The setting of Tregaron Golf Club includes rolling hills, some soft sand bunkers, and assorted water challenges. The course looks sharp from most views, but primarily at sunrise and sunset, when the undulations cast ominous shadows on the Bellevue course.
Tregaron boasts itself as “Your country club for a day.” It isn’t far off, except in price: $25 for 18 holes and a cart. The variety between the holes keeps the course fresh, and the use of water and rolling terrain on this links style course make for some great golf.
That the course contains a little bit of everything adds to the country club feel. Most often, you’ll find bunkers waiting near the landing areas of your tee shots, and few more guarding the green. Water comes into play on nine holes, including No. 7, where it’s easily visible and affects the second shot and your approach to the green.
Many of the bunkers are a soft, white sand and the front edges are steep, meaning placing a shot in the trap could equal a one-stroke penalty just to get it out. (Other bunkers are flat and not as good looking.)
You’ll face several severe changes in elevation, whether it’s teeing off down a long slope or hitting upwards to a hidden, elevated green.
And the greens. Can’t forget the greens at Tregaron. Catch a side hill slope and a three-putt is waiting to nab you. The greens are lightning-quick, so adjust early, and it’s imperative your approach shots miss below the hole.
A closer look
Tregaron’s No. 1 is a great tune-up: Downhill tee shot, dogleg left, two-tiered green. Handle it well and you’ll feel you’re off to a confident start.
No. 2 features major water, but you’ll be able to choose the angle and distance at which you carry the hazard. No. 3 and 4 are straight, but the sloping of the fairways and greens keep you honest.
No. 5 is a par 3 with water to carry.
No. 7 is one of the true challenges in the metro area. It’s a 571-yard par 5 that features three sand traps in the landing area. The second shot usually takes you toward a two-tiered fairway and hopefully away from the large water hazard on the left. If you’ve set your ball to the right side of the fairway, the water really won’t come into play, but the large, sloping green is extremely tricky. It slopes toward a bunker and the water, but land it on the green, and you will be safe.
Another par 3 at No. 8, where a large bunker hangs on the entire right side of the green. No. 9 is nearly a 90-degree dogleg to the left. Bunkers guard the landing area, which sits well below the raised green. It’s tough to judge the pin placement, but if you land your approach on the back side, it’s a slippery slope coming back.
No. 11 is a deep-dropping par 4 that introduces you to some of the woods that guard parts of Tregaron’s back 9. A large tree looms on the right side of the fairway, requiring some placement off the tee.
No. 12 (a par 3) and No. 13 (a shorter par 4) use the same pond to force placement off the tee, and No. 14 is another large test Tregaron offers. The par 5 curves around a long lake, and if the rough has been recently mowed, your ball can easily roll into the hazard. It’s another terrific hole.
No. 17 can be brutal if your tee shot isn’t safe. The tees sit back in the forest, and the hole is uphill for at least half of the 538 yards. To reach the green in two, you’ll have to maneuver several sand traps and elevation changes that cover the front edge. On in three is a nice feat.
No. 18 is a great finishing hole: uphill, wide open other than a few bunkers, generally forgiving and featuring an approach shot towards an elevated green.
