12 Oaks Golf Club (Holly Springs, NC)

This is the second Jack Nicklaus course I have played, the first being North Palm Beach CC back in January, and I found it to be very difficult. This surprised me very much because the member who took me  is a high handicapper, and I imagine, cannot post a legitimate eighteen hole score since he's picking up so much. 

(View of eighteen green from sixteenth. The bulkhead wraps around all but the right half of the green.) 

There are water hazards on seventeen holes, deep bunkers, and greens that offer very little respite if you miss them. In other words, it's a big boy golf course. It's a huge draw for the housing community the course resides in, and I feel the overall goal maybe to lure the Champions Tour over from Prestonwood CC. 

(The uphill par four fourth is a tremendous hole, with the entire left side flanked by a hazard.) 

(Golfers have a couple options on the short par four sixth. A drive straightaway which sets up a short iron over the creek and sand, or, for the long hitter, drive it to the upper fairway seen on the right, and leave a clear approach to the pin.) 

Nicklaus design associate John Cope was the architect on site. Both sides start in the valley before climbing up a hill and then back down to finish in the valley. 

(The 204/179 yard third is a nice par three with plenty of room short and left to bailout. The white sand does a wonderful job contrasting with the other colors.) 

It's a solid routing, and visually, it's as beautiful as most Carolina hills courses. My issue was all the wetland and unkempt areas throughout the course. My host kept saying if you don't hit the fairway then you're going to lose a lot of balls. And he was not kidding! There's slope to deal with too, demanding a drive down the proper side of the fairway. 

The greens are another story! Many of them have falloffs, and a mishit will kick far and away. There is a proper place to miss, but the recovery from those spots require an expert short game.  

(View of eight green from nine tee. The high spot is rear left, with the green sloping right. The pin in pic, back right, has a fall off behind it, making it a dicey proposition to get close.) 

(The uphill twelfth is a short par four. The green is nearly surrounded by sand, making the uphill lie approach even more difficult.) 

12 Oaks is a beautiful course! That part is undeniable. It's this reason why the course and facility are so popular. In fact, we played on a Sunday afternoon, and the range was packed with golfers of all ages. It was great to see. 

(The beautiful eleventh is an excelllent par three over water.) 

(Don't miss right on the par three fifteenth.) 

(One of my favorite holes is the par four sixteenth. I like the serenity of the green site, and how it accepts high and low shots.  Wish this concept was employed at the other holes.) 

12 Oaks is in good shape, and an invite shouldn't be too hard, especially now that the housing market is back on it's feet, and the club is connected to the community. North Carolina has plenty of great courses, so there's no reason to go too far out of the way to play this one. I give it a 5 (good)(worth driving one hour). 

 (The approach into eighteen green is all carry. The drive must be well struck to have a comfortable iron for the second shot. Note the internal contours, especially the rear portion, where pin in picture is on a small tier. I reckon four is a good score.)