The key to scoring well at Jefferson Park Golf Course - stay out of the trees

Article written by James Owenby

Sitting atop Beacon Hill, Jefferson Park is Seattle's oldest municipal golf course. Built in 1915, and the course PGA tour veteran Fred Couples grew up on, this mature par 70 18-hole golf course sports some classic holes. The facilities also offer a short nine par 27 executive course that's great for kids or those who want to work on their short game, a covered driving range open to 10:00 p.m., group and private lessons and a clubhouse that serves up an outstanding breakfast sandwich that will stick to your ribs before your round.

Measuring out at 5820 yards for the white tees and 6200 yards for the blues, "Jeffy" regulars will tell you one thing if you want to score here. Stay out of the trees! The trees are beautiful to look at but are a jail that will normally cause a loss of a stroke or two in your attempt to recover. These limbed and leaved monuments have had over 90 years to mature into living obstacles and test a player's accuracy, ability to shape the ball flight, shot creativity and temper.

The front nine is relatively flat. Attack here because the back nine has some serious hills that will test your swing, legs and stamina. Holes one and two are pretty easy par fours, as long as you stay away from Beacon Avenue out of bounds on the right and some tall maples on the left.

The uphill par three, number three will give you a chance to score and number four is a pretty short par four. The tee box is set on the right on number four with you guessed it, big trees on the right side to avoid too. If you're right-handed and can fade the ball, (that's when the ball flies from left to right for a right hander) you may want to do that here. If you are a long-hitting lefty and can hit a draw, (that's when the ball flies right to left for a right handed player and the opposite for a left handed player) you can get close to reaching the green in one. You should have about 100 yards or less in to a predictable green. The game is mostly between your ears on this one, once you are on the green.

Leave your bag off to the right of the fairway and walk about 150 yards back to the tee box with a long iron on number five. Keep your shot away from the mother of all maples on the left side of the fairway because, if you mess with her a little bit, she'll mess with you a lot. If you've kept your ball on the narrow fairway, you'll have a clear shot to take it to the green. The penalty for going long on this one is much less than if you hit the sand trap on the front right or put into the blackberry bushes out of bounds to the left. The short par three number six has a two tiered green. Here's your golden opportunity to get that elusive hole-in-one, and buy everyone a drink after the round at the clubhouse. Seems like it should be the other way around doesn't it?

The most difficult hole on the course is next, but that doesn't mean you can pencil in a great score for the rest of the round. The long par four number seven requires an accurate tee shot to the corner of a dogleg left. Aim for the big Douglas fir in the middle of the fairway at the turn of the dogleg. The right-handed draw with a long roll is the shot to make here. If you don't hit an accurate shot here, you're back in jail in lock down and facing hard time. A right handed slice will give you 250 plus yards to the hole from the neighbor's yard and a hook left into the trees may have you reviewing your selection of four letter words as well as clubs to get out of the mess you're in. Land it close to the 100-foot tall piece of lumber and you'll have 150 yards in for another predictable green. Two ego boosting par fives remain to finish the front side. Both of these are reachable in two by longer hitters, but that's easier said than done. Get there in three and you'll still have a good chance to score.

Well, that was a nice nine, so now it's time to grab snack from the snack bar at the turn. Don't get too cocky because the back nine starts to snarl at you with number ten. This par three may require a wood or long iron to reach and because of the club selection needed to reach the green it can be hard to hold. Number 11 is a visit from your mother-in-law on New Year's Day. Be careful what you do. This par four calls for a long tee shot on a left-to-right sloping fairway. Don't slice here, okay? Pull your 200-yard club and hit the ball downhill to a well-guarded, but big green that drops off quickly over the back for your second shot. If you go long here, you might need two hands to count your score for this hole.

Number 12 is a slight uphill short par three. Take a few deep breaths and pull yourself together here, because you're starting the Jefferson grind. Number 13 is a steep uphill par four hike, but pretty short in distance. Fourteen is a downhill par four with a dogleg to the left. It's possible to over drive this hole to the right. This can be disastrous. Whatever you do though, don't go left. You'll be in jail for sure over there and its maximum security with no glimpse of daylight in the trees. Keep your tee shot on the edge of the hill for a nice 160-180 yards look at the green downhill to the left. If you accomplish getting to the green in two, don't write down a par just yet. You still have work to do with back to front and left to right sloping green. A three-foot putt here can be a real knee knocker.

Number 15 requires you to hit a drive up a steep hill, over a small pond with dense trees on both sides. No, the trees aren't dumb. There are just a lot of them. If you keep it on the fairway, you'll have a good look at a fairly easy green. The tee shot and hike up the hill is enough challenge, and you'll be glad you've been taking the stairs as conditioning on this one. Sixteen is another short par three that will give you a good chance at winning a closest to the pin bet among your foursome.

Seventeen is the last par five of the day and the only one on the back nine. The tee box is set right with trees guarding the right side of the fairway. Right-handers should fade it to avoid those trees. Lefty's can hit that long draw again. Your second shot will be somewhat of a blind downhill shot. Stay away from the big old tree on the right, he'll grab your ball and spit it into the trees like a playground bully. Your third shot should be from the bottom of the hill at a tough green that slopes back to front. You're almost there and eighteen is a solid finishing par four. This hole requires two long shots to reach the green in two and you might be gassed after the hike you've been on the last eight holes. The green will not punish you too badly. Sink that last putt, doff your cap, shake the hands of your foursome and tally your score. You've just played Jefferson Park.

For more information and tee times visit http://www.jeffersonparkgolf.com or call 206-762-4513.