The Course

Par 5

The ideal tee shot on this dogleg right opening Par 5 should be up the left center. Longer hitters who successfully challenge the fairway bunker on the right will be rewarded with an opportunity to get on or around the green on their second shot. A penalty area on the left side and a well-positioned tree on the right narrows the second shot and places a premium on direction. A relatively flat, slightly elevated green with bunkers short right and a chipping area to the left.

Par 3

This medium-length, narrow Par 3 will test your ballstriking. Out-of-bounds on both sides add to the difficulty of this first Par 3. Shots long of the green will find severe trouble, so it is best to be short on this hole. A relatively flat green with bunkers left and a chipping area to the right.

Par 4

The first signature hole on the first nine is as equally challenging as it is beautiful. The ideal tee shot on this short Par 4 should be up the left center to leave the best angle of approach. A large pond to the right has claimed more than its share of errant shots over the years. An undulating green with a bunker short left adds to the test.

Par 4

By far the most demanding hole on the first nine. This long par-4 requires a tee shot placed down the left side for the best chance of hitting your approach on the well-bunkered green. Players who play it safely short and right will be left with a long approach. Out-of-bounds to the left and penalty area to the right add to the challenging length and design on this hole. Par is a very good score.

Par 4

A good short par-4, there is a degree of risk-reward here. Drives safely left of the first penalty area will result in a longer approach than the riskier right side. Longer hitters who successfully challenge the penalty area on the right will be rewarded with an opportunity for a short wedge to the green. After your drive, you are presented with an undulating green protected by a penalty area to the left. A birdie is possible on this hole…as is a double-bogey.

Par 4
A good drive on this ever-so-slight dogleg right should leave you with a mid-iron approach shot. Any tee shot lost out to the right or hooked to the left will find serious tree trouble or out-of-bounds. The green is deep but narrow, placing a premium on distance control. Bunkers on the left and right make getting up and down a challenge for those who miss the green.

Par 5

The ideal tee shot on this relatively short, dogleg left Par 5 should be up the right center. Longer hitters who successfully challenge the bunkers on the left side and will be rewarded with an opportunity to get on or around the green on their second shot. An undulating green surrounded by a lake to the right and bunkers to the left is a challenge whether your approach is with a 3-wood or sand wedge.

Par 3

The second signature hole on the first nine is our shortest Par 3 on the course. Don’t let the short length fool you, as you can tell from the hole handicap for both men and women. What Hole #8 lacks in length it makes up for in design. The bulkheaded green runs away from the tee requiring a tee shot that has not only distance control, but direction as well. Bunkers guarding the right leave little room for bailout. Par is a very good score on this hole.

Par 4

This beautiful Par 4 dogleg left hole with a great view of the back of the clubhouse on the approach is a great finale to the first nine. The ideal tee shot on this hole should be up the left center. Longer hitters who carry the corner will have a shorter approach to the green. The wind almost always plays a factor on the approach. A relatively flat green with bunkers left and a chipping area to the right.

Par 4

This hole requires perhaps the most demanding tee shot on the back nine with Deerwood Lake to your left and out-of-bounds to the right. The conservative play off the tee is up the right side on the fairway, leaving a longer approach to a large green that slopes right to left. Longer hitters who carry the lake on the correct line at the big fairway bunker will have a much shorter approach to the largest green on the golf course.

Par 4

If Hole #10 is “Big Brother”, then Hole #11 is “Little Sister”. The short, slight dogleg left hole starts with a nerve-racking tee shot with Deerwood Lake to the left and bunkers and woods to the right. Once safely on the fairway, one is faced with a challenging approach to a bulkheaded green that slopes away from you and protected by bunkers on the right.

Par 3

This medium-length Par 3 places a premium on distance control, with a wide but very shallow green protected by a large bunker in front. Shots long and right of the green will find severe trouble, so it is best to be short and left on this hole.

Par 5

The shortest Par 5 on the second nine and your best chance for a birdie or better. The conventional play on the dogleg left hole is down the fairway towards the middle fairway bunker. Longer hitters who cut the corner of the dogleg will be rewarded with an opportunity to get on or around the green on their second shot. With a lake on the right, it favors a second shot up the left side of the hole. The longest green on the golf course is narrow and heavily bunkered on both sides.

Par 4

One of the few true dogleg rights on the entire golf course, this Par 4 rewards the left to right tee shot around “Doyle’s Corner” with a birdie opportunity. With out-of-bounds down the right side on tee and approach shots, aiming down the left side is the preferred location. Penal greenside bunkering to an elevated green completes the challenge on this great hole.

Par 4

Un-affectionately known as the “Shortest Par 4 in Jacksonville”, Hole #15 is a beast of a Par 3. With its prodigious length and lake to the right, a tee shot that lands on any part of the green is commendable. A par on this hole is an outstanding score, and usually results in taking one from the field.

Par 4

A classic dogleg left that rewards the right to left tee shot that favors the left side of the fairway with a par or birdie opportunity. A large, narrow green with bunkers left and a chipping area to the right requires a precise iron shot. One of the hardest greens on the course to read, the experienced Members know that putts always tend to slope towards the Gibbs’ pool.

Par 4

A demanding dogleg left Par 4 with arguably the only forced carry on the entire golf course. A trio of bunkers on the left frame the fairway. The prudent tee shot favors the right side, but the more you challenge the bunkers, the shorter the resulting approach shot. Left of the fairway bunkers is trouble, with the “Bermuda Triangle” of golf (balls go in, but they don’t come out). An elevated green with a false front and bunkers right requires a high, soft-landing approach shot.

Par 5

One of the best finishing holes in Jacksonville. This long, straight, uphill Par-5 rewards good shots and penalizes errant ones. Try to avoid “Granny’s Hole”, the large grass bunker on the right side of the fairway that is a magnet for tee shots. Out of Bounds runs down the right side so keep the ball in play and favor the left side to avoid a poor finish. A strategically placed tree narrows the approach to a slightly elevated green heavily bunkered short and left. A lot of matches and money have been won and lost on this great finishing hole.