Valhalla - Kentucky - USA

Wonderful course, but over rated. I was fortunate to play with our pro, Chad. The highlight was on the par where Sergio kept dumping balls in the H2O at the Ryder Cup, Chad reached in two. Alas, he did not make eagle but impressive nonetheless. In my opinion the back is much tougher than the front. Using your imagination walking up 18 must be impressive, overwhelming, humbling...pick your adjective at a major tournament with a large crowd.

Valhalla is an outstanding place. The clubhouse is magnificent. Probably the most beautiful I've ever come across. As for the course itself, it's a real treat. Lots of different ways to approach how you navigate holes here, and Jack makes you examine all your options with every shot. I'd definitely agree with previous reviews that the back is stronger than the front, but the outward half is certainly nothing to knock. Numbers 2 and 7, the front's Par 5's, are fantastic risk-reward holes. Both can be reached in 2, but water and sand around each green make it a tall order to make an eagle. Laying up on each of those holes, as I did, secured easy pars with makable birdie putts that didn't require much stress, as going for the greens would have. The 4th is a good short Par 4, and the 6th is a beast of a hole. My friend, an assistant pro at Valhalla, says it's the hardest hole in Kentucky. It's believable, and it hasn't always been like that, as Nicklaus moved the green 100 yards back from its original location next to a creek, to an area surrounded by trees. Yet, even with the difficulty of #6, #12 makes its own argument for being a beast. Missing the fairway here almost guarantees the best score you can make is a 5. Even if you do hit the fairway, par is a tall order. After (likely) getting your rear end kicked in there, you move onto #13, the signature hole with the island green. It's a fairway wood or long iron off the tee, and a wedge into the green. Assuming you don't psych yourself out because of the water, it's not a hard hole to make birdie on. #15 is another great Par 4, with the meandering creek along the right side providing a strong challenge, with a very quaint, relaxing view. After more challenges on the 16th and 17th, you get one last chance to bite back on the short Par 5 18th. Avoid the water, put the ball on the correct side of the green, and birdie is a very realistic option so that you can end your round in happy fashion. This is a very fair course, as a whole. Keep it in the short grass and on most holes, you'll have a green light to attack the flag. Once you're in the rough, you are forced to play defensively and limit the damage. Nothing but good things to say about Valhalla though. I would love to come back here, and in part to the exciting tournaments it's hosted in the past, is worthy of many more big tournaments going forward.

One call from my pro and we had a tee time at Valhalla, the site of the 1996 PGA Championship. It took us about three hours to fly to Louisville, Kentucky, where we got a courtesy car from the airport and drove to the course. The PGA of America has bought a substantial interest in Valhalla, so it has several major championships to its credit, including the 2000 and 2004 PGA Championships and the 2008 Ryder Cup. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, Valhalla has a beautiful variety of holes and some very challenging greens – too challenging, according to my friend Jeff. Larry Berle.

The back nine at Valhalla from the back tees is as tough of a course as I've played. Number 12 has to be one of the hardest if not the hardest in Kentucky. The long par 3 14th hole which is elevated and protected on all sides with bunkers and has major undulation in the middle of the green is disaster waiting to happen. Players don't get a break on 16 or 17 and it is only when you arrive at 18 does it seem like you've had a good shot at birdie. The front is ok, but the back is terrific.

I'm not sure why Valhalla is rated so low among American courses. I have played the course many times, both before and after the renovations made for the Ryder Cup, and I think it's one of the best of America's modern courses. There are no weak holes (the renovation corrected some mistakes, particularly the par three eighth), and each nine offers a contrast to the other. The best holes, I think, are on the back nine. Number twelve is as good a par four as one can find, a genuine challenge. The fairway is quite wide, but one must drive it a long way to have reasonable chance to hit the green in regulaton. Number 15 is a much underrated par four. Here again, the second shot to a long and noarrow green, bordered by a water hazard on the right and bunkers on the left, is the difficult one. Some complain about the quirky eighteenth, a relatively short par five with the half moon (commode seat?) green. I find it offers even the mid-handicapper a chance at glory, and the pin placement changes the approach considerably from round to round. Valhalla has hosted two exciting PGA Championships and the 2008 Ryder Cup and has done so proudly. It's a great venue and deserves to be ranked among the country's top courses.

I have a friend who’s a member at Valhalla and I played here in May 2008 after a gap of some four years since I last played here and the changes made by Nicklaus ahead of the Ryder Cup are quite significant. I found the course much tougher. Six shots tougher according to my friend, depending on how devilish the course manager is feeling with pin placements. Four greens have been reshaped, half a dozen new bunkers added and they’ve even changed the grass type on every green. Much has been done also to make Valhalla a more spectator friendly course and this does nothing to improve the layout in my opinion but it’s a requirement of the merry-go-round. I remain unconvinced that the remodelled Valhalla is better than the old one but it’s still a tough track and will be enjoyed by all Nicklaus design fans. Frankly I’m not one of them.