The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

14 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, August 18, 1987 Put on your thinking cap to play beautiful Emerald Hills Sand and water will test golfers abilities This is the fourth in a series of ar- ticles this summer about golf courses in Durham Region and sur- rounding area. The articles are writ- ten by Star editor John B. McClelland based on his impres- sions after a round of golf. John us- ed to be a low handicap golfer, but these days he's quite happy just to break 90. f a hd Ae oh fri oY RAIL TE ei This is a view of the 15th green at Emerald Hills and it shows two of the features of this fine course north of Stouffville. Sand traps and water sa" This handsome clubhouse (opened just this June) typifies the kind of golf course at Emerald To get a true perspective on how to play the fine Emerald Hills course, one really should tackle it more than once. Above all else, this 6984 yard track (from the blue tees) Ed fi A y Ai Bale. iy # hazards are plentiful. Note the pond in front of the green and the two traps behind. Shot-making is the key at Emerald Hills. (See story). perfect condition and is a demanding test of golf skills. (See story). 1o obtamn by mail 1 Buy one bottle ) Print } Remove the : 4 Retundis 50% cash registe 6 Nail nam ty seal to SC Ort NAAT ADDRESS SGOIH4 | ¥ Rick OFFER DETAILS: early your nan Security rape) ¢ adare (HEHHE, » pe { on your pure hase of Scot h register tape | » space below th address i ek of the hole. ---- rae pre or $ 23.99 (Creat | pe wh register tape with Scope pure hase arcled and secu ( J ! a OPER Bt IN TORS THORNHIL (I WIARIO 31 HRS \PT NO) POSTAL CODE . PROVINCE " soinly Please ath tents of Land ly address of ETRE roduc ons © WIAA i |] dy LJ ' the yan at re ' Nedhat Cun st ! s Junt Otter expe WRIGIN AL MUN Ww 4 haeeka yanization R ALSO VALID ON SCOR (Mh BRUTONS ' o> a DRUGS 200 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY - 985-2511 is designed to test the shot-making skills of the golfer, especially the tee shots. I discovered this the hard way last week when myself and three others played the course. It was my first trip to Emerald Hills, although two in our foursome had been around the course once before. And just what is it about Emerald Hills that puts the shot-making skills to the test? Sand, water and the rough, that's what. Well, all golf courses have sand, water and tough rough, so why is Emerald Hills different? Not many courses have as much sand as this one. In fact, there are 86 traps, most of them large and irregular-shaped. Not only do the traps guard most of the greens, they are in the fairways in strategic loca- tion to catch a tee shot that is ever so slightly off line. Getting safely out of the sand from a trap around the green has never been a strong point of my game. Hitting a long iron from the sand 160 or 150 yards from the green was a major challenge for me last week on several holes at Emerald Hills. If you happen to avoid the sand, there is enough water around the course to catch the errant shot. In fact, water comes into play on half the holes, especially on the back nine. The 18th is a case in point. A par-five of 546 yards, there are ponds along the fairway which vir- tually force the golfer to play safe with middle irons from the tee and on the second shot unless you can hit a wood with absolute pin-point accuracy. To say that many of the holes are "tight" is an under-statement. With the sand and the water and the nar- row fairways, especially on the back nine, Emerald Hills is a course which requires some thought before each shot. At 6984 yards it is a long test from the blue tees. Par is 72 and the course rating from the blues is 75. but it is not the distance so much as the demand for accuracy which gives Emerald Hills its degree of difficulty. My round last week was the kind where I thought I was striking the ball quite well for me, but the final tally on the card suggested I had been out there battling with a hockey stick. The same can be said for my playing partners that day as we all found sand, water and rough. LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS? Look Here! ... Where consumers in need shop for the professionals in business! CALL 985-7383 for INFORMATION The greens - are super manicured beautifully and on the occasions where I did manage to hj a long second to the green, they helq the ball well even after the morning dew disappeared. Surrounding each grass is close-cropped apron ang surround aprons is longer grass. Getting the ball out of this long grass and close to the pin demands a deft touch. I've always been partial to par 3's, and for my money the prettiest hole on the course is the 172 yard 7th from an elevated tee. The green is well bunkered (of course) and narrow. It is a nice look- ing golf hole. There are a lot of tough holes at Emerald Hills. In fact, from the blue tees, just three of the par-four's are under 400 yards. But the one that gave me fits was the par-five 5th. At 582 yards, it's a brute for distance and there is a string of fairway traps down almost the entire right side. | made 7 the easy way after finding the rough, a fairway bunker, coupl- ed with a bad chip shot and two putts. From the white tees the course measures 6366 yards and there is no question that the perspective and degree of difficulty changes great- ly from the whites on many holes. Although my score there last week was nothing to write home about, I greatly enjoyed the course. Make no mistake, it is a beautiful chunk of real estate with a magnifi- cent club house (opened in June this year) with facilities for everything from full banquets, business meetings, dinners and light lunches. The course itself is just five years old and in fine condition. Owner/professional Harry Allard tells me there are about 200 members and the course gets a lot of green fee players. Green fees are $25 on weekdays, $35 before noon on weekends and $30 on weekend after- noons. Electric car rental will set you back $20. There are strict dress codes, so don't show up in jeans, '""short-shorts" or tank tops. Emerald Hills is located on Warden Avenue, just a stone's throw north of the Bloomington Side Road in Stouffville, an easy 25 minute drive from Port Perry. It is well worth a round of golf, but as I said at the outset, strategy is more important than sheer distance. Be prepared to put on your "golf thinking cap" and give each shot careful deliberation. all residents of DURHAM-NORTHUMBERLAND are invited to the annual ALLAN LAWRENCE BARBECUE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26th 4:00 to 8:00 PM rain or shine at the DEVIL'S ELBOW SKI AREA 5 km. north of Bethany in Manvers Township. Bring your appetite and your lawn chair.