Review: Coudersport Golf Club (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is not especially long at 340 yards, but you have to add a fair amount to that distance, as the hole climbs dramatically uphill as it bends left to right up the side of the ridge. While the drive is incredibly wide open, the second shot will be from a precarious hanging lie. And when you take a peak at the green, carved precipitously from what is very nearly a cliff, it doesn't matter that you probably only have a wedge in your hand. This is a white-knuckle approach; you drift right at all and you're making a very large number. The green, while not super dramatic, is hardly easy to putt and has a couple of humps and bumps to make things interesting once you get onto the surface. I'm not sure which approach is tougher, this one or the one at the third, but they're both very fun.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

Speaking of fun, the eleventh hole may technically be the longest par 4 at the course, playing 430 yards, but it descends the same hill we just climbed on 10, cascading down the hill as the fairway bends right to left. A big draw, aimed at the end corner of the right tree line, will go a very, very long way. Even golfers of relatively modest length like me could reach the final big downslope and end up having just a little wedge second shot. That said, the green here is the most undulating and difficult to putt on the entire course, and there's no help from a general back-to-front slope here either. Overall, this is just a really fun hole; there's nothing to distract you from enjoying the fun tee shot and the green is no pushover.

Interesting fact, a eleventh used to be a short par 3 at the top of the ridge, with this hole (the twelfth) being a more direct and shorter par 4. I'm not sure when the change was made, but both Google Maps and the course website still talking about or showing the old eleventh. A 2019 Google Earth image may show the new routing (there's a cut in a small group of trees behind the former eleventh green, showing where the new eleventh tee is), but everything is covered in snow so it's difficult to tell for certain. I'm going to go ahead and say that the course was changed between 2016 and 2019. Whether or not the change is good is obviously not a question I can answer for certain, though just judging from the new hole I did play (we'll see it later), I would be inclined to favor the old routing. 

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

From the twelfth hole onward, Coudersport is restricted to parallel holes alongside a stream, so the dramatic elevation changes we've seen previously are done. Ultimately, that does mean we've seen the best the course has to offer, though these last seven holes certainly don't lack strategy or charm.

Anyway, the twelfth is a 350-yard par 4 that plays straight ahead to a fairway of modest width. The ridge comes in from the left, so any drive that misses a little left will bounce back into play. The green is medium sized and bunkerless, though there is enough undulation to it to make the approach matter and putts from the wrong part of the green a bit tricky.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is 340 yards and features a drive from an elevated tee carved out of the forest. It turns the hole into a slight dogleg and also means that, if you want to hit driver, you really do need to hit a draw. Otherwise, you'll run out of space and run into the stream that runs down the right side of the hole. Since the hole is of modest length, a 3 wood or long iron is really all you need on the tee shot. That will leave a full wedge for the second shot, which is admittedly fairly tough. This green is two tiered and flanked by bunkers, and even if you do find the right section of the green, the surface has some pretty noticeable break to it. It's not the most difficult green on the course, but it's no slouch.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is just under 300 yards, making it potentially drivable for longer hitters. However, the stream cuts diagonally across the hole about 200 yards from the tee. That's a modest carry, but with trees lining the right side, the amount of space on the far side of the stream is not massive. A fade is the shot to play if you are going for the green; if not, you're better off hitting a mid iron to 200 yards, leaving a full wedge for the second. Laying up also takes a bunker that's about 10 yards short left of the green mostly out of play. 

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a mid-length par 3 playing over completely flat ground to a fairly undulating green that slightly falls away from front to back. There's a bunker just behind the green, and one short right, and while you'd need to hit a pretty big hook, the stream is lurking 20 yards or so to the left.

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is technically (by a single yard, according to the scorecard) the longest hole at Coudersport, playing nearly 530 yards. The hole sweeps left around a hill, with only a small amount of fairway visible from the tee. You do not want to aim at that, however; the ideal aiming point is either directly over or just left of a small tree halfway up the hill. Failing to do so will bring the stream right and beyond the fairway into play. A good drive can bring the green into play on the second. The hole is bunkerless, so lay-ups have little worry about, but if you are going for the green in two, there is a pond left of the green. This, I would say, is the last good hole on the course.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The sixteenth hole from behind the green.

The seventeenth hole is the new addition, replacing the old eleventh hole. It's a downhill par 3, playing just over 150 yards over a pond to a large, wide-open green that really does just sort of sit out in the middle of nowhere. I guess the stream is technically in play long and left, but for the most part this hole just has very little to offer. It's not even a particularly interesting green. As I said earlier, I don't know for certain that the old eleventh was better, but considering how bland this hole is, I can't imagine this is the better choice, interest wise. It does present a nice view, at the very least.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is a par 5, being virtually identical in distance to the sixteenth. It does play in the opposite direction, at least, so the change in wind direction provides some variation. The hole is essentially flat and the fairway bends only slightly left; otherwise, this playing corridor is wide and there are no bunkers. You're basically just hitting it as far as you can, and like the previous hole, the green isn't anything to write home about. Definitely an anti-climax at the finish, unfortunately.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

Coudersport Golf Club has a lot of pressure on its shoulders; this is quite literally the only golf course in Potter County. That's not a huge population, granted, but it does mean that, if this course doesn't satisfy you, you've got a long drive to find something else.

Fortunately, I think this is a fine golf course. There are some bland holes, but never anything bad or unlikable. It's got some funky quirk to it, and the third hole is legitimately fantastic. The tenth and eleventh as well are very fun holes, and while the stream section at the end lacks visual drama, there's some good golf there as well. The conditions were better than I was expecting, particularly for mid-October at a point where winter was rapidly approaching. Not pristine, of course, but for a public golf course in the middle of a forest the place was certainly very green. As one might expect from rural Pennsylvania, the cost is pretty modest; it was under $30 to walk 18 during the week. Maybe slightly more than I anticipated, but not anything too crazy. 

While it's not something I'd go an hour-plus out of my way for, I enjoyed playing Coudersport, and if and/or when I'm in town again (I'd like another try at Cherry Springs with a functioning telescope), I'd happily play here again, and not just because it's the only place to play. It is genuinely a worthwhile course from a design point of view.

Review: Coudersport Golf Club (Part 1)

In October last year, my girlfriend and I took a trip to northern Pennsylvania so we could spend a night out at Cherry Springs State Park, home of the darkest skies on the East Coast. We've been wanting to do this pretty much since we first met, and it was an awe-inspiring experience to sit underneath so many stars on a dark, moonless night. You really can see so much, including the span of the Milky Way itself. I don't have any pictures of that, but I think we would definitely like to go again, this time with a telescope that actually functions.

The thing with stargazing, of course, is that you need the sky to be cloud-free. That means you need to allocate a few days waiting for clear skies, and since nearby Coudersport is a town of just 2,000 people and has very little to do, I had some free time for a round at the local golf course (the only golf course within an hour of town, as a matter of fact; northern Pennsylvania is very sparsely populated). Coudersport Golf Club dates back to the 1930s, with an additional nine holes being added in 1992. The course was built by local people and squeezed into a narrow valley, much like the town itself a few miles up the road.  It's often very rugged, and while all that has its downsides, it can also present some interesting opportunities. 

The first hole is a short drive-and-pitch par 4 at 345 yards, and is about as plain as a golf hole can get. Generous fairway, dead-flat land, no hazards beyond the trees lining the playing corridor. The green has some subtle undulation, but there's no getting around it: this is a very uninteresting hole. Naturally, I made a double bogey. Literal easiest hole in the world, and I make a double. Classic.

The first hole. Hard to believe these pictures were taken a month and a half before my North Carolina trip. Winter comes quick to northern Pennsylvania.

The first green.

The second hole is just a hundred yards, but it plays sharply uphill to a green carved out of the hillside. It's a small green as well, with significant back-to-front slope. There are no bunkers, but missing the green will present you with a thoroughly awkward chip from a decidedly not-level stance. It's a fun little hole, and a definite step up from the previous hole.

The second hole.

The third hole is by far the most interesting hole at Coudersport, and one that could fit quite comfortably at any high-brow Golden Age country club. At just 320 yards, this is not a long hole, but the fairway is not wide and sharply canted from right to left as it negotiates the side of the ridge. The hole also bends left and gets increasingly narrow as it goes, quite effectively taking driver out of play while never officially doing so. A long iron is by far the best choice on the tee, leaving yourself a wedge off a hanging lie to a thoroughly unique green complex. I don't know if the original architect knew what a Biarritz was, but that signature deep swale is here, dividing a very narrow green in two. There's even a little pot bunker left, further pinching the green. Considering the steep falloff, you're actually fortunate if you end up in that bunker over any alternative. Right is of course the safer miss, but if your ball gets hung up in that rough, good luck on keeping the chip shot on the green. And of course, if you find the wrong half of the green, two putting is quite the challenge. 

Overall, this is just a great hole, and this alone made the round more than worthwhile.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is 370 yards and plays alongside the same hillside as the last hole. That means the fairway is severely tilted, though here at least you have space to hit driver. A draw will run down the hill a long way and leave you with just a little wedge for the second shot. A single bunker guards the front-left corner of the green, which is medium sized (for this golf course, at least) and mildly domed, with subtle but noticeable undulations throughout, making it more challenging to putt than you might think.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole, a 345-yard par 4, was unfortunately being worked on during my round, so I don't actually know how it plays. Here's what the Coudersport Golf Club website says: "The tee shot is fairly open with out-of-bounds up the right side again.  An ideal tee shot is 230 to 240 yards up the right center of the fairway.  From the tee long hitters can reach the hazard right of the green and half-shots are difficult to stop on this green, so it's prudent to lay back a little bit.  The green is the most severely sloped on the course leaning from left to right."

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a fairly short par 3, though at 150 yards it's 50 yards longer than the second hole. This hole is a lot more conventional, though not particularly easy. A former bunker protects the right half of the green, which slopes pretty hard from right to left. Left is definitely the better place to miss; it's going to be very difficult to get a chip close when the green falls away from you. I'm also not sure when the bunker was grassed over, as the website still says that there's a bunker there. This won't be the only time the website presents outdated information.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is just over 400 yards and plays straight ahead to a wide fairway with a moderate left-to-right slope. A good drive will leave a wedge or short iron second to a small, undulating green with a pretty severe left-to-right slop tucked behind a tiny pond and dense trees to the right. For a bunkerless hole that's so open on the tee shot, the seventh is no pushover.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a little silly. The scorecard says 300 yards and has a steeply downhill tee shot, but this hole is a 90-degree dogleg with forest covering the entire right side. The bend comes quickly too; all you need is to hit a long iron a couple hundred yards. You don't want to go too far, or trees will obstruct the second shot. Not like if you fail to reach the dogleg, of course, but still not ideal. The approach will be a full wedge to a relatively large green carved from dense forest. Definitely an awkward hole here.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is the first par 5 at Coudersport, playing about 500 yards from an elevated tee box to a flat and wide fairway. With no bunkers and not much to the green either, making this a great opportunity for eagle if you've got the length for it. Otherwise, there's really not much to this hole other than the downhill tee shot.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll check out the back nine.

Review: Southern Pines Golf Club (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is a shortish 365-yard par 4 that presents a classic strategic dilemma. The green is protected by a large and deep bunker to the right, meaning it's best approached from the left side of the fairway. However, the fairway is tilted from left to right, and there's a lot of exposed sand on the left side. The right side, while providing a much worse angle into the green, is much easier to access on the tee shot. The green itself is perched up, so if you miss you're going to have a difficult time recovering. Not a revolutionary hole, but certainly very solid.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is Southern Pines' classic hole. A short, potentially drivable par 4, it bends right around the course's central pond, but crucially is far enough away from the fairway and green that it doesn't overwhelm the golfer. Of greater concern is the ever-narrowing fairway pinched in on both sides by elaborate bunkering. The more aggressive you are with your tee shot, the less margin for error you have. However, the green itself is relatively bunker free, giving the golfers out there with enough length to reach it plenty of temptation to go for it. That's part of what makes this hole so good; it encourages you to be more aggressive than you should be.

As for the green, it's just as compelling as the rest of the hole. Situated out on a small promontory, it falls away on three sides while also sloping from front left to back right. You need to be very careful with your approach shot here, as anything that flies too far will run out and go over the green, leaving yourself with a tough recovery. Also, this green is plenty undulating with numerous dips and bumps. Finding the green is no guarantee of two putting. I think it's also worth mentioning that this green is tilted so that, if you're hitting driver straight at it, the slopes will actually slow the ball down. This further adds to the temptation to go for the green. 

Simply put, this is an incredible hole and certainly the best one I played during this Sandhills excursion.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is a mid-length par 4 that plays over pretty much level ground. Bunkers that pinch in from the left, along with a cross-bunker about 300 yards out, make driver a poor choice; a fairway wood will leave you in the widest part of the fairway with a short iron second shot. The green, while not lacking interest, lacks some of the wilder contours other greens at Southern Pines possesses. It's protected by a single large bunker right, meaning it's best approached from the left. It's not a bad hole, but considering the rest of the course, particularly the previous hole, it is kind of a let-down.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is a very long par 4 at nearly 470 yards. The first 300 yards or so are flat, with the fairway eventually reaching a hillside leading down to the central pond. To get a view of the green, you need to hit driver, which is not an unreasonable task considering how wide this fairway is. That's not the tricky part of this hole. The difficulty comes at the green, which from above appears extremely undefended. But like the eleventh, it slopes from front to back, and a small knob placed directly in front of the green complicates matters greatly. A ball that lands there could bounce anywhere, and it's so directly in play that you pretty much have to deal with it. It really goes to show how much small features can affect a hole, so long as they're intelligently placed. 

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is the final par 3 at Southern Pines, playing nearly 200 yards as the hole hops from one hill to another. The hole favors a fade, which helps you avoid two deep bunkers right; the green is also sloped from left to right, further encouraging you to aim away from those big bunkers. I will say, while the par 3s here are solid, the lack of variety in distance is a bit disappointing. A sub-150 yard par 3 would be most appreciated.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a short par 5 (and the only one on the back nine), playing 495 yards to a flat fairway well below the tee. A fade is favored on the tee shot; this will work between the bunkers short right and long left. Like the two par 5s on the front nine, a set of cross bunkers cuts the fairway off about 75 yards short of the green, giving people who are laying up something extra to think about. The green is elevated and the approach uphill; there are bunkers on both sides that are slightly separated from the green itself, serving more as a hazard for people going for it in two than those who have laid up and have a wedge in hand. 

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is about the same length as the eleventh at 315 yards and plays downhill, making it potentially reachable for longer hitters. However, the fairway narrows the further up you go; if you lay back, you'll have plenty of space to find the fairway, but if you use driver, there's only 20 yards or so to work with between bunkers. The green is long and narrow and has some left-to-right tilt to it (along with the usual undulation) that make recovery from the greenside bunker quite difficult.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is on the longer side at 430 yards and plays to a fairway significantly tilted from right to left. Bunkers flank both sides, and while you can lay up short of them, that will leave a very long second. The ideal play here is a fade hard up the right to stay on the high side of the fairway; this leaves the best angle for the second shot. The green is open in front and to the right but sand is everywhere left and long. The left bunker is especially easy to find, as the right-to-left slope of the fairway means the golfer is encouraged to hit a draw. Still, since this green is on the flatter side and you can quite easily get up and down from just right of it, this hole isn't too incredibly difficult.

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is not an especially fearsome closer, playing just over 350 yards (though admittedly it is uphill the whole way). This is a hole where precision and caution beats raw power. The hole bends left around a large bunker, but the fairway is tilted left to right. A bunker on the far side of the dogleg will catch any driver that isn't aimed basically directly over the inner bunker near the left tree line. A fairway wood or long iron starting down the left side is all you really need here and will still get you in wedge or short iron distance. The second shot is of course quite uphill to a semiblind green that seems to be engulfed in sand. In reality, much of the back two-thirds of the green is surrounded by fairway, so the second shot isn't quite as tough as it looks. Still, people do like to underclub on uphill approaches, and the green is no picnic either. This may not be a particularly long or challenging hole, but I'm sure it doesn't yield too many birdies either. 

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green. This particular angle is less than ideal.

The eighteenth green.

Something I wish I'd taken a picture of but didn't notice until after the round (when it was basically dark) is that Southern Pines has a massive putting green filled with wild undulations; something in the spirit of St. Andrews' Himalayas. My brothers and I were putting around it for the better part of an hour, not leaving until well after it was fully and completely dark out. Between this and Pine Needles' activity-filled lodge, the extra-curriculars at some of these Donald Ross courses were almost as fun as the courses themselves.

Anyway, the golf course; obviously, it's extremely good. I saved the best for last. Tee to green, Southern Pines is every bit as good, if not better, than Mid Pines and is decidedly superior to Pine Needles. But it's the greens themselves where Southern Pines stands out. Southern Pines' siblings simply cannot compare to Southern Pines' greens. Honestly, neither can Tot Hill Farm and Tobacco Road. Those courses feature wild and memorable greens, but at a certain point wild and crazy can give way to tedium. I would never get tired of Southern Pines. Also, the eighth and eleventh holes are instant classics to me. I will say, much like Pine Needles, the finish here is on the weaker side — not as bad, but I don't think anyone will come away from a round raving over the stretch from 15 to 17. 

Also, I'm not sure what the difference was, but the grass here was far faster and firmer than at Mid Pines and Pine Needles. Tee shots actually ran out some here, which was honestly very nice.

And there's more good news: the difference is technically minimal, but of the Donald Ross non-Pinehurst triumvirate, Southern Pines is the cheapest. And since it's also the best, a round here is a no-brainer. I might even be willing to play this course again at full price — or at the very least, the mildly discounted summer price ($175). 

To sum things up, Southern Pines is comfortably a top five golf course for me, and I'm very glad my brothers and I finally made the trek down to North Carolina to play all these Sandhills courses. This was pretty clearly the best trip we've done from a golf quality perspective, and I would love to come back.