A late night rain shower mixed the morning air with the sweet aroma of pine and moisture, flooding my memory with all the great spring golf trips we made to Columbia SC back in the ‘90s. River Hills is very similar to many of the courses we played then. The hilly property and Bermuda grass pose a distinct challenge that requires acclimation.
Willard Byrd designed River Hills in 1972. His work is found mostly throughout the southeastern part of the United States. He specialized in routing courses for housing developments and resorts. Architecturally, his principles focus on playability and maintenance.
(The 357/335 yard par four second plays down and up a “V” shaped valley. Personally, these are my least favorite as the approach shot is off a steep uphill lie. Two bunkers are cut into the front left and right sides of the green, hiding the putting surface from view.)
(The 180/166 yard par three fifth is slightly uphill with a green bracketed by bunkers and a raised back tier on the right. It’s a small target to find and the rear section is several clubs longer. Regardless of the pin location, a three is a tough task.)
(The 369/356 yard par four seventh doglegs left off the tee and plays to this beautifully situated green. Note the bunkering and how the edges drop down into the sand. They’re very “pit like” and can be challenging for some players to physically get in and out.)
(The 394/367 yard par four eighth doglegs right while climbing up a pronounced hill. The second shot plays at least two clubs longer and the putting surface is out of view.)
River Hills has a lot of variety to it. There are both doglegs left and right (3R,8L) as well as uphill and downhill holes (9U,5D). It’s a very demanding tee ball course. The uphill holes play very long so there’s pressure to hit it as far as you can, while on a few holes, the angle and trees make for uncomfortable tee shots. At least half the greens are blind or semi blind from the fairway. The course reminds me of Crickentree and Cobblestone Park, two courses in the Columbia area that we played on our spring trips. Many of us were single digit handicaps and both of these places would drub us. River Hills is the same quality. Breaking 80 is a good achievement.
(The 173/158 yard par three eleventh is on a steep incline with the flagstick the only thing in view. Selecting the correct club, often two more than usual, might put doubt in your head. Be confident and swing away.)
(The 558/519 yard par five twelth is one of the few downhill holes. A fairway bunker forces your hand on where you want to hit your second shot. Note how the green nearly stands alone as the terrain scuttles balls away. The long hitter will have his work cut out to hit this in two.)
Being in a housing development, there are several drawbacks River Hills possesses. Walking is a nonstarter as long green to tee transitions are found throughout. OB is present on many, if not all the holes. They’re not in your face, which is a blessing, but don’t be surprised when your poor shot finds it. Lake Wylie only touches the course twice, behind thirteen green, and thirty yards short of the eighteenth putting surface where it breaks up the hole. That said, it’s in top notch shape (greens were rolling 10.5 on the day we played) and the club has a laid back vibe. It’s a really solid course and is worth playing if in the Charlotte area. I give it a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play).
(Believe it or not, eighteen is one of my favorite holes. It’s a 372/347 yard par four with an arm of Lake Wylie crossing the fairway. There’s a chute to drive the ball through off the tee but three tall pine trees 150 yards away guard the preferred line. It’s so tempting to take the higher lofted club and blast over them, but woe is the golfer who fails to cover. A good drive makes this a good birdie opportunity.)
(Claire is a member at River Hills and was gratuitous to host me. I played with her friend Gary, and her grandson Morgan, a twelve year who is playing many regional junior events. I played the blue tees at 6,289 while they played the whites at 5,735. Morgan had the only birdies of the day, stuffing tee shots on both par threes on the front. I hit a lot of poor drives, leaving just advancement as second shot options. I had four really good up n downs which salvaged a respectable score. Blog 490)
(The 216/184 yard par three seventeenth is downhill to a well bunkered green.)
No comments:
Post a Comment