BORING, BORING, BORING! No, no, no, not the course – the town. No, the town is not boring – it’s Boring. What? Who’s on first?
We are – or at least we’re on the first hole at Greenlea Golf Course, a par 3 of 126 yards from the tips. Of course this is a par 31 track, so the tips are the blue tees. It should be an easy shot to a large green, however wild shots left and long will result in tree trouble. So where do we go from here? Playing courses for the first time can sometimes be confusing and a challenge to navigate. The test today was that none of the holes were marked with their corresponding number, so we had to rely on the scorecard for our best guesses.
Hole #2 is a dogleg left par 4. A small, crowned green awaits your second shot, and today the pin was placed on a knoll to make it even more difficult to get close to the pin. If you are ever looking for an ace on a par 4, this 233 yard third hole is ripe for the taking. It is best to aim for the right side of the green because a large tree and a bunker may cause issues to the left.
Hole #4 is a par 3 of 181 yards and you tee off through a shoot of trees to a green that is to the left. A draw is the perfect approach shot. There appears to be no dress code at this part of the course as a very substantial gentleman decided to go topless. Our laughter, distaste, nausea, and repulsion must have been the reason for all our bad tee shots at Hole #5. This is a well designed hole with a big curve to the right. Picking the correct club is critical because too much club may drive you through the fairway, or too short of the dogleg will leave you with a second shot to clear a line of very tall trees.
The sixth hole displays another thoughtful par 3. Any shot that misses to the left (or behind the green) will watch your ball roll down the hill. However, if you aim to the right, a large tree may cause an issue with your ball flight. Somehow my ball traveled over the tree and settled 12 inches from the cup – such an easy game! Hole #7 has you thinking again about an albatross. Even I can drive this 202 yard par 4. A nice high fade is the perfect shot to watch your ball roll into the cup. We haven’t seen too many bunkers on this course, but we found two here – one front left; and one to the right. I didn’t have to worry about the bunkers as my ball went flying through the green, up a slight incline and settled one foot short of the pond. Wait, what pond? I went from thinking albatross to watching my second shot roll off the slick, crowned green and settling for a bogey.
The course culminates with two par 3s. Both Hole #8 and Hole #9 are fairly easy, but if you decide to blade your shot on the final hole, you’ll be in the parking lot in close proximity to your vehicle.
Rating – Birdie (45 out of 60): I realize some people will look at Greenlea Golf Club and disregard it because it is only 1652 yards for 9 holes and is a par 31 course. We had fun out there today and I thought there are some demanding holes, with the exception of the closing two par 3s. It’s an excellent course for the high handicap golfer and fun for the distance-challenged golfer such as myself. The course was in very good shape and a few of those “turtle-back” greens gave us fits.
Final thought: The town is Boring; the course is not!
26736 SE Kelso Rd. Boring, OR 97009; 503-663-3934; www.greenleagolfcourse.com
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