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Clauder's Bogey Barn reviews
11
0
Prepare for Some Bogeys
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Sep 30, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
Clauder's is a backyard course with a lot of excellent holes. Darrin is happy to show you around his property that features some really fun shots, OB danger, and lots of different shapes of holes.
I really like the distance variety here. Everything seems reachable for a strong player, but you have everything from a tight wooded shot that's pretty short for its par (9, 10, 17) to a bomber (7, 15) and the super long shot (2).
The water holes are pretty good, and all different from each other. There's the literal island on 11 and several others that play near the water. The creek is also present, and while it isn't OB, it will cause some great annoyance for stray shots. Fortunately, anything that goes into the pond or creeks is probably coming out at some point.
This course features a lot of variety, and even on shots that feel fairly similar, they require a slightly different shape. For example, holes 8, 14, and 18 all finish right, but look completely different, and the same can be said of 12 and 13, except they finish left. Other times, you have multiple routes to the pin, but they vary wildly in shape and size. Holes 3 and 9 give opportunities for some low RHFH turnovers, but those are super high risk.
And just when you thought this course was pretty good, you'll find the barn itself on hole 7, which is a super spicy hole, and a couple of raised pins. The course changes its layout every once in a while, so holes like the barn hole sometimes change from a par 3 to a par 4, or things like that, which means some approach shots might feel differently the next time.
I really like the distance variety here. Everything seems reachable for a strong player, but you have everything from a tight wooded shot that's pretty short for its par (9, 10, 17) to a bomber (7, 15) and the super long shot (2).
The water holes are pretty good, and all different from each other. There's the literal island on 11 and several others that play near the water. The creek is also present, and while it isn't OB, it will cause some great annoyance for stray shots. Fortunately, anything that goes into the pond or creeks is probably coming out at some point.
This course features a lot of variety, and even on shots that feel fairly similar, they require a slightly different shape. For example, holes 8, 14, and 18 all finish right, but look completely different, and the same can be said of 12 and 13, except they finish left. Other times, you have multiple routes to the pin, but they vary wildly in shape and size. Holes 3 and 9 give opportunities for some low RHFH turnovers, but those are super high risk.
And just when you thought this course was pretty good, you'll find the barn itself on hole 7, which is a super spicy hole, and a couple of raised pins. The course changes its layout every once in a while, so holes like the barn hole sometimes change from a par 3 to a par 4, or things like that, which means some approach shots might feel differently the next time.
Cons:
Being tightly crammed into a backyard, there are a few holes that don't fit in, or that are much lower quality than the others. I'm not a fan of hole 8, and hole 14 plays around a weird corner. On that one, the hole is too easy if the path is in bounds, and too hard if it's out. And I think hole 1 is a fairly uninteresting opening hole.
There's not much elevation change. There are just a couple of large mounds that you throw up or down, and that's about it. The water holes add a bit of illusion of elevation, but it's not always enough to change how you throw.
Hole 10 is a tough one. It's super fun, crossing the creek and weaving through the woods, but it's either really easy or really hard - I'm not sure which. I would rather it be shortened to a par 4, to add space for another par 4 somewhere else, or possibly redoing hole 8.
Because of the limited space, there are a few too many super short par 3's. None of them are bad - but I would like to see a couple of them opened up and lengthened just a bit. But unfortunately, that's not really possible.
There's not much elevation change. There are just a couple of large mounds that you throw up or down, and that's about it. The water holes add a bit of illusion of elevation, but it's not always enough to change how you throw.
Hole 10 is a tough one. It's super fun, crossing the creek and weaving through the woods, but it's either really easy or really hard - I'm not sure which. I would rather it be shortened to a par 4, to add space for another par 4 somewhere else, or possibly redoing hole 8.
Because of the limited space, there are a few too many super short par 3's. None of them are bad - but I would like to see a couple of them opened up and lengthened just a bit. But unfortunately, that's not really possible.
Other Thoughts:
The layout changes slightly every month or so. I like that it keeps the course fresh, but it means things like statistics tracking and course records don't really mean anything.
A few holes to play on top of each other, but I don't mind it here. Similarly, a few holes play over the driveway. The only one I don't like is hole 8, which plays blind around a corner near the road which could have some traffic on it.
This is a really fun course. While it lacks the grandiose nature something on a larger scale might provide, it makes the best use of the land and provides a lot of challenges. Come to the barn and you'll probably find some bogeys.
A few holes to play on top of each other, but I don't mind it here. Similarly, a few holes play over the driveway. The only one I don't like is hole 8, which plays blind around a corner near the road which could have some traffic on it.
This is a really fun course. While it lacks the grandiose nature something on a larger scale might provide, it makes the best use of the land and provides a lot of challenges. Come to the barn and you'll probably find some bogeys.
