Review: The Bucks Club (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is 350 yards and plays over level terrain. The fairway is pretty narrow, with trees on both sides and O.B. lurking beyond the tree line right. You could use driver, but no one's reaching this green and driver simply isn't necessary. A good 3 wood will leave you a wedge into the green. And it's quite a green. Small, sloped sharply from back to front with a false front to boot, and a couple of small mounds within. It's also the most well-bunkered green on the course, with two long, one left, and one right. The hole location we got, perched about 2 feet above the false front, was rather treacherous. If you play the hole cautiously, it's not difficult, but I could see poorly executed aggression resulting in a big number.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a 275-yard par 4, which makes it driveable for a fair number of people, more than most driveable par 4s. And considering the group of three large bunkers right of the sliver of a fairway about 75 yards short of the green, there's pretty much no reason not to take driver (or less, if you are a long hitter) and have a go. The green is typically undulating, with bunkers right and short left, along with a steep dropoff into forest long. The hole doesn't give away birdies, but still, you can hardly ask for a better opportunity.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is the first of the new ones at the Bucks Club, and it's certainly ... something. You walk up to the tee and you can see literally nothing but overgrown brush. Okay, if you squint at the right side of the first picture, you can see a sliver of fairway bunker. The fairway's to the left of that. Now, you see greens with two tiers fairly often, but this hole has a two-tier fairway, with the right side 10 feet higher than the left. I don't know if golf balls can stop on the slope between the two sides, but if it can, have fun. The green is carved into the forest, with three bunkers left. It's on the flatter side for this course, but it's not completely out of character.

Despite all appearances to the contrary, this is the twelfth hole. Yeah, we were confused too.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is 200 yards, but plays shorter as it drops downhill over a stream valley. While there are two bunkers to worry about, the real star of the show on this hole is the green. The previous hole may not have had a particularly interesting green, but this one more than makes up for that. There are humps, bumps, and dips galore, and any putt much more than 20 feet is almost guaranteed to have to negotiate some sort of obstacle. If anything, it's too loud to match the greens on the front nine. But I still enjoyed it.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is 350 yards and doglegs hard right about 225-250 yards out. Of course, you can lay back at the corner, leaving a full wedge up the hill to the green. Alternatively, you can challenge the dogleg, skirting the forest right, and leave just a pitch for the second shot. The green here is similar to the twelfth, quieter but not completely uninteresting, with a fair amount of back-to-front slope, with a slight amount of fallaway in the back third.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is 425 yards and plays straight through a corridor of trees to a mostly blind fairway. A cluster of bunkers right threaten slices, but even a mediocre drive can clear them. A good drive will leave a short iron down the hill to a fairly small green pushed up significantly at the back. There's a greenside bunker right, and obviously long is dead. Forest, an elevated green that runs away, not much chance of getting up and down if you go over the green.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

If you thought the thirteenth had a wild green, buckle up, because the sixteenth takes things up to 11. The hole's just 140 yards and plays over a stream and brush, but the green itself is bunkerless and there's a fair amount of space short. But this green needs no hazards. If you look at the picture below, you might think: "Wow, is it just me, or is the left side of the green as high up as the top of the flag?" Yes. Yes it is. The left side of the green is indeed 6 or 7 feet above the middle and lowest portion. This is a wide green, but still, we're only talking 50, 60 feet here for the green to fall that much. Then again, we all took putts from up top there and my brothers both two putted, if I'm remembering correctly, so maybe it's not actually that difficult. It is certainly memorable, however.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green. The picture really doesn't do it justice.

We return to the original design for the seventeenth. This is a pretty straightforward hole, with a single fairway bunker right tightening up the drive slightly. But since the hole's just 350 yards and that bunker is about 100 yards from the green, a good drive can clear it, reaching the widest part of the fairway. The green here is big, and while it's not flat, it's not one of the course's best. 

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is 440 yards, making it the longest par 4 at the Bucks Club. The drive is fairly open, with no bunkers, though there are trees right and O.B. left. After the fairway turns sharply right, it crosses a pond about 50 yards short of the green. I'm not entirely sure why they bothered with the pond, it doesn't really come into play on either the drive or the second, but hey, technically this is a long par 4 with water. The second shot is plenty demanding on its own, since you'll have a longer iron in hand and the green, while on the bigger side, is closely guarded by bunkers on either side. The armada of geese, while likely not a permanent of obstacle, certainly added an unexpected hazard for the conclusion of the round. 

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green, which is protected by an army of geese.

The gooses did eventually relinquish control of the eighteenth green.

Summing up the Bucks Club is actually pretty simple: It's an average golf course with very good greens. Tee to green, the course isn't very interesting, and there are too many blind or mostly blind tee shots. The original holes simply aren't laid out over particularly compelling terrain, and the new ones are too disjointed to be much better. But you need to think around and on these greens. Your putter needs to be working; if it is, you can absolutely go low on this course. It's 6,200 yards from the back, so it can absolutely be overpowered.

As for the new holes, they're generally not too bad. Yes, they obviously don't fit, routing wise, and the long, long walks in between holes is pretty annoying. But the two par 3s, 13 and 16, are at least good for a laugh. They put a smile on your face, and sometimes you can't ask for much more than that.

Would I play here again? I mean, I wouldn't say no, I suppose, but it's not a course I'd rush back to. A bit above average, I'd say, but nothing more. The next two courses we'll see, they're a different story.

Review: The Bucks Club (Part 1)

The Bucks Club. It certainly sounds like an exclusive place. Very fancy and succinct. Of course, reality is often disappointing, and in reality the Bucks Club is not a bastion of exclusive privacy. It's actually a public course, dating back to 1961. It was built by William Gordon, who also designed Deerfield in Delaware. Well, mostly. At some point a portion of the course was sold off for housing, and new holes (12-16) were routed in between the new development. But for the most part, this is a William Gordon course. Now, I liked Deerfield quite a lot, so let's find out if the Bucks Club is of the same caliber, and if the new holes fit in with the old.

The first hole is a reasonably gentle opener, a short par 4 of just 345 yards. It plays slightly uphill with some long grass left and a couple bunkers pinching in about 225 yards. They can be cleared with even a 3 wood, though of course you could lay up short, leaving a short iron second. The green is sloped from back to front and flanked by sand. 

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is a short par 5 at just under 500 yards and plays to a blind fairway. There's a single bunker left, just barely visible from the tee, and O.B. in the form of houses further left. While such a short par 5 would normally be reachable in two for a fair number of people, a giant bunker about 10 yards short of the green means an aerial approach is required. No running woods up onto this green. There's no real difficulty around the lay-up area, just be careful of drifting too far right; there are overhanging trees that will block out shots. The green is fairly large and very undulating, something which will become a theme here. If you're more than 20 or 30 feet out on most of these greens, you can't take a two putt for granted.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is a short par 4 at 330 yards and doglegs significantly to the right. Trees in the corner prevent you from going straight at the green, but I wouldn't be surprised if some big hitter could get very close to driving the green. with a big fade. For most people, the drive is a long iron or wood to a fairway that slopes from right to left, directly against the dogleg. Play too conservative a line off the tee and you'll definitely run through the fairway. A good tee shot will leave a wedge to a fairly large green with sand on both sides.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is a mid-length par 3 of about 180 yards, though it plays 20-30 feet downhill. The tee shot is not easy, as the green is one of, if not the smallest on the course. It's also well protected by a bunker left and a larger bunker front right. While it's not as undulating as some other greens, this one has a decent amount of back-to-front slope to it, and with forest lurking long, you don't exactly want to go over this green either. Basically, it's a good idea to hit this green. If you miss, you'll be working to even make a bogey.

The fourth hole.

The fifth hole is 425 yards and swings left around trees, with a couple of bunkers on the outside of the dogleg. If you can hit a draw, you'll be much better off. The green is slightly propped up, undulating, and protected by bunkers on each side. 

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is the longest of the Bucks Club's par 3s at 210 yards. It plays over level ground, but a group of bushes obscures part of the green, and the part you can see is protected by a small, deep bunker. The green has three knobs within it, two left and one right, which make both putts and chips rather tricky. This is definitely a hole where you aim at the center of the green and hope to two putt. 

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is another fairly short 5, playing just a few yards longer than the second. The tee shot is blind, but beyond that there's no hazards on the drive. Or on the second shot. Nothing beyond a few trees. You can see the two bunkers around the green from well back, but there's a small hidden pond short right of the green, which absolutely comes into play if you're planning on hitting your second shot within 50 yards of the green. Not a fan of blind water hazards in pretty much any circumstance, and this is no different. The green itself is small and filled with humps and bumps. It's a good green for a short par 5, but again, the blind pond kind of spoils things.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a mid-length par 4 playing through a relatively narrow corridor of trees to a partially blind fairway. No fairway bunkers, so as long as you keep it between the tree lines, you'll be okay. Long hitters may want to consider a 3 wood or long iron, since the fairway does bend about 250-275 yards out. The second shot is slightly downhill to a particularly bumpy green with bunkers left and short right.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole plays parallel to the previous hole and is pretty much the same length. There is a fairway bunker this time, positioned on the outside of the dogleg. Again, you'll need to hug the dogleg with the driver, otherwise you'll potentially run out of space. The green here is less lumpy than some of the others, but it does have quite a lot of back-to-front slope to it, so if you're like me and end up on the front of the green with the flag in the back, you'll have a long and extremely slow birdie putt and will in all likelihood three putt.

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.

Review: Deerfield Golf Club (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is the second of Deerfield's two par 5s, and the longest hole on the course at 536 yards. However, the tee shot is dramatically downhill, and you can cut even more distance off if you challenge the dogleg and the pond guarding the left side of the fairway. If you don't have the length or willingness to do so (this isn't a wide fairway), you can play it this as a three-shot hole, using a fairway wood or long iron off of the tee into the widest portion of the fairway, then laying up about 100 yards out on a section of fairway significantly sloped from right to left. However, this is a very reachable hole if you play aggressively; it's entirely realistic to have less than 200 yards for the second shot. You will need to fade the long iron around large overhanging trees about 75 yards out from the green, and the green itself is elevated and sloped severely from back to front. Putts from above the hole are very tricky, but still, this is a good birdie opportunity if you hit a solid drive.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is the shortest hole on the course at just under 160 yards. Unusual for Deerfield, the hole is essentially flat, though the green is ever so slightly elevated above the fairway, just enough to make shots that end up short very tricky to get close. There are two bunkers left as well, and the green is on the flatter side.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is 370 yards, with the tee shot playing over a valley to a fairway up on a plateau and pinched by bunkers on both sides. If you want a completely clear view of the green, you need to reach the plateau and carry the bunkers; this isn't a huge carry, maybe 225-250 yards, but it's not a short one either. If you do get up top, the second shot is a wedge to a small, elevated green with two bunkers short left and one front right, as well as a steep dropoff beyond. Going long of this green is not a great idea.

The twelfth hole.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is pretty short, only 325 yards, but it bends nearly 90 degrees right around 225 yards from the tee. Massive trees guard the corner, so there's really not much point in using a driver, especially with more forest out beyond the fairway if you go too far or pull the drive. A safe lay-up, avoiding the fairway bunkers lurking right, will leave a wedge to a partially blind green that you can see more of the closer you get. The green itself is small, pretty narrow, and sloped significantly from back to front; there are bunkers on both sides and another big dropoff into forest behind.

The thirteenth green.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 that, from tee to green, is fairly level. The tee shot is steeply downhill though, playing to a narrow fairway squeezed between trees, as well as a big hillside left. An ideal drive, one that cuts the corner, will leave a wedge or short iron back up the hill to a semiblind green, with bunkers on each side. This green is a particularly slippery one, with a lot of back-to-front tilt. If you're above the hole, you can very easily hit your first putt 10 feet by.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a great example of why letting trees run amok on a golf course is a bad idea. The fairway is draped on a steep hillside, and while this would be okay if it was 40 yards wide, it's not so okay when the fairway is just 20. In an ideal world, one would seek to keep their drive as high up on the hill as possible, as doing so would provide the best angle into the green. But doing this on the current hole would only mean you'd be hitting into a group of trees, with additional trees blocking the second shot. The fairway is almost impossible to hold, being so narrow and so sharply sloped; it's almost inevitable that you'll run down to the right, alongside the cart path. That means the second will be a tricky wedge over a large bunker into a small green. Removing all the trees left of the fairway and expanding the fairway out left 20 yards or so would make this hole infinitely better. It's still a fun hole, but it could be so much more.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is Deerfield's last par 3, playing 170 yards to an elevated, partially blind green. There are four bunkers around the green, two left and two right, and the green itself is fairly undulating. It's not the most exciting hole in the world, but it is a very tough iron shot, demanding quite a lot of precision, especially when the flag is tucked behind the front left bunker. The hole location we got is probably the easiest.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is my pick for the best hole at Deerfield, if for no other reason than the welcome lack of trees. The hole doglegs sharply to the right, heading steeply downhill from a high plateau about 225-250 yards out from the tee. If you want a flat stance for the second, you can lay back at the top of the hill, leaving a downhill short to mid iron. Or if you're feeling bold, you can carry the group of bunkers in the corner of the dogleg, catching the big slope, and potentially leaving yourself as little as a partial wedge for the second. 

While the width provided on the drive is a big part of this hole's charm, it's not the primary reason for it. That comes from the green, which is unlike any other at the course. For one, it's a lot bigger, and it's not simply sloped from back to front. The front half is tilted in that fashion, quite severely in fact, but the back half slopes away, and that makes approach shots very tricky. Go too far, and the ball will roll quite a long way away, turning potential birdies into potential three putts. I wouldn't want every green to be so tricky, but this one really works for this hole.

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

Deerfield finishes with a fairly short par 4, playing just under 350 yards. The landing area is completely blind, and the fairway doglegs right. It's not as wide as the previous hole, but this is one of the course's wider fairways. Even a good 3 wood will leave a wedge second. The green is very small and protected by three bunkers. It's not as interesting as the seventeenth, but the second is tough enough to keep you on edge. 

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

Deerfield is a good course as it currently stands. It's got a lot of quirk to it, and a lot of interesting land movement. There are a lot of par 4s, since this is a par 70 with just two par 5s, but they always feel varied and different. You never get the sense that you've already seen a hole. The two par 5s are very interesting, if a bit overgrown, though the par 3s are a bit too similar in distance to really be a strength. The value is okay; we paid $50 per person on a Monday afternoon, which isn't hugely expensive but not a bargain either. It's a bit too far away, and a bit too in Delaware for me to seriously think about playing again though; what's on the ground currently is just not quite good enough to be worth the 2-hour drive again.

That said, there's a much better golf course out there if the local government's ever willing to front the expense. Honestly, the only thing Deerfield really needs is a few hundred fewer trees, everything else would be nice but not necessary. Expanded fairways and greens, things like that. But the trees really constrict Deerfield, and they rob the course of so much potential. The land is so interesting, but it's hidden amongst trees, and so many holes are worse off because of untamed trees. The first, the fifth, the sixth, and especially the fifteenth, but they're not alone. Removing trees would also absolutely improve turf conditions, which weren't bad, but they're never going to be great at a busy municipal course. Anything to make the grass grow better is a good thing. I would love to see Deerfield receive a slow, methodical restoration, similar to what George Wright's gone through in the past 15 years. I don't think it would quite be on that level, but a restored Deerfield would certainly stand up favorably with courses like Keney Park and Shennecossett, and definitely worth the 100-mile drive for me.