Holly Tree Country Club

I played this course a few years ago and thought it was challenging (but not as hard as people told me) but that was from the Purple tees (ladies rating 66.7/127 and 4520 yards).

Today I played from the Red tees (ladies rating 70.9/130 and 5156 yards) and from the Red tees it is very challenging because of the par 4s (which play much longer; especially with the up hill fairways).

Tips for playing - keep the ball below the hole on the greens because the greens are fast!!

And I assume if you are playing with a member they will give you all the guidance on where to aim - some of the holes you really do need to know where to hit your drive to setup the approach shot.

Staff is great, practice areas are great basically everything you would expect from a private course.

Holly Tree is a very nice private course. It has a difficult opening hole but overall I did not find it as hard as folks told me it would be to play. What makes it challenging are the greens.

The one tip I can give you - make sure to leave your ball below the hole on most greens. If you go past the hole (especially on #3 and #18) you will have a very tricky downhill putt).

Played in the winter so conditions were good for the time of year. They were redoing the 5th hole, par 5 so it was played as a par 3. Lots of construction going on around you as you hit your shot onto the green.

I was surprised that the pace of play was a bit slow but I guess the members in front of us were just having a leisurely mid-week round.

It would be nice to play in the spring or summer to see how it plays.

The club house is very nice and the staff in the club house and pro shop were very welcoming.

This is a private course, but one that it's worth trying to get on. The 9th and 18th have a shared green which is interesting. The course is challenging but a lot of fun.

A 50 year old course that has stood the test of time. Each of the 18 approaches gives the golfer a pleasant view and distinct understanding.