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One of the most visually arresting opening holes in New England. Even big hitters must navigate a menacing angular stream and a parade of cross bunkers beyond them. Arnold Palmer’s introduction to Dedham was a solid three wood…. splashing into the first hole creek in the late 90’s!

While only 344 yards from the tips, members and guests alike know this as Dedham’s most devilish hole. Confident drivers can take on both the creek some 210 yards from the tee and right side pond to set up a fairly simple approach shot into the long face of the green. But a safe layup requires a challenging uphill second over a false front to a multi-leveled green.

Playing at just over 200 yards across waves of fescue to one of the original Donald Ross green complexes,  this is one of the more demanding par 3’s on the course. The ideal landing spot is front right which will allow a well placed tee shot to skip left and trundle to the flag. Shots left above the hole result in treacherous and speedy downhill putts which lead to bogey or worse.

A fairly short par 5 where the drive must take on the same pesky creek which defends the first and second hole landing areas as well. The green is steeply sloped from back to front and protected by a deep bunker which guards the entire right side of the green. The best approach then is from the left side of the fairway.

The back tee is just 133 yards to an uphill green which is another of the original Ross greens. The challenge is Raynor’s brilliant bunkering which creates virtually an island green. A newly added thumbprint on the right side of the green forces players to select an approach angle carefully lest a putt for birdie or par have to roll out of, over, or into the right side depression.

Decisions. Decisions. A string of bunkers crowd the middle of the fairway off the tee. A safe drive left of the bunkers makes this a three shot hole. But a brave drive to the right of the bunkers, but inside the hazard line, makes this a definite birdie hole. Approach shots still must contend with a dramatic left to right, hard downward sloping green entrance which, depending on the pin position, can call for dramatically different shot selections.

One of the strongest versions of the classic Knoll hole ever built anywhere in the country. It requires a strong drive over native grasses to the crest of a hill, avoiding deep bunkers protecting the preferred approach angle – the left side of the fairway. From there, second shots must carry to an elevated green lest they roll back down some fifty feet leading to a near impossible blind uphill pitch, but they must also avoid going long lest they fall off a grassy cliff. No wonder it's rated the second most difficult hole on the card.

Don’t be too mesmerized by the majestic white swans and Great Blue Heron that make their home off the peninsula tee; there’s trouble ahead. Bunkers line the left side and distant middle of the fairway, but a hazard also lurks on the right. Even a well-placed drive sets up a second shot that must find a pin that could be sitting on one of Raynor’s classic twin rear plateaus. The scenery is sure to please - the green, not so much.

The shortest par 4 at only 330 yards, but deceptively challenging. If the goal is a short approach, a large fescued rock outcropping on the right side of the fairway must be carried. A drive pulled slightly left will likely catch an angular bunker or the fescue beyond. The approach must still carry a large mound fronting the green with a hidden sandy moat just beyond the mound. And be sure to observe the pin placement when leaving the 7th green. It's important to land on the pin side of a long spine crossing the green – a classic element of Raynor’s Alps holes.

At 549 yards, a true three shot hole unless the big hitter carries the hill to the left of the fairway and gets a forward kick into the “go zone.” Otherwise the second shot is blind, framed by distant trees that create the illusion that the fairway is wider than it is, making left side bunkers more problematic than they should be. The third shot must then navigate a steeply sloped two-tiered green. Don’t be long!

The tee shot will quickly determine whether birdie is possible or double bogey is probable. From the back tees, an intimidating hill must be carried to reach the valley below for a manageable approach. The shorter route over is right; but it leaves a long iron or more in. Cheat successfully to the left though and a long drive will put a wedge in your hand. But the green is perched on yet another hill and drops sharply on the right side from back to front. Little wonder it is the course’s #1 handicap hole.

Distance control on this downhill mid-length par 3 to a fully exposed and often windswept green is the biggest challenge. Like most classic Eden holes a deep bunker blocks the front entrance to green. Unique geometric shaped bunkers guard the left side. The green slopes from back to front and tee balls that don’t carry the first third of the green run the risk of rolling back into the front left rough. But carry too far, and a hidden trap awaits at the back of the green.

The challenge is not getting on this relatively short par 4 green, but getting on the right part of this green which stretches some 11,500 square feet. A front trap sits in the middle of parallel downslope green entrances that evoke a lion’s mouth. The Punchbowl was a common Raynor feature which was skillfully enlivened in 2018 by Brian Silva as he restored the green’s dramatic concave form by recapturing the bowl’s rim which had disappeared over the years in the adjacent rough. Be sure to practice your lag putting before your round!

Fast becoming Dedham’s signature hole, the Biarritz green stretches some 70 yards from back to front, flanked by Raynor’s trademark geometric side bunkering and punctuated with a three and a half foot deep swale across the middle. From the same back marker, the hole might play at 250 yards one day and 170 yards the next! With its elevated tee, Dedham’s Biarritz is one of the more striking versions of this classic design in the country, along with those at the Golf Club at Yale and Fox Chapel.

With a classic road hole pot bunker guarding the left side of the green, the hole is designed to be approached from the right side of the fairway which is guarded by a long rectangular bunker and a penal baby pot bunker to its side. Even good drives though result in one of the more demanding par 4 second shots on the course. The hole slopes sharply front to back. Balls that catch the very front of this slightly elevated green will roll back off the green. And balls that come in without enough elevation and spin run the risk of rolling through the green and into a long bunker beyond.

A great chance for a par or better with Dedham’s two treacherous closing holes to come. A mid-length par 4 whose landing area narrows the deeper the drive, this is the only greens complex without a single bunker. It appears to be one of the original Ross greens that was relatively undisturbed by Raynor. Despite its overall straightforward nature, approach shots that are too strong will fall into a run-off area that will pose a challenging chip or putt.

Raynor’s 17th at Dedham is one of the finest examples of a reverse redan anywhere in the country and certainly one of the most beautiful. Teeing off over a classic New England stonewall rimmed pond and rushing waterfall, the golfer who can fade his tee shot can catch the short left side of the green and watch excitedly as the ball feeds down and across the green towards the hole. The green is actually a long rectangle spun at a 45 degree angle, guarded at the rear by a trap that runs the length of the green, and at the front by deep bunkers and a stream. Idyllic, yes. Maddening, for sure.

Despite measuring only 406 yards, this uphill dogleg left closer is one the most challenging finishing holes around. Drives that cut the dogleg are rewarded with a more reasonable distance on the approach, but cut the corner too severely and a hazard awaits at the fairway’s elbow.  Drives that take the safe route might result in near impossible second shots up a steep hill, some 200 yards out. Approaches to the green that come up even barely short will roll back thirty yards into a collection area, presenting one of the more challenging chips on the golf course. You will remember the hole, but generally best to forget your score!