I had a couple places in mind for my afternoon round and Pendleton was one of them. I got a sandwich and was able to get out right away after about an hour drive. The starter was one of the friendliest that I have bumped into in my travels and I could tell that he was proud of the course. I played the Blue Tees at 72.9/135/6635 and got started on a wild ride. The course is not the most photogenic right now as it is dormant and the trees do not have any leaves, but I bet it will be very scenic as we get deeper into the spring.
The opening hole should be a nothing par 5 up a gentle hill, but it is made interesting by fairway bunkers and mounding that creates a blind layup and approach. Adding to the difficulty is a massive green with a 3 foot rise separating the left side and right side. The 2nd tee is right behind the 1st green, but you would never know because the 1st green has a huge mound behind it covered in native grass. Right away, the mounds covered in native grass took me back a couple years when I played at Monarch Dunes on California’s Central Coast. The 3rd hole is a mid length par 3 over water to a green in the shape of a “L”. The 5th hole was my least favorite on the course as I swung away with driver on the short par 5 and just cleared the hazard that cuts across the fairway at 200 to 225 yards. Hazards cutting across the fairway are among my least favorite design features. The 6th had a green that was maybe 5 clubs from front to back and looked like something from Mike Strantz’s playbook with a 5 to 6 foot rise in the middle. The 8th hole played through some old ruins before the course started to remind me of Bandon Trails on holes 12 through 14. The 15th, a 513 yard par 5, featured a split fairway and another green surrounded by mounds which reminded me of the Strantz courses that I have played. The 18th, a 402 yard par 4, is a strong closing hole that climbs the hill towards the clubhouse and requires back to back good shots to score well. The course had many flamboyant touches including crazy green complexes, split fairways, and the -hole going through the ruins. In addition, many holes had a bit of elevation change and were free of homes which is always nice.
I really wanted to glow about the course, but there are two things that give me a more reserved opinion of the course. I did not like the constant blind shots and severe fall offs around the greens into chipping areas. This put a lot of pressure on the irons, probably a little too much for an amateur in my opinion. Quickly running through the course in my mind I count blind shots on about half the holes which is not my thing. The problem with chipping areas is that they either fill up with water, have a bunch of divots, and/or are mown closely resulting in thin lies. This makes it tough to hit the high shot onto the elevated green and tough to bump it into the hill. The course was in great shape and the greens were fast and rolled well. I think the fairways were aerated recently as there were little bits of round dirt in the fairways, but it really did not affect play. For anyone who has played nearby Royal New Kent or Stonehouse and like those, I would recommend Pendleton.
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