Beachwood Detail
As always, this guide to Beachwood is written from the perspective of a bogey golfer. It assumes you’re playing from the white tees, 6347 yards. Because of the trees, accuracy is more important than length. You don't have to be able to hit your driver straight, but it helps a lot to be able to hit something straight. (I know, I know, easier said than done...) I strongly advise a few minutes of putting practice before you start. The pace of the greens was a bit different than my home course.
Hole 1 is a straightaway par 5. It's only 513 yards, but narrow enough to encourage the use of your three wood off the tee. If you favor the right side of the fairway, it will take those two bunkers on the left side of the green out of play (well, not completely out, but you know what I mean).
#2 is a 358 yard par 4. It feels kind of cramped off the tee, a feeling encourage by the row of trees running just inside the boundary of the course down the left side of the fairway. The hole is only 358 yards, so there's no need to try and hit a heroic long drive. 200 yards is plenty if it's reasonably straight.
#3 is more of the same. It's a little longer at 373 yards, but there's still a premium on accuracy. There are a couple of fairway bunkers on the right side, and then just to get inside your head, there's a small pond fronting the green on the left side. So, pretty much right down the middle is the correct play!
#4 is a short par 3, playing 145 yards over a pond. It's basically all carry, so take plenty of club. A bunker behind the green will catch anything long.
#5 is a 385 yard par 4, with a slight dogleg right. The dogleg also brings a pond into play on the approach shot, so the only way to really score on this hole is to hit a really long drive down the left side. The other alternative is to accept that bogey is a good score here, and don't heap trouble on yourself in the form of a double-bogey (or triple...).
#6 is the hardest hole on the course. It's a 403 yard par 4. There's a pond in front of the tee box, and another one just right of the green. Same advice as on #5: bogey is not a bad score here.
#7 gives you a chance to gain back some ground. It's only 318 yards, and pretty much straightaway. A five iron and a wedge should get you comfortably on in two, with plenty of chance to score.
#8 is a tasty little par 3. It's about 167 yards, nominally, but find yardage markers and check it carefully -- there's a lot of variance here. A pond on the right will punish any chunky mistakes. A row of trees down the left side keeps you from getting too cowardly.
#9 is the front nine's second par 5. It plays 540 yards from the whites, and is pretty straightforward. The green is well-bunkered, so make sure your second shot lands at a comfortable yardage for you.
#10 is a classic short two-shot strategy hole. It's only 294 yards, but it has a nearly 90 degree dogleg left, so big hitters really can't go after it. Hit a tee shot right down the middle about two hundred yards, and that leaves you an easy wedge into the green. The green is pretty large, so pay close attention to pin placement.
#11 is a 345 yard par 4 from the whites. It's straightaway, but you need to favor the left side of the fairway. There's a ridge down the right side, that feeds down into a pond if you get too close.
#12 is another short par 4, playing 328 yards. It's pretty benign, and is rated one of the easier hole on the course. What the heck, tee it high and let it fly!
#13 only adds about 40 yards to #12, so it too represents a scoring opportunity.
#14 is a horse of another color. It's a 560 yard par 5, which is respectable under any circumstances. But it has a double-dogleg (not to be confused with a double-dog-dare). You can take my word for it -- there's no point in trying to cut the corners here (I drilled into the woods by mistake and paid heavily for it).
#15 is a 189 yard par 3 with a pond down the right hand side. If you're the least bit chicken, take a wedge and bail out left, going for the up-and-down. Not that the bail-out is exactly safe. There is, after all, a sand trap on the left of the green to discourage such behavior.
The sixteenth hole is another tee-shot-over the water kind of a hole. It plays 375 yards, and has a slight dogleg left.
#17 is a short par 5, at only 494 yards from the white tees. However, the pond on the front right of the green keeps you from taking unfair advantage. Playing into the green on your second shot with a long iron is a real test of skill.
The finishing hole is a gorgeous par 3 (pond, fountain, etc.), that's a semi-stressful 199 yards. It's also heavily bunkered on all four corners, so as you head in to the clubhouse, you'll feel like you've been thoroughly tested.
The natives are friendly here, or at least what passes for natives. The strangers you meet are likely to be retired Northeasterners with second homes. Bring pictures of your grandkids, and you'll fit right in.
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