Favorite Holes in Golf: #9 Willowdale Golf Club

I golfed on Thursday with a few local legends. We played at Willowdale, in Scarborough, Maine, and it was everything I could’ve imagined. My game was about what I expected it to be: every fourth shot was pretty damn decent, but the rest felt like I was barely making contact with the ball. I ended up shooting a 44 on the front. All things considered, first round of the year, I’ll take it. The disturbing part was, I needed a birdie and a couple of pars to play bogey golf. I doubled-bogeyed four of the first five holes, so I was well on my way to shooting a million before I settled things down.

But, as I mentioned last week, that’s part of the charm of Willowdale. There’s always an opportunity to turn nothing into something. And that’s why I have no problem doubling down with back-to-back Willowdale spotlights. Last week, it was hole 4. This week, it’s hole number 9.

It’s a short par 4 dogleg left and one of the few holes at the Dale where an errant tee shot can’t be bailed out by neighboring fairways. There’s plenty of fairway to hit, but if a player misses badly enough, there could be trouble. Driver, again, isn’t necessary here. A solid poke with a hybrid or long iron into the fairway leaves a 135- to 150-yard approach into a green that slopes back to front. Of course, Thursday, we all hit our drivers.

The shape of the hole is enticing. The flag is visible from the tee box and there’s opportunity to hit a drive down the left side, over some rough, and leave about 75 yards left to the hole. Longer players can cut the corner, hit the downslope of the fairway, and drive the green. But unless a player is really in a groove, cutting the corner really isn’t worth it. In my experience, most who attempt to cut the corner wind up in the rough on the left, leaving themselves a 100-yard pitch over a deep bunker protecting the front of the green. Worst case scenario, a player tries to get a little too greedy and snap hooks one 30 yards left, into the hazard, immediately bringing double-bogey into play.

I tried to get greedy yesterday and lined up to cut the corner. Fortunately, because my game is less than stellar, I ended up slicing a low burner of a drive back into the fairway. I hammered my second over the back of the green but managed to save par with a decent up and down. It brought back memories of high school golf. Number 9 was always fun, especially during rivalry matches. The green is parallel to the course parking lot, which served as a natural gathering place for players who had already finished their rounds and parents who had come to watch the match. It's a fun closing hole where players have a chance to make a last-minute move on the competition with an audience.