The Bogey Golfer © Course Guides
Genesee Valley - Overview
The South Course is the little sister of the two courses at Genesee Valley. It has no par 5s, and thus par is only 67. Furthermore, it is substantially shorter than the North Course, at 5270 yards. It only has one hole in excess of 400 yards, and five of them hover around the 300 yard mark. The greens are mostly pretty flat, with only a few having any real character to them. Having said that, it's worth a look if there's a wait getting onto the North Course.
The layout is a little squirrely, as if they had to do some artificial juggling to even out the difficulty of the two nines. Consequently, if you're walking, it feels like a much longer course! Restroom facilities are a bit sparse -- there's one outhouse on the whole course. Water fountains are available periodically, but they don't have a beverage cart (at least in the middle of September).
|
Genesee Valley South Course Detail
There are no blue tees, only white, and they play to 5270 yards. For that matter, so do the reds. Par is 67 (69 for the ladies), and the course rating is only 64.4. This is a Bogey Golfer's course. There really isn't any trouble to be had, and most of the holes play very short. So if you run up big numbers here, you really suck. I was plus 10 on the front... All the greens are fairly small, and furthermore, they're all pretty level. Once you get on the green, there's no reason to ever make a three-putt. Having said that, I made two. Like I said, no reason...
The first hole is a 360 yard par 4. It's straightaway, and driver is the club here. Actually, driver is the club on pretty much every par 4 on the course. The fairways are reasonably generous, and don't have any tight bends to them, so whale away.
#2 is more of the same, only it's shorter at only 330 yards.
#3 is one of the harder holes on the course, for my money. It's a 220 yard par 3, which is a challenging distance for me. It also sits up on a little hill, and has a couple of trees guarding the right hand side if you manage to stray offline a little bit. Voice of experience, and all that...
#4 is also a par 3, albeit only 180 yards. By the way, be mindful on the the first four holes that a row of white stakes on the right hand side mark the boundary between the South course and the North Course. (Yes, they're out-of-bounds, need you ask?)
Hole #5 is a good way to give yourself buck fever. It's only 253 yards, and it's a par 4. And there's no trouble. Grip it and rip it!!!
Hole #6 is 365 yards, which is pretty benign by most standards. Here it feels like a brute, given the creampuffs that have preceded it. The course boundary runs down the right hand side, and the rough there is pretty high, so avoid it if you can.
Hole #7 is 341 yards into one of the few non-level greens on the whole course. The hole plays uphill to a green that slopes from back to front. Play it like the pros -- land your shot below the pin and putt uphill. (Sounds easy, doesn't it?)
Hole #8 is 328 yards. Nothing special. Whale away.
Hole #9 is an honest-to-goodness 433 yard par 4. Nothing on the course prepares you for this kind of distance. Don't get upset, you won't have to do it again. Furthermore, there's no trouble to be had if you spray it wide (except tall grass). Hit it hard. Bogey is a good score here.
The back nine plays even shorter than the front. It has three par 3s, and is about 350 yards shorter. Hole #10 is only 315 yards. Followed by a 111 yard par 3. Scoop up a couple of good scores here...
Hole #12 is 372 yards. Its green is the second interesting one on the course -- it has a pretty significant right to left slope to it, so if you're going to miss, miss left. (I came by this bit of advice the hard way, namely by missing right. But I still chipped close enough to save par.)
Hole #13 is a par 3, and it has the third interesting green. It is perhaps the smallest green on the course, with a radius of about 8 paces. But what makes it interesting is the crown in the middle. Trying to make a putt while rolling over that crown is maddening.
Hole #14 is also a par 3, with a semi-elevated teebox. Ignore the elevation -- it won't affect your club selection.
Hole #15 is a 383 yard par 4. I hit a really good approach shot with a six iron, hit the green, and still managed a three-putt. (Have I mentioned how small the greens are, and how ridiculous it is to three-putt? Yes, I see I have. 'Nuff said.)
Hole #16 is yet another shortie, playing only 312 yards. Despite the lack of interest golfwise, it's a pretty hole, perhaps because of the woods behind the green.
Hole #17 is a 295 yard straightaway hole. Its only interest is the gazebo behind the green. By the way, the green rivals # 13 in its diminutive size, but lacks the crown.
The final hole is a semi-respectable 374 yards. It sits in a bit of a swale, with trees on the right, and a swamp on the left. But the hole really isn't narrow enough for either obstacle to count as "trouble". I even hit into the trees after an ill-advised lunge at the ball off the tee, and still saved bogey.
A day spent golfing is never wasted, and the South course is certainly no exception to that rule. The old-fashioned feel and bucolic surroundings allow a peaceful calm to descend on you. The short distances give you a chance to feel like a golf stud. But the course does lack character. |
