Congressional Country Club

The opening tee shot will ask the player to find the best side of the fairway for the day’s hole location. The widest fairway on the course will usually ask for an aggressive play up the left side but will yield plenty of room to get the round off to a good start. The green will best accept a shot that moves left to right – therefore, even if the player gets out of position off the tee, there is a good opportunity to recover. Having a vision for each shot will always produce the best results.

This will quickly introduce the player to a skillful test on the longest par 3. Taking advantage of the gracefully natural high, this green will accept a shot both in the air and one along the ground, if it has enough energy to scoot from the approach forward onto the putting surface. The most successful shots will be played precisely and working right to left.

The green site is the star of the 3rd hole. Getting the ball in the fairway will be critical to finding the elevated target. Depending on the day’s hole location, you will want to attack from the opposite side of the fairway. The green will typically funnel shots toward the middle of the green, so short siding yourself could spell trouble getting up and down.

The longest par 4 on the Front Nine will ask the player to pick a line and distance that range from just over the rolling foreground, letting the ball release into the low – to hitting aggressively over the cluster of bunkers on the dogleg and onto the upslope. Getting your ball onto the upslope will certainly make the approach more palatable, but those that have played short will have an option to play a shot over the approach bunker on the right and let the ground carry the ball onto the green.

In a huge contrast to the other par 4’s faced in the opening portion of the course, the 5th will play to a downhill approach. Getting your tee shot into the best position to attack will depend on your level of aggression towards the three main hazards alternating space on each side of the fairway. Shots hit onto or over the hill will gain the best view of the flag. For any shot other than a wedge, the play will be short – with tee ball moving left to right down and onto the putting surface.

The first par 5 on the course will provide a range of tee options for the players and, depending on the overall distance, the golfer must consider how much they care to gamble with the new cross hazard. Playing as close to the right hazard, will produce the best line of sight down the hole. Once your ball is in play off the tee, you must decide on how forceful a play you want to pursue. There is plenty of room to lay back and left, but the approach will be partially obstructed. Playing right again along the hazard will show the full extent of the green surround. Hitting an assertive shot over the left fairway bunker will let the ball work towards the green. Being careless, hitting a shot well left, will find doom in a cluster of bunkers.

This modest-length Par 3 will inspire bold shots at the flag, but some hole locations will offer more room to get it close than others – making go, no-go a balancing act. There will be days when a portion of the flag stick may be hidden from view. Maximizing the use of the ground and the opening to the right side of the green will offer the safe choice. Missing the green short left will find you on the of the largest deepest bunkers on the course...going long will find your ball in a short grass swale that will demand a touchy recovery with many different club choices.

The drivable par 4 asks you to gauge your swing, the wind, and how much you want to risk? You can be successful with a long iron or driver. Placing your tee shot as long and left as possible will give you the best angle into the target. Working the ball left to right along the natural spine will not only play off that angle but work the ball onto the putting surface! Getting the ball close to the hole will make for a manageable time with the putter. Leaving a long putt from one end to the other will challenge even the best to two-putt.

The second Par 5 on the journey through the course will require a good game plan. From the tee the strong player will try to challenge the high point that is shifted farther from the tee. For those with the game – the ravine crossing is 30 yards shorter than it used to be tempting a play over...for the rest of us the upslope and elevation will make the layup easier to judge. There will be more space available short of the ravine, but it will not allow for a ho- hum shot as the player must manage carrying a steep face that intersects the natural high and a fairway that slopes in multiple directions. The green has been pushed towards the Clubhouse and is best attacked from the left.

The most exciting change to Congressional is the introduction of a knee-knocking short par 3 that takes full advantage of the stadium-like ground behind the Clubhouse. Shifting the green to the near side of the pond, creates a target that demands a committed swing that considers distance, elevation (over 40’ of drop!), line, and spin control to be successful. Bailing out to the left will be no bargain, as the ground slopes away and shots played back of the putting surface must deal with a graceful high. Putting up and over that feature in the approach will be a quickly learned skill for the players.

Once the straightest hole on the property, the Eleventh has now become the most dynamic par 5 within the layout. The left to right cant of the fairway will play nicely into the new green that has been moved to the right on the other side of the creek. The closer a tee shot plays to the water the more aggressive the second can be. Laying back from the target offers options on both sides of the water. Hole locations on the left side of the green will typically be best played from the left fairway, while pins on the right half will often be best attacked from the approach.

The hog’s back that cuts through this fairway is one of the most interesting landforms on the grounds. Golfers can be successful playing to the wide or narrow part of this spine. Laying back will avoid a lot of trouble but requires a longer approach to a progressively narrow green. Playing into the narrowest portion of the fairway will result in a short approach but spin control will be critical to taking advantage of the short club.

This hole will cross the natural low and play to a perched green sitting on the natural ridge. This par 3 will demand a well struck iron that is properly judged, as it is heavily guarded by bunkering and topography. The two-level green will put extra focus on getting the ball near the hole. Being above the hole on this par 3 will be a chore.

For a long time, the 14th hole was a lackluster filler in the middle of the back nine. No more! The green resting at the top of the crowning hill will be one of the most brilliant on the property. Using two opposing spines to help climb the topography, the green will flow for 50 yards in a graceful and inspired way. Getting your tee shot in the left half of the fairway, challenging the boundary, will yield the best view of this target. Gauging the distance of your approach and how the flight of the ball will react on the green will be critical to being successful.

Several holes on Congressional start on a high, play to a low, and end on a high. None will be more dramatic than the 15th! The wide fairway offers options from the tee but be careful not to lay too far back. The green has been pushed all the way to the crest of the nature ridge and will ask for a long approach that can be successfully managed by landing short of the target over a cross bunker and letting the ball release. Don’t fly your ball all the way to the putting surface unless you can generate a lot of spin. Standing on the putting surface will offer a commanding view of the 10th, 18th and Clubhouse.

One of the most strategic holes on the property asks the player to pick not only a line but also a distance at least two times. Execute and you will be rewarded with a good score. Miss on either and you will need all the skill in your game to recover. The tee shot plays to a rolling landing zone that looks wider than it plays. The second can be as aggressive as you choose, as there are options all the way back to 180 yards from the center of the green. The target rests on a high point that is best approached down the left center of the fairway, skirting along the natural break in grade.

Think you have a big swing left in your game!? Here is the chance to use it. Play aggressively over the fairway bunkers and be rewarded by the sloping fairway that will propel your ball forward towards the bottom of the hill. Laying back is also an option but be careful of which option you choose; the green is best attacked from the left side of the fairway. The new putting surface rests in the natural saddle left of its current location, allowing for a pseudo – punchbowl feel. The low that results from this shape is twisted slightly left and the right side is significantly higher than the left.

The Home Hole at Congressional will feel a bit familiar but has been adjusted to take full advantage of its topography. First a series of bunkers will show the best line of play from the tee. Challenge a line just left of the sand and be rewarded with a longer tee shot as the ball releases off the slope. Get too careless and find a low that has been placed in the left rough to help drainage and add some old world feel. The green will fill the peninsula into the pond, creating a range of exciting hole locations and quite a bit of anxiety. If your approach is of some distance, play for the right side of the approach and let the ball work to the left onto the putting surface.