The front nine could be viewed as a nice warm-up before making the turn. Swing away on most of the holes and take advantage of the wide fairways. The greens are fairly large but flat and without much contour. The sand traps are well positioned and the sand had a nice consistency that facilitated good bunker shots. Water is a factor on six of the nine holes, but because of the flat terrain, not always visible. Refer to your scorecard for presence and location of all hazards.

What the front nine lacks in drama, the back more than makes up for. Starting with the 10th hole, the objective is now to keep the ball in play and out of the trees and water. The members say "leave the driver in the bag" - not a bad idea. Hole 12 is a perfect example. Playing only 273 yards from an elevated tee, it features a water hazard that's reachable from the tee. Choose a lay-up club that plays about 180 yards, then you'll have a wedge into a green protected front and back with sand. An easy hole if you can avoid all the trouble, a 6 or a 7 on the scorecard if not.

We encountered a few greens that had some rough areas where putting was a bit of an adventure, but for the most part the greens were playable and rolled true. Hole #14 had one of the largest greens we'd ever seen: a C-shaped affair that, depending on the pin placement, might require a chip shot to navigate from one end to the other.

The Ridges facility has undergone numerous renovations in the last several years, all aimed at improving the golfers experience both on and off the course. The management and owners were extremely outgoing and made sure all of our needs were met. We enjoyed our visit and plan to return again soon.

Latest Update: 11/25/2010