Bullish on Bulle Rock

The first thing you notice about Bulle Rock is the driveway. After entering the club grounds, there is a scenic drive to the clubhouse, which sits at the back end of the property. The golf course, named after the first thoroughbred brought to America, is spread out on both sides of the road, which gives you a wide open preview of both nines.

After pulling into the bag drop area, you will be greeted by a team of Bulle Rock representatives. The operation is very smooth: you check in, they take your clubs to your cart and direct you to the clubhouse. We had plenty of time before we teed off, so my foursome decided to check out the restaurant. I was really craving a Chesapeake eggs benedict. Perhaps the only disappointing part of the day (aside from my lost ball on 13 and almost hitting a man in a bright orange shirt on 11) was that the restaurant had no breakfast menu. However, it turned out to not be important because the food was delicious, the staff was friendly, and the view was spectacular. The restaurant’s balcony overlooks the 18th green, and you can see much of the course in the periphery. The burgers and crab cakes come highly recommended.

After breakfast lunch we made a brief stop in the locker room, which is available to every golfer, and then continued on to the pro shop. With a wide selection of golf apparel and equipment, the pro shop has everything you could want, or might have forgotten.

Bulle Rock has three practice facilities: a driving range, a short-game area, and a putting green. The driving range is very large, and the balls at each station are stacked in a pyramid, so you feel, at the very least, that you are practicing like a pro. Off to the side, a golf pro was giving a lesson using a video camera and computer screen to analyze his pupil’s swing. The short-game area is near the clubhouse, and is complete with a few practice bunkers. The putting green is next to the first tee, so you can practice while you wait to tee off.

The golf course has a fantastic layout. The fairways and greens are in terrific shape, and the rough, though not very tall, is extremely thick. The course plays very fair – there are few blind shots, you are rewarded for keeping the ball in the fairway, and there are no gimmicks. If I have any criticism of the course conditions, it would be that the bunkers were less than perfect, but that borders on nit-picking. The edges blended with the rough, but the sand was in decent condition, and ending up in the trap was not too harsh of a penalty compared to other Pete Dye courses with deep traps that are lined with railroad ties. Each cart is equipped with a GPS system to show how far you are from the green, and a clock to help keep pace of play. We had to keep the carts on the path, but if you happen to be on the opposite side of the hole from your cart, the fairways were well-marked with sprinkler heads as well.

Overall, the course was great, but there are a few holes that really stood out in my mind:

Hole #9, Par 4

The par-4 ninth hole is one of my favorites. There is a split fairway, so off the tee (at least for some people) you have a choice to make: aim for the fairway on the left and have a longer approach shot, or aim over the water to the right which is anywhere from a 179-yard to 325-yard carry. Although it’s tempting to go to the right, I’m not sure how much of an advantage it really gives you on your second shot.

The twelfth hole is a short par-3, but with water along the right side, the view from the tee box can be intimidating – especially if the pin is back right like it was on Saturday.

The course has four great par-5′s, but my favorite was the fifteenth hole. The first part of the fairway is to the right side of a creek, which you must cross on your second shot. For daring souls, the green is reachable in two, but there is a tree, a few bunkers, and the creek protecting the putting surface. If you play the hole how it is meant to be played – aiming for the fairway left of the creek – there is a hill that acts as a backboard for the fairway, making the hole very receptive for second shots.

Hole #18, Par 4

Finally, the par-4 eighteenth hole is a great finishing hole. With water along the left side coming into play off the tee, and on the approach shot to the green, an errant tee shot or iron could cause a disappointing end to your round.

Overall, Bulle Rock was a fantastic experience, and well worth the price of admission. The pace of play was reasonable considering the cart paths only rule. The staff was very helpful, especially the cart girl who was around every three-four holes with a wide variety of beverages. And, most importantly, the course was enjoyable. I highly recommend Bulle Rock, and can’t wait to play there again.