directly in line between the tee and green. Obviously, the safe play is a long iron out to the right; the slope will help contain golf balls, bouncing them back into the semi-blind fairway. But if you're feeling bold, you can always curve a driver around the tree. A fade is probably easier (and requires a bit less curving), but does mean you're aiming directly at the next tee. A big hook is the more polite choice.

Anyway, if you've played safely, you'll have a little three-quarter wedge to a small green flanked by two bunkers. In a move Manor pulls multiple times, there's a little mound in the center of the green to make cross-green putts and chips a little tricky. Still, this is a great opportunity to make a birdie.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is 330 yards, and plays straight ahead to a semi-blind fairway tilted from left to right. It is wide open, but if you want to use driver, you should favor the left side. Because of the slope of the fairway and trees coming in, the right side can run out of space very quickly. A fairway wood or long iron will leave you with a full wedge to a green perched on the corner of a ravine, with steep dropoffs right and long. 

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is quite similar to the tenth in many ways: It's about the same length (160 yards) and plays over the same ravine. Unlike the tenth, though, this green is tough. It's small and there's a ridge cutting the back half into two. Find the wrong part of the green, and you'll likely have a putt that's impossible to make. It's very easy to three putt this green. It's a simple but stern way to end the round.

The eighteenth hole.

The eighteenth green.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by what Manor offered. I knew going in it would be short and a bit quirky, but I wasn't expecting so many really interesting greens. The stretch from five to seven especially, as well as the eighteenth, are extremely good, plus there are several others that demand the golfer's focus. If they were expanded a bit more to fill the full green pads, Manor would really be onto something.

The only real big thing I have in terms of problems is some of the par 4s on the front nine (plus the ninth) really blend into each other and can play a bit same-y. That changes on the back nine, with the fourteenth being a particular highlight. Naturally, the more standard nine — the par 36 playing over 3,000 yards — is much less interesting than the short, quirky back nine that doesn't even reach 2,500 yards.

Value wise, Manor does quite well. Of course, I got a $10 discount, but even without that, it's less than $40 to walk on a weekend afternoon. The most you could pay (weekend morning, taking a cart) is $55. And for 2026 and a course this fun, that's really not too bad. If it were a little closer, I'd gladly play here again, but even with the hour-plus drive, Manor was well worth my time.