Raccoon Creek Golf Course - Detail
This writeup was done from the white tees.
The first hole is a dogleg left up a gentle hill. It's a par 4, and you either must make sure you can bend it right a little bit, or lay up, because a driver can reach the creek and drain across the fairway on the left side.
The second hole is a par 5, generously wide. Plenty of room here to swing hard.
Number 3 is a strategy hole. There's a swamp on the left that eventually crosses over to the right to a pond right of the green. The crossover is actually underground, so if you can hit it straight, you can stay dry. Take plenty of club on your second shot, because any rightward drift is sure to get wet, unless you get lucky and land in the trap. The pond here has a vertical face, made out of railroad ties.
The fourth hole is a medium length par 3. There is sand everywhere, waiting to gobble up errant shots.
#5 is a medium-length par 4, which squeezes down between two traps right where your drive wants to come down. The second half of the hole is downhill, so you'll get a little help if you have to lay up on your tee shot.
#6 is a par 4, with a big dogleg right. From the white tees, it's not that long, but it needs a certain skill. Too long and you might run through the fairway. Too far right and you might roll in the water. Probably the ideal shot is a 3 wood aimed at the rightmost tree on the left hand side, which will set up a short or mid iron into the green. This is rated as the hardest hole on the course.
#7 is mostly a straightaway par 4, but it's a bit intimidating because it's narrow, and there's a lake running all the way down the right hand side. All three of my partners wound up in the trees to the left. While I hit might right down the middle, I still wound up in the lake by shanking a nine iron on my second shot!
#8 is a medium-length par 3. Whatever club you tee off with, make sure it's one you can control, because if it strays a little bit right, it'll get wet.
The ninth hole is a straightaway par 5, with a fairway bunker on the right. So hit whatever will ensure you don't reach the bunker, and then a good midiron shot will leave you with a straightforward approach to the green. Sounds easy, huh?
The tenth hole is kind of a buttonhook to the left. Be aware of a stream that opens up on the left side of the fairway, fed by a drain pipe that runs underneath the fairway from the right. In other words, stay well to the right half of the fairway. This is a short hole from the whites, and a layup is in order, because that trap on the right hand side of the approach up the hill to the green is definitely reachable with a driver.
#11 is kind of a complicated par 5. From the white tees, it's not that long, but it has one long bend to the right, complete with overhanging trees that will block you out completely if you get a little too far right. So you have to favor the left side the whole way. Oh, and finally, there's a creek running across the front of the green.
#12 is another "strategic" hole. It's straightaway, but there's a lake in the middle of the fairway. So you either 1) lay up in front of the lake, or 2) hit your driver to the left of the lake, narrowly missing the tree on the left. Ultimately, it's a trade off between hitting a long iron into the green from the layup, or a wedge in from the drive (which hopefully threaded the needle between the tree and the lake).
#13 is a short par 3 across the water. Enjoy the view, then shut the water out of your mind and hit a decent shot!
The fourteenth hole is kind of boring looking from the tee. Hit it as far as you can. On your approach shot, be aware that the green is really long, and stretches from the front right to the back left. So pay attention to pin placement when you pick your club for the approach shot.
#15 is a really long par 5 because it's up a pretty steep hill. Fortunately, the fairway is wide, with a fairway bunker on the right. Hit it as far as you can. Chances are you'll still need to hit your second shot pretty far too. With any luck, this will put you in position to hit a wedge over the bunker complex in the middle of the fairway.
#16 is a bit confusing from the teebox. It's a longish dogleg left (391 from the whites) so you need to hit a driver, but you also need to miss the trap on the left. You'll be hitting a long iron or hybrid on your second shot, so try to stay as close to the trap as you can.
The seventeenth is one of the more intimidating holes on the course. It's a par 3, basically over the water. Just for fun, think about playing this from the blue tee... You can bail out left into the bunker.
The home hole is a par 5 with a gentle dogleg left. An indifferent drive with an indifferent second shot should still leave you with a reasonable approach shot. The green is guarded by a bunker in front, so your approach needs to be better than indifferent.
This is a fun course, and reasonably priced if you watch for deals.
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