Red Rock - South Dakota - USA

This is without a doubt one of the best courses in the South Dakota/North Dakota/Nebraska/Montana/Wyoming/Colorado region. It is a challenging course with many hills and non-flat lies. The greens are smooth, very fast, and very undulated. The course does a fantastic job of rewarding good shots and punishing bad shots; if you miss the green in the wrong spot you could easily be staring down a 3-putt. Each hole is unique and interesting; there are zero boring holes. Every time you play it will play differently that the previous based on the direction of the wind and the pin placement.

Out of all the courses I've played in my life I'd only choose Royal County Down over The Golf Club at Red Rock. It is a hidden gem nestled in the gorgeous Black Hills. If you are young and in shape then you can walk it, however most people will need a cart because it's long, hilly, and in high altitude.

The Golf Club at Red Rock has a little bit of everything, except water hazards. The first hole is a welcoming downhill par four. Depending upon your tees the fairway bunker short of the green may be in play. It gets a little spicier on the par 5 dogleg left uphill 2nd. Definitely, a 3 shotter. For your second shot I would suggest favoring the right side of the fairway. What you see is not what you get on the slightly uphill par 4 3rd. There is a ravine about 130 yards out, it is possible, but not probable for a monster drive to reach it. The downhill dogleg left 4th is a penthouse or outhouse hole. It is tempting and doable to cut the corner to set up a flip wedge. However, there is not a large margin for error. A wee bit too far left and you will be looking at double bogey. Conversely, you could lay back and give yourself a 150 yard approach to a difficult green complex that does not hold well. Actually, that applies to just about all the green complexes. Lots of undulation without a lot of hold. The downhill par 3 6th looks easy on the card. There is a ridge that bisects the green about 1/3 of the way. The pin was just tucked over it. We escaped with 3 3 putts. There is also a pot bunker way right. Can’t be a lot of fun when the pin is over there. The 6th is a beast, the only good thing about it is the 7th is a driveable par 4. Favor the right off the tee as just about everything will go left. The 8th is almost a dogleg left par 3. To have a chance your tee shot needs to be short and well right of the flag. The front closes with a reachable par 5. Ideal tee shot is favoring the right side. This green is nestled below a knoll with a few moguls in front and bunkers right. One of our group went for it and did not hit it well. It barely crested the knoll and started trundling down the hill. Several times I thought it would stop. When it did, it was over the green, probably rolled 50-60 yards.

The dogleg left 10th has the only real water hazard protecting the green on the front and left. This hole also contours significantly left. The par 4 11th is straight forward and non-memorable. The 12th is the shortest par three, but it probably has the trickiest green. The 13th is an uphill par 4 dogleg right. Take an extra club on your approach. The green is perched on a ledge and protected by several bunkers. The long par 5 14th is the number one handicap hole. Your drive should favor the right and hopefully reach the top of the hill. Your second shot must be right or you are dead. Another elevated green that is well protected by bunkers. The 15th is a downhill par 3. The 16th is an uphill and then downhill par 5 dogleg left that is reachable. Off the tee be left of the fairway bunkers to give yourself a chance. On your 2nd shot and approach left is NG. The 17th and 18th run parallel. The 18th is longer and tougher. Disappointing finishing holes.

Overall a good course, but felt tricked up. Green complexes real challenging. I imagine if you play it enough you will get a feel where to be.

For those making the trek to visit Mount Rushmore it pays to stop off at nearby Red Rock. Designed by Ron Farris -- he worked initially for Pete Dye when Long Cove was constructed -- the layout is on hilly terrain and Farris has done well with the inclusion of a number of fun holes. The holes are framed well -- despite the nearby housing -- and the routing does provide plenty of shot differentiations to keep things interesting. Given the limited number of quality options in South Dakota -- Red Rock is clearly one to savor when there.

by M. James Ward