- Staff
- #1
Hawthorn Ridge is a public course pretty much in the middle of nowhere, about 45 minutes south of the Quad Cities. It's really a hidden gem, both for the quality of the layout and the price - about $32. Conditions are so-so. Some bare spots in the fairway and the rough. Greens are pretty good, aside from one green that is in a very shaded area. Sand was pretty terrible. Really soft and prone to buried lies. This is not a high end course in many ways, but it's a fun track to play for not much money at all.
Clubhouse is nothing to write home about. Full driving range with bent grass tees and a couple good practice greens.
Plays fairly long at times. Characterized by rolling hills and undulating greens. Probably the in the top three for most challenging greens in the QC metro area in my opinion. Fun course. I wish it wasn't so far away, though it's location does make it less crowded with a faster pace of play than you'll see at many area courses. jacob and I played behind three foursomes and still finished in just over three hours.
Yardages are from the white tees, which play at 6,473 yards.
Hole 1 - Par 4 - 383 yards
Slight dog leg right. Trees on the right and a hill that feeds down to a hidden lake on the left off the tee. Green slopes hard left to right. Don't hit it right and you should be fine.
Hole 2 - Par 5 - 481 yards
Short one, but an initimidating tee shot with the lake running down the left side. Pretty small landing area to work with. From there, it's straight away to the green, which is smallish and slopes back to front. Green side bunker on the right front. Good par 5 here.
Hole 3 - Par 4 - 333 yards
Short par 4. Not really a driver hole, though you can get away with it if you don't miss right. Big fairway bunker on right side is in play off the tee and the elevated green is surrounded by bunkers. Missing the green long puts you down a big hill that is tough to recover from.
Hole 4 - Par 3 - 145 yards
Short par 3. Plays slightly down hill. Smallish green with a couple bunkers. Sort of a snoozer here. Should be an easy one.
Hole 5 - Par 4 - 350 yards
Another hole that is played best with a hybrid. Large fairway bunker will force you to carry it with a very big drive or play short. Big greenside bunkers will get you if you're short. Fun hole.
Hole 6 - Par 5 - 538 yards
Strong par 5 here. Tee shot is facing a large fairway bunker on the right side that is bad news. Some room to the left as long as you can stay out of the trees. Doglegs gently right until 150 yards out, when it turns 90° right towards the green. Probably the most sloped bastard of a green on the course. A big hill rises up behind the green, and with the slope of the putting surface, being back there is bad news. Play short of the pin.
Hole 7 - Par 4 - 411 yards
Long uphill par 4. Pretty straight hole, with a generous fairway. Difficulty comes from the length of this one. Green borders on dumb, with a bunch of rises that honestly make me wonder if they can put the pin in more than a couple places.
Hole 8 - Par 3 - 179 yards
Good par 3. Bunker on the right front will give you something to think about, but it's not a close to the putting surface as it looks. Another very sloped green. Misses to the right will run down a hill into a pond every time.
Hole 9 - Par 4 - 375 yards
Narrow fairway lined by trees. Approach plays uphill to the green, which has a bunker front left.
Hole 10 - Par 4 - 414 yards
The back starts out tough with a long par 4. Very large fairway bunker is in play on the left side off the tee. Second shot will likely be a long one into a slightly elevated green that slopes hard back to front.
Hole 11 - Par 5 - 495 yards
Another good par 5. This one doglegs to the right, with a very large landing area out there. Trees to the right make things a little tricky, but aren't the end of the world. Smaller green with a number of breaks.
Hole 12 - Par 4 - 363 yards
Probably my favorite hole on the course. Tee shot is down a big hill around a dog leg right. Probably best off with a hybrid here. There's room to the left if you don't mind a longer approach shot. Green has water left. It slopes up to the center and then down to the back.
Hole 13 - Par 3 - 158 yards
Strong uphill par 3. Trees along the right side, which makes it feel a little claustrophobic. Big greenside bunker front left that you don't want to be in (trust me
). Green is a little spotty here. It sits in the shade much of the day. Deep green.
Hole 14 - Par 4 - 387 yards
Downill tee shot on this dog leg right. Plenty of room out there, though there is a creek about 270 yards out. Missing right is a penalty. Green is well elevated. Harder hole than it looks like off the tee.
Hole 15 - Par 5 - 488 yards
Shorter par 5 that plays uphill off the tee. Tons of room off the tee. Pretty boring hole here.
Hole 16 - Par 4 - 344 yards
Ths is a fun one. Water straight away off the tee takes driver out of your hand, unless you want to try to carry the trees on the right, which is the most fun way. Even if you're in them, you'll probably have some sort of shot to the small green.
Hole 17 - Par 3 - 189 yards
Pretty par 3. Plays a little long. Green is huge and sloped. Fun hole.
Hole 18 - par 4 - 390 yards
Good finisher here. Again, a large fairway bunker complex will make you think off the tee. Dog left left. Missing left is on the driving range, so good luck 1) dodging balls and 2) finding your ball. Green is good sized.
Clubhouse is nothing to write home about. Full driving range with bent grass tees and a couple good practice greens.
Plays fairly long at times. Characterized by rolling hills and undulating greens. Probably the in the top three for most challenging greens in the QC metro area in my opinion. Fun course. I wish it wasn't so far away, though it's location does make it less crowded with a faster pace of play than you'll see at many area courses. jacob and I played behind three foursomes and still finished in just over three hours.
Yardages are from the white tees, which play at 6,473 yards.
Hole 1 - Par 4 - 383 yards
Slight dog leg right. Trees on the right and a hill that feeds down to a hidden lake on the left off the tee. Green slopes hard left to right. Don't hit it right and you should be fine.
Hole 2 - Par 5 - 481 yards
Short one, but an initimidating tee shot with the lake running down the left side. Pretty small landing area to work with. From there, it's straight away to the green, which is smallish and slopes back to front. Green side bunker on the right front. Good par 5 here.
Hole 3 - Par 4 - 333 yards
Short par 4. Not really a driver hole, though you can get away with it if you don't miss right. Big fairway bunker on right side is in play off the tee and the elevated green is surrounded by bunkers. Missing the green long puts you down a big hill that is tough to recover from.
Hole 4 - Par 3 - 145 yards
Short par 3. Plays slightly down hill. Smallish green with a couple bunkers. Sort of a snoozer here. Should be an easy one.
Hole 5 - Par 4 - 350 yards
Another hole that is played best with a hybrid. Large fairway bunker will force you to carry it with a very big drive or play short. Big greenside bunkers will get you if you're short. Fun hole.
Hole 6 - Par 5 - 538 yards
Strong par 5 here. Tee shot is facing a large fairway bunker on the right side that is bad news. Some room to the left as long as you can stay out of the trees. Doglegs gently right until 150 yards out, when it turns 90° right towards the green. Probably the most sloped bastard of a green on the course. A big hill rises up behind the green, and with the slope of the putting surface, being back there is bad news. Play short of the pin.
Hole 7 - Par 4 - 411 yards
Long uphill par 4. Pretty straight hole, with a generous fairway. Difficulty comes from the length of this one. Green borders on dumb, with a bunch of rises that honestly make me wonder if they can put the pin in more than a couple places.
Hole 8 - Par 3 - 179 yards
Good par 3. Bunker on the right front will give you something to think about, but it's not a close to the putting surface as it looks. Another very sloped green. Misses to the right will run down a hill into a pond every time.
Hole 9 - Par 4 - 375 yards
Narrow fairway lined by trees. Approach plays uphill to the green, which has a bunker front left.
Hole 10 - Par 4 - 414 yards
The back starts out tough with a long par 4. Very large fairway bunker is in play on the left side off the tee. Second shot will likely be a long one into a slightly elevated green that slopes hard back to front.
Hole 11 - Par 5 - 495 yards
Another good par 5. This one doglegs to the right, with a very large landing area out there. Trees to the right make things a little tricky, but aren't the end of the world. Smaller green with a number of breaks.
Hole 12 - Par 4 - 363 yards
Probably my favorite hole on the course. Tee shot is down a big hill around a dog leg right. Probably best off with a hybrid here. There's room to the left if you don't mind a longer approach shot. Green has water left. It slopes up to the center and then down to the back.
Hole 13 - Par 3 - 158 yards
Strong uphill par 3. Trees along the right side, which makes it feel a little claustrophobic. Big greenside bunker front left that you don't want to be in (trust me
). Green is a little spotty here. It sits in the shade much of the day. Deep green.
Hole 14 - Par 4 - 387 yards
Downill tee shot on this dog leg right. Plenty of room out there, though there is a creek about 270 yards out. Missing right is a penalty. Green is well elevated. Harder hole than it looks like off the tee.
Hole 15 - Par 5 - 488 yards
Shorter par 5 that plays uphill off the tee. Tons of room off the tee. Pretty boring hole here.
Hole 16 - Par 4 - 344 yards
Ths is a fun one. Water straight away off the tee takes driver out of your hand, unless you want to try to carry the trees on the right, which is the most fun way. Even if you're in them, you'll probably have some sort of shot to the small green.
Hole 17 - Par 3 - 189 yards
Pretty par 3. Plays a little long. Green is huge and sloped. Fun hole.
Hole 18 - par 4 - 390 yards
Good finisher here. Again, a large fairway bunker complex will make you think off the tee. Dog left left. Missing left is on the driving range, so good luck 1) dodging balls and 2) finding your ball. Green is good sized.
