Standing
on the fifth tee here we're ten paces from the James. Let's walk over here
and you can see how muddy the water is this time of year. It's only a couple
steps down to the water - don't fall in. Water will recede as the dry summer
wears on and pretty soon we'll be able to see the bottom of the river from
here. Water gets pretty high and angry about March. Depending on how much
snow they had in the mountains west of here during the winter, it can really
come out of those banks when the snow melts and washes down the river.
You
can see the railroad tracks across the river there. They run from the coal
country about 5 hours southwest of here all the way to the beach. I've
counted 75 cars in the coal trains before.
How
wide is the river here? Good question. We've been trying to figure that
out for years. I'm guessing it's about 400 yards. We usually test it out
from the 16th tee - good spot there to hit your driver across. I figure
a good drive is less than half the way across the river. So I gotta believe
it's 400 yards across minimum.
Look
east down the river from here and you can see the Powhite Parkway bridge
across the river. That might show up in one of your maps either as the
Powhite Parkway or 195. Anyway, as you cross the river heading south on
that bridge you can look off to your right and see the fifth hole here.
Just after you cross over that bridge, you make a right on Forest Hill
and then turn right into the Willow Oaks parking lot.
Don't
yank it or you're wet, of course. Plenty of room out to the right and you
have an easier second shot from over there anyway. Tee it up and let fly.
. . <crush> Yes, yes, that'll play. Just over the cart path in the
right rough but that's a good angle to play your second shot from. Let's
go take a look at that lie - if it's good, you can hit that Burner again!
<walk, walk, walk, walk>
Yeah,
I'd take a lick with the Burner again. You've got plenty of room to the
river so you can aim out there at the 150 yard marker on the other side
of the fairway and try to cut it back into the middle. Actually, I think
if you aim it right there at those guys standing on the bank fishing in
the James that ought to be about perfect. (Those guys sneak out here quite
a bit at this time of night to fish - they're not supposed to but no one
really says anything.) Yeah, you can hit an iron, go ahead. Whatever you
feel comfortable hitting. 2-iron is fine. . . <click> Well, you didn't
want to fade it there.
Now
you're in behind that stand of trees short and right of the green. You
may be far enough back that you can bend it around them though. <walk,
walk>
Not
as bad as I thought it could be. You're going to have to hit a low fade
under that overhang there and run it up on the green. Looks like about
120 yards. Grab a 3-iron and aim it at that left trap there and cut it.
. . <slap> Drat, too much cut. I think you ran into that low trap
on the right side of the green. Can't tell for sure. <scurry past trees>
Yeah you're in. <walk, walk>
This
trap isn't too much trouble if you can play the sand. Only a couple feet
deep so no face to scale. Most of our traps are pretty docile. Just explode
on out of there and we'll see what happens. <swooosh, skitter> Right
on across the damn green. That's about as far from the hole as you can
get here. You're lookin' at about 60 feet of green. Luckily, it's relatively
straight from that spot, a little downhill but it won't get away from you
too much. Take that blade and see what you can do <roll, roll, roll>
Well damn, that just didn't want to stop. Lookin' at 5 feet comin' back,
but it's straight, or right edge. Go ahead and drop it <roll> <plop>.
Good putt, that was a tester! Hate to take a bogie on a 5-par, but this
is a long hole and you coulda done worse. <walk>
A
view across the James River from the tee at the 567 yard par-5 5th hole.
Click on thumbnail for larger image of hole.