Hole 1
This is a great par 5 to start the round of golf here at Oak Shadows Golf Club. One may potentially reach the green in 2 shots. There is a little more room between the green and the lake than appears so make sure you hit that approach shot with confidence! Remember the poles in the fairways are yellow for 250 yards, Blue for 200 yards, white for 150 yards and red for 100 yards. Place that second shot between 100-120 yards for the best approach shot to the green.
Hole 2
This is a nice short little par 4. A benched fairway is protected by grass bunkers on the left and a creek/hazard on the right. Make sure you look at what side the green the pin is located because a ridge runs from front to back in the middle of the green. Place your approach shot on the same side of the green for the best scoring opportunity. The green is very narrow from front to back… club selection is very important. As in most cases, a little short is better than a little long.
Hole 3
This is another nice short little par 4. A semi-blind tee shot around a dog-leg left. The fairway bunker is at the top of a ridge that falls off behind the bunker. The approach shot is uphill! Make certain to hit enough club. The green is a nasty one. An approach shot will typically fall to the right a little bit and that is where you want to be… putting, or chipping up at the pin. Left of the green makes for a very difficult up and down situation. Out of bounds left on the tee shot… Risk… Reward…
Hole 4
This is a fantastic par 4! Out of bounds left, water right, downhill tee shot, uphill second shot to an elevated green with a false front. No worries mate! The uphill second shot requires attention to make sure you hit enough club! The green on this hole angles slightly from the left front to the back right side. Aim for the left center of the green for the maximum chance to hit the green. 4 is a great score here.
Hole 5
This is a downhill par 3 that typically plays into the prevailing wind. Picking the correct club can be very difficult. The green angles from the front right to the back left. A large green, water right and long, and a sand bunker front-left make for an excellent par 3. Favor the right center of this green for the best chance of consistently making a par. There is a couple of clubs difference between the front and back pin placements.
Hole 6
This is a fantastic par 5 and the number 1 handicap hole on the course. This is risk/reward at its finest. Narrow driving to a semi-blind fairway, the right side of the hole falls off to the hazard area to the right. Favor the left side of the fairway since everything works to the right. The big challenge is one may either play a lay-up shot, or one may chance hitting the small green from a distance. Water surrounds the green, right, left and long. Placing the ball 70-90 yards out for an approach shot is the recommended way to play this hole. (Look at it across the hazard when playing #2)
Hole 7
This is another great par 4. Marsh and water loom right and short left on the tee shot. Out of bounds is down the left side. Intimidating visually, but it is a very wide fairway. The play is down the left side of the fairway for the widest part of the fairway, and the best slightly uphill approach to the green. For a long hole, the green is not real deep. The green angles from front left slightly to the back right. Water front and to the right of the green, and water to the back of the green. Aim for the front left-center of this green. 4 is a great score.
Hole 8
This par 3 green was completely re-built a few years ago to rave reviews due to the prior severe slope left to right. While still a great hole, it is now a kinder, gentler green to play. Just short, or slightly right affords the best opportunity for an up and down. Many times it is difficult to feel the wind since the tee is nestled between trees, but generally the prevailing wind is in coming toward you, or slightly against from the right. (look at the clouds) Picking the correct club to this very long green is difficult, but important.
Hole 9
Keep the tee shot to the left on this hole. The ball will work off the hill to the fairway most of the time. Keep left of the big tree on the right because the lake is on the right between #1 and #9. A narrow long green awaits the approach shot… pick the correct club and favor the left center of the green. Again, the ball should work a little right, and a green-side bunker sits right of the green. Putts will be sneaky quick from the left side to the right side.
Hole 10
“The launching pad” This is an elevated tee shot to a fairway that has a large bunker on the left and hazard on the right. Favor the right center of the fairway. This is a fairly big green that is relatively flat. The driving range is Out-of-bounds and marked accordingly. Pro tip** If you have not played here make certain to check out hole # 11 that comes back along the lake on the left. One can not see the creek crossing the fairway, so get a feel for the tee shot on the next hole. Also, take a look at the pin on #18 green to the right.
Hole 11
Check the plate on the back side of the white tee complex “235 to the creek”. Hitting over the cart path at the corner of the lake is the short way to cut the corner, but be careful there is O.B. left on the range, and the creek is tough to carry straight, or to the right side of the fairway. Most will do better playing it as a three shot hole. The green angles from front-left to the back right and is not real deep. The green side bunker, front and right is very deep… AVOID. Pick the correct club on the approach and aim for the left center of the green.
Hole 12
This par 3 is very slightly uphill. This long narrow green angles from front left to back right. Picking the right club here is also very important. The green slopes from left to right and will be very quick if trying to get up and down from left of the green. There is a big fall-off to the right of the bunkers to a hazard. Aim for the front left center of the green for the best result on a daily basis. The false front left of the green is a bail out area, but it is a pretty tough up and down.
Hole 13
Just stand and appreciate the view for starters. This is a great, short par 4. Under certain conditions the long hitters can potentially reach this green on the tee shot. The best play is to hit the ball in the fairway and leave between 100-120 yards in for the approach shot. The hill to the left generally kicks the tee shot toward the fairway. The second shot plays downhill over water and generally the prevailing winds come from behind making the correct club choice imperative. However, long can be O.B. and short is not good either.
Hole 14
Don’t buy in to the 18th handicap hole being easy… it is a great short par 4. Starting at the green and going back, it slopes from the right side of the green down to the left side near the creek. The best angle for the second shot is from the left side of the fairway and that brings the O.B. left into play. So the bailout tee shot in the right rough is a very difficult shot to hold on this green. Aim for the right center of the green and allow it to funnel to the left side of the green for an uphill putt. DO NOT GET GREEDY! A tee shot to the 80-100 yard range is the best area to approach the green from. * The fence left of the green is an immovable obstruction. One may take stance and swing relief from the fence. Left of the fence is out of bounds. (The fence was installed for the safety of all golfers, and employees.)
Hole 15
This a great short par 3. As you can see the left side of the green is very shallow. Left is a “sucker pin” and one has to have the perfect club for the yardage. Aim for the right center of this green and take your medicine and be happy with a par if the birdie putt does not fall. Easy to make a 5 on this hole if you blow it long or hit in the green-side bunkers (some sand and grass bunkers). The wind is tough to guage because one can’t feel it, but it is there. Normally the wind will be coming at you and slightly from the right.
Hole 16
This par 4 is a beauty. Try to avoid the large fairway bunker on the left. The lake is in front, but there is quite a bit of room between it and the green… do not let it intimidate you☺. There is a little false front to this green as well so it will not bounce on most likely. This is a two-tier green and very large, so pick the correct club to get to the proper level of the green. Long hitters need to caution not to hit the tee shot in the water if they are playing any of the tees forward of the championship tees. 4 is a great score here as well.
Hole 17
This par 4 is generally dead into the wind. Try not to over swing into the wind. O.B is on the left and two fairway bunkers are on the right. The difficulty in this hole is in the second shot. It is very flat and one can not get real good depth perception to the green for picking out the proper club. Check the yardage and trust it. Avoid the green-side bunker because it is very deep. The green is the most simple on the course. This is a very good hole from the back tee. From a forward tee the bunkers can be carried, and playing from the right rough is not a bad shot… very wide area.
Hole 18
Thanks for coming! We do appreciate your business. This is a great finishing hole to this golf course. A generous fairway, but there is plenty of trouble… O.B. left and a lateral hazard to the right. Generally downwind, the long hitters can reach this green in two. (Quite a bit of room between the lake and the green) Otherwise, a lay up shot between the two lakes to about the 70-100 yard range is recommended. This huge two-tier green it is a tough one. Being on the correct level will go a long way in helping to determine one’s score. We hope you had a great time here at Oak Shadows… Hurry back!
