Course Breakdown: Bahle Farms holes 10-14

#10 388

300 end of fairway

Down 4’ tee to green

Up 33’ from 150, up 23’ from 100

We start the back nine in a familiar fashion—downhill tee shot, followed by an uphill approach. That’s the Bahle Farms special, after all.

This hole runs parallel to Hole 1 and features a shared rough between the two holes. So, like #1, your miss off the tee should favor the shared side—which, in this case, means missing right instead of left, as long as you clear the trees that end at about 225 yards.

The fairway runs out around 300 yards, so if you’ve got the juice, let the driver fly.

Now for the approach: The flat spot in the fairway is way back—about 200 yards out. That means you’ll likely be dealing with an uphill lie, and uphill lies tend to launch the ball higher and pull it left(for righties). Make sure to adjust your aim accordingly.

The green sits well above the fairway, so you’ll want to add 11 yards from 150 out, and 8 yards from 100. Club up based on the pin position, but the general rule here is:

Short is better than long
Right is better than short

Play smart and stay below the hole when you can—there’s plenty of golf left, and this one can sneak up on you.

#11 171

Down 57’ tee to green

153/185

The forecast for our Bahle Farms round was sketchy at best, but we had a delivery nearby and weren’t about to skip the chance to play. We lucked out on the front nine with decent weather, but by the time we made the turn, things got pretty miserable. Props to the pro shop, though—they handed us a 30% off voucher for our next round just because we gutted it out instead of bailing for a rain check.

That said, our enthusiasm for the back nine was enough to push through, and #11 did not disappoint.

From the tee, you’re staring at a massive 57-foot drop to the green. My rangefinder gave me 159 yards to the front pin, but with the downhill, it played more like 131. I hit a shot that carries 135, and it ended up 15 feet past—so shoutout to modern tech for nailing the adjustment.

There was zero wind when we played it, but I’d imagine it often plays into a breeze. Here's a tip: downhill + hurting wind = tough calculation. If you’re playing in a 10mph headwind, your ball’s hang time will be long enough that the wind can almost cancel out the elevation drop. That same 159-yard shot might actually play close to its full number. It’s very much a case-by-case decision, but it's something to factor when choosing the correct club.

The green itself slopes front-to-back and right-to-left, so if you miss, long and left gives you a better chance at an up-and-down than short and right.

This hole is a beauty—definitely one you’ll want a photo of—but don’t get lulled to sleep by the view. There’s a lot to consider on this tee shot.

#12 507

Up 64’ tee to green

291 to bunker

240 left trees

Up 14’ from 100, up 24’ from 150, up 31’ from 200 and up 41’ from 250

Fairway slopes right to left

Up 30’ to cut corner

Looking at the scorecard, I saw that this hole is just over 500 yards, so I naturally thought it might be an easy par 5—potentially even reachable in two. What the scorecard doesn’t tell you is that the hole plays 64 feet uphill from tee to green. Even with a great tee shot, you'll be left with a tough lie—left to right and uphill—and needing one of the longest clubs in your bag. It's a very difficult second shot.

Knowing this is most likely a three-shot hole, avoid getting overly aggressive off the tee by trying to cut the corner on this dogleg right. To pull that off, you'd need to carry the ball 250+ yards uphill and over trees—and good luck with that. Instead, tee up on the far-left side of the tee box and aim for the left edge of the far bunker.

The best angle for your approach comes from the left side of the fairway, and it also avoids the worst possible miss: right, into the hardwoods. My goal was to leave myself inside 100 yards, as the fairway is at its narrowest between 120 and 100 yards out.

The green slopes from back right to front left. While the left-side bunkers aren't ideal, they offer a much easier up-and-down than being long or in the right bunker. And don’t forget—add the proper yardage adjustment for the elevated green!

#13 419

Down 9’ tee to green

Right bunker 212/240 & 264/274

Left trees 260-285

The longest par 4 on the course is one of the few holes at Bahle Farms that doesn’t follow the usual pattern of a downhill tee shot followed by an uphill approach. In fact, this is by far the flattest hole on the entire course. But don’t let the lack of elevation fool you—this is still one of the best-designed holes at Bahle Farms.

It’s a slight dogleg right with two nasty bunkers guarding the right side of the fairway. There’s way more room to the left, but that extra space comes at a cost: a worse angle into the green.

The green complex slopes left to right, with a hump guarding the front-left portion. That’s where your approach angle really matters. Coming in from the left side of the fairway, you’ll either hit the front hump and get swatted away like a shot by Dikembe Mutombo, or you’ll land on the backside of the slope and get kicked forward and right. But if you manage to find the right side of the fairway, you can actually use that slope as a sideboard to help hold the green.

Avoid missing left—and definitely don’t go long and left—unless you enjoy straight downhill chip shots. A miss short/right gives you a great chance to get up and down.

#14 406

233 end of fairway

This was the point in the round where we had to ask ourselves: Do we power through four more holes in the rain, or head back to the clubhouse with our tails between our legs, hoping for a raincheck? We decided to tough it out—and I promptly had one of the worst club slips of my life, somehow ending up in the 16th fairway. Combine that with the fact that this hole is designed to punch you in the gut, and yeah… I didn’t have a good time.

This uphill par 4 plays much longer than the listed yardage, thanks to a break in the fairway at 235 yards. Even with a solid 230-yard drive, you’re still looking at an uphill 175-yard approach. Not fun. Trying to smash a driver over the break isn’t the move either—you’d need a 300-yard carry to clear the ravine and reach the second fairway.

Just like the previous hole, the right side of the fairway offers a better angle into the green, which slopes back-left to front-right. But aiming there is tough, thanks to a large maple tree that overhangs that side of the fairway.

My advice? Remember: this is the hardest hole on the course. A bogey here won’t ruin your round. Play smart—and try to beat the double I made!