My friend and I were back on Friday to check out the Concord course. Thankfully, the wind calmed down overnight and it turned out to be a beautiful day! Our pace was slower at 4.5 hours, but that’s probably better than average on a perfect weather Friday! Like when we played the Lexington course, we picked the gold tees which are 70.7/132/6546. You’ll notice that the rating, slope, and yardage of both courses are similar, but that is where the similarities stop. The Concord course looks and plays different than the Lexington course!
The Concord course is a more basic layout with homes closer to the holes and some pine trees that line the course. While it misses some of the desert look compared to the Lexington course, the Concord course still has its share of elevated tees and nice views of the valley (none of the strip though). The Concord course doesn’t have the most interesting routing either, at least if you ask me. The front nine is cramped and plays in a small valley. The holes go out on the left side of the valley and return to the clubhouse on the other side. That means that just about every hole on the front has a large amount of left to right slope. I enjoyed the back nine more as it is a little more spread out and has slopes going both ways. You certainly will want to try to land many shots on the left edge of the fairway on the Concord course! If this course was in the Mid-Atlantic then all the left to right contour would have bothered me as a fade player. That would mean I’d have to hug the tree line on the left, but out here I was able to play my normal fade. I still think someone who likes to draw the ball will fare better here than someone who likes to fade it! These fairways are narrow compared to the Lexington course so you are going to have to be more intentional about your misses off the tee.
I didn’t paint the course’s design in the best light, but what offsets all that is how playable it is and an outstanding 18th hole! The par 3’s here also standout. There are plenty of scoring holes thanks to short par 5’s and plenty of short par 4’s. I’m just an average length hitter (~240 yard average drive) but I had the distance to reach all the par 5’s in two. I had a wedge or less into probably half of the holes so it is a place where you could make some birdies! The greens here still have plenty of slope, but when compared to the Lexington course, the Concord course has easier green complexes. That allows a chance to make more mid-length putts.
I think another thing that made the Concord course a bit easier was the dormant rough. I got some great lies in the rough on the Concord course because it wasn’t overseeded and I could cleanly contact the ball. That was the main difference between the two courses when it came to the conditions, but I’d give an edge to the Concord course in all the other areas. The greens were more receptive and had fewer ball marks while still rolling just as speedy and smooth as Lexington. The tees were fuller and flatter on the Concord course while the fairways were fuller too. There were still plenty of divots, but it appears the Concord course gets less play.
Revere offers two mid-level courses with some nice views and you shouldn’t be disappointed with either. I’d rank them about even because I enjoy how playable the Concord course is and it was in better shape. However, the Lexington course has the better views and the desert experience.
#1 (381 yard par 4):
The 1st is ranked as one of the easier holes on the course, but don’t let that fool you. I hit what I thought was a good tee shot and almost ended up in the desert! It plays downhill to a fairway that narrows and then opens back up again. I hit 3 wood, but I would have been better off hitting driver. If you are going to layup my advice would be to hit a club less than you want. Ideally, you could land the drive ~215 yards and let it roll down the hill. The tee shot is semi-blind and I thought there would be more room off to the left. That isn’t the case! The 9th hole is off to the right, so missing right should at least allow you to find the ball. The green is larger and has a back tier.
#2 (509 yard par 5):
The 2nd is a short par 5 that could be reachable. Pay attention to the left to right slope as that theme will dominate much of the course. Therefore, I’d favor the left side on the drive and if you layup. Depending on where you hit it there could be some desert and mounds off to the right. Playing from short right of the green, even if from the rough, is a decent option. For the most part, the green slopes towards the center from all sides.
#3 (443 yard par 4):
The 3rd, a long par 4 with a blind landing area, had me worried! I couldn’t tell how wide the fairway was or where the trouble was at! Turns out it is a much easier drive than it looks. The green is straight ahead and the sides of the fairway funnel shots towards the center. Plus, the fairway downslopes so a drive could really run out. Missing left is better than right as there is a hazard off to the right of some mounds. It is pretty open around the green and playing from left of it leaves an uphill chip.
#4 (363 yard par 4):
The 4th, for some reason, is ranked as the #3 handicap. I think it is one of the easier holes on the course, but you can make up your own mind! I hit my 210 yard club and was left with a short iron into the green. There is a small forced carry to the fairway but the trouble only comes into play if you are way offline. I think not getting too aggressive with the tee shot is the key to scoring here.
#5 (153 yard par 3):
The 5th is a mid-length, fun par 3. The pin was in the front when we played and after a quick survey of the green I think that’s the best spot for it! Water guards the front of the green and it slopes from back to front and right to left. If you want an uphill putt you might have to risk rinsing one!
#6 (355 yard par 4):
The 6th is a scoring hole! It is a short par 4 with a couple ways to play it depending on how you are feeling. I was hitting my driver good so I decided to be aggressive and carry the two fairway bunkers on the left (~230). It was an uncomfortable angle, but I had the distance and got a huge bounce forward and to the right. I had just a flip wedge into the green and left myself with a short birdie putt. Another option is to draw a layup but you are probably playing towards the narrowest section of the fairway if you do that. The green is narrower towards the front and wider towards the back. There aren’t any bunkers to the left of the green so that is a decent spot to chip from. You can play a drive way right (from the 3rd fairway) but don’t miss the green right as it can kick into trouble.
#7 (388 yard par 4):
If you hit a good drive on the last I’d try to do the exact same thing on the 7th! It goes left and hugs the hillside. A couple bunkers are hidden to the left (~240 to reach) so play right if you cannot carry them. The fairway starts to narrow and slope hard to the right about where the bunkers are so a layup club might be a good idea. Try to land the drive on the very left edge of the fairway. From there, the approach plays a little uphill into a smaller green that angles from front left to back right. The green sets up well to receive a left to right shot from the sloping fairway.
#8 (145 yard par 3):
The 8th is another fun par 3! Considering its distance, the green is huge so calculating the downhill drop is important for a makeable birdie putt. It plays downhill at least a club and probably a bit more if you ask me. The green has a back tier and some general slope from right to left. Someone in our group hit in the right bunker and had to land his bunker shot in the fringe to get it close!
#9 (474 yard par 5):
The 9th is the #1 handicap but I’d be thinking about it as a birdie hole. It is an uphill, reachable par 5 that doglegs left. Driving it in the perfect spot is difficult because of the angle of the fairway,
its left to right slope, and because it narrows. But, there is plenty of rough and bunkers to find crooked ones (except maybe hooks). I went for the green in two and had a 3 wood from a severe uphill lie. It was tough to shift my weight correctly with all that slope trying to push me down the hill! It is probably one to two clubs extra to the green depending on your distance. Around the green, favor the left side as that is the higher side of the hole and you might get a kick to the right. The green curls right around a large bunker and it is another one with a back tier.
#10 (351 yard par 4):
The 10th is a short par 4 and another good opportunity. Like most of the other holes on the Concord course the slope is from left to right so take note of that. You probably don’t need driver, but if you do be aware of a fairway bunker off to the right that can collect drives. There isn’t much rough to the left of the fairway so I’d make sure to miss it to the right. Because the green is elevated, it is hidden from view on the approach. It falls off short and to the left and there is a back tier. The second shot isn’t the easiest to judge the distance on, but it should only be with a short iron!
#11 (481 yard par 5):
The 11th is a short par 5 and one where I was thinking about a birdie! The fairway angles out to the right and then back to the left to get to the green. The drive basically goes through the bunkers unless you can carry a center line over the bunkers on the left. That’s the ideal shot as the drive then should kick a bit right into the fairway. After a good drive, it should be a chance to reach in two as it plays downhill to the green. I had an awkward stance in the rough and still was able to chase my second shot near the front edge. The green is narrow with small steps to the back edge.
#12 (218 yard par 3):
The 12th continues the theme of great par 3’s on the Concord course! The pace of play stalled here, but I didn’t mind because of the great views of the mountains! It is a long par 3 on the scorecard, but it played a lot shorter than that. I hit two clubs less and ended up in the back fringe, so it might even be three clubs downhill! The green is large and there is plenty of rough around it, so there are a couple ways to make a par. I’m sure you’d never guess, but there is another back tier!
#13 (402 yard par 4):
The 13th could be another scoring hole depending on the pin location. It plays from an elevated tee down to the fairway so someone could unleash a massive drive! Again, try to land the tee shot on the left side of the fairway so that the slope can feed it to the center. The approach plays into a very large green. The green is deeper than it looks and has large stepped tiers. Try to be on the correct level! I was very happy with my two putt from 40 feet!
#14 (425 yard par 4):
The 14th is the last of the downhill holes, at least until the last. It is one of the longer par 4’s on the course, but I had just a short iron into the green because my drive ran out a bunch! The fairway
actually has some right to left slope so you will want to favor the right half this time. The fairway splits with ~120 yards to go so I’d try to keep the drive short of that patch of desert. The green falls
off to the left and has a swale in the middle.
#15 (318 yard par 4):
The 15th is the shortest par 4 on the course, but I made an easy bogey on it! Because of a bunker in the middle of the fairway, there are options off the tee. It is ~235 yards to carry the bunker but it plays a bit longer because it is uphill. I laid up short of it which left me with a short iron from an uphill lie. I couldn’t see the green from the green from the fairway and just as well I guess, because it could be the nastiest green on the course! It slopes from back to front, has a small left section, and repels any shots landing short. I’d avoid the left side of the fairway as that leaves a poor angle into the green.
#16 (194 yard par 3):
The 16th is a long par 3 that offers some target golf. It plays slightly downhill to green that is narrower at the front and wider towards the back. My view of the green complex was partially obstructed so I couldn’t tell how much room I had on either side. There is a chipping area to the left and a bunker to the right which can keep an average shot from going into the desert. Don’t challenge the back half the of green as the desert pinches long and right.
#17 (414 yard par 4):
The 17th, a longer par 4 and the #4 handicap, has a lot going on! It is uphill, doglegs left, and has a green that can repel shots. Off the tee, a draw is best but the slope to the right of the fairway can
yield good bounces. It isn’t the most difficult tee shot as long as you can avoid the bunkers on the left. However, from the fairway you are going to have your hands full! You are going to face an uphill stance (severely uphill inside 150 yards) to a deep green with a large false front. I wouldn’t bother trying to land a shot into the front of the green unless you plan on skipping it forward. If you don’t make it to the flat part of the green, and if the course is firm, then the ball could roll back a long way! To complicate things further, the approach plays at least a club uphill.
#18 (531 yard par 5):
The 18th is a brilliant closing hole! I cannot say enough good things about it and it could be the scene for some great match play! The main challenge is going to be finding the fairway. The landing area is over a hill and the fairway narrows with bunkers on both sides. If you can land the ball just over the top of the rise in the fairway then it should get a big kick forward and roll forever down the hill. Unfortunately, I was the only person in our group not to have 160 to 180 yards into the green for the second shot! If you are ever going to hit a 400 yard drive, this is the place! If you can find that slot then you should have just a mid or short iron over a hazard to the green. Even from that distance, it could be a risky shot because calculating the distance wasn’t easy. It drops at least a club to the green and there are a bunch of bunkers over the back. The safest play is probably to the center of the green which is the deepest. My friend had a short eagle putt while I limped home with a double bogey so anything can happen.
