I played River Oaks on Sat., 6/9 and never played it as NC National. This assessment is based on the present layout of the course.
River Oaks (ROGC) has the potential to be one of the finest courses on the I-40 corridor west of 77. At only 6400 yards from the back tees, it’s a fair test of shotmaking & club selection. You really need to pick the right clubs on this course. That’s why it can be one of the best in that area.
Keep in mind, and I had to keep telling myself, that ROGC is a NEW course, from tee to green. A lot of the greens are new & the staff may still be in the process of marking yardages. You can tell that ROGC laid down a lot of sod to build those greens. They wanted the least amount of time for grow-in so they can begin to get revenue from play, so they laid down sod instead of seed to a lot of the greens on the front 9. Considering the immaturity of some greens, most rolled exceptionally well, and consistent. I was pleasantly surprised!
The 1st Hole used to be a long par-4 back in the pre-ROGC era. Now, it’s a short, but fair 320-yd par 4. The creek no longer is in play, but the new green is. It’s shallow from front to back (I paced off 16 steps from the front until the hole drops off into the abyss). An accurate short iron approach on Hole #1 will reward you with an easy birdie opportunity. If you miss long or left…you’ll scramble for bogey or worse, make a drop for double. I could be wrong, but #1 may be the only significant change on the front 9 until you finish the side.
My favorite hole by far is #8. A 400-yd par-4 from an elevated tee, and a tee shot that forces you to hit a high-draw. The visual aspect of this tee shot is amazing!! You have to play it yourself to believe it. The fairway looks tiny, but a high tee shot opens it up. Go ahead a rip driver, you have plenty of room, just don’t miss it right. A pushed tee ball on this hole is gone forever.
The 9th is the epitome of penal golf! Before the change, it must’ve been a short, easy par-4. Now, it’s a daunting, 220 yd par-3. You have to carry your shot all the way to the green. Any short shots are lost into the ravine the fronts the green & the sides. Higher handicappers will want to take advantage of the fairway and hit their tee shots & hope for a close approach to a one-putt par. Otherwise, you’ll stare at double or worse if your tee shot is short. Stronger players may want to hit an extra club & play to miss long; there’s a natural “backstop” behind the green. Although this hole plays a full club less, you still need to catch it all to get it on the putting surface.
From what I understand, the back-9 still remains as it once was. Again, it’s a test of club selection and accuracy. Length off the tee is not a significant part of scoring on this course. For example, a short par-3 (127 yds) on the back-9 requires two- to three-clubs LESS on approach because of its severe elevation. I hit easy SW where it should have been smooth LW…heck, if my putter had one degree more loft, I would have hit it.
The 200 yard par-3, 17th is another hole where you end up scratching your head to exactly how far you need to hit it. It’s a flat hole, with water on the left side. Looks can be deceiving! Play your shot to the right half of the green to eliminate the hazard and greenside bunkers.
My only criticism is that you always question your yardages on many of the holes, especially the par-3’s. My recommendation to the course is to send its assistant pro or superintendent to laser each hole from at least 5-10 different spots and mark it down, get in on paper & hand it to every player that checks in. That would have helped me tremendously. If you have a range finder…bring it!!
Otherwise, River Oaks can be the place to go if you’re looking to play a great mountain style course but also challenge your shotmaking & on course management. Although not as long as Skybrook or Verdict Ridge, River Oaks can belong to that class in several years, if not less.
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