Rideauview

[mjf]

Hi,

Is anyone here a member of Rideauview... or otherwise familiar with the course? I'm hoping someone can give me some pointers on what to expect / how to play the course for Round 3 of the Citizen.

Thanks.

[hello_world]

I'm not a member but have played it 4 times. From what I remember, greens are all built up higher and you tend to need to hit an extra club as hitting the front results in balls rolling back down. Greens were all rolling very true and quick.

ps., its been 2 years since I played so not sure if the greens are still rolling as true, but more than likely are

[sparsons]

Watch the greens! Even though they don’t look like there is a lot of break the putts will move. The greens are in great shape and were rolling nicely. Stay out of the traps! Down the middle is the only way to go. The traps are very well positioned both in the fairway and around the greens, a great test! The sand can be a bit inconsistent from trap to trap so be careful. The first cut of rough is that real plush thick green grass, similar to what you see on the PGA Tour, so when hitting mid to long irons from the first cut, elect for an extra club, and when chipping those delicate little greenside chips, tell her to make sure to swing through or the grass WILL trap the clubface and the chip will go nowhere - of course the fear is hitting to hard and through the green LOL what fun!! The course is well marked with yardage on every sprinkler head so your good to go there. Hope this helps - Good luck!

[GarthM]

MJF:

The course is somewhat similar to Rivermead in terms of conditions, with the possible exception of everything breaking towards the river at the Mead. Off the tee there is nothing to worry about, hit what you see. The only "hidden" hazard is the small creek crossing the fairway on 16, but if you hit a good drive you should not have to worry about it. If memory serves it is at about 100 yards in on the par 5.

Take extra club on the approach shots as the greens are mostly elevated. Quick, true greens for sure, stay below the hole.

Enjoy your round, it is a great golf course!

GarthM

[Shivas Irons]

Before you begin : shapren up your bunker play and remember the greens do not break as much as they appear to. The course plays long so it is essential you to drive the ball well in order to score.

#1 par 5 - good biride chance, if you are going for the green in two favour the right side. the bunker on the right is easier to get out of, and the ground is steeply sloped right-to-left from #2 tee box.

#2 easy par 4 if you hit the fairway. fairly flat green.

#3 par 4. dog leg left. if you can shape a left-to-right shot, great, but don't try to cut off too much of the corner. try to stay below the hole, big back- to-front slope on the green.

#4 par 3. it's okay to be short here, the ground slopes enough that sometimes you can roll it it the green. avoid going long or right.

#5 par 4. long hole, stay to the left portion of the fairway for the best angle into the green. beware of the front right bunker, it doesn't have enough sand in it & it's easy to bottom out your club on the clay below.

#6 par 3. tougher than it looks, fairly severe slope from right to left on this green.

#7 par 4. be aggressive on this tee shot especially if you can shape it left-to right. as long as you get past the tree line on the right there is some room for error off the tee here. This green is VERY fast if you are putting from above the hole.

#8 par 4. great hole, put it in the fairway and make sure you take lots of club for your approach. favour the right side of the green here.

#9 par 4. tough hole. DO NOT get above the hole on your approach shot or you're toast.

#10. par 5. birdie hole!!! keep your drive to the left side of the fairway or you'll be blocked out by the trees on your second shot. Not too much trouble around the green so it's a green light on the second shot.

#11 par 3. plays longer than it looks, take lots of club as there's not much trouble behind the green if you do go long.

#12 par 4. signature hole, avoid the large tree on the left fairway for a clear uphill approach. You can't see the green from the fairway, again, just make sure you have enough club.

#13 par 4. this one is a killer. par is like biride here. long hole to an uphill green surrounded by bunkers.

#14 par 4. favour the left side of the fairway, everything runs left-to-right here. DO NOT be short on your approach or your ball will roll off the front of the green.

#15 par 3. plays longer than it looks, favour the right side.

#16 par 5. sort of an optical illusion with the creek running on an angle away from the tee box. Don't get too greedy with your drive, it's a three shot hole for pretty much everyone. There is a small ditch running across the fairway at about 100 yds.Check the sprinkler heads for your distance to the ditch

#17 par 4. Be aggressive off the tee, good chance for biride here, if you hit a good drive you'll have a short iron in.

#18 par 5. A 3 shot hole for all but the long hitters. Elevated green, again make sure you have enough club.

Did I mention to sharpen up your bunker play?

[jvincent]

Did I mention to sharpen up your bunker play?

I will counter with "Don't hit it into the bunkers."

[Sphere Hunter]

Quite a few of the greens are set into the sides of hills making them hard to read. Pay attention to any chips or longer putts in your group and watch how they behave. Also, many of the bunkers are new at Rideauview. The sand is very fluffy in most of them and you will definitely see guys hitting multiple shots in the same bunker. So stay out of them as best you can. A sand wedge with a large flange will help out of these bunkers.
What you see is what you get at Rideauview. It is not "tricked" up. If you play well, you will probably score well.
Adding a few yards to every approach shot won't hurt you either. Most of the greenside bunkers are short of the greens. Some of the greens are nasty (#3, #6, #9) but I would still rather be above the hole than in one of those bunkers. Well, maybe not on number 9.

Good luck.

[sparsons]

I just caddied at Rideauview yesterday and the tips you posted were great. I looked at them before every hole. After my player birdie the first hole, I showed her your tips and she laughed because you said that number one is a good birdie chance. She shot an 89 and just missed the cut. But I really enjoyed Rideauview GC, it was in great shape and I just loved the layout. Now I just have to find someone I can 'suck up' to for a round there. Thanks again.

[Shivas Irons]

Glad to be of some assistance. It is a fantastic old-style course, what you see is what you get, no trickery.
Funny thing about Rideauview is, years ago, in the fall when the clubhouse/pro shop closed you used to be able to 'sneak' on and play for free. Too bad those days are long gone.