Garrisons Lake: A Closer Look - Holes 1-3

Throughout the next couple months, I'll share a hole-by-hole walkthrough (literally!) of my home course, Garrisons Lake Golf Club. 

The course has been around since the 1960s, struggled some at the beginning of the current century, but has been taken over by the Delaware State Parks system and revitalised in recent years under the leadership of GM Steve Farrell and his crew. It's truly become a hidden gem, and the course is routinely in the condition one would expect from a $70 or $80 course. For a full review, click here.

The layout is a standard 4-10-4 par 72 with distances ranging from 4,190 yards to 7,060 yards (Garrisons uses the Longleaf Tee System, offering six sets of tees to accommodate players of all ages, genders and abilities), most fairways are pretty heavily lined by trees, and more than half of the non-par 3s feature a dogleg or forced carry. Although over 90% of golfers at Garrisons Lake opt to use buggies, the course routing makes for a truly excellent walk.

Let's go!

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Hole No. 1 — Par 5 (No. 7 index)
Gold - 327; Green - 423; Orange - 428; White - 479; Red - 511; Black - 535

The course begins with its second-longest hole, yes, but it's a very reachable par 5 — if you play it smart.

There's a slight left-hand dogleg about 240 yards from the green, the left side of the fairway is heavily wooded and out of bounds, and there are more trees about 10 yards wide of the right side of the fairway. I typically try to land my tee shot right in the generous part of the bend (210-240 away) and on the right half of the fairway in order to allow for a clear look at the green on my second shot.

Trees line the No. 1 fairway at Garrisons Lake, further demanding an accurate tee shot to negotiate the left-handed dogleg 240 yards from a well-guarded green.

After negotiating the dogleg, you're left with a fairway bunker about 70 yards out that blocks the entire left half of the fairway, and two greenside bunkers guarding the front corners of the green. A lay-up to wedge range — either right of the fairway bunker or just shy of it — leaves a great shot at a green in regulation.

Three bunkers — one 70 yards out on the left half of the fairway and two flanking the green — force strategy right off the bat.

Hole No. 2 — Par 4 (No. 1 index)
Gold - 233; Green - 278; Orange - 353; White - 357; Red - 423; Black - 449

From the orange tees, this plays as the second-longest par 4 of the course. From the whites, it's the third-shortest. The character — and difficulty — of this hole changes drastically from one tee box to the next.

The No. 2 green is guarded by the happy little trees on the left side. From the black and red tees, the hole plays as a second consecutive dogleg left, but from the white tees forward, it plays fairly straight on with an almost clear look at the green off the teeing ground. 

Like No. 1, this hole also bends off to the left, but much more subtly. The dogleg isn't in play from the gold and green tees, only slightly so from the orange and whites, and considerably more from the back tees. If you're playing from the proper tees, a solid drive down the middle of one of the more inviting fairways puts you a 6- or 7-iron away on your approach, and there's a lot of space to land. An errant tee shot puts you in trees both left and right, and there's OB farther left here, too.

This is one of the more inviting greens on the course, but it can be tricky if you end up with a sidehill lie. It's tilted slightly from back to front, and it's guarded by two bunkers (one front left, the other back right) but neither comes too severely in play. Given its size and slope, it's been known to ruin a good green in regulation.

Good distance control is a must to negotiate the expansive, two-tiered green on No. 2.

Hole No. 3 - Par 3 (No. 17 index)
Gold - 90; Green - 95; Orange - 130; White - 150; Red - 166; Black - 185

Don't be deceived by the fact that this is the shortest par 3 on the course and the No. 17 index hole. It demands precision, especially if the pin is tucked behind the bunker that guards the right two-thirds of the green.

On this day, a front pin placement allowed for an aggressive tee shot. On days when the pin is tucked behind the right bunker (the green curves behind it), strategy becomes more of a necessity. Photos by the author.

For me, this is an 8- or 9-iron, depending upon pin placement and wind. If the pin is in its forward position — unabated by a bunker — I'll attack it with a little leeway directly behind it. In the case of a tucked pin on the back and/or right portion of the green, I'm going for the middle of the green and relying on good lag putting for a chance at par.