Welcome
to Willow Oaks. I'm glad you could get out here to play. What a great night
to walk an evening nine holes - 85 degrees, low humidity, slight breeze.
We're gonna lose our light here in about an hour to an hour and a half,
so I won't play - I'll just caddie for you and we'll see how many holes
you can get in. Let's get to it!
Just
to orient you, standing here on the first tee at Willow Oaks we're looking
due north. We're elevated here, looking down across the flood plain of
the James. Although you can't see the fairways, we're scanning across the
2nd, 3rd, 8th, 17th, 16th, 6th, and 5th holes, which are laid out crosswise
in front of us, running roughly east-west. You can see some of each of
those fairways during the fall when the leaves have dropped, and you can
see the James River out in the distance running east-west along the 5th
hole.
All
those trees on the steep northern bank on the opposite side of the James
make a beautiful backdrop for us as we look across the course from here
on the tee. That bank is ablaze with color in the fall - reds, yellows,
oranges, browns. Virginia's peak fall color is mid-October and that is
quite a sight.
This
is the pro shop at our backs here, and the men's grill and locker room
just to our right. Normally a lot of commotion here on the first tee on
Saturdays and Sundays. Pretty quiet when you come out here at about this
time on a weekday evening though.
Okay,
let's go. I'd say let's play from the blue tees - I don't care for the
white tees since they've made some changes in them this year. They've really
shortened up the par-5 fifth hole and the par-4 14th. It's not too long
from the blues anyway - about 6600 yards.
This
first hole is an okay starting hole. Short dog leg left. Pull out about
a 2-iron or a 3-wood and hit at that little spring house out there. You
can just see the peak of the roof - that's your aim. You only need to hit
it anywhere from 200 - 230 yards down the middle. Pull it left, you're
in the bunkers at the crook of the dog leg with a tough shot to the green.
Push it right and you got some problems with the trees there down the right
side of the fairway. Alright, let 'er rip. . . <smack>
Nice
shot! Didn't sound like you caught it all, but you're out there in the
middle of the fairway in good shape <walk, walk, walk>. . .
Your
next shot here you're only gonna need a little pitching wedge or sand wedge,
marker says 86 yards. The flagstick is on the bottom tier right in front
- that's the toughest position for it. Try and keep it on the lower tier.
Hit away. . . <clink> Whoops, hit that one little thin - up on the
upper tier but you're on the dance floor anyway.
Get
your putter out <walk>. . .
Coming
down that ridge here it's gonna pick up some steam on it, and it's gonna
turn right a couple feet. You want to just get it to the ridge and let
it feed down to the hole <roll, roll>. . . Looks good, looking real
good, jump in there baby. . . <zip> Damn, just lipped out, but that
was a hell of a putt. Tap 'er in. <plink> Good par. Okay, down the
cart path here to the second tee we lose about 40 feet in elevation <walk>.
. .
Heavily bunkered 1st green at Willow Oaks. Click on image for larger picture.