Baker Hill - New Hampshire - USA

Baker Hill is a Rees Jones design in the Sunapee region of New Hampshire. I consider the first hole welcoming, albeit it is rated the 3rd hardest. A slight dogleg right with a couple of bunkers on the inside elbow, there is ample room off the tee. The approach is a bit tougher as the green is slightly elevated with a large bunker right. The 2nd is a dogleg left par 5. Big hitters with a high draw can get home in two as the drive will catch the down slope. Left is death pretty much the length of the hole and then for good measure there is a hellacious deep greenside bunker left. The 3rd is a mid-length uphill par 3. The redan green is protected with a bunker front left and back right. The 4th is a par five that leans right. At 527 yards it is not long, but it is uphill the entire way. The green sits on a ledge with a variety of bunkers protecting it front right. Above the hole here sets up a 3 jack. The 5th is the shortest hole and it is downhill with a front bunker running just about the length of the green and one right. The slight dogleg left par 6th is the number ne handicap hole and deservedly so. Not that long, but you can drive through the fairway and too much hook will put you into a gunch ravine. Having said that, a high draw is preferred off the tee and big hitters should leave their drivers in the bag. If you get past the dogleg you should have a mid-iron over gunch to a well-protected green, two bunkers short right and two back. This is also one of the tougher greens with a ridge creating a distinct left and right. The short 7th is a fun hole that bends right. The green is approximately the same elevation as the tee but the hole drops and then rises. There are four fairway bunkers, two each side. In my opinion, these are not to keep you honest, but if you decide to play smart and layup and not execute, well….The green is set at a left to tight redan with a bunker front right and two back. The shortest line tee to green is over the right fairway bunkers, if you do not make it the rough is stout. The 8th is also a dogleg right and another birdie oppty. There are bunkers on the inside corner and the fairway contours left. A high fade is the best tee shot here. The 9th is a dogleg left with a couple of bunkers on the inside elbow. Aim at the barn. The green is perched between two bunkers.

The back starts with a monster par four that leans right. The green is protected with a front right bunker. The only positive is that you can run your approach on by favoring the left side. The 11th is a par 5 that may be reachable by a few. Off the tee just left of center is best. The second shot is blind and you want to be about 5 yards right of the left fairway bunker. The hole is downhill from there and the green is protected with bunkers front right and left. Played as a 3 shotter you should have an attack wedge in your hands following two average shots. Not sure why it would be rated as the 6th most difficult hole. Things get a little squirrelly here. After 11 green you get a cart and ride to the 12th tee. The 12th leans left but is uphill the hole way. Play conservative, middle of the fairway and take an extra club on the approach. Mercifully, the long dogleg right is downhill. Bunkers on the inside elbow, high fade is the way to go. The fairway does drop off in front of the green and the front right of the green is a severe depression. After 13 you return the golf cart and have the easiest stretch on the course. The 14th is a short par 3 over a ravine with bunker front and left. The 15th is a reachable short par 5 that curls left. As tempting as it may be and it is counter intuitive you want to be right of center. Anything left will bring the fairway bunker into play. In addition to greenside bunkers there is a water hazard left for people like me whose eyes get bigger than their stomach and overcook their approach. The 16th is a short dogleg left with water and a bunker on the inside elbow. Play smart and give yourself an attack iron. The 17th is a mid-distance par 3 over gunch with a bunker front left. The 18th is a strong finishing hole, uphill the whole way. Fairway bunkers left and right and the green is perched on a ledge with bunkers left.

Good course with some real demanding holes and some fun ones as well. A wee bit predictable

Although not the most difficult course in New Hampshire, Baker Hill is arguably the one that you would want to play day in and day out (and generally rated #1 in the State). Rees Jones has done a wonderful job of fitting the holes naturally into the rolling hills giving the golfer width off the tee and thus interesting angles into the greens. The difficulty of the approach is proportional to how aggressive you are off the tee.

The course plays firm and fast with the greens a fun challenge stimping in the 11 range. With a wide range of pin locations, the course plays dramatically different from day to day.

Yardage ranges from 4500 - 7200 so there should be a course length for everyone.

Definitely worth the effort to get there if in MA or Northern New England.

Baker Hill is one of a number of upscale private courses built in New Hampshire in the 21st century in the wake of Golf Club of New England’s 1990 debut. Baker Hill, however doesn’t measure up to the original. The founders gave Rees Jones a challenge with the ledgy, hilly property they selected, contributing to a couple problems. Conditioning is one. Many fairways had casual water when I played in late June of 2015, despite there having been no rain during the prior 24 hours. The second is that the course is very difficult to walk, with long, hilly distances from green to tee. As he’s aged, Rees has gained new appreciation for providing approach options beside the aerial one. But in 2002, he was still focused on placing hazards across the fronts of his greens. The first hole, for example, requires an aerial approach to a green bisected by a ridge. Which seems fine……….until you discover that this description also applies to numbers 5, 10, 13, 14, and 16. The fourth green is attractive, with a valley separating two plateaux…….until you discover that this description also applies to numbers 6 and 7. Despite the problems of repetition, there are some fine holes (the drivable par 4 7th is my favorite), and the greens at numbers 2 and 11 are outstanding. The 11th boasts a three-level green that falls away from the fairway. The 2nd has a ridge dividing the front of the green in two and a plateau in the back. Only at the 18th at Donald Ross’s Weston Golf Club have I seen this imaginative configuration before.