The Cedars at Salmon Creek - Detail
The opening hole is straightaway - no muss, no fuss, no trouble to speak of. You're certainly free to hit your driver if you've a mind to. The green is pretty deep from front to back, so pay attention to the pin placement when you're making your approach shot.
The second hole takes a pretty drastic dogleg to the right. If you tend to hit a natural fade, driver is okay to hit, as long as you can keep the fade gradual. Make sure you keep the ball in the short grass, because this is one of the longer holes, and you don't want to be trying to hit a long iron or a fairway wood out of the rough! The approach shot is well guarded on both sides by tall, stately pines.
Hole #3 is a short par 4 with no trouble to speak of. There are two or three bunkers scattered around, but they're really not in the way. Hit the ball straight about 200 yards, and you can set up an easy short iron into the green.
#4 is a short par 3. It's off the beaten path, so to speak, and is surrounded on all sides by impenetrable underbrush, and here is where you start to leave the rest of the world behind. The hole itself is pretty straightforward. There are some greenside bunkers, but the hole is short enough they shouldn't be an issue. Just hit it straight...
The fifth hole is purely strategy. It looks from the tee like it's pretty wide, but it's not. The hole narrows up a lot where a driver would come down. There's also a hill that kind of hides the green from you. The ideal shot would fly over that hill between 200 and 220 yards, but not too far to the left because of the woods. This will leave you with an easy mid iron or short iron into the green.
Hole #6 is another strategy hole. It's a par 5, but you really can't hit driver off the tee because of the second creek. A 200 yard tee shot will leave you with some options on your second shot. As par 5s go, it's pretty short (488 from the blues, 413 from the whites). So if you're in a good position just short of the creek, you might be able to let fly with a three wood and try to get close in two. Or pick your favorite yardage for your third shot and hit it there instead.
#7 is a longish par 3. There is some junk on the right to steer clear of. If you're not comfortable hitting a long iron, lay up with a club you like, and try to get up and down for your par.
#8 is a really interesting hole. It's not very long, but it does require you to put two quality shots together. The hole doglegs to the left quite a bit, and the approach shot needs to come in between two goalpost trees, and clear a creek. The hole is wide enough that you can hit a three wood or even a driver, but in all cases, you want to be trying to position yourself for the second shot.
Hole #9 tries to get in your head by making you tee off over a swamp. But it's all mind games. The tee shot angles in with the fairway to form a dogleg right. A good tee shot through the middle of the chute will leave you in good shape on the left side of the fairway.
Hole #10 has an elevated tee box, which gives you a gorgeous view of the fairway. The hole doglegs to the right pretty significantly, but trying to crowd the right side will just increase your chances of being blocked out on your second shot. It's a par 5, so you don't need to press your luck here. Get your tee shot out in the middle of the fairway. On your third shot, pay attention to the pond fronting the green on the right side. Anything just a little bit short will wind up wet, so take plenty of club!
Hole #11 is an uphill par 3. You have to steer between some trees, and you have to clear some junk, and the hole is kind of middle distance (165 blue, 149 white). Being a little bit short is okay since the hole isn't steep enough the ball will roll all the way back down. But you do kind of need to hit it straight...
#12 is kind of a challenging but boring par 4. It's boring because there's no real scenery to distract you, but it's challenging because the rough kind of sneaks up on you on the right side. Driver is a good choice if you can mostly hit it straight; otherwise fall back on your fairway woods, or even a hybrid.
#13, by contrast, is gorgeous. You tee off over a pond, which is always kind of intimidating, but the hole really isn't quite as long as #12. You need a good straight tee shot, but it doesn't have to be all that long. Great hole.
#14 is kind of like #12 - boring and straight. Losing your tee shot right is not good -- there's a big pond that really isn't visible from the tee. The green tucks into some trees on the right, so the best angle is from left center. Keep it in play.
#15 is a longish par 5. It tends to wind to the right, and it's not very wide, so do not hit any wild shots on this hole, since there is trouble everywhere, starting on the tee box. Make sure you stay away from all the junk on the right on your first shot.
#16 is a longish par 4. It actually is wide enough to hit driver, so go ahead and get all the distance you can off the tee box. This hole is really all about the second shot, which has to fly a swamp to get to the green. This hole is one of the scenic ones, featuring an old railroad trellis behind the green.
Walking under the trellis, we arrive at the 17th teebox. #17 is an uphill par 3. Plan on using one or two clubs extra because of the hill. Avoid the trap on the right.
#18 says it's only 346 from the back tees, but it's uphill all the way, so add another 30 yards or so to get what it actually plays to. This hole is a bit narrow, which is intimidating since you want to hit your driver. Stay with a club you can hit straight and sacrifice some distance if you have to.
This is a fairly short course, but because of the woods, it is well-defended. Keep the ball in play, mostly use long irons or fairway woods off the tee, and you'll be fine. There are a few driver holes, but mostly you won't need it.
|