Review: Quail Valley Golf Club (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is a fairly short par 4, playing 355 yards. The hole doglegs nearly 90 degrees right about 225-250 yards out, with O.B. out beyond, so you'll either want to lay back or cut off a significant amount of the dogleg. I imagine long hitters could actually get quite close to the green if you're confident enough to hit at a blind target. For most, a fairway wood or long iron will leave a wedge into the green, which is protected by a bunker front right. 

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is quite literally routed through a farm. There's corn on the right side, some other crop on the other (I'm not a farmer, so I don't know what it is), and a long par 4 heading through. Beyond the need to keep it out of the farm on either side, there's no trouble on the drive, and the fairway is reasonably wide. A good drive will leave a mid iron or so into a bunkerless, fairly large, reasonably undulating green.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is a mid-length par 4 playing uphill to a wide-open fairway. No reason not to hit driver on this one. A good drive will leave a wedge or short iron up to the green, which is fairly undulating and flanked by bunkers.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is, most unfortunately, a par 3 with an island green. And if you play from all the way back, a very tough one too, since the hole can stretch as long as 180 yards. The tees were up for my round, and I wasn't playing the back tees anyway. Even still, the green is fairly narrow, so there's not a lot of room to miss, and shots that miss the green at all will hit a sideslope and bounce down into the water. Just aim for the center of the green on this one and hope for the best.

The thirteenth hole.

The fourteenth hole is a straightaway mid-length par 4, playing to a deceptively open fairway. Right is fine, and you have to miss pretty far left to lose a drive. A solid driver will leave a wedge or short iron into the green, which has a bunker right and is sloped fairly significantly from back to front.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is the longest hole at Quail Valley, and in this case that really means something. This hole can stretch all the way to 625 yards, which is quite a lot. It's not very exciting for the first 500 yards either; there's noting on the drive save a large tree about 150 yards out that can catch pulled or hooked drives. However, the same creek that crosses the fourth returns here, acting in a similar fashion, splitting the fairway about 100 yards from the green and forcing the golfer to either risk carrying it or staying short and leaving a slightly longer third than one might like. The green is wide and shallow, with a single bunker behind.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is 430 yards, and the drive is simple. However, it is advantageous to favor the left side of the fairway. Doing so will leave a superior angle, since the green is not particularly large or deep, and three small bunkers protect the right side.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is the shortest hole at Quail Valley, playing 160 yards over a pond. The green is on the larger side and two tiered, with bunkers on either side. The front hole location is tricky here, since you don't want to go over and leave a tricky putt or chip down the tier, but obviously you don't want to be short either.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is 40 yards shorter than the fifteenth, but at 585 yards it's still pretty long. The drive is pretty wide open, but things get trickier on the second. You have a choice to make: Either stay left of a pond right that splits the main portion of the fairway from the green, leaving a long third, or attempt to carry the water, leaving a short and simple pitch into the green. The green itself is elevated and slopes from back to front; while there is a bunker right, the main issue is a massive grassy hollow left. Getting up and down from there is likely near impossible. 

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

It's a shame Quail Valley waited until the very end to throw an interesting green complex at the golfer. More greens like the eighteenth would make this course worth a second visit. But alas, it is just the one, and nothing else here is memorable in any way. It's an easy and inexpensive course, and while there's nothing wrong with that, I don't feel any need to play here again. This is about as generic as golf courses get.

Review: Quail Valley Golf Club (Part 1)

Now that winter is essentially upon us here in the Northeast, there's a whole lot of golfers with plenty of spare time. If you're ever really bored, here's a little something to keep you busy for a while: The alphabetical golf course challenge. I picked this up from a post on Golf Club Atlas, you take each letter of the alphabet and pick your favorite golf course that starts with that letter. You won't have every letter (good luck finding an X golf course), but you can get close. That brings us to Quail Valley in Littlestown, Pennsylvania, an otherwise-ordinary golf course save for the fact that its name starts with a Q. Is that a good reason to play and review a golf course? Not really, but it was only a 45-minute drive, so why not get Q out of the way? And besides, I've played new golf courses for less reason. 

The first hole is a simple 400-yard par 4. The fairway slopes a bit from right to left, and there are a few small trees, but otherwise there's nearly unlimited space on the drive. However, because of the bunker left of the green, favoring the right side of the fairway is a good idea. The green is also pretty straightforward, with not much in the way of significant undulation. 

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is 185 yards, and at the very least it's a bit more interesting than the first hole. The green slopes a fair amount from back to front, and is guarded by a deep bunker left and a tree right. That tree is very much in play, and I'm guessing it catches quite a few slices. And that bunker probably sees more action because of the tree as people bail out left. I'm not usually a big fan of using trees in such a bold manner, but this one works well. 

The second hole.

The third hole is a mid-length par 4 playing to a pretty narrow fairway, squeezed by trees on both sides (and O.B. to the right). Using driver isn't the greatest idea, in my opinion; you're better off using 3 wood to hit the fairway and accepting the longer second shot. The green is medium sized and slightly domed in the front, with a bunker front left and a significant falloff behind.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is 565 yards from all the way back, which is pretty long by most course's standards, but at Quail Valley things are different. We'll get to that. The drive here is very open, which is good, if a bit boring. A stream cuts across the fairway about 75 yards short of the green, so the lay-up does require some restraint if you're not confident in your ability to clear it. The green is shallow and wide, with a single bunker right.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a fairly long par 4 at 425 yards, with a very narrow stream (more of a ditch) lurking the whole way down the left side of the fairway. A solid drive over the crest of the hill will leave a wedge or short iron into the green, which is relatively long and narrow and has a pond right. In addition, a small bunker lurks long and left to catch people playing a little too safely.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a fairly short par 4, playing 350 yards. There are numerous large trees crowding the fairway, and the hole doglegs significantly about 75 yards short of the green. If you want to ensure a clear second, you need to hit the drive at least 225 yards, but since the fairway is narrow using driver is a dicey proposition. It shouldn't be an issue if you're playing from the whole way back, but it is something to think about. The green is on the larger side but has bunkers left and short, plus the green slopes away slightly at the back, so one should be careful not to fly their wedges too far. You can quite easily end up in an awkward position over the back of this green.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is a mid-length par 3 with a green sloped from back to front and a single bunker left. There clearly used to be another bunker right, but it's been grassed over (presumably to relieve the maintenance budget, there are a few grassed-over bunkers at Quail Valley). All in all, a pretty simple hole.

The seventh hole.

The eighth hole is 385 yards and bends nearly 90 degrees about 250 yards out, with the fairway ending in a cluster of trees. With more tree in the corner of the dogleg, you'll need to hit a fairly specific drive to ensure a clear shot at the green. If you do that, the pond that splits the fairway about 50 yards short of the green is no issue. The green is sloped from back to front and a single bunker protects the right side.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is a 540-yard par 5 with a tee shot playing uphill. You need to get over the hill to get a view of the green, but with forest left and a blind marshy area right (luckily you see it on the first hole, so I did know it was there), this is a fairly tight tee shot. If you're not going for the green in two, you'll want to lay up out to the left, and preferably as far as you can. The ideal position is where the fairway bends right. This will give you the best angle into the green, which is angled left to right and has a large bunker in front. Second shots laid well back will have to go straight over that bunker, as will people going for the green in two.

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: Flatbush Golf Club (Part 2)

Here's the back nine at Flatbush, and here's the front nine if you haven't seen it.

The tenth hole is a short par 4, and you should get used to that particular phrase. This hole, and two of the next three, are all par 4s less than 375 yards. This one is just under 360, and doglegs left between a pair of fairway bunkers. There's an empty field right that is also OB, but it's very easy to get your golf ball back if you do go over there. The second shot is a little wedge, preferably from the left side to give yourself a better angle at the green, especially when the flag is tucked behind the greenside bunker.

The back nine starts off with a short par 4.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a medium-length par 3, just under 190 yards. It plays over level ground, and is guarded by bunkers front left and to the right. The par 3s at Flatbush aren't the most thought-provoking or interesting holes in the world.

The eleventh hole.

The twelfth hole is the shortest par 4 on the golf course at 340 yards. So, not quite reachable, and a pair of fairway bunkers around the length a good drive would go mean that the smart play is to lay up with a wood or long iron down at the bottom of the hill. The second shot is a wedge back up the hill to the green, which is guarded by two bunkers. Also, there's a neat little windmill thing by the green, which I thought was kind of nifty.

The twelfth hole.

The twelfth green.

Here's the little windmill.

The thirteenth hole is 363 yards, and doglegs to the right. There are no fairway bunkers, but the road that separates 12-17 from the rest of the course is to the left. You'd have to hit a big hook to get there though, the native area to the right is much more of a threat, considering the shape of the hole. The green is fairly undulating, and there are two bunkers short left and one short right.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is a bit longer than the previous three par 4s at nearly 400 yards. The pond in between the tee and the fairway really isn't much of an obstacle, but this hole is pretty narrow. There are dense trees left and a native area right. So the driver still may not be a good idea. The green is once again pushed up above its surroundings, and there is a single bunker to the right.

The fourteenth is not an inviting driving hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is the only par 5 on the back nine, and at 510 yards, it's not a particularly long one. However, this is most definitely meant to be a three shot hole. The fairway runs out after 250 yards and the hole bends significantly to the left over a narrow stream. Should you be able to sling a draw around the treeline, you can carry it, but there isn't a huge reward for doing so. The hole is a double dogleg, and there are trees in between the second shot landing area, wherever that is, and the green. Unless you can summon a big draw and then a big fade, you'll be laying up on this hole. The green is at the top of the hill, and has bunkers left, right, and behind. This is a hole to play patiently.

You'll probably be laying up off the tee on 15.

We'll see the fifteenth green at some point...

Here it is.

The sixteenth hole is just under 390 yards, and for whatever reason, there are five bunkers clustered in the corner of the dogleg. Now, Flatbush isn't quite as bereft of fairway bunkers of some of the other courses I've played, but there hasn't been anything of this magnitude, and it struck me as being a bit strange. There isn't even any great benefit to carrying the bunkers, sure, you get a shorter second, but that's it. The angle to the green isn't any better, and if anything, you'll have less green to work with. I think it's better to play this hole with a 3 wood and then a full wedge.

The sixteenth hole with its large collection of fairway bunkers.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is the last par 3 on the course, and while it's slightly shorter than the eleventh, it plays a bit uphill. If you can hit a draw around the front-left bunker, you have a definite advantage. Right isn't a bad place to miss though.

The seventeenth hole.

The eighteenth hole is about 420 yards, and this is the only par 4 on the back nine that is over 400 yards. It plays uphill the whole way, but it's a slow, steady climb. There really isn't much in the way of obstacles on the drive, so it's one last opportunity to pull out the driver and see how far you can get. The green is guarded by bunkers front right and back left, and is angled to best receive a fade. It's a long enough hole that it isn't easy, but it's definitely easy enough that you can see yourself being able to finish with a birdie. And that's a good thing in a finishing hole.

The eighteenth is very wide open.

The eighteenth green.

Looking back down the eighteenth.

Now, to be honest, Flatbush isn't the most exciting golf course in the world. But it definitely wasn't a bad golf course. I'd definitely put in the middle of all the golf courses I've played. Also working in its favor is the price. It cost $22 to walk on a Saturday afternoon, which is a thoroughly reasonable price for the golf that you get. I've spend more money on less enjoyable golf courses. It's a better golf course than Glade Valley, which I was reminded of more than a few times while playing Flatbush. 

One interesting thing about Flatbush that I didn't notice when I first looked at the course is the disparity in length between the two nines. I saw a course that was a bit under 6,700 yards from the back tees, which is pretty much ideal for me. However, the front nine is just over 400 yards longer than the back nine. This is a little strange, but I think I preferred the longer front nine to the shorter back nine. There was a bit more challenge and interest to the front nine.

Now, for the big question: Would I play this course again? And the answer is yes, but I wouldn't go there again in the height of the summer golf season. I think this is a good course to play on a particularly warm day in the winter/late fall/early spring. It's very wide open, not particularly long, an easy walk, cheap, and while I obviously don't know what the course is like on a day-to-day basis, it was thoroughly unbusy when we played there. My brothers and I got around in less than 4 hours quite easily. I would travel the extra half-hour and pay the extra $5 to play here over slogging through a 5 hour round at Glade Valley. And that's all a course of this quality can reasonably ask for.