Want to go to a course where everyone knows your name? Then try Davis Park, the Cheers of Davis County golf courses. As the oldest public course in the county, it is also one of the most popular, partly attributable to the friendly service that employees provide. "The staff is one of best attributes of the golf course," assistant golf pro Dustin Volk said. "They treat people pretty dang good and know the regulars by first name." The staff must treat the golfers pretty good indeed as Davis Park leads the state in most rounds played. Davis also has the largest men's association in the state and the largest number of handicap holders who list Davis as their home course in the state. The past few years more than 1000 handicap holders listed Davis as their home course, something the staff takes great pride in.
Even with a great staff, a golf course wouldn't be as popular as Davis without a great course. It is a mature course with a great number of large trees lining most fairways. The course is average in length and the fairways are an average width but because of the trees the fairways seem narrower than they really are.
A shot into the rough often leads to being put in jail with your ball behind a tree. Davis doesn't have many hazards unless you count the many thick, blue spruce trees that golf balls go into and don't come out of.
The eighth hole is a 458-yard par five with a sharp dog leg to the right. The fairway is wide with trees lining both sides of the fairway and a fairway bunker on the right side that is about the distance an average drive would land. A tall stand of trees is located at the knuckle of the dog leg on the right side which makes cutting the corner nearly impossible. The green is large with bunkers guarding the front to catch a long second shot that is bounding towards the green.
The back nine on Davis was built first and has a slightly different character than the front. Most noticeable is the smaller greens on the back nine. For instance, the 16th hole looks to be a ho-hum par three but because of the small green it is anything but. At 176 yards from the tee, the average golfer is forced to hit a longer iron and with a lower ball flight, it is difficult to hold, let alone hit the tiny green.
Because Davis Park is such a popular course the rounds tend to be a little slower than average. But the number of people playing the course isn't the only reason for holes backed up with golfers. When the course was built in the 60s the equipment wasn't what it is now, and shots would fall well short of the green, whereas golfers today can hit the ball farther and thus have to wait for the groups in front of them to clear out.
For example, the finishing hole is a short par four that plays 272yards from the middle tee box. A tee shot is hit over a scrub area with tall weeds to a slightly inclined fairway lined with trees. A ball that finds the middle of the fairway has only 100 yards or less to a large elevated green.
"I would like to thank the golfers who play our course. I think that the golfer sometimes goes unappreciated and we would like to let them know we do appreciate them. The customers really keep us going and make it the great course that it is," Volk said.
It is that kind of care that makes Davis Park one of the most popular courses in the county and all of the state.
bdevoe@davisclipper.com
Post a Comment
