Golf Club At Cypress Head, The
Cypress Head golf course first opened for play in 1992. The course was designed by Arthur Hills and Michael Dasher.
Although the site for the course was relatively level, the architects used moundings and contours to give players the feeling of elevation. In general, players find a lot of tree-lined fairways and a plenty of water obstacles here. Fourteen of the 18 holes play over the water. And as you play, you're working over or around ponds, preserved wetlands and natural vegetation.
The course is medium-length (6,832 yards from the back tees and 4,909 from the forward). But you can tell from the rating and slope (73.1/139 from the back tees and 69.3/123 from the forward) that this is a challenging layout. The course can also play very differently from day to day depending on the strength of breezes coming in from the ocean, 10 miles away.
#1 is a medium-length par-4 (346 yards from the back tees and 275 from the forward). It is a nice easy start for your round. It’s a good, solid par-4 with water in front of the tee, but it's not a serious problem.
#2 is a par-5 (522 yards from the back tees and 405 from the forward), will get your attention. For one thing, it’s the most picturesque hole on the course, but then again, it's also a tough test - the low-handicap hole on the course. A very demanding tee shot is needed because you're firing out of a chute with tall trees on the left and right and a canal of water in front of you.
#4 is a par-4 that's 396 yards from the back tees and 277 yards from the forward tees. You will be playing over a pond. You cut it at an angle and bite off as much as you can chew. How much water do you want to cross? If your answer is conservative, the hole plays a lot longer. After a demanding tee shot, you take your second shot over a canal. Watch out for that pine tree in the middle of the fairway that could make it tougher to reach the green. You have to go around or over this obstacle to get to your target.
#6 and #7 are back-to-back par-3s. # 6 (197 yards from the back, 117 from the forward tees) plays over wetland areas and then ends with a beautiful green with white sand bunkers. The contrast between the raw, natural vegetation and the green and sand is striking.
#14 is memorable. Everyone who plays Cypress Head tends to remember the par-4 No. 14 (474 yards from the back tees and 335 from the forward). This hole, a long dogleg left around a lake. It requires a tee shot over water. From the tips, players have to carry the ball about 250 yards; from the mid-forward tees, it's about 175 yards. If you tend to be conservative and you bail out on the right, it becomes a very long hole. Many people consider this the signature hole.
#16, a par-3 (178 yards from the back tees, 55 yards from the forward) has one of the toughest greens on the course. That's because it has 'an elephant buried in the middle," according to some golfers, so that every ball flows away from the hump. On top of that, there are two sand bunkers in front of the green with a narrow opening between them. If the flag is in the front, your ball could trickle down away from the hole. If you land your ball beyond the flag, you're going to have one tough downhill putt.
#17 and #18 are back-to-back par-5s for the finishing holes.
Black tees: 6,832 yards, course rating 74.2, slope rating 142.
Blue tees: 6,362 yards, course rating 71.9, slope rating 135.
White tees: 5,718 yards, course rating 69, slope rating 121.
White (W) tees: 5,718 yards, course rating 73.1, slope rating 137.
Orange tees: 4,909 yards, course rating 68.9, slope rating 123.