Forest Creek, NC, USA

Broad fairways and exacting greens greet the golfer at Forest Creek. Pictured is the 18th with
its innocuous looking 43 yard wide fairway. However, once the golfer appreciates that a) the
right front and side of the green is protected by a bunker and b) the back two-thirds of
the green slopes away, he understands the need to place the ball in a particular
spot down the left hand side of the fairway. Such design features make
the course fun for all levels of golfers.

What is the ideal start for a course? How about giving an accomplished architect 1,200 acres in the rolling sand hills of North Carolina (yes, the same area with the same sandy soil that Donald Ross fell in love with one hundred years ago)? Further, suppose virtually no restrictions were placed on the architect and the full acreage was at his disposal?

Forest Creek Golf Club, located three miles from the village of Pinehurst, was given such a start in 1996.

Even though this is ideal, a nice - but nothing special - course could still have resulted. After all, such has been the fate to most of the courses built in Pinehurst since Ross's death in April, 1948. However, Forest Creek is different.

Not only is it different from the other courses in the area but it is also different from the courses that Fazio was building at the time.

First, other than the construction of several elevated teeing areas, Tom Fazio draped the holes across the land in such an appealing manner as to require little dirt to be moved. Thus, the course enjoys an unforced, natural appearance as it weaves through the broad corridors of pine trees. The other big name modern architects including Jack Nicklaus and Rees Jones have failed to deliver such a pleasing natural appearance with their efforts in the Pinehurst area. Indeed, Fazio himself couldn't live up to the standard that he set for himself at Forest Creek, as both Pinehurst No. 8 and the remodeled Pinehurst No. 4 are obviously more manufactured.

A beautiful bunker both visually in the way it ties into its surrounds and strategically, as it juts
into the fairway at a 45 degree angle and guards the optimal line into the 7th green.

Secondly, and most importantly, Fazio created numerous strategic decisions throughout the course. Though the fairways are wide, many of the holes (the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 11th, 13th, 14th and 15th holes) bend one way or the other. How the golfer positions himself off these tees has a significant impact on the success he can hope to achieve.

Take the 1st hole, a dogleg to the right. If the hole is on the right side, the ideal drive is to the left, so that he can use the green contours to bank his approach shot. Conversely, if the hole is back left, the golfer needs to hug the inside of the dogleg to give himself a clear look down the length of the green, which angles from front right to back left.

Within the general shape of each hole, Fazio  placed plenty of hazards directly in front of the golfer to make him think. Fairway bunkers in the middle of fairways and greens that slope away are two of the ploys that he used to create strategic interest, as we see in the Holes to Note below.

Holes to Note

3rd hole, 515 yards; Uphill par fives can seem like a slog but not this one, thanks to a beautifully placed bunker in the middle of the fairway 100 yards shy of the green. If the hole location is on the left half of the green, the better golfer is sorely tempted to carry it to set up an easy pitch to the hole. A very fine risk/reward dilemma that the better golfer enjoys addressing each time he plays here. 

Can the golfer carry this fairway bunker and set himself up
with an easy pitch shot for birdie?

4th hole, 435 yards;  A fine example of using bunkers to mis-direct the golfer. The pair of bunkers on the inside of the dogleg play much bigger than they look and can gather balls in from as far away as thirty yards. Still, the Tiger golfer always tries to make the 250 yard carry but even then, many a ball stays in the rough and the golfer is left with a hanging lie. No, the better play is not to be greedy off the tee, and to stay away from the bunkers. From the middle of the fairway, the golfer has good angle, plus a comparatively flat stance from which to hit. Achieving good contact with the ball is crucial as the green is titled away from the player and will shunt aside any thinned or poorly struck ball.

The challenge begins off the tee by avoiding these bunkers on the inside of the dogleg...

and culminates with an approach whereby this bowl must be used to brake the ball,
as the green runs away from the player.

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