Course Tour

The eleventh hole is a straightforward par 4, playing from 361 to 341 yards. The slightly elevated tee looks out at a relatively flat fairway. A small pond to the left of the tee should not (but sometimes does) come into play. Trees line the fairway both left and right. While not numerous, they provide opportunities for good recovery shots. The green is guarded by bunkers both left and right. The false front often proves frustrating for the golfer whose approach shot comes up short. But a shot that goes long may encounter a bank that runs down toward a marshy hazard, leaving a tricky pitch to a green running away.

Number 12 is a straight par 4, measuring 349 from the back tees and 290 from the reds. Its dominating feature is an uphill slope extending from 200 to 150 yards from the green. A tee shot that makes it to the top of the hill leaves a simple short- to mid-iron shot to one of our larger greens. Off the tee, there are large trees both left and right to catch the errant shot. On the left side, at the top of the hill, there’s a large fairway bunker. The green is guarded by bunkers left and right. If you miss left of the green, you may find yourself at the bottom of a steep, 30-foot slope with an interesting shot over or through trees. Miss to the right and the ball is likely to run into a stand of spruces or even down to the thirteenth tee. Miss long and there are more spruces to contend with. A simple hole for the straight hitter.

Number 13 is a relatively short par 3. A well-struck tee shot should find the large green easily. The pond extending halfway across the hole in front should be no problem. The green is guarded on the left by a bunker. Trees are scattered on both sides, but generally cause little trouble. Most of the adventures on thirteen are on or around the green. It slopes severely from back to front, making it important to be below the hole. A chip or putt from the back toward a front pin can be hazardous to your score.

Fourteen isthe number two handicap hole, and deservedly so. It’s the longest hole on the course, playing at 553, 549, 492, and 483 yards. From the elevated blue or white tee, you’re faced with a seemingly generous width of fairway. However, the presence of the out of bounds stakes all the way along the right, along with thick trees on the left side, make the tee shot just a bit more difficult. A well-placed tee ball near the corner of the dogleg left rewards the player with a straightforward fairway wood or long iron to get the ball into mid- to short-iron range. The green is guarded by a marshy pond short and left and a wooded hill next to, and only five yards from, the green. On the right, a small bay of Shields Lake runs all along the green. The green itself is relatively easy, unless the pin is back right and you’re putting from the front left.

Number 15 is the other signature hole at Forest Hills. Not overly long, it plays to a par of 4 from 392 yards (blue) to 325 (red). But the fairway curls around Shields Lake giving easy access to trouble on all shots, until the green is reached. A drive that runs through the fairway may find some tree trouble, but the left side of the hole is reasonably safe. The big hitter can bite off quite a bit of the lake curvature, leaving a short iron to the green and little danger from the lake. The rest of us generally face a more intimidating mid-iron or fairway wood over a corner of the lake. If the pin is middle to back, the approach also must carry over a greenside bunker on the right. Even the layup has its dangers. Directly ahead, before the last turn to the green, is a pond ready to catch a too-long layup. The green itself slopes from back to front and is relatively easy to negotiate, though its size can leave you with a long putt.

Sixteen is a normal-length par five that measures 504 yards from the blues and 410 from the reds. However, the severely elevated green adds 10 to 20 yards to its length — even more if the approach is made with a long iron or fairway wood. It’s a dogleg left, but the garden spot off the tee is the right half of the fairway, avoiding a second shot over the trees at the corner. The fairway is lined with trees both left and right, though the ones on the left make it unlikely that the green can be reached in regulation from their midst. The approach shot is critical on number 16, due to the elevation of the green, which makes it hard to hold. Many a shot finds its way to the rough back of the green. Go too far, and you’ll be in “lost-ball” territory in heavy brush. Chipping from behind the green to a front pin, with the downslope looming, is no bargain. A challenging hole.

Number 17 is a short, easy par 4 — if you hit it straight. It’s only 310 from the blues and 220 from the reds to a dogleg left, with mature trees guarding the corner. If your tee ball lands there, you’re presented with a tricky shot under the trees and over a greenside bunker to a green that has a severe drop-off behind it, from which recovery is problematic, at best. The wise choice is to take your medicine and chip out in front of the green, looking for an up-and-down. Don’t chip too far, however, lest you wind up in the right greenside bunker. Once you reach the green, the fun can begin. The green slopes severely from back to front, giving ample opportunity for three or four putts for those whose first one is from above the hole.

Number 18 is a moderate finishing hole. It plays to a par four from 386 yards (blue) to 268 yards (red). One difficulty is the steep upslope in the landing area for the short to medium male hitter and directly in front of the red tee for the ladies. The ideal tee shot is down the left side to cut the dogleg, but beware the arbor vitae and fairway bunker on that side. In addition, if your tee shot lands in the left rough, your approach must clear several mature trees about 90 yards from the green. A well-struck, accurate tee ball leaves the player with a short- to mid-iron shot to a small, elevated green. The approach shot must carry to the green, due to a steep bank in front, but the size of the green makes it hard to hold anything longer than an eight iron. The green is relatively flat, but with some subtle, interesting breaks. A good general rule is that it breaks more than you think.