BIRDIES & BOGEYS: A REACHABLE PAR-4
Nicklaus Golf Club at Birch River provides refreshing counterpoint to emphasis on distance.
What recreational golfer hasn’t felt his pulse quicken when he arrives at a reachable par-4, knowing that by driving the green, he will have an eagle putt or, better yet, an eagle tap-in? Not to mention the possibility of the ultimate in afternoon delights — a double-eagle ace. Or, as the Brits would say, an albatross.
In an era when golf courses seemingly can’t be too lush or too long, reachable par-4s provide a refreshing counterpoint to the emphasis on distance. That’s especially true when risk/reward elements enter into the equation.
On the PGA Tour, reachable par-4s, like the 17th hole at Tournament Players Club of Scottsdale in Arizona (Phoenix Open) or the 15th hole at Tournament Players Club at River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut (Canon Greater Hartford Open), add compelling drama down the stretch. Galleries flock to these potential swing holes in hopes of seeing an eagle or better. These two holes measure in the 310- to 320-yard range, depending upon where the tees are set. They have built-in defense systems either in the form of fairway bunkers, water hazards, or significant slopes protecting the front and sides of the green.
Jay Morrish, who along with Tom Weiskopf designed the 17th hole at TPC of Scottsdale, says that reachable par-4s — although being imperiled by modern equipment — play a traditional role in course design. “My own philosophy for those kinds of holes is that players should not automatically go for the green,” Morrish says, “but they have the opportunity to gamble on days when their game feels right or they’re in the situation where they need to make birdie.”
At Nicklaus Golf Club at Birch River, a Signature Jack Nicklaus Golf Course located in Dahlonega, Georgia, about 65 miles north of Atlanta, members and guests encounter a reachable par-4 at No. 13. The hole, which doglegs to the right, measures a tantalizing 319 yards from the championship tees, 300 from the blues, and 280 from the whites (and a mere 168 yards from the forward tees.)
Not everyone who plays Nicklaus Golf Club at Birch River elects to have a go at the green. But, with the prevailing southerly wind at their backs, even midhandicappers who make their best swing have the chance to see their drives scurry onto the putting surface. For low-handicappers and scratch players, meanwhile, the hole is pretty much a no-brainer. Lock and load, then fire away.
LUCKY AT 13
Such was the case when assistant golf professional Patrick Beidle
watched his tee shot at No. 13 bound onto the two-tiered green, race up a
slope, and lip out — leaving a one-footer for eagle. (As of this writing, no
one has aced the 13th hole, though the proposition seems more a matter of
when than if.)
Trouble at No. 13 comes in the form of the Chestatee River, which cuts in front of the tee — meaning topped drives most likely will get wet. The Chestatee works its way down the right side of the hole; therefore, slices or pushes could also incur penalties.
The other obstacle at No. 13 is a massive bunker on the right side of the fairway that snags a significant percentage — perhaps as high as 30 percent to 40 percent, Beidle says — of the tee shots.
The conservative play is to hit a utility wood, or a long or medium iron, into the fairway left of the gaping bunker. That strategy leaves a pitching wedge or sand wedge approach shot to a green that typically registers 10 on the stimpmeter but can be tweaked for tournament play.
NICKLAUS’ DOMAIN
Birch River, a gated residential community, is located near the historic
town of Dahlonega, site of a late 1820s gold rush. With its quaint antique
stores and charming town square, Dahlonega is a popular destination for
gadabouts, as well as urbanites seeking a weekend escape. Dahlonega also is
home to North Georgia College & State University, which provides club
general manager Jon Kitchen with a ready labor pool. Nearby is the southern
tip of one of America’s outdoor landmarks, the Appalachian Trail. Created in
the 1930s, the wilderness trail extends all the way to Maine, and is the
subject of Bill Bryson’s warm and witty A Walk
in the Woods (recommended for every book club extant).
Nicklaus Golf Club opened in November 2000 and has since been attracting members from the Greater Atlanta area, as well as from feeder markets such as Dahlonega and Gainesville, Florida. Part of the club’s attraction is its secluded setting — a scenic mountain valley rife with rich red clay for which Georgia is renown. Another part of the attraction is its climate, distinctly cooler in the summer months than in Atlanta. And then, of course, there is the Jack Nicklaus name it bears. Birch River was the first of the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses developed with ClubCorp, subsequently followed by the Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate near Kansas City in Overland Park, Kansas [“Prime Property,” March/April 2002].
Of course, Jack Nicklaus always has done some of his finest work in the state of Georgia, and not just in Augusta, where he won the Masters Tournament a record six times. Nicklaus also has been busy creating a Bear’s Best course in the Atlanta suburb of Suwanee. It will open this summer, joining the popular Bear’s Best layout in Las Vegas.
His touch is most notable, perhaps, on the reachable No. 13 at Birch River, which is followed by back-to-back par-5s — forming a memorable three-hole stretch in which players have the potential to make amends with par. Setting up the scoring sequence is the critical tee shot at the 13th, where the temptation to reach back for something extra generally is too powerful to resist.
Frequent Private Clubs contributor Russ Pate fondly recalls bygone days when he could reach par-4s. Provided, that is, said holes were downhill, downwind, and fewer than 300 yards.
Nicklaus Golf Club at Birch River
Location: 639 Birch River Dr., Dahlonega, Georgia.
General manager: Jon Kitchen.
Head golf professional: Jeff Meier.
Amenities: 6,955-yard, par-72 Signature Jack Nicklaus Golf
Course with complete practice facilities; full-service pro shop; grill; four
lighted tennis courts; small boardroom available for meetings.
Web site: www.nicklausgolfbirchriver.com