I’m not going to call Twin Lakes Golf Course a hidden gem, but it is hidden. You have to trust GPS to get you to your destination. There is not a “golf course” sign on the main road and only a small, partially hidden sign at the entrance. The road weaves through the middle of the course, so be looking for wayward shots.
It’s always great when you can walk right on and pay $20 for golf plus cart. Hole #1 is a 446 yard par 5 with a dogleg to the right. A nice fade of the golf ball will be a great opening shot. A big slice will land you in another fairway, but still not in bad shape. A hook will find dense trees to the left. A good opening hole to ease you into the round – maybe! Hole #2 takes you in the opposite direction and this right to left bender suits my ball flight. As on the prior hole, there is tree trouble left and plenty of room for a miss down the right side.
The par 3 third hole is 158 yards with not much trouble around the green. No sand, no undulating putting surface, and no “twin lakes” in sight! Hole #4 is a long (528 yards), straight hole with tree trouble again to the left. This course is a slicers dream because all the trouble is left and there is plenty of landing room to the right. Although your ball might find another fairway!
Stop! Beware! Throttle back! Hole #5 requires some thought before you pull your driver at this 358 yard dogleg left par 4. The road that meanders through the course is just a slight slice to the right. A well struck straight drive can find it’s way to a bunker at the end of the fairway, or even venture through the trees into the parking lot. This is a fun hole that will require thinking at the tee box! So far the course has a nice variety of dogleg holes and the routing has been challenging. But where are the twin lakes?
We finally found them at Hole #6 in their full plentitude ready to accept our carefully selected dirty and scuffed water balls – The Twin Lakes! To successfully find the putting surface from the white tees you must: carry the first lake; then the bridge; then possibly a small section of lake number two; then the two bunkers that front the green; and then try to hold the putting surface as it drops off dramatically both front and to the right. From the red tees you need only carry one of the lakes. My playing partner graciously donated two of the dirty, scuffed balls to lake #2!
You’ll find another one of those short (282 yards), pesky, (sharp) dogleg left par 4’s at the seventh hole. You will have to consult your scorecard to determine where the green is located. Now do you try to bomb it over the trees and dogleg, or position yourself in the fairway with an iron and leave a wedge to the green? Right is the miss (that’s positive thinking) at Hole #8. However you still ned to clear the “chute” with your tee ball. If you are way right, you’ll find yourself in the adjacent fairway, but not a bad choice since your approach shot will have less distance to travel from over there!
Sometimes as I start to write an article my notes, pictures, and scorecard are in conflict – this is one of those times. The scorecard indicates a tee shot that needs to clear pond #3 and a fairway that bends to the right at Hole #9. As I stood on the white tee box, there is a pond to carry and I see a flag in the distance off to the right. From my viewing area the fairway is huge and looks relatively straight (not a sharp dogleg right). The confusing part was the foursome in front of us was gathered on the left side of the fairway and nowhere near the right flag I saw in the distance.
The fairway has an uphill grade, so it was difficult to see exactly where this finishing hole journey would take us. After my playing partner (Mrs. Always Time for 9) dumped two more balls in the water, we advance to the crest of the hill to see how the heck to play this hole. At the top of the hill you will find a fairway bunker and a green slightly to the left. The flag I saw from the tee box to the right was for a green on an adjacent fairway. Confused? Yeah, me too!
Rating – Par (35 out of 60): There are two things I really liked about this course – the routing and the gentleman working the clubhouse. The greens were in good shape; the fairways were a little spotty; and the tee boxes were more sand than grass. All the trouble on this course is to the left, so it is a slicers paradise. It was not crowded and we finished our round in about two hours.
That left us time to visit Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill and explore the University of North Carolina which offers many free campus activities.
648 Willow Way, Chapel Hill, NC 27516; 919-933-1024; www.golf-twinlakes.com
