A memorable round.Byline: Mike Stahlberg The Register-Guard Every golf publication on the planet, it seems, has its list of top courses and best holes. Obviously, Golf Extra, now in its fifth year of publication, has been remiss re·miss adj. 1. Lax in attending to duty; negligent. 2. Exhibiting carelessness or slackness. See Synonyms at negligent. in meeting its journalistic obligation to prompt a public discussion of the best golf our area has to offer. The Golf Extra Composite Course described herein attempts to remedy that oversight. Our fantasy course is intended to highlight the most memorable golf holes on public courses within about an hour's drive of Eugene. Think of it as a parochial version of Royal Links Golf Club in Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. , or any one of a number of other "replica" golf courses that feature imitations of famous golf holes from around the world. Our stab at cut-and-paste course design is more than a simple listing of what we judge to be the 18 "best" holes. Such rankings can result in a hodge-podge that little resembles a real golf course. We wanted our listing to result in a realistic regulation golf course - one that played to a par of 72, with four par 3s and four par 5s. We felt it would be most fair to conduct our evaluations on a hole-by-hole basis - in other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , all No. 1 holes compared against one another, all No. 2s evaluated as a group, and so on. These two requirements forced some tough choices. But real golf course architects face tough choices all the time. In compiling this list, we looked at 14 public courses. Holes receiving at least one vote from our panel of evaluators were considered finalists. Seven hole numbers had only one finalist, meaning they were included automatically. The most difficult choices were for hole numbers 17 (five finalists) and 6 (four finalists). Without further ado Ado (ä`dō), city (1987 est. pop. 287,000), SW Nigeria. Located in a region where rice, corn, cassava, and yams are grown. Traditionally an important cotton-weaving town, Ado also manufactures bricks, tile, and pottery. , let's tee it up for a tour of the area's most memorable holes, by the numbers. 1, Tokatee Golf Club, Par 4, 382 yards It's hard to imagine a more welcoming sight for golfers susceptible to first-tee jitters jitters 'Butterflies' Psychology An episode of nervousness or anxiety that often precedes a public event; jitters is a type of performance anxiety which may affect actors in a stage production–stage fright or soloist musicians; it may respond to anxiolytics than this hole's wide-open fairway. Slicers, hookers and short hitters (the hole plays only 337 downhill yards from the blue tees) all have a good chance to make par here. Many an otherwise memorable round of golf is spoiled by a poor start. Little chance of that here. 2, McKenzie River For rivers name "Mackenzie", see . The McKenzie River is a tributary of the Willamette River, 86 miles (138 km) long, in northwestern Oregon in the United States. It drains part of the Cascade Range east of Eugene into the southernmost end of the Willamette Valley. Golf Course, Par 3, 143 yards "Up and Down" would be a good name for this challenging par 3 that sees more than its fair share of bogeys and double bogeys. The first shot is up to an elevated green that sits above a creek and a steep hillside waste area. To assure clearing all that, golfers can be tempted to over-club. As a result, many players find themselves facing slippery downhill chips or putts that can roll well past the hole. 3, Diamond Woods Par 5, 543 yards Skinny as a snake as it approaches the green, and on a sidehill Side´hill` n. 1. The side or slope of a hill; sloping ground; a descent. to boot, this par 5 does not give up many birdies. It's slightly uphill and features woods on the left and a sand-filled gully on the right. The green is also relatively narrow, and wedge shots to the left side are prone to crazy caroms off the hillside. No wonder it's the No. 3 handicap hole on one of the area's more difficult courses. 4, Emerald Valley Golf Club, Par 4, 405 yards Want a U.S. Open-type experience? Try putting from the upper tier of this severely slanting slant v. slant·ed, slant·ing, slants v.tr. 1. To give a direction other than perpendicular or horizontal to; make diagonal; cause to slope: green. There's a good chance your next "putt" will be from the fairway, so steep and slick is the putting surface. (The green was designed in an era when mower mower, farm machine used for cutting grasses and other hay crops. Mowers, drawn by or attached to tractors, or self-propelled, have superseded scythes. The mower is essentially an adaptation of the much earlier reaper. The first commercial mower was patented in 1847. technology did not allow the surfaces to be cropped as closely as they do now; the ball used to "hold" on areas of the green where it no longer does.) Keeping the ball below the pin is absolutely crucial to a good score here. Fail to do so and your memories of Emerald Valley's fourth hole will not be pleasant. 5, Sandpines Golf Links, Par 3, 187 yards Every Oregon golf course needs a few holes to test the golfer's ability to fly the ball over an expanse of water, and this scenic par 3 provides such a test. The hole wraps around the side of a lake, so the amount of forced carry varies widely depending on which tee box is used. The safest shot is to aim at the back of the green, as wind above the tree line often knocks the ball short. Or, bail out short and left if playing from one of the forward tees. 6, Mallard mallard: see duck. mallard Abundant “wild duck” (Anas platyrhynchos, family Anatidae) of the Northern Hemisphere, ancestor of most domestic ducks. The mallard is a typical dabbling duck in its general habits and courtship display. Creek Golf Course, Par 5, 549 yards The flagstick flag·stick n. A removable pole with a flag marking the placement of each hole on the putting greens of a golf course. here can sometimes be seen directly behind the head of a golfer teeing off on this long (549-yard) U-shaped par 5. The middle of the U is a wetland and a well-placed drive leaves big hitters in position to try cutting the corner and reaching the large green in two. An unusual hole with fair but challenging options. 7, Laurelwood Golf Course, Par 4, 282 yards Short, but tough, describes this winner by default (no other 7th holes were nominated), which plays from a tee box on one hillside to a small green atop a hillside on the opposite side of a narrow valley. The green is guarded on three sides by trees, accounting for most of its difficulty. Most players find themselves with a severely uphill pitch for a second shot. 8, RiverRidge Golf Course, Par 4, 429 yards Four consecutive good golf shots 30 minute news-magazine style golf program on Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia. The program airs Sundays at 6:00PM with repeats Sundays at 5:00AM. Hosts
9, Diamond Woods Golf Course, Par 4, 452 yards "Uphill Grind" would be a good name for this par 4 that plays longer than its 452 yards. For most weekend players, the second shot is going to be so long that accuracy is apt to suffer. A shot short and right will end up in a large bunker, while anything to the left can result in a sidehill lie in the rough. Even getting on in regulation is no assurance of par, as the large, split-level green produces plenty of three putts. 10, Trysting Tree Origins of the name A 'Tryst' is a time and a place for a meeting, especially of lovers. In Old French the word meant an appointed station in hunting. A Trysting day, is an arranged day of meeting or assembling, as of soldiers, friends, lovers and the like. Golf Club, Par 4, 413 yards "Optical Delusion delusion, false belief based upon a misinterpretation of reality. It is not, like a hallucination, a false sensory perception, or like an illusion, a distorted perception. " is our nickname for this 413-yard par 4, owing to owing to prep. Because of; on account of: I couldn't attend, owing to illness. owing to prep → debido a, por causa de the deceptively de·cep·tive·ly adv. In a deceptive or deceiving manner; so as to deceive. Usage Note: When deceptively is used to modify an adjective, the meaning is often unclear. long carry required of shots on-line to the green to cross a slough Slough (slou), city (1991 pop. 106,341) and borough, central England. After World War I, the residential city and its outlying area underwent rapid industrial development, owing in part to its proximity to London. separating tee box from fairway. Play your tee shot well left of the center line to avoid starting your back nine on the wrong (or wet) foot. 11, Tokatee Golf Club, Par 3, 193 yards Even God would get a thrill out of hitting a 2-iron stiff to the flag at No. 11 at Tokatee on a sunny Sunday afternoon, former Register-Guard Sports Editor Noun 1. sports editor - the newspaper editor responsible for sports news newspaper editor - the editor of a newspaper Blaine Newnham once suggested in a column about one of the best public courses in the country. Good enough for Him, good enough for us. 12, RiverRidge Golf Course, Par 4, 312 yards Holes 11 through 13 at RiverRidge are often referred to as the "Bermuda Triangle Bermuda Triangle, area in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida where a number of ships and aircraft have vanished. Also known as the Devil's Triangle, it is bounded at its points by Melbourne, Fla.; Bermuda; and Puerto Rico. ," due to the number of golf balls that mysteriously disappear in the surrounding woods and wetlands. No. 12, a classic short dogleg dog·leg n. 1. a. Something that has a sharp bend, especially a road or route that bends abruptly. b. A sharp bend or turn: Make a dogleg at the fire station and continue south. , is at the vortex, with trouble left, right and long. In fact, the closer one comes to driving this 312-yard hole, the closer one is to losing a ball. Our advice - try to get your birdies here by wedging it close from 70 to 100 yards out. 13, Tokatee Golf Club, Par 4, 416 yards "Oh, Chute chute 1. a device used to restrain large animals especially cattle and horses. It is a small stall into which the animal is encouraged to walk. The head is fixed, in cattle by a head bail, the back is closed and the animal can then be examined or treated. !" would be a good name for this L-shaped hole that requires a straight tee shot through a narrow corridor of trees. Trying to work the ball left to right around the corner can leave you with a shorter second shot - or a lot of trouble if your ball turns too quickly. 14, Emerald Valley Golf Club, Par 4, 453 yards Before a large tree in the fairway was removed several years ago, opening the angle of attack slightly, this was clearly the most difficult par 4 in the area. At 453 yards with water on one side or the other for most of its length - plus a well-bunkered green - it probably still is. In any event, it's rated as a par 5 for women. 15, Oakway Golf Course, Par 4, 242 yards Aside from making a hole-in-one or double eagle, what shot in golf is bragged about more than driving the green on a par 4? Here's your chance to brag. It's a straight shot, and only 242 or 224 yards (depending on which of the two tees you use). Roll that tee shot onto the putting surface, and you'll remember this hole. Guaranteed. 16, Tokatee Golf Club, Par 5, 534 yards One of the most interesting holes in the area - and that's not even counting the spectacular views of the Three Sisters it affords. The pace of play at this hole is often slowed by golfers opting to go for the green in two. Those who lack the power to reach an elevated green 534 yards away in two shots still have plenty to think about - bunkers on the right off the tee, a creek that bisects the fairway, a pond and trees that squeeze the lay-up area, and that slanted slant v. slant·ed, slant·ing, slants v.tr. 1. To give a direction other than perpendicular or horizontal to; make diagonal; cause to slope: green. 17, Ocean Dunes Golf Links, Par 3, 150 yards Arguably ar·gu·a·ble adj. 1. Open to argument: an arguable question, still unresolved. 2. That can be argued plausibly; defensible in argument: three arguable points of law. the most challenging elevated par 3 in the area. A 55-foot difference in elevation between tee and green allows you to look right down the throat of the hole. But the green is guarded by bunkers on the right and trees on the left and coastal winds can slap the ball out of the sky or cause it to sail like a kite. 18, Sandpines Golf Links, Par 5, 518 yards A scenic and eminently suitable finishing hole wrapped around one side of a lake. Bite off Verb 1. bite off - bite off with a quick bite; "The dog snapped off a piece of cloth from the intruder's pants" snap at bite, seize with teeth - to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws; "Gunny invariably tried to bite her" all it's possible to chew along the lake's edge with two nerve-wracking shots and you just might get there in two. Or you might get wet. The smart play is to hit a drive just to the left of the bunkers on the right. Then lay up in front of the cart path that leads up to the clubhouse, providing yourself a clear path to the green and a good chance to get up and down for a birdie. - Got your own ideas concerning the most memorable public golf holes in Lane County and surrounding area? Log on to www.registerguard.com/outdoors and post your comments to this article. |
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