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RCC Scorecard

Scorecard

West Course

  • Hole
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
Hole 1

Hole #1 "Ante"

Par 4

Stroke 7

The view from the tee of the “hall” of huge oaks that line both sides of the fairway makes the drive on this par 4 an intimidating first swing of the round. In true Tillinghast style it offers the golfer a choice. Be bold, and favor the left side of the fairway to avoid the left-to-right slope that can channel balls into deep right-side rough. But tee balls going too far left, the dreaded snap hooks, will allow the golfer to renew acquaintances and offer apologies to colleagues on the practice putting green. Approach shots are best played from the left because of a big left-to-right swing on a deceptively fast putting surface. Approach shots from the right side must avoid a deep and dangerous bunker that guard approaches to the green from the right side.

Tee Yards
Championship 375
Back 334
Middle 316
Forward 297
Hole 2

Hole #2 "Moab's Vineyard"

Par 4

Stroke 6

Featuring one of the truly unique putting surfaces at Ridgewood, this hole presents another challenging tee shot that must clear a cross bunker on the left side about 160 yards from the tee, and avoid the forest of giant oaks at the right side landing area. The second shot to this visually deceptive and distinct par 4 must be well measured to avoid the ring of bunkers that encircle this huge green. You must creatively shape your approach shot to land in an area that will best channel the ball toward the hole. A ridge dividing the green into two tiers runs vertically the length of this green. Leave your ball on the wrong side of the ridge and two-putting will be a struggle.

Tee Yards
Championship 396
Back 358
Middle 313
Forward 285
Hole 3

Hole #3 "Duppy"

Par 3

Stroke 8

This uphill par 3 favors the strong long iron player. It takes a well-struck ball to land and hold this putting surface, and to avoid the left-to-right tendencies that push shots into the deep bunker along the right side of the green. Bail out to the left and it could be worse, leaving a tricky chip shot to a fast green that slopes toward the bunkers. Keep it straight, because left and right won’t work. But don’t expect your shot to bounce on as a false front stop shots quickly and sends them rolling back down into the fairway.

Tee Yards
Championship 214
Back 184
Middle 167
Forward 144
Hole 4

Hole #4 "Muckle"

Par 5

Stroke 4

At 586 yards from the blue, this par 5 opens with a tee shot downhill. You must aim away from the line of trees on the left but a bunker stands ready to catch balls hit too far to the right. Hit a solid drive and you will be in position to strike a strong second shot over a series of moguls covered with deep rough that run on an angle for 50-75 yards mid-hole, ending about 175 yards from the green. The result will be a mid to short iron approach shot downhill to an understated, deceptively fast and well protected by bunkers green tucked into a narrow corner of the course. Make any mistakes along the way, and you’ll understand how naturally clever are Tillinghast’s par 5 designs. This design holds a place among the Sports Illustrated “Top 18 Tillinghast Holes.” Many of Tillinghast’s top designs contain a par 5 resembling Pine Valley’s seventh, where the second shot must carry “Hell’s Half Acre,” a vast expanse of sand. Both 4 West and 3 East fit this mold.

Tee Yards
Championship 606
Back 537
Middle 464
Forward 454
Hole 5

Hole #5 "Nub"

Par 4

Stroke 2

This is the toughest approach shot at Ridgewood. The big hitters can manage the distance and the difficulty associated with positioning the drive and hitting the tough second shot uphill to a steeply elevated green… but even they have trepidations. The fifth is simply one of the most challenging holes on the golf course. It provides a generous landing area for tee shots, but the longest hitters need to avoid the cross bunker on the right side of the fairway and the deep rough on the left. The elevated triple-tier green has a severe slope from back-to-front and left-to-right, and it is common for putts to roll downhill off the front of the green into the fairway. Players who are forced to lay up and play their second shots into the valley below the elevated green must exercise caution. Shots hit to the extreme right or left of the fairway will result in approach shots have to fly over bunkers AND dodge tree limbs en route to the green. A Tillinghast characteristic of leaving a small grassy area in front of the green for a shot from the center of the fairway to bounce on is on display in this gem of a hole.

Tee Yards
Championship 416
Back 400
Middle 355
Forward 326
Hole 6

Hole #6 "Beeches"

Par 3

Stroke 9

A shot-maker’s par 3, this sixth hole is a paradigm of great architecture that features a small green, slightly uphill from the tee and surrounded by several bunkers. It’s a tough green to hit though only 135 yards from the blue tee, but shots that land and stay on the putting surface will usually leave a good run for a birdie putt. Players who miss this green will have a difficult time making par, particularly if they miss left and have to chip on to a downward sloping left to right green.

Tee Yards
Championship 155
Back 139
Middle 124
Forward 84
Hole 7

Hole #7 "Sneak"

Par 4

Stroke 5

Rewarding an accurate drive and a confident “blind” second shot, this par 4 features the most narrow fairway landing area for tee shots at Ridgewood. The tee shot deceptively invites the golfer to aim at the flag stick with the usual result being a ball in heavy right rough or blocked by a well-placed pine tree. But a newly added fairway bunker increases the risk to longer hitters seeking to play in from the left rough. The tee box is elevated and a good, accurate tee shot will leave a player with about a 160-yard blind approach shot to a green that sits below the fairway. Avoid the many greenside bunkers, short and left of the green, deep right, and along the right front corner and side of the green. Too much boldness on the second shot results in a ball stymied beneath bushes behind the green, or, even worse, out of bounds.

Tee Yards
Championship 437
Back 395
Middle 364
Forward 306
Hole 8

Hole #8 "Tipperary"

Par 5

Stroke 1

Dogleg left and long, it’s one of the great par 5’s in the game, and is rarely reachable in two shots. Long drives from an intimidating tee box must cut the dogleg (at least a little) but too far left means into the woods, out of bounds and the dreaded “reload.” An abundance of caution is also dangerous as tee balls to the right can disappear in deep rough or be blocked by a line of trees and, of course, make reaching in three shots more difficult. A strong second shot to a narrow opening is needed to avoid the cross bunker on the left side of the fairway, and to pass the giant tulip tree that sits imposingly on the corner on the right side of the fairway. The third shot requires power and accuracy to reach a small green, carry past the false front, but not carry off the back of the green. It is wise to play to the right side of the green to negotiate the severe right-to-left swing that can channel a ball steeply downhill into dangerous bunkers. But shots going too far right can get “hung up” and the result is a difficult downhill chip from deep rough on to a severely sloping green.

Tee Yards
Championship 586
Back 563
Middle 511
Forward 489
Hole 9

Hole #9 "Gabriel's Horn"

Par 4

Stroke 3

Back to the “hall” of the mighty oaks, the West nine ends with an imposing dogleg right par 4 that plays 470 yards from the back tees to a fairway lined with mighty oaks on the left and right. This is the only hole on the course that gives advantage to playing a fade off the tee. Be accurate with your drive. Cut the dogleg too sharply on the right and trees will knock you straight down or worse and it will be three shots to reach the green. Hit the ball too long to the left and you could be blocked in the line of oaks or run through them into the driving range. Position “A,” left side of the fairway, provides the best angle to a green that is guarded on the left with deep bunkers and a fairway that slopes sharply right to left and feeds otherwise promising shots into the bunker. The green features a putting surface that swings right-to-left and runs quickly from back to front.

Tee Yards
Championship 471
Back 423
Middle 381
Forward 337