It was probably a decade or so since the last time I played
Ely Golf Club. I remembered it as a solid nine-hole track and, after playing it
last week, I can confirm that it is indeed a “Northeast Minnesota Nine-Hole
Gem.”
The course is set just south of downtown Ely. One of this
course’s main characteristics is how hilly it is. A golfer nary has a flat lie
as many holes play significantly uphill or downhill. Not only that, some of the
fairways cant significantly to the right or left. One of the flatter holes (the
second shot still plays downhill) on the course is the opener. The par four first hole
is straight for most of the way but starts to bend to the right some near the
tee shot landing area. Unless a golfer blasts his tee shot, he will certainly
be left with a somewhat blind approach shot as there is a tree that guards the
green. A well struck iron should easily carry over the tree though. The second
hole bends just slightly from left to right. For a right-hander like myself
that likes to hit a baby fade with the big stick, I can’t think of another tee
shot that sets up more beautifully. The third hole is a truly great par five
that plays significantly downhill to the bottom of what I would characterize as
a wide valley. The tee shot is wide enough to allow one to hit driver. However,
laying up with a fairway wood or an iron is not a terrible idea either as this
is a short par five. The second shot gives a golfer many options, which is what
makes this such a great hole. A safe option is to layup at the corner of the
dogleg (this hole bends to the left about 130 yards from the green) and leave a
short approach shot. One cannot be haphazard with this approach shot though as
the ideal landing area is small. Too short or too long and a golfer will have
to contend with trees on his third. Even with a successful layup, a golfer
still has a lot of work left. This is because the green has three tiers and
putting an approach shot on the proper tier takes some skill. The other option
is to go for the green in two by carrying the trees and pond on the corner of
the dogleg. Since the trees on the dogleg are not that tall and the green is
well below where the golfer is hitting from, even a golfer with a somewhat low
ball flight should easily carry the trees. The fourth hole is the first par
three. It plays from an elevated tee and requires a well-struck mid or short
iron. Since there is water along the left side of the hole, the best place to
miss is short and right. From the fourth green, a golfer can already see that
the par four fifth hole plays significantly uphill. Not only that, it doglegs to the left quite a bit. All that a golfer needs off the tee is a solid long
iron or fairway wood to the top of the hill, which leaves only a short iron
approach. The big hitter with a high
ball flight (which I am not) could try to hit it over the trees on the corner
of the dogleg. Also, the golfer with a predictable draw (or predictable fade if
you are left-handed) could try to bend their tee shot around the corner.
However, I don’t find that the reward is enough to take on the risk of either
of those shots. The sixth hole is a par four that plays downhill and bends to
the right some. The tee shot on this hole is very tight. Unless a golfer has
extreme confidence in his driver or fairway woods, I strongly suggest hitting
an iron off the tee. Even with an iron it is easy to leak it a little right or
left and be in the woods. The seventh hole is a much needed reprieve in the
middle of a stretch of difficult holes. It is a short par three that only
requires a small flip wedge off the tee. Leaving with anything worse than a par
will certainly anger most golfers. The eighth hole is a par five that plays
downhill off the tee and then well uphill on the second. The tee shot is somewhat
tight, which makes long iron a smart play. This is especially the case because,
even with a well-struck driver, most golfers will not be able to get near the
green in two because the hole bends significantly to the left at about 150
yards from the green and, as a result, would require a golfer to bend his shot a large amount to the left. A golfer looking to finish off his round with a good
score at the last is not done any favors. The ninth hole can only be
characterized as a beast of a hole. It is a par four that is well over four
hundred yards long, somewhat tight, doglegs to the left, and plays to an
elevated green, which makes the hole feel even longer than what is listed on
the card. My approach on this hole is to go the conservative route (which is my
approach on a lot of holes). That is, I hit a long iron off the tee, layup with
a short iron, and then hit a wedge on the green. This approach to the hole puts
a lot of strain on a golfer’s short game. Not only that, the layup is tough
because the fairway slopes significantly from right to left in the landing
area. However, for a short driver of the ball like myself, even a well-struck
driver leaves a long uphill approach shot. At the end of the day, no matter how
one plays it, the ninth is just a tough hole that I am sure has ruined many good
rounds of golf.
Overall, Ely Golf Club is a solid and challenging nine-hole
track set on beautiful, hilly terrain. It tests all facets of a golfer’s game
and will leave any golfer feeling like they have accomplished something if the
score on the card at the end of the day is a good one. So, if you happen to
find yourself playing The Wilderness at Fortune Bay, consider taking a drive up
Highway 169 to play Ely Golf Club.
Course Statistics for 18 Holes:
(White Tees)
Length: 6286 yards Par: 72 Rating: 70.6 Slope Rating: 120
(Blue Tees)
Length: 6536 yards Par: 72 Rating: 71.6 Slope Rating: 122
No comments:
Post a Comment