You Needn’t Look Twice At Your Scorecard To Determine These Three Holes Offer A … Test Of Skill

ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE

Golf holes don’t have to be tortuously long to qualify as great holes - as evidenced by these three local favorites. As staff writer Steve Bergum explains, these layouts place an emphasis on mental discipline, strategic shot-planning and general course management rather than sheer distance off the tee.

WHETHER YOU SLICE, HOOK OR RIP IT DOWN THE MIDDLE, CREEK AT QUALCHAN’S PAR-5 NO. 3 BRINGS EVERY HAZARD IMAGINABLE INTO PLAY

Ponds that run down both sides of the fairway and a large, strategically bunkered, bowl-shaped green make the 533-yard, par-5 third hole at the Creek at Qualchan a tough, memorable challenge for golfers of all ability levels.

Toss in a couple of towering pine trees that were left standing in the middle of the fairway and you have a recipe for disaster as well.

“It’s a little bit more difficult hole than most people realize standing on the tee,” explained Qualchan head professional Mark Gardner.

And the reasons, he said, are the ponds.

The one on the right is reachable off the tee - especially for the low-handicap and scratch players. The one on the left normally isn’t, but any drive aimed left of the trees and toward the largest of the two ponds could end up out of bounds.

A player opting for long and left off the tee in hopes of reaching the green in two can be faced with a fairway wood approach and a long carry over nearly the entire length of the left-side pond.

The safest layup area for the more conservative player is down the right side of the fairway, beyond the smallest of the two ponds.

“It’s kind of deceiving,” Gardner said, “because the fairway drops in (behind a couple of mounds) down there and it looks a lot narrower than it is.

“A lot of people probably hug that left side a little bit too much, because there’s plenty of room to the right. The right-side pond is shorter, so even if you miss the shot a little, you’re still going to be OK.”

Gardner is not a big fan of the trees in the middle of the fairway.

“Those, in my mind, are the only drawback to the hole,” he said, explaining that many short hitters and high-handicap players can drill a tee shot dead down the middle of the fairway and still end up behind a tree.

“I takes a drive of about 220 yards to reach the trees,” Gardner said. “So if you can’t hit it 220, you’re better off aiming right, toward the pond.”

Anyone playing it too safe with their layup shot can still find trouble in the bunkers designed to protect the green on the short par-3 seventh hole. And there are a couple of well-placed bunkers that protect the third green as well - one near the right side of the putting surface and another directly behind it.

The green is large, receptive and tough to read.

“It’s kind of bowl-shaped, so everything breaks toward the center of the green,” Gardner said. “You can get kind of a tricky putt if you’re on the back side, but if you remember that everything kind of funnels back to the middle, you’ll be OK.”

Gardner said he has not heard of any double eagles being made on No. 3 since the course opened five years ago.

THE 3RD AT QUALCHAN

This long, picturesque par-5, which measures 533 yards from the back (black) tees, demands accuracy off the tee and courage on most approach shots - especially when the pin is tucked on the left side of the green behind the huge pond that runs down the left side of the fairway. A smaller pond frames the right side of the fairway and two towering trees guard the middle.

THE PRO’S VIEW

“I like the hole, because it can be a real teaser - do you gamble and go for the green in two or lay up? It’s a bigger gamble off the tee for the longer hitters. They’ve got to keep it down the left side and flirt with the out-of-bounds stakes, because the pond on the right is about 40 yards closer and if they hit it right, they might get wet.”

- Mark Gardner

LIBERTY LAKE’S NO. 16 DEMANDS PINPOINT ACCURACY

From the tee box, which sits more than 30 feet above the green, the 144-yard, par-3 16th hole at Liberty Lake Golf Course appears beautiful and relatively benign.

But trouble lurks on all sides of a long, narrow green that tilts sharply from left to right and demands both accuracy and sound judgment off the tee.

The elevation drop from tee to green can make a one-club difference on a calm day, according to head professional Kit DeAndre.

“But most of the time you’re hitting into a little wind,” DeAndre added, “so it’s almost a wash. I usually hit a 9 or 8 iron, but I’ve hit 7 and 6 irons there, too.”

Club choice is every bit as critical as accuracy. A tee shot short of the green leaves a dicey chip that will break severely from left to right. Anything long that doesn’t end up in the sand trap guarding the right rear of the green will kick onto the 17th tee box and set up another difficult chip attempt that is nearly impossible to get close to the hole.

Off-line tee shots can find just as many problems.

A hill to the left of the green will sometimes spit the ball back into play - provided the carpet of native grasses that cover it isn’t too shaggy.

“It just depends on the time of year,” DeAndre said of the hill’s fickle nature. “It’s tough to get water up there and later in the year everything kind of dries out and the grass doesn’t grow anymore. If you hit (your ball) up there then, it might trickle down onto the green.

“But, boy, in the spring when things are growing, it just doesn’t come back down.”

And the resulting lie can be sidehill, downhill and downright horrible.

There is a small, flat bailout area in front of the green, but to stop a ball there requires as much - if not more - accuracy than flying it to the green. Anything short and left of the green is usually swallowed up by a strategically placed grass bunker.

A steep downward slope just right of the green adds to the peril that an off-line shot might encounter. Tee shots that land on the slope are destined to kick further right toward several towering pine trees.

“What I see most when people miss their tee shot is that they fan it high and to the right,” DeAndre said. “If you do that, you’re going right into those trees, and who knows where you’ll end up from there.”

Once golfers reach the green, they are normally faced with a putt the breaks left to right - sometimes severely.

“Unless you’re at the back of the green, you’ve got a putt going away from you,” DeAndre explained. “I know, personally speaking, that a left-to-right putt is the toughest to get lined up. And that, in itself, makes it difficult to make birdie there.”

Despite its many quirks, the 16th at Liberty Lake has produced a good share of holes-in-one.

“I’ve even heard of (a ball) that ricocheted off a tree for an ace,” DeAndre said.

THE 16TH AT LIBERTY LAKE

Length is normally not a major concern on this scenic, 144-yard downhill par-3, but any short-iron tee shot started off line is destined for trouble. The green slopes sharply from left to right and is protected by two sand traps on the right side and a grass bunker on the left. A hill left of the green sometimes offers a friendly bounce, but anything right can kick into tree trouble.

THE PRO’S VIEW

“It’s a neat hole because of the aesthetics. It’s an elevated tee and you can see a little of the (Liberty) lake. It’s not especially long, but every once in a while, the wind comes right over the hill and into your face and makes club selection kind of tough. Accuracy is key. Then, if you pick the right club and hit it the right distance, you’re in pretty good shape.”

- Kit DeAndre

MAJOR RENOVATION AT AVONDALE TURNS NO. 10 INTO RISKY BUSINESS FROM TEE TO TWO-TIERED GREEN

Perhaps no hole on Avondale Golf Course in Hayden Lake benefited as much from the course’s recent $2.1 million facelift as the par-4 10th.

The distance - 399 yards from the back tees - stayed approximately the same, according to head professional Tim Morton. But the green was rebuilt and enlarged by almost a third, and a large pond, fed by a scenic waterfall, was added to help guard the right front of the green.

The hole doglegs lazily to the right and also features a deep, but narrow two-tiered green that is further protected by a pair of thoughtfully placed bunkers just beyond the pond.

The renovation of the course started in 1995 and was completed last July. And Morton said he has heard nothing but wonderful comments about the work that was done - especially on the scenic 10th hole.

“I’ve heard nothing but good things - how pretty it is, how tough it is,” Morton said. “The renovation really made a great change out there at No. 10.”

Aesthetically, the hole is splendid from tee to green, with a receptive expanse of beautifully manicured fairway grass bending around the thick rough that separates the 10th and 18th holes.

There is plenty of room to drive the ball down the left side, but golfers in search of the shortest route to the green might want to flirt with the rough down the right side. The problem with that play, however, is that any tee shot caught up in the thick right-side rough presents a risky approach over water and sand from a flier lie.

“Down the right side is the shortest way to the green,” Morton explains. “But if you end up in the rough, you better either hit a good one or lay up. The trouble in hitting out (of the rough) is that you can’t spin the ball as well and you have a tough time holding the green.”

And any over-zealous approach shot can be grabbed up by the thick grasses that cover the hillside behind the green.

“Then you have a very tough chip shot from there,” Morton added.

The two-tiered green is new, but the contour is much the same as the old, smaller putting surface. It slopes from back to front, toward the pond.

“Depending on where the flag is, if you don’t hit it to the right part of the green, you’re looking at an almost automatic three-putt,” Morton said. “The toughest pin placement is right-front, right behind the bunkers. And when we put it there during tournaments, we’re lucky to have anyone make birdie.”

Morton suggests that high-handicap players approach the hole as a par-5 and plan on laying their second shot up short of the pond rather than risk getting wet. The key for everyone else is to drive it long and keep it out of the rough.

THE 10TH AT AVONDALE

There is plenty of beauty - and quite a bit of beast - in the newly renovated 10th hole at Avondale Golf Course in Hayden Lake. This par-4, which doglegs right and stretches 399 yards from the back tees, requires length and accuracy off the tee. The sloping, two-tiered green is protected on the right front by a pond and two nasty sand traps.

THE PRO’S VIEW

“It’s a great hole. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it and the whole area up there where we added the water. You have to hit a good tee shot and then you have to hit a good approach. For the long hitters, (the approach) is probably less than 150 yards, but if you mishit it a little you’re in a bunker. And if you mishit it a little bit more, you’re in the water.”

- Tim Morton

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo 3 Graphics: 1. The 3rd at Qualchan 2. The 16th at Liberty Lake 3. The 10th at Avondale