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Par 5s that have it all, including your number

By JERRY SLASKE
KeyMilwaukee.com Golf Editor

THIS MONTH let’s look at the toughest and most interesting par 5s in Southeastern Wisconsin. For me, they are the most fun and demanding holes because they test all facets of the game: power, mid-range, finesse, and putting.

Washington County, #7, 545 yards – Three accurate shots are required on this hole, one of my favorite par 5s anywhere. The fairway slopes from right to left and bends gently to the left all the way to the green. Water looms along the entire left side and a creek runs in front of a shallow, elevated green. Your drive should be center or slightly right, but too far right and long could put you in a gaping bunker. Your second shot is difficult enough because of the way the undulating fairway slopes and narrows until about 100 yards from the green. Your second shot should either make the wide portion of the fairway or lay back slightly to the right. (262-670-6616)

Brown Deer, #18, 557 yards – This is the best finishing hole anywhere in the region. I always look forward to playing this hole. Your tee shot needs to be long and accurate because a creek cuts across the fairway about 220 yards off the tee. Playing slightly left of center is best. Going right will put you in a stand of trees that will require a pitch back to the fairway. The hole is uphill and the fairway slopes slightly from left or right. A pot bunker and trees line the right side of the fairway and trees line the left side, so your second shot must be played to the left. I like to give myself a full swing on the third shot because it needs to be accurate. The green is slightly elevated so you can’t see its surface, and it slopes back to front, protected on the right front by deep bunkers. (414-352-8080)

Deertrak, #16, 488 yards – Your tee shot on this dogleg right is downhill so it’s a blind shot. Go straight off the tee and you’ll be pitching back to the fairway from some huge evergreens. The same could happen if you go too far right. Your second shot needs to be in the fairway and about 100 yards out from a shallow green protected on the front by a pond that is about 50 yards wide. Go long and you’ll have to reload because your ball will be lost in water behind the green. (920-474-4444)

Rock River Hills, #18, 543 yards – Another fun finishing hole. This double dogleg right requires a long and accurate tee shot in the fairway. Go left and you could be stymied by large willow trees alongside a pond. Go right and you could be thwarted by trees. Your second shot can’t go too far left because there is another pond that can’t be seen. Your third shot is uphill to a severely undulating green protected on the right front by a large bunker. You can’t see the surface of the green on your third shot so make sure of your club selection. (920-485-4990)

Brighton Dale, #15 (Blue Spruce), 604 yards – Don’t leave anything in the bag off this tee, but you must keep it in the fairway and be at least 250 yards long to have even a decent second shot. Oh yeah, there’s water on the right and a trap on the left off the tee. You must carry at least 210 yards on your second shot to clear a pond that you can’t see because it’s over a hill. To make things tougher, there’s a large tree at the top of the hill on the left side, which just happens to be the shorter route. If you have to lay up before the pond, you’ll have a downhill lie, but will still be 210 yards uphill to a large green. (262-878-1440)

Morningstar, #18, 525 yards – You’re sitting on top of the world when you stand on this tee. I believe you can see thirteen holes from this hole. It’s an exciting hole to end the round. You’re hitting down into the bottom of a quarry. Keep your tee shot center or slightly left. Right is into the quarry wall. Your second shot needs to be kept to the left as well because about 100 yards from the slightly elevated green, the fairway bends to the right. Your third shot to the green is all feel. (262-662-1600)

Kettle Hills, #14 (Ponds/Woods), 537 yards – While this hole is straight, it’s also very narrow with out-of-bounds on the left and trees all along the right. The fairway slopes to the right so keep your tee shot slightly left. It’s somewhat of a blind tee shot because about 150 yards out the fairway dips down. Your second shot needs to avoid a large pine tree on the left. But remember the fairway slopes right. (262-628-0200)

Fire Ridge, #10, 532 yards – There’s more room to the left off the tee than at first appears and that’s where you want to be. Going right means you could end up in a trap behind a large tree. Your second shot needs to reach the top of the hill which is about 140 yards out from a very undulating green guarded on the right by a deep bunker and on the front and right by a large pond. The third shot always confounds me because of the angle at which the green sits and its shape. (262-375-2252)

Broadlands, #13, 527 yards – This is a pretty straightforward hole, but I like it because of the challenging tee shot. It’s a dogleg left over a large pond and you have to be precise about how much distance you want to cut off with your tee shot. Get too greedy and you’ll have to reload. Go straight and you make the hole that much longer. No matter where you are for your second shot, it seems that you’re always susceptible to pulling it into the pond. I like to aim right toward the fairway trap. (262-392-6320)

Nagawaukee, #14, 542 yards – This tee box is perhaps one of the most scenic anywhere in southeastern Wisconsin. It looks out over Pewaukee Lake and the fairway is lined on both sides by trees. For some big hitters, the hole is reachable in two, but most of us lay up to a distance that provides you with a full swing with a wedge or 9-iron. The green is large and very undulating (like all Nagawaukee greens) and it’s guarded on the left by trees and several large bunkers. Long and right is in a bunker as well. This is not a terribly tough hole, but it’s just so darn scenic. (262-367-2153)

Ironwood, #7 (Callow), 500 yards – Many players don’t particularly like this hole because they think it’s too tough – requiring length and accuracy off the tee and on every shot after that, for that matter. But I look forward to it precisely because of that challenge. The hole doglegs right and ascends as you get closer to the green. Plus, it’s narrow all the way to the green, lined on both sides by thick trees. Keep your tee on the left side and make it long so you have a clear shot around the dogleg. Your second shot up the hill must be kept in the fairway preferably in the center or slightly right of center to give you a relatively level shot to a shallow green that’s guarded in front by a bunker and several distracting trees. (262-538-9900)

The Bull at Pinehurst Farms, #17, 572 yards – This is a fun hole, as most holes are at this Jack Nicklaus course. It’s downhill all the way. Your tee shot is over a ravine through a disturbing gap in the trees to a wide fairway. Your second shot is over a river. For big hitters, the green is reachable in two. For the rest of us, a 3-wood or 3-iron to the left side is advisable. From there it’s still a delicate shot into an undulating green protected by bunkers. (1-800-584-3285)

The Bog, #9, 543 yards – A downhill hole that bends gently to the left, especially as you get closer to the green. Keep your tee shot to the right of the fairway bunkers. The advisable second shot is to lay up to a distance that will give you a full swing with a comfortable club. The hole is lined on the right by deep rough and on the left by desolation. The third shot is the really difficult shot on this hole because the green is tucked behind traps on the right and a creek on the left and beyond the green. (1-800-484-3264)

Hartford, #12, 570 yards – The second shot on this hole always gives me fits because I feel as if I have to steer it down the shoot. This hole is a dogleg left and your tee shot must be well beyond the bend in the fairway. Aim just to the right of the large pine tree on the left. That’s where the fairway bends. Don’t go left of the pine tree because a stone wall lines the fairway from that point on. The third shot is to a long narrow elevated green with a false front. Plus, it’s protected on both sides by traps. (262-673-2710)

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