The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club North Course

FlyFish · November 2, 2007

Championship golf in Aloha Oregon

The Reserve North Course is one of two 18 hole courses at The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club. The Reserve is a semi-private club with a novel scheme - the North Course is available to members only from the 1st through the 15th day of each month.

This par 72 6,852 course offers a good representation of Pacific Northwest target style golf.

The designer, Bob Cupp was formerly a senior designer with Jack Nicklaus Golf Design. He is also known for his design work on several prominent golf courses in Oregon including Pumpking Ridge, Crosswater and Langdon Farms.

The South Course is generally regarded as the superior of the two courses at The Reserve, although people who do not enjoy bunker play may prefer the North Course.

This course is characterized by fairways framed by thick rough and grassy mounds. It winds over a natural creek and wetland area. The course has minimal elevation change and is a pleasure to walk.

There are not nearly as many bunkers on this course as on the South, but they use the same high quality sand imported from Idaho. Water and environmental area hazards come into play on several holes.

Unfortunately the greens at The Reserve get a lot of play (especially from corporate tournaments) and always seem to be in sub-optimal condition. They tend to roll slower then you would expect.

There was a scandal in 2006 where the greens keeper fertilized the greens right before a major heat wave, and the greens were basically reduced to dirt. This was two weeks before the the Jeld-Wen Tradition (a Champions Tour event) was to play on the South course.

The course is usually well maintained. The drainage is average at best and can get muddy in places.

The par 4 4th hole presents a challenge to short hitters, as it requires a 180 yard water carry (from the white tees) with trouble on the right side. However, long hitters can drive this hole.

The infamous 13th hole probably generates the most complaints by golfers. It is a 270* dog leg that requires a sweeping hook off of the tee to get a good angle at the flag. Otherwise the safe 200 yard play off of the teen leaves you a wedge over a mound onto a small green. A Bob Cupp style collection area will catch the ball if you don't manage to stop it on the green. Big hitters can attempt to drive the green by hitting their tee shot over three large trees.

Unfortunately the Par 3 holes are a mixed bag. The 3rd hole has a short carry over water and plays into the prevailing wind. The 5th and 14th holes are plain boring holes with no hazards. The 16th hole is also unusual as it is a 212 yard par 3 with a false front and a green that slopes away from the tee box.

The 18th hole back into the clubhouse actually serves as the 16th hole during PGA Tour events. The green is reachable in two with a good drive, but is protected by water. During the Jeld-Wen tradition, I watched Tom Kite go for the green in two with a three wood and just miss; the ball bounced off of the retaining wall - dashing his chances to win.

A few of the greens are deceptively elevated and protected by water. A common mistake is not taking enough club on the approach shot to these greens.

Probably the most unique feature of this course is the huge triple green that is shared by three holes.

Staff at The Reserve is top notch. Both the pro shop staff and starters are very friendly and helpful.

The Reserve has a well maintained natural grass driving range for warming up. Being so close to Nike World Campus, it is rumored that they sometimes test out prototypes here.

Their restaurant, The Vintage Room, features a large elevated deck which is a great place to enjoy a beer after a round during nice days.

In conclusion, this course boasts a challenging layout, a nice clubhouse, good fairway conditioning and excellent customer service. A few suboptimal holes and mediocre green conditions prevents this from being an otherwise top-notch golf course.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

oregongolf · November 3, 2007

Nice review. Both are nice tracks, but far better to play in the summer when it's hot. That's the only time I'll play out there.

ThreePuttPar · January 22, 2008

Not my cup of tea. There are several holes with blind hazards which I consider a major design flaw. I have no problem with a designer placing any number of hazards on a hole but the first time player should be able to know they are there and know what shot is asked for to avoid them. I got lucky and avoided all but one of the water hazards but too often would hit what I thought was a good shot, walk to my ball and see that I missed a hazard by a few yards that could not be seen from the fairway or tee. The staff was great and the conditions were nice but again too many blind hazards which to me is just plain gimmicky.

oregongolf · January 22, 2008

[quote name='ThreePuttPar' post='876113' date='Jan 21 2008, 10:38 PM']Not my cup of tea. There are several holes with blind hazards which I consider a major design flaw. I have no problem with a designer placing any number of hazards on a hole but the first time player should be able to know they are there and know what shot is asked for to avoid them. I got lucky and avoided all but one of the water hazards but too often would hit what I thought was a good shot, walk to my ball and see that I missed a hazard by a few yards that could not be seen from the fairway or tee. The staff was great and the conditions were nice but again too many blind hazards which to me is just plain gimmicky.[/quote]
It's a daily fee type of course for me... so I see it quite a bit differently than you.

Believe me, that place isn't a be all, end all... but it's one of the nicer public (semi-private) courses in the area.

Which course did you play?

truck13 · January 22, 2008

good review, totally agree with u on the drainage..this is middle of the summer course for me, unless it's mens league or a tournament...we played it right after the Fred Meyer Challenge one year and the greens were so nice..traffic on the westside sucks tho...

oregongolf · January 22, 2008

[quote name='truck13' post='876149' date='Jan 21 2008, 11:22 PM']good review, totally agree with u on the drainage..this is middle of the summer course for me, unless it's mens league or a tournament...we played it right after the Fred Meyer Challenge one year and the greens were so nice..[b]traffic on the westside sucks tho...[/b][/quote]

:cheesy:

isn't that the truth!

i usually have to drag someone out there with me so we can carpool, haha

ThreePuttPar · January 24, 2008

It's a daily fee type of course for me... so I see it quite a bit differently than you.

Believe me, that place isn't a be all, end all... but it's one of the nicer public (semi-private) courses in the area.

Which course did you play?
[/quote]

I think I played the North course.? It had a par 5 heading towards the clubhouse with a retaining wall and water front and right. I'm not saying it is a bad course just a little "tricked out". Kind of target golf in disguise without the targets clearly laid out.

FlyFish · January 24, 2008

That's the 18th hole of the North course. The South course is totally different and is generally considered the better of the two. I'm going to write a separate review on South course.

oregongolf · January 25, 2008

[quote name='FlyFish' post='881496' date='Jan 24 2008, 08:12 PM']That's the 18th hole of the North course. The South course is totally different and is generally considered the better of the two. I'm going to write a separate review on South course.[/quote]
That'd be true.

It's usually the one I play when I get a chance :man_in_love: