Aug 24, 2010
This article, written by Ozzie Carlson, appeared in the Bergen Record 2010 series
Reading the “ridge greens” at Ridgewood
Seldom has a country club been more appropriately named. Strolling among the towering, majestic Oaks of Ridgewood, one gets the feeling of oneness with the universe. Yours truly, a former Assistant Professional at Ridgewood, wouldn’t miss this one for the world.
The “ridge,” the other geographical feature of this magnificent A.W. Tillinghast layout, runs spine-like from north to south right through the middle of the course, significantly influencing no less than 10 of the 18 greens played in this week’s tournament. Reading these “ridge” greens will pose one of Ridgewood’s greatest challenges for the world’s top 125 players.
The greens built into the East side of the ridge break markedly toward Route 17 (3,5,9,10,11,12,); while those built into the West side of the ridge break mildy toward Bergen Community College (14, 15, 17 & 18). As you watch the players try to read the “ridge effect,” after just a few groups, you will become pretty adept at predicting on which side of the cup they are likely to miss.
But Ridgewood is not just about its greens. Ridgewood is a shotmaker’s golf course. Both planning and executing shots that provide the best approach to pin positions will make or break the players on the course. So lets take a brief tour of this week’s layout – a composite of the three nines at Ridgewood: East, Center and West.
We start on 1-4 East where players must get off to fast start on these, the best birdie opportunities of the day. The players first warning signal, however, comes on the par five third hole where this deep and narrowly canted three tiered green that breaks severely toward rte. 17 will leave the uninitiated player shaking his head.
Next we skip to Ridgewood’s signature hole, a drivable par four with the smallest green in major championship history (#6 Center). This two-tiered postage stamp of a green also poses a reading nightmare with putts breaking devilishly and in the opposite direction they seemingly should.
Picking up a shot or two on #’s 3-5 Center played as 6 through 8 would be welcome, indeed.
The next stretch of holes #’s 5-7 East and 2 Center, played as 9 – 12 is the backbone of this layout. The players who avoids giving strokes back to the course here, all four days, may well find himself standing in the winners circle on Sunday. Hitting fairways with long and well placed tee shots is a requirement to play shots into these severely sloped and very demanding multi-tiered greens.
With no let up in sight, # 13 (4 West) is a par five stretched for this tournament to well over 600 yards. Miss the fairway here and you bring mounds covered by thick, gnarly, matted grasses grown to 15” in length, into play.
The 14th (5 West) requires a lay-up from the tee for a 150 yard uphill approach to an 6 tiered green that may well be the best designed green in all of golf. There are three tiers from front to back and three more from left to right. So the player, to avoid three putting this monster, must play to the right of and below the hole – which could require a draw or a fade to a very small target.
#16 is a birdie hole followed by the double dogleg uphill par 5 17th that only the very long, bravest and most accurate of players will even try to reach in two. For those laying-up, ego must be put aside in order to lay-up to full wedge distance to this smallish but severely right to left and back to front sloping green. Bogey or worse here, will be all too common.
The 18th (9 West) is one of the best finishing holes in golf. It requires a long fade from the tee. Interestingly, #’s 9 and 18 are the only fades required all day. Hitting a mid to long iron to this uphill spine divided green suggests – good luck if you need a birdie here to get into a playoff.
If the greens get firm and fast this week, 10 under could again be the winning score.
