Caddie Notes: This narrow par four immediately introduces Happy Hollow and William Langford themes: find the fairway, stay below the flag, avoid sand bunkers, never go beyond a green complex, and do not relax on or around the greens. The best approach off the tee is a high cut shot down the left side of the fairway. Many shots down the right (or played right-to-left) find the larger than expected Oaks guarding the fairway. Typically this leaves a longer iron into the tough green. The green plays with a surprising back-to-front slope and includes several hummocks fending off pars.

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Caddie Notes: If your round started with #1 playing down wind - look out. #2 is the first of 4 par fours with approach shots played steeply up hill. Spring and fall rounds typically find these also playing into a prevailing north wind. The hole plays long and slightly right-to-left encouraging a drawn tee shot. Trees encroaching the left side require faders of the ball to find a new ball flight. The right side of the fairway offers no hall pass. The fairway bunkers are very penal and the far right plays as a lateral hazard. Many well hit drivers that are not played right-to-left find the bunkers or lateral hazard as the hole begins its meander left. Your approach shot plays into our beloved two-tier green. The green enjoys a 5-foot rise perpendicular to the fairway. You will only see short or deep flag locations. Approaches to a short flag can be played into the rise. Any putt from above the rise to a front pin will struggle to hold the green. Favor putting up the rise to a deep pin versus chipping from above the pin.

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Caddie Notes: Welcome to the first of our fun and exciting par 3's. Each par 3 at Happy Hollow can range in yardage from short iron to long iron or utility club. Course setup and wind direction will decide your club selection. Hole #3 is our first opportunity to officially introduce you to our swirling winds. The teeing ground is sheltered and often very calm. The green is exposed and typically feels a breeze. The prudent play is one less club played toward the large Oak beyond left half of the green. Hit along this line, two putt, and move on. Shots played deeper or more to the right half of the green often find a left-to-right cross wind and flirt with the bunkers and steep bank leading directly into the lateral hazard.

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Caddie Notes: We often play with a fore-caddy stationed at this daunting par 4. There are even plenty of reasons why we really need two fore-caddies. Trouble abounds left and gets more severe on the right. This is one of our toughest, and most rewarding, driving holes. The perfect drive is over the left fairway bunker and leaves a short iron approach. Tread lightly; you cannot see the water hazard lurking at the bottom of the hill on the left. The entire right side plays as a lateral hazard. Big drives hit dead straight can find the hazard as the hole moves left. A conservative club off the tee will avoid the bunkers, but often leaves a severely sloped lie as you hit long iron into the green.

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Caddie Notes: The yardage of our first par 5 often gets longer hitters excited about an easy birdie. Before getting too excited, please look directly up the steep hill, into excessively penal fairway bunkers, and at the massive Oaks. To reach the green in two shots, most players must reach the top of the hill. The landing area between the tree lines in this area is our narrowest. Consider playing #5 as a three shot hole. You may enjoy the experience more and find birdies on your journey. Above the hill the fairway slopes to the left kicking all but the sharpest hit cut-shots into the rough.

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Caddie Notes: Take a deep breath - holes 1 through 5 have been tough. Hole 6 and 7 offer some reprieve. Hole 6 plays down hill and shorter. Contemplate a safe club off the tee to find the widest part of the fairway and avoid the fairway bunkers. Selecting driver is fun and gets you into a short game shot at the green. #6 green may be our only "what you see is what you get" experience. Do your scorecard and the neighbors a favor and avoid the OB fence along the right.

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Caddie Notes: Coming off easy par on #6, keep the momentum flowing with a safe tee ball. Many birdies are found after a safe club played short of both fairway bunkers and a sharply hit short iron into the uphill green. The fairway bunkers, steeply uphill approach shot, sloping lie from the middle of the fairway, and the deceptive green guard par.

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Caddie Notes: Enjoy the view from the tee. This is our most picturesque hole. Watch the swirling winds and down hill effect when selecting your club into this massive green. Do not even think about the pin location. Find the center of the green and celebrate. Shots hit left find the bunker and keep par available. Shots hit right find the water hazard and sink par. Move slowly to #9 and take in the scenery compliments of Mother Nature, the Dakota Sandstone, and Rock Creek.

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Caddie Notes: Did we call #8 the most picturesque? Well, #9 is no slouch in that department either. A par 4 played up hill toward our historic club house (est. 1927). Scratch players get their first severe taste of our longer course as they hike toward the property boundary and play an extra 80 yards. A great line to most pin locations is from the right side of the teeing ground to the landing area beyond the left fairway bunker. This leaves a great angle and a comfortable short iron. The tightly mown area in front of the green encourages an approach hit above the hole. The back-to-front sloping green will make you wish you had not favored a safely long approach as you beg your putt to hold the green.

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Caddie Notes: The most renovated hole on the course enjoys a new teeing ground and green complex. The new version supports players of all abilities as the fairway reaches both sides of Rock Creek. A generous fairway at first glance favors the Driver. After looking closer, many players consider playing comfortably to 150 yards and enjoy the plush, broad fairway. As you map your strategy for this hole, understand that any ball not on the fairway typically requires a lay up in front of the creek. The Oak forest on the deep right side of the fairway effectively narrows the hole in this direction. Drivers hit deep and right are sure to find trouble. Anything hit left requires a full search party to locate and a trick shot artist to play.

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Caddie Notes: The most severe dog-leg on the course plays right-to-left and offers a challenging tee shot. Tall trees along the left prevent the big hitter from cutting the corner - or do they? The fairway bunker on the right poses a challenge for players of all abilities. Find a line at the left side of the fairway bunker and encourage a right-to-left shot. Anything less than Driver or 3-wood leaves a long approach into a treacherous green. Our only hole with no green-side bunkers simply doesn't require any. A large mound toward the back middle of the green effectively creates two smaller greens. The front left is guarded by the tightly mown slope. The back right is protected by heavy rough on mounding in all directions. Don't leave the middle of the fairway without gazing at one of the oldest standing Elm trees in the region. The American Elm at the corner of the dog leg somehow survived Dutch Elm Disease in the 1970s. "Spider's" web catches many balls and kills many pars.

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Caddie Notes: Our longest par 5 is made longer by the creek found about 130-yards from the green. Long, straight drives are often followed by a short iron lay-up in front of the creek. This leaves you 130-150 yard approach. Big hitters can reach the green with a well hit fairway wood. Some groups will see 3-woods followed by long irons to the lay up area. Do not immediately fret an arrant tee shot. There are birdies and pars scored from anywhere on this hole...except the Creek.

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Caddie Notes: Most players enjoy a shorter par 4. The scratch player isn't so lucky and will find the Championship tees playing at least 50-yards longer. The best drive is played toward the left side of the fairway. Pick your angle as you decide which side of the fairway bunker suits your game. Short of the bunker leaves a mid-iron. Get driver beyond the bunker and enjoy a short game shot to a vulnerable green. Every player finding his ball on the right will be disappointed as the trees and green-side bunker pose huge challenges.

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Caddie Notes: #14 is our most dramatic course enhancement. Stand on the tee and decide if you can carry the enlarged lake protecting the left side of this gorgeous right-to-left dogleg. Few pars are made from the water hazard. The drop area is 200-yards to the green. Strategies include dropping bombs over the most severe carry, shots hit directly at (and often into) the fairway bunker, and conservative plays to the right of the fairway bunker. These strategies leave approaches ranging from a short game shot into a receptive green to fairway woods that just don't have the distance. Pick your play and celebrate anything that kept your ball dry and your opponent wondering if they made the right play.

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Caddie Notes: Welcome back to swirling winds. We often find #14 and #15 playing into a wind. How could that be? Watch the wind closely from here to the club house. #15 is one of the only entire holes with no hidden snafus. Don't look for more than your eyes show you here. If your eyes are failing, just aim at the center of the large green. The green slopes from back-to-front with plenty of subtlely difficult pin locations.

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Caddie Notes: #16 is another par 5 that typically plays longer than most expect. Length is effectively added by the severe fairway slope toward the right. The best line is at the funny-shaped, darker green Linden tree on the left of the fairway. Shots staying too far right find the trees along the right denying an open shot at the green. Balls finding the fairway with an open shot to the green can pose a challenging lie angle. If you select fairway wood, pay particular attention to the slope of your lie. Your ball may be below your feet. Do you dare aim directly at the large oak tree and fairway bunker on the left and allow the ball to naturally fade into the green? Many attempts to hit the green in two shots result balls fading too far right ultimately resting on the short side of the hole.

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Caddie Notes: Many matches arrive at this short par 3 with the outcome yet to be decided. Interestingly, most groups play this hole straight-up due to the 18 handicap rating. So, why is par so hard to find? #17 plays gynormously up hill, parallel to prevailing winds, in an area suffering from swirling winds, and the green plays its role beautifully as it guards par. Very few putts are played with enough break on #17. Take a deep breath, a high line, and hope the hole gets in the way of your first putt. Pick your club carefully and at all costs do not play deeper than the green allows.

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Caddie Notes: If your match survived #17, welcome to our homeward hole. More gamesmanship abounds as many matches will be played with a shot being given on this challenging up hill par 4. Again, the Championship tees enjoy an extra 70 yards and have been known to be played with driver followed by fairway wood into a north wind. Whatever tee you find yourself on, avoid the massive Cottonwood tree at the front left of the fairway and imagine the day when she enjoyed the company of a similar tree along the right side. Thankfully, with the loss of the right-side Cottonwood there is plenty of room to hit a smooth draw up the right half. No William Langford finishing hole would be complete without a diabolical 18th green. There is a dramatic spine bisecting the green from the middle left and a severe back to front slope at the front of the green. Some well hit approach shots to a front pin will spin off the green and roll back to your feet and beyond. Do not even look at the right greenside bunkers. These beasts are deep enough to bury our former Club Professionals and sand-bagging guests.

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