Rock Hill Golf & Country Club Front Nine

Rock Hill is one of my favorite courses. The front 9 and back 9 are designed differently, and play differently. This is the one course I put up 9 hole 42’s back to back, and finished both well over 100. At least I know I have an 84 in me. This is the only course I have been put with people playing off the black tee. I’ll stick with the whites, though have occasionally played the blues. The course is kept in great shape.

Hole 1 plays nicely for me. The traps are to the left, so my slice keeps me away from them. I have missed a lot of birdie putts here. Occasionally I save par.

Now for hole 2. Out of 25 tries, I have pared it twice. Hit the tee shot short and it is just a mess. I concede those balls as lost, I don’t even like walking through it, no shot I’m hitting a ball out. Hit a slice and you are getting an uneven lie, unless you manage to catch a trap. There are 3 in a row, I’ve hit from trap to trap a few times. The green is elevated from the fairway, so it will punish you even more if you are short.

The 3rd hole is a nice little dogleg. After the frustrations of 2, it is a nice par opportunity. The trick is to stay left to have a shot at the green. Coming up the right is a lot harder. 4 is a nice par 3, unless you hit one of the 3 traps. I can range from par to a 6 here.

The 5th hole and I rarely get along. There is a small water hazard to punish slicers. Over a season, I prob put a box worth in it. Miss the trap right, it is a messy shot out of the woods. Once you get close, you have a big, elevated green to contend with. Come up short, it can be a blind shot up the hill. My only par here was a lucky 20 foot putt. This hole deserves its 1 handicap status.

6 has a lot of hills. It is hit or miss for me. If I hit the trap or slice into the trees, it is not that easy to recover. Miss left and it is just a hot mess with water in front of the green. I do like this green, and make a point to park behind it to use the lil bridge. This hole either ends with a

bogey or 8 for me. I don’t remember ever making par. 7 is a nice par 3, depending on is the pin position brings the front trap into play. Miss long and there is another trap waiting to catch you.

Is a nice little dogleg left that plays to my swing. I get a good look at the green for my approach shot. Come up the left and you need to contend with trees. My tee shot has been known to end up on the 6th hole. The green is hard to read. I had the pleasure of playing with one of the rangers, who was kind enough to point out I was playing the wrong break. Buddy saved me par.

The 9th hole looks so easy. Straight and wide, what can go wrong? My tee shot is usually good enough. My 2nd shot always misses left! After a few rounds, I noticed that the slope of the fairway pushes me that way, which I’m sure happens other places, but this is the only time I can feel it. I occasionally am putting for par, but this can easily turn into an 8 for me going back and forth from the traps by the green.

This front 9 varies from round to round for me. One day the tee and pin positions work for me, the next I am just all over the place. It is very hilly, which turns some of my friends off from it. I came in under 45 twice on it, normally I’m in the mid 50’s. My best run was a 42, but my putts were just dropping that day.

By Sebastian Wyczawski