Course reviews – Feb. 2010

Jones Creek Golf Club (Semi-Private)

777 Jones Creek Drive, Evans

706-860-4228; www.jonescreekgolfclub.com

STAFF: Gregg Hemann is the PGA Director of Golf; Drew Belt is the PGA Golf Professional.

PAR/YARDAGE: Jones Creek is a par 72 with five sets of tees: Black (6,894 yards); Blue (6,631); White (6,276); Yellow (5,743); Red (5,354).

COURSE RATING/SLOPE: 73.4/139 (Black); 72,1/136 (Blue); 70.6/132 (White); 68.2/122 (Yellow); 71.8/126 (Red).

ABOUT THE COURSE: The first solo design by acclaimed course architect Rees Jones, Jones Creek opened in the mid-1980s and has long held the reputation as one of the state’s top layouts. The club has undergone some ups and downs over the years, but has made a strong comeback under local ownership and management, which has significantly increased its membership base. The course remains open for daily fee play, and is typically one of the busiest of the Augusta area courses during Masters week. Tom Fazio consulted on course renovations in 2003, with a considerable amount of work done on the greens complexes as well as some other changes, most notably on the 16^th hole, which was flattened and shortened to improve its playability. Although Jones Creek has softened somewhat over the years, it remains one of the strongest courses in the Augusta area, with the recent addition of a 5^th set of tees providing multiple options for golfers who shoot anywhere from the high 70s to the low 90s. Jones Creek offers a complete test to your game, beginning with tee shots that have to contend with relatively tight tree lines and several doglegs that stress hitting the correct side of the fairway. The greens are not as severe as they were initially, with their slope more subtle and consistent and the bunkering reduced somewhat. Other than the 16^th, the character of the course has not changed a great deal over the years, with Jones Creek offering a splendid variety of holes, including an interesting group of par 5s that require a considerable amount of precision to avoid hazards that are very much in play on three of them. The par 3s include one of the state’s finest over-water one-shotters (No. 2) and the short but pesky 15^th, where your distance control will definitely be put to the test. The diverse group of par 4s features a few where length is a definite asset, but several others that require a fair degree of thought and precision to solve the stiff but fair test Jones’ outstanding layout presents.

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