GREAT Holes
No.2
PAR 5
YARDAGES
BIG LICK:
BALLYHACK GOLF CLUB
ROANOKE, VA | by BRUCE H. MATSON
8
BALLYHACK:
514 yards
RIDGE:
STAR:
463 yards
VALLEY:
399 yards
487 yards
to putt for eagle, the player can drive right,
which sets up an angle that avoids the green’s
frontal bunker, but requires a heroic carry
over rough and bunkers lining the right
side of the approach to the putting surface.
For the tournament player with length
off the tee, like many at the Delta Dental
State Open of Virginia in July, the hole offers
another option to get under par. A heroic
drive over the enormous cross bunker can
set up a chance to reach the green in two
with a long iron or rescue club, providing a
possible one-putt for eagle.
Playing the second as a three-shot hole
still requires the golfer to think through the
risks and rewards of the options presented.
First, the tee shot must navigate a route
between and short of the fairway hazards—
eminently doable, but a lack of focus can
result in the drive finding a bunker. George
placed bunkers strategically at the landing
areas for the second-shot layup to keep the
player focused and thinking. With a severe
bunker standing guard at the front of the
green, to gain a better angle of approach to
the flag, the player will have to bring those
hazards even more into play.
V IRGINIA G OLFER | S EPTEMBER/O CTOBER 2015
On his way to capturing the Farmington
Trophy as winner of the Delta Dental State
Open of Virginia, Lanto Griffin twice
birdied the par-5 second hole. Challenging
with significant risk-reward options for
tournament players and interesting with
multiple playing routes for all players, the
second hole at Ballyhack Golf Club provides
dramatic physical beauty as well as a strategic
challenge. George commented, “From the
very first time I saw the landform now
embodied by the second hole at Ballyhack
Golf Club, a vision of the hole that now
exists was etched into my mind. I believe
it is one of the greatest of my career.” A
strong supporter of the Virginia State Golf
Association, Ballyhack has also hosted
VSGA One-Day events, VSGA Amateur
Championship qualifying, and the VirginiaWest Virginia Team matches.
Author Bruce H. Matson is a writer from
Richmond and a member of Golfweek’s
national rating panel for its “America’s Best
100 Courses.”
vsga.org
BALLYHACK GOLF CLUB
I
f it was not apparent on the first
hole, after climbing the property
while playing the opening par
4 at Ballyhack Golf Club, the
player faces both a dramatic site
and one of the best examples
of the strategic architecture
woven through that landscape.
Standing on the tee for the
second hole and the highest ground of the
club’s property, the golfer must size up the
options in front of him while avoiding the
distraction of both the beauty of the Blue
Ridge Mountains surrounding Roanoke
and the rest of the course below and across
the valley.
At the par-5 second hole, golf course
architect Lester George created strategic
options from tee to green—options that
provide the interest and challenge of a great
hole. Initially the player needs to consider
whether the medium-length hole can be
reached with two exceptional shots or is best
played as a more traditional three-shot hole.
Regardless, the wide fairways and creative
bunkering requires careful consideration
of the angles and carries. To have a chance
538 yards