It is a short but imposing hole, with a mesmerizing waterfall for a backdrop, framed by rocks, shrubs and trees.
A series of hazardous bunkers guard a large, undulating green.
Picturesque indeed.
Between the tee and the green, trouble crouches in the form of a big pond that gobbles its share of golf balls each year.
As one player describes it, Auburn Golf Course’s charming but tricky 16th hole can “relax and agonize you” in the same swing.
If her beauty lulls you, No. 16 can also humble even the best players who test her.
Best advice? Play for the middle of the green and hope for a par.
The par-3 hole – which plays as short as 125 yards and as long as 195 depending on where one tees off – is one of the course’s most challenging and talked-about holes.
Few holes in the state can match it.
Such character and distinction landed Auburn’s sweet 16th in Cascade Golfer Magazine’s inaugural “Dream 18” – a compilation of the state’s best holes. The magazine’s August issue will feature the Best Nos. 1-18 holes, a par-72 lineup as selected by an expert panel that includes Rob Perry, John Harbottle, Paige Mackenzie and several area writers.
As the Best No. 16, Auburn beat out other worthy holes, including Chambers Bay and Gold Mountain, for the honor.
“We made a lot of hard choices,” said Brian Beaky, editor of Cascade Golfer Magazine. “We wanted to have a mix, a mythical golf course made up of our favorites holes in the state. And we wanted to make it fun.”
As Beaky pointed out, No. 16’s aesthetic appeal and challenging features earned it the award.
The magazine began to take submissions last fall and picked up momentum in the spring. The “Dream 18” is representative of the best holes throughout most regions of the state, Beaky said.
Cascade Golfer also will include Auburn’s 16th hole in its fictional “Dream 18” scorecard, which the magazine will challenge readers to complete in the coming year.
News of making the “Dream 18” comes as well-deserved recognition for the crew that maintains the 200-acre golf course nestled along the Green River. The par-71 course stretches to more than 6,450 yards from the back tees.
“I am (surprised),” said Chris Morris, Auburn Golf Course’s head pro. “It’s great that we are in it. We have some holes that could go into that (‘Dream 18’) group, but the 16th is one of our signature holes.
“I feel like we have a lot of great holes, but (the 16th) is the most memorable,” Morris added. “People come out and play it, and it’s the one hole they best remember.”
The 16th hole, like the entire course, has improved over time. The City rebuilt the once-flat green in 1995, installed a rock wall and waterfall and sloped the green.
As Morris noted, a local crew made the improvements, a crew headed by greens superintendent Kevin Van, not by a pricey, high-tech, professional golf course architect.
The municipal course, which the City of Auburn owns and operates, continues to blossom. A new clubhouse, pro shop and restaurant are only the latest phase of upgrades.
The course was built in 1948 and the City bought it in 1968. The Auburn Parks, Arts & Recreation Department operates it as an enterprise fund meaning that it ploughs the profits back into capital improvements for the course.
“For 20 years, the (city) spent a lot of time, energy and money in improving the 18 holes,” Morris said. “They have made them playable but challenging in the rounds we play.”
No. 16, a hole whose legend and popularity have only grown, symbolizes the changes.
“I really enjoy the hole,” said Mike Bauman, a regular player who helped rebuild the green. “It’s a relaxing hole, but you have to hit a very good shot to score on this hole.”
The 16th hole is by no means easy. Even a short putt is difficult, given the nature of the wavy green. And pin placement can mean a big difference in how tough it plays.
Still, top players and duffers welcome the challenge to clear the hazards and survive the hole with an acceptable par. As Morris estimates, No. 16 grants about 8-10 hole-in-ones each year, but its drink swallows an average of about 2 1/2 balls for every foursome teeing off.
“It’s not that it’s difficult as much as it is intimidating,” Morris said.
Said player Pat McDowell: “It’s a friendly hole, a friendly golf course, and I love playing it.”
===
Note: Cascade Golfer Magazine is available to Putz Golf members, its stores throughout Puget Sound. The August edition is scheduled to be out July 27.
