Now that is a golf course. Crescent Farms Golf Club is the hardest course I have played in the St. Louis Metro Area hands down. There are some other courses such as Bear Creek and Pevely Farms that are about the same distance at over 7,000 yards and similar in slope and course rating. However, neither of them are as tight and have as many devious tee shots from the tips. There were a ton of holes that I simply could not reach in regulation even with a good drive because I missed the line by a couple of yards because of a double dogleg or the trees lining the fairways. It has some of the most strategically placed bunkers and ponds in the area.

I played pretty well and to my course handicap but still couldn’t break 80. I hit two of the greatest iron shots in my life and didn’t make par on either of the holes. I putted well on newly aerated greens, but had a couple more that lipped out or just were left high or short that kept it from being a truly special round. This course demands perfection from a golfer.

My driver was not perfect today. I didn’t really know whether I was going to draw the ball or not. I didn’t have a single snap hook, but I still lost a ball because I didn’t know there was a perfectly placed pond on 16 to take away the miss on the left that gives you a better line into the green. I hit a ton of trees on the front. It’s just brutal from the tips.

Here is the most devious drive on the whole course.

I slightly pushed the drive into the front right pine tree. It’s probably a good thing it hit the tree because there is tall grass and a pond over there. You have to hit a perfect high draw to hit the fairway on this hole or club down. I hit more 3-irons today than any other day and picked it again to get under and around the tree. I was still 290 yards away, but hit a brilliant 3-iron low cut that chased up the fairway and gave myself a 60-yard pitch into the green. Unfortunately, I was too fine with the front pin and left it on the bumpy front of the green and made bogey.

On 18, I slightly overcooked a toey draw and was behind some massive trees on the dogleg left. I was on a side-hill, uphill lie. I decided to hit pitching wedge to get over the tree and land just short of the green. I hit the best draw pitching wedge of my life with the help of the hill and dropped it 30 yards short of the green. Unfortunately, I once again left the pitch short because it checked up and couldn’t make the longer than ideal putt.

I love Crescent Farms and can’t wait to go back when the rough has grown out and the fairways and greens are in their summer glory. That tiny country road has two of the best courses in the area on it. Pevely Farms and Crescent Farms are both brilliant. However, one is a fun bomber course. The other is a true test of accuracy with every club in the bag.

Coming up next Bear Creek for redemption of the Going Low challenge on Friday.