Auburn Links: Navigate around Mill Creek

Auburn Links features a number of challenges and is one of the more enjoyable I regularly play. It has a few tree-lined holes that go straight ahead, but it's also got doglegs, forced carries and Mill Creek, which often meanders its way between greens and fairways.

While Auburn Links (a monstrous par 72, 7,090 yards from the tips) is not wide-open, it's not terribly tight either. Most of the holes are lined by Alabama pines, oaks and sweet gums, but much of the underbrush has been cleared away. Balls into the woods can be found if you take the time to look.

Not sure why the word links appears in the title. Auburn Links is anything but a true Scottish links course. It's very traditional.

Auburn Links ranks as a course with medium difficulty. It may not trash your game and send you home with your tail between your legs, but don't get cocky, because this place has a few holes that can really bite you. It seems the greens are faster now than they were last year and there are a number of situations where you can choose to go for the green or lay up and play it safe.

The front nine plays shorter (3,290 yards) and a tad less difficult than the back nine (3,500 yards). The most challenging hole, according to the scorecard, greets you on the first tee box. At 345 yards from the blue tees, it isn't long, but the first hole features Mill Creek, which slashes through the fairway twice from right to left. The creek's first gully is easy to clear, but the second could cause problems as it zips back. Heavy hitters may choose to lay up. The approach shot goes slightly to the left uphill to a green protected by a front bunker.

Though water can be a factor on some holes, the course's only lake is found on the fourth hole, a 155-yard par 3. The lake, or pond, is small and offers more of a mental challenge from the elevated tee box. This green is sloped from back to front, so par putts don't come easy.

Possibly the widest fairway of the bunch is on the par 5, 545-yard eighth hole. The hole veers a bit to the right, so hitters with mild slices could benefit. The green is guarded by a number of bunkers.

An interesting hole is the par 5, 550-yard 12th. Depending on your tee and second shots, your approach shot to the green, which is separated from the fairway by that darn creek, could wind up in the water. It might be a good idea to lay up and try to reach the green in four strokes instead.

The scorecard reveals the 425-yard, par 4 14th hole as the second-hardest on the premesis. I beg to differ. The hole is dead straight and the only obstacles come from your mind and a few hilly mounds to the right of the fairway. Hit the ball straight and you're on in two. Slice the ball sharply off the tee and it could fly into one of the homes that back against the fairway.

Perhaps the signature hole of the course is the 18th, a par 4, 445-yard beast that's in good view of neighboring South College Street. Danger lurks all around. You cannot see the green or good portion of the fairway from the tee box as the hole turns sharply downhill roughly 150 yards from the tee. The scary thing is, Mill Creek returns at the bottom of the hill. What might be your best hit ball of the day could bounce, and bounce, and bounce again downhill into the creek. A 250-yard shot should be safe, but don't push it much further.

The approach shot is often on a downhill lie. The green is guarded by five bunkers which create the shape of a tiger paw.

COURSE INFORMATION
Location: 826 Shell Toomer Parkway, Auburn, AL, 36830
Telephone: 334-887-5151
Web sites: www.auburnlinks.com; http://www.almga.com/
Greens fees: Monday through Thursday $36 for 18 holes, $25 for 9 holes; Friday through Sunday, $44 for 18 holes, $36 after 2 p.m.
Course architect: Ward Northrup
Par: 72
Yardage: Gold 7,090; Blue 6,790; White 6,449; Red 5,320
Slope/rating: Gold 72.5/129; Blue 71.2/126; White 68.5/121; Red 64.3/112
Amenities: Pro shop, snack bar, driving range, putting green, chipping green, instructional opportunities