This par 4 measures 349 yards from the tips and can be a great way to get your Cottage side started. With oak trees lining both sides of the fairway it is important to use a club you know you can get in the fairway. If you choose driver from the tee your good shot will be rewarded with a wedge to a generous putting surface. If you elect to hit an iron or fairway wood, remember to stay short of the creek that crosses the fairway 220 yards from the tee. When approaching this green, it is always best to aim a little right to avoid the sand that hugs the left side of the green. Like so many other greens at the Hollows this one is elevated and slopes from back to front, so never make your mistake long. This hole presents a great opportunity to start your Cottage nine with a birdie as long as you find the fairway and leave your approach below the flagstick.
Cottage #2 is the largest hole on the course at 525 yards yet it still plays as one of the easiest. This is because its wide-open fairway usually stays dry and produces a lot of roll. The tee shot favors the hitter who can work the ball from right to left in the direction of the dogleg. The landing area moves right, toward the rough and a row of white pines, so be careful not to hit it through the fairway. Missing right however is far wiser than missing left in the Cyprus trees adjacent to the road, which is out of bounds. A solid tee shot will leave the big hitters with a wood or long iron into a massive green. Those who cannot reach the hole in two shots will be left with a short iron as their approach. Be sure to compensate for the ball being above or below your feet in this sloping fairway. It is also important to hit your approach the correct distance or you may be left with putts of 50 feet or more.
This 195-yard par 3 is the signature hole on the Cottage. It is a hole where hitting the green in regulation is a must. Perhaps the only bailout area is pin high to the right, but even this chip is no gimmie. Going long will leave you with a quick downhill chip or pitch from the sand that will be hard to even keep on the green. Missing left will put you in an 8-foot deep bunker where you won’t even be able to see the top of the flag. And missing short is the gravest of errors, because there’s nothing between you and the green except water and a pier. This green rolls slightly faster than most so it’s important to leave yourself an uphill putt.
Cottage #4 is an exciting little par 4 of 296 yards. The hole plays longer than it reads since it ascends slightly uphill. Driving the green takes a stroke of good fortune, because the front is guarded by a huge 6-foot deep bunker. Most balls end up in a canyon 30 yards short of the green where you will be hitting straight uphill to a blind pin. This is one of the toughest up and downs on the course. If you still want to hit driver amidst all of this trouble, be my guest, just remember to aim right of the fairway trap on the left and hope your shot stays in the fairway. If you pull this shot off you will be rewarded with the best angle into almost any pin on the green. Laying up with an iron or fairway wood may be the highest percentage play for getting a par or birdie, because you are still left with a sand wedge into the green. Hugging the right side of the fairway will give you the best angle into the green if you do lay up, but be cautious of out of bounds just past the right rough. It is very important that you are on the same section of the green as the flag or a three-putt may be in your future. This green is the firmest on the course so don’t expect a lot of spin on your approach. Stay below the hole and be close if you want a birdie on this winding green.
At 426 yards, Cottage #5 plays as the most challenging hole at the Hollows. With out-of-bounds on the right and a forest of hardwoods on the left, finding the fairway is essential. The preferred tee shot is a crushed driver moving slightly left to right, threaded between two deep bunkers. A shot that finds one of these sand traps is almost certainly a stroke penalty as it makes getting to the green in two nearly impossible. By hitting a long shot down the right side of the fairway you will have the best possible angle to attack this pin. Anything down the left side of the fairway will make for a difficult approach as trees overhang the left side of the green. Those left with a longer iron will have to try and bounce their shots in a narrow ten-yard gap between two traps. The longer hitters may be left with as little as a wedge into the bowl shaped green. It is better to hit into the center of the green and have a longer putt for birdie than to miss anywhere off of the green. This hole is surrounded by trouble and par is always a fantastic score.
This 333-yard par 4 is one of the tightest driving holes on the course. It plays straight uphill as the fairway slopes from left to right. A right to left ball flight will help prevent shots from kicking through the hard fairway into the woods and out-of-bounds. Missing left here is far better than missing to the right. Just remember to be careful of the poplars overhanging the left side of the fairway and the sand traps 230 yards from the tee. It is 250 yards to carry these traps and doing so will leave a wedge approach into this three-tiered green. Try to be on the same level as the flag, but if not, at least make your mistake below the hole. Being over this green leaves a blind uphill pitch to a green sloping away. Missing short of the green or to the right in the two deep bunkers makes for an interesting par save also. People like to be aggressive with a wedge in their hands, but on a hole like this, birdie can turn into a bogie or worse in a hurry.
This 171-yard par 3 is guarded by deep bunkers left and right, a sloping green, and often times a tricky crosswind blowing off of the cornfield on the right. Missing to the right in the sand or short of the green gives you the best opportunity to get up and down, because the green has three tiers that slope from left to right. Just remember not to go too far right into the cornfield that is out-of-bounds. Don’t think that just being on this green in regulation will assure you of a par, because unless you are on the proper level with the pin you could be left with a roller coaster of a putt. On a positive note, being on the same level as the pin will lend you a very easy birdie putt.
This 365-yard par 4 is one of your best opportunities to get a stroke back on the Cottage. The fairway is narrow and traps guard the left side 240 yards from the tee, but a solid shot past these bunkers will find you in a forty-yard wide fairway. From here it is a flip wedge into a large, flat green. Just don’t go short into the bowl on the front of the green. Two sand traps hug the right side of the green, but should not sway you from attacking this pin.
Cottage #9 is a short, but dangerous par 4 if you gamble for the green and don’t hit the perfect shot. The most prudent play is an iron off the tee down the left side avoiding the oaks that overhang the right side of the fairway. It is important to stay in the fairway in order to have the best chance of hitting this narrow green. Though you should only have a short iron into the flag, hitting to the center of the green is usually one of the best options. Never miss to the right or long, which will leave you with a delicate uphill chip to a green sloping away. Even missing left in the sand will give you a better chance of getting up and down. A shot in the fairway is crucial and will give you a good chance at birdie, but if you are in need of a late round rally, give the driver a rip and go for the green.