By Off The Deck Golf

BALLYHACK

RUNDOWN: Do yourself a favor and look around online for as many pictures as you can of Ballyhack. There are so many amazing images of this place because of it's wonderful architecture and unreal setting. However, when you arrive, all of your preconceived ideas and expectations will be blown out of the water! Actually seeing the elevation changes and the beauty of this course in person will bring excitement for the time you will spend here.

Ballyhack is part of the Dormie Network and like their other properties we have visited, they leave no stone unturned in making your experience the best it can be. The golf course will wow you and bring you to your knees! The food is next level (make sure you try the steak here). The staff elevates everything and genuinely cares about each individual on property. The amenities are wonderful and provide a great place to relax after a long day of being on the course.

Hopefully you brought your "A" game with you as you will be required to play every shot in your bag. The elevation changes coupled with all the contours will require you to place your shot in the exact right place. The greens here alone could ruin your day or provide you one of your best rounds. No matter how you go about your round, this is one of the most entertaining and fun courses you will step foot on.

Course Info and Directions

Designed by Lester George and opened in 2009.
Currently Ranked #7 in the State of Virginia on the Golf Digest Best In State Courses. Ranked #191 on America's Second 100 Greatest list.
Private golf course, part of the Dormie Network.
5 sets of tees ranging from 5,108 to 7,294 yards.

https://www.dormienetwork.com/ballyhack

540.427.1395 3609 Pitzer Road, Roanoke, VA 24014

Review and Highlights

Hole 1 Par 4 - 399 Yards

Buckle up for the wild ride that starts right of the gates here at Ballyhack. The first tee box will test your ability to drive the ball well here. A forced carry on this uphill par 4 will require a good sized poke with the big stick to reach the fairway. Obviously you can see the trouble that surrounds the short grass in front of you, but the fairway is still fairly generous. A tee shot to the left is dead and will require you to either use that first mulligan or hit three from the tee box. Right of the short grass is no picnic as the deep bunkers and long grass will make that hope for a birdie putt all but vanish away. The uphill shot to the putting surface will get you ready for many of the shots you will face around the property. Pull the right club for the approach or you will quickly experience the massive false front waiting to funnel your ball away from the pin. Everything about this place will make you think, but hole number one has a test of everything you will experience around the property!

Hole 2 Par 5 - 538 Yards

Swing away! That is great advice for the second hole at Ballyhack. The fairway meshes into the 5th fairway on the right and provides more landing space than anyone should need. However, there are some strategic bunkers placed in the fairway as to make you think once or twice about the route you want to take. If you take the left side of the fairway you should have a clear view into the green. The right side of the fairway will result in a blind approach to this decent sized par 5. Just because you can reach this green in two doesn't mean you will. The front of the green is guarded by a high lipped bunker that sits smack dab in the middle of any approach shot. Pick your path to the green wisely because here is where your accuracy will be tested. I hit a poor drive off the tee to the right side and luckily smashed my 3 wood onto the putting surface from a blind shot. While this was the only eagle putt of the trip, we left Ballyhack with zero eagles haha. Swing away!

Hole 6 Par 4 - 354 Yards

Drivable, maybe, but it's worth a shot if you can carry it the entire way there. On this day I couldn't due to a breeze, even playing up a tee box. We both did give it a go a couple of times and I ended up short in the bunker and Kevin actually landed on the green and went through the back. Overall this hole isn't too tough. There is a good sized landing area that will leave you with just over 100 yards to the putting surface. We each had a couple cracks at birdie here and I can say we at least walked away with one. I just love how the hole lays in through here. The elevated tee shot with the green laying below the 9th fairway just seemed to catch my eye. The 6th hole is just one to enjoy and hopefully get a shot back on the front nine!

Hole 9 Par 5 - 546 Yards

The last hole on the front 9 and it proved to be one of the tougher holes out there for us. While we generally hit the fairway off the tee, our approach shots were just off generally and it resulted in some higher scores here. However, the landing area has some trouble surrounding it. There is a bunker on the right side and the fairway kicks everything to the right. Pull it left and you are in the long rough or a bunker which will further complicate your second. You can hit a solid drive towards the fairway and still end up in the long grass bunker like hazard in the center of the fairway. This can be a two shot par 5 but the majority of people will lay up and hit three into the green. The two-tiered green makes this hole even more difficult and will either help or severely hurt your chances of a good score. Ending up on the top tier with a front pin will test your ability to just keep it on the putting surface with your putt. Kevin may have experienced that once and it didn't go well. However, he also got it up on the fringe in two once and came away with an easy birdie. That's exactly what this hole can do to you, hit your spots and you are fine, miss and you will walk away with one of your higher scores on the day.

Hole 13 Par 3 - 228 Yards

The par 3 13th hole is one that you will remember from your time here at Ballyhack. Laying in front of you from the tee is a massive double green as the 13th hole shares the green with the 15th hole. Playing downhill and looking at this green it seems to almost be inviting. That is if you can keep your eyes off the deep bunkers and the hills throughout the green. The green does slope from the back to the front for the most part so it will easily handle an approach from a long iron. We could tell all about the difficulties this hole brought to each of us, but I'm sure you may experience the same things and will not need an explanation haha. We experienced everything from a birdie to a triple bogey and I feel like a great par 3 can put all those numbers into play. It's a stunning hole, but also one of the most enjoyable ones on the course.

Hole 17 Par 3 - 152 Yards

Let's fast forward to another par 3. I definitely do not mean you will want to pass the past few holes quickly to get here, I'm just not going to do a write up of the entire back 9. Holes 14 to 16 are fantastic, difficult and enjoyable. But you will be excited to see a short par 3 to give yourself a chance at birdie. Having a wedge into a par 3 is always welcome, but it doesn't mean this hole is easy. The ridges that run through this green will quickly make you question what type of a shot you want to hit. The upper right side of the green is flatter but will be a horrible spot if the pin is short right. Using the slopes of this green are what make it so fun and I would imagine a few people have watched their tee shot drop into the hole. We were not so lucky but we saw this entire green and tested out every slope. Like the rest of the course, hit your spot and you will do fine, miss it and bogey is a great score!

Hole 18 Par 4 - 455 Yards

The last hole of the day, the time where you start to think about playing another round or start making up excuses for why you played so poorly. Let's hope you are look forward to the next round like we were! This place was phenomenal and provide great views, tough holes and a ton of fun throughout the routing. Number 18 is a tough final test. A long par 4 that plays down off the tee but then climbs all the way to the putting surface. Not only that but this is without a doubt the narrowest fairway you have experienced on property. It pinches down even more because of the large tree in the right side rough. You are forced to stay left if you want a good chance at reaching this par four in two. Hopefully you have managed to hit the fairway and now you will have a decent length approach up the hill to a very large green. This huge green will can hold many different pins that can give you trouble. A big trough like bowl runs up the middle of the green and will funnel anything away from a right or left pin. This will leave you a difficult putt for birdie and open the chance for a three putt very easily. Walk away with par and it will feel like a birdie! Head on into the clubhouse, enjoy some food and head back out for another round!

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