Challenging Country Golf
Written: Jul 23 '06
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Pros: Plenty of variety in challenges, opportunities to use most of your clubs. Nicely priced.
Cons: Greens have public course issues; no practice facilities.
The Bottom Line: This is the best of Lambert Acres' nine-hole courses, and is worth playing if you're in the area. (865) 982-9838 for more info.
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| davke's Full Review: Lambert Acres Golf Club - Orange Course |
Lambert Acres, located near Maryville, Tennessee, is a twenty-seven-hole facility, and each of the nine-hole courses has a separate entry in Epinions. Among those three nines, which include the Red and the White courses, the Orange Course is clearly the most challenging. Ask the starter if you can play the White-Orange or Red-Orange set up, which will allow you to warm up on one of the easier courses before attacking the Orange.
The Orange is made more challenging because there's either water or sand on all of the holes, and usually both. The course is the furthest south of the three and so abuts private property in several places, bringing in the dreaded white out-of-bounds markers more often than the other two nines. The Orange Course runs 3,047 yards from the back tees, and 2,223 yards from the front. I'll be referring to the middle tee yardages here as I describe the holes.
As on all the Lambert Acres opening holes you tee off at the top of the hill upon which the club house sits and then drop onto the course. The first hole runs 334 yards with a fairway bunker on the left and another trap on the left side of the green. But the fairway is wide otherwise and the flat green makes an opening par possible. The second hole is an even shorter par 4, at 302 yards, but plays uphill with undulation in the fairway. Although the scorecard map indicates a straight, narrow fairway, you're best off playing your tee-shot to the left side to leave a clear approach that minimizes the right-hand sandtrap. There is some undulation in the green, and the ball will tend to break back toward the left side of the green. But those things are easy to see.
Next up is a 464-yard par five that has a prominent OB area to the right of the tee. Your sole objective here is to get to the top of the hill in front of you, and a three or five wood can do that. Then you will have a long iron or fairway wood to put you in front of the smallish green. Hit your second shot to the right of the green so the sandtrap doesn't worry your wedge. Next take a breather on the 131-yard par 3 that follows where the traps on the right can't really scare you away from the largish green. Now come the water holes.
There is a good-sized pond here that defines the next three holes. Number 5 is a rolling 345-yard par 4 where the tee shot should be played well to the left, both to take the pond out of play and to keep your second shot on the same elevation as the green. If you're between clubs on your approach, take the shorter club as the cart path, and even a soda machine, sit fairly closely behind the green. Take advantage of the flat green and then head to the 152-yard par 3. This is all over-water carry but the back of the green is an upslope so you can take an extra club and try to stick a high fade up close without too much worry involved in going long. Obviously, don't go short. There is some undulation in the green but often the pin is in the middle, uphill from any marker. Heading onto number 7, you're now facing a 340-yard par 4 where the best shot off the tee is directly over the pond to the flatter part of the fairway. The water can intimidate golfers into blocking the ball right into some mounds or even into the adjoining number 3 fairway. Your second shot should be aimed left of the green, if you're not confident in going for the pin, as there's a collection area to the right. A flat green can be taken advantage of.
The next hole, number 8, is a 458-yard par five that's reachable in two shots because of an elevated tee. Aim your tee shot over the trees below and don't worry if it runs through the fairway, which is actually moving back to your right. Large, shallow traps protect the green right and left while the green slopes up away from the fairway, so you might feel better hitting your second shot short of the green in the middle of the fairway and allowing the slope to hold a bump-and-run approach from there. Then close on the toughest-rated hole on the course, which is only 294 yards of par 4. Of course that's 294 yards uphill, back to the clubhouse, so it plays much longer than it measures. A trap to the right of the green can surprise you especially as the upsloped fairway will tend to send your shot to the right, but the green plays as it reads and if you can get on it in two or three strokes you can walk off with a nice par or bogey to complete the toughest Lambert Acres has to offer.
The Orange Course has enough variety and challenge to it that it almost seems out of place next to the Red and White courses. It's a clearly superior golfing experience next to the other two courses, which warrants a 4-star rating next to the 3-star ratings I've placed on the Red and White. My thinking on the stars is that 3 stars and above is recommended, that 4 stars is very good, but missing something, and that 5 stars is a course worth driving long distances to play. In the case of the Orange Course, what's missing is a driving range and practice facilities, a fully-stocked club house, and a 19th hole. None of those things are necessary to golf, but are necessary for a 5th star. But as far as the golf goes, the Orange Course is really nice, needing only some difficulty added to a couple of the greens and some additional cooperation from golfers in keeping the putting surfaces in better condition.
Lambert Acres is located at 3402 Tuckaleechee Pike, a road on the south side of Highway 321, which runs between Maryville and Gatlinburg. Take cash to play it as they don't take credit cards, but don't take a lot of cash as $28 will get you 18 holes with a cart on the weekends. Snacks, sandwiches, sodas, and Poweraid are available in the clubhouse, as are some balls if you find that pond reaching out and grabbing your Titelists. The dress code is: wear clothes and shoes. The pace of play is a bit slower on the Orange Course because of its relative difficulty, but the Lambert Acres friendly, laid-back atmosphere is still in play. If you're in the area looking for a game, Lambert Acres is as good as you'll find, especially for the price, and especially if you include the Orange Course in your round.
Recommended:
Yes
Green Fees Paid (US$): 28 for 18.
Speed of Play (typical weekend): Less than 3 Hours
Look Out For: Water
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Epinions.com ID:
davke
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Member: David
Location: Greene Co., Tennessee
Reviews written: 51
Trusted by: 27 members
About Me:
I Epinions, therefore I am.
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