River Oaks has a number of interesting holes and Fox Course No. 9 is definitely one of those holes. The dog-leg left par 4 is a tough driving hole with an even tougher approach that provides a heck of a challenge for golfers to finish either a nine or a round on. Today we take a look at playing the hole and gives some tips on how to play it and what golfers can expect when they step onto the tee box.
First of all, golfers have to contend with a row of condos that are so close to the fairway that they are protected by a large netting structure that runs the length of the buildings. The right-hand side of the fairway has some mounds and a large fairway bunker that is at the end of the mounds and far corner of the dog-leg. The hole is only 357 from the white tees and 225 to the end of the fairway to the aforementioned bunker. This is not just a “grab a driver and go” tee shot for most golfers.
Long hitters that can get the ball high fairly quick can be uber-aggressive and take the ball over the top corner of the condos and take a direct line to the hole. Just beyond the dog-leg is a pond that runs from this point around to the back right side of the green. We don’t want to go through the fairway to the water either. A safe tee shot will find golfers between the right side fairway bunker and the corner looking straight up to the elevated green.
From this point, most golfers will have either some type of wedge or a short iron in hand for the approach shot. Finding what part of the green the flag is on is very important to club selection. The green is long and has a couple undulations in it. This makes it very important to get the ball to the right level of the green. There are bunkers on each side of the green and water along the right-hand side down the hill. A par or better score on this hole is a great way to finish the side and makes for a fun drive over the bridge back to the clubhouse.
To make a tee time click on the Tee TImes tab on the top of the page or call the golf shop at 843.236.2222.