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Forest Creek, NC, USA 8th hole, 350 yards; This hole possesses two features we admire greatly: a fairway bunker directly in the landing area and a green that falls away from the golfer. No wonder it is our favorite hole on the course.
9th hole, 430 yards; Fazio puts the screws to the golfer here: the green is fronted by a lake, is steeply pitched from back to front, and is only 22 paces deep. Even the bail out area to the left makes for an extremely unlikely up and down as the green slopes from left to right as well. In the mid 1980s, the courses that were being built featured a hole of such uncompromising difficulty as many as 5 to 7 times per round. Golfers in turn grew frustrated with such courses as they gobbled up their golf balls. Tom Fazio was one of the principal architects who led the change away from such penal designs to more playable ones. Having said that, every course should have one such brute of a hole, and the 9th at Forest Creek is definitely that hole.
10th hole, 225 yards; This dramatic hole generally plays into the prevailing wind. Typical of several other holes, the 'safe' play may not be what the golfer first suspects. A large bailout area to the left of the green is provided but the green itself slopes away from the bailout area (ie from left to right). The right hand green side bunker may provide for a less ticklish, more straightforward recovery shot.
14th, 525 yards; A very appealing gambling hole, with a large scrubby area that must be carried if the green is to be reached in two. However, the green drops four feet from back to front so nothing can be taken for granted, especially if your ball is anywhere but directly underneath the hole location. The author's sole regret with Forest Creek is that a few more sandy waste areas aren't also brought into play. After all, this is the sand hills.
15th hole, 435 yards; Fazio uses the angles well and the hole's challenge comes down to the green which is high in the middle and low in the front and back. The golfer is better to miss a back hole location by being long; at least that way, he has a straightforward uphill chip shot. If the golfer comes up short of the middle hump with his approach for a back hole location, then he faces the scenario of being too gentle with his first putt as he tries to coax it over the brow and down the slope...now he has a quick downhill ten footer for a two putt... now he has a six footer for a three putt...now he has a four putt. This very event was witnessed last time we played here, and the golfer was a three marker at that! 16th hole, 420 yards; A perfect use of a fairway bunker to give a straight hole some strategy. The closer the golfer hugs the bunker on the right, the better his approach angle into the green. If he shuns the bunker altogether, he may be partially blocked on his second by a strand of tall pines or he will have at least to carry the six foot deep greenside bunker that guards the entire left side.
18th hole, 430 yards; A fine show of restraint, Fazio only uses the lake as a back drop. Again, the real attention was focused on the green contours, this time the back two thirds of the green slopes away from the golfer and he has to perfectly judge how to play such an approach shot. Forest Creek also finishes with a unique twist: should the golfer's want, there is a 165 yard one shotter 19th hole in which the golfer may try and redeem himself.
Not dissimilar to the famous Ross course in the village, Fazio gives the golfer plenty of room off the tee and presents the heart of the challenge within 40 yards of the green. For some of the strategic dilemmas to come off properly (i.e. in order to carry the fairway bunker on the 3rd, the fairways need to be firm off the tee, to fret about the fall away slopes on the greens, the greens need to be firm, etc.), fast and firm playing conditions must exist. And at Forest Creek, the greens are maintained at the same caliber in terms of pace and firmness as those at Augusta National, Seminole, Pinehurst No.2, and Yeamans Hall . Of course, Green Keeper Bill Patton has the advantage of a sandy base and limited play but still his work is to be commended. Without it, Forest Creek would pose far fewer strategic decisions. Some courses are profiled on this website because of their varied fairway bunkering schemes which create alternative routes and risk/reward decisions; other courses are included because of the variety found within their green complexes; and still others are included because they find the perfect balance in a serene environment of providing strategic dilemmas for the better golfer without ever overpowering the weaker player. Forest Creek is included for all three reasons, and that makes it a delight to play for any golfer.
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