By Ed Holmes
SCGA President; Victoria Club member

In the early 1920s, noted golf course architect, Max Behr, turned the Victoria Club golf course into what it is today. He revamped the entire 18 holes originally put together by Walter Fovarque. The course is typical of the time in that there are some quirky characteristics. For example, the course the members play has four 5-pars in the last five holes. Hole #17 will be played as a 4-par for the SCGA Amateur Championship. One of those holes (#15) was recognized by George Thomas, Jr. in his 1927 book, Golf Course Architecture in America, as being of superior design.

The course is 6,517 yards long, but don’t let that deceive you. Getting overly aggressive on this golf course will make players pay dearly. The fairways are Tifway II Bermuda (we don’t overseed) and because Bermuda loves the heat, it will be perfect for the championship. The greens are poa annua, generally small, but can be very fast. How will the course defend itself at 6,517 yards? Players must not hit the ball in the rough, and if they miss a green they will face very difficult chip shots to recover.  

Here’s how this venerable course should be played:

Hole 1—362 yards, par 4: A comfortable starting hole — except for the OB on the left, which also is home to two fairway bunkers, and the lake on the right. The players should use a 3- or 4-iron, or even a hybrid off the tee. Once on the green that slopes back to front, the player whose first putt is more than 20 feet will face at least three hole locations which sport double breaks. The front hole location will cause numerous three-putts if the players leave their seconds past the hole.

Hole 2—299 yards, par 4: Go for it, boys. You can definitely make 3, even 2 if you drive the green and get it close. Miss either side, however, and you have made your first bogey rather early. Champions Tour player Don Pooley doesn’t even hit driver here.

Hole 3—362 yards, par 4: DO NOT drive it right or the old pine trees will cause you grief, but you can definitely hit driver if you favor the left side of the fairway. Good luck with reading this green (I’m not going to give ALL the secrets away!).

Hole 4—556 yards, par 5: This green is reachable in two, but the drive has to be smashed and must be kept away from Tequesquite Creek on the right, which runs about 400 yards and then cuts diagonally across the fairway, catching a few second shots.

Hole 5—136 yards, par 3: This hole will be played between 120 and 145 yards for the championship. The right side of the green is narrow from back to front but the left side is generous. Missing this green long virtually guarantees a bogey.

Hole 6—445 yards, par 4: The No. 1 handicap hole for the members, this plays into a prevailing breeze with OB on the right and trees left. The player’s work is not done once he hits the green. Triple breaks await and every hole location will be difficult. For many who have it going well, this will be the first bogey of the day.

Hole 7—372 yards, par 4: Players will have to make a choice off of the tee. A large hill, which will look like alfalfa by tournament time, will make some players lay up. If you carry it 260 yards and hit it very straight, go for it. If you keep it out of the trees and off the hill, you will have a sand wedge left. If not, the scorecard could start getting ugly. By the way — the very large pine tree on the left, visible from the tee, is there for a reason.

Hole 8—199 yards, par 3:  What you see is what you get. Just make sure you hit the green. Lots of bogeys will happen here.

Hole 9—382 yards, par 4: Most will hit something other than driver off the tee to avoid the ever-present creek that runs directly across the fairway at 290 yards.

Hit the restroom and grab something to eat — you’ll need it for the back nine.

Hole 10—416 yards, par 4: A very slight dogleg left with trees on both sides. The trees on the right are easily negotiated; the trees on the left are like negotiating with Tony Soprano — fuhgettaboutit. The creek is also on the left. A front hole location will be very tough here. Play short.

Hole 11—190 yards, par 3: This hole will play between 150 and 200 yards for the championship. With a right hole location, add 5 to 8 yards to the drive. The cart path on the left has caused a number of balls to bounce OB.

Hole 12—406 yards, par 4: As you cross the street from 11 green you will see our new lakes on hole 12 — home to the biggest bullfrogs in the Inland Empire. Avoid the trees on the right and take a good look at the hole location here. This is a tiered green that will cause more problems than the sixth green. With a front hole location, the ball simply cannot be stopped from running off the green. Many players will try to play short and not hit the green at all. Spectators who enjoy horror movies will plant themselves above this green and cackle. I plan on being absent from the scoring table the day this hole location is up front. The sight of good players crying…

Hole 13—187 yards, par 3: Dr. Bud Taylor’s favorite hole whenever he played Victoria. This hole will play between 170 and 190 yards. Back off one club or the bunker in the back may not save you.

Hole 14—486 yards, par 5: This is where things will get interesting on Sunday. Mark Johnson, who holds 12 SCGA titles, made a triple-bogey 8 here in 1999 to take himself out of the SCGA Mid-Am. The player has to make a choice: drive it over the creek and have about 180 yards left, or lay up and have about 220 left. Either shot has to hit a green that is narrow from front to back and has two tiers (three levels). Well bunkered, this green is easy to putt if you are on the correct tier. A couple of eagles will be made here, along with some “others.”

Hole 15—491 yards, par 5: Hit driver, avoid the bunker on the right and the trees on the left (there is plenty of room) and hit a 5-iron onto the green — pretty simple, unless you hit the Pepper trees or the bunkers in front of the green, or the creek on the left of the fairway that runs all the way to the green. There will be more 7s than 3 s here. Young players who don’t know Max Behr from Mad Max will blame their downfall on “that weird hole.”

Hole 16—193 yards, par 3: This is where someone in the final group will make a bogey and someone else will make a birdie to make it interesting down the stretch — never fails. Hit a fade to the left side of the green and watch the ball funnel to the hole.

Hole 17—460 yards, par 4: The new lakes on the left will gather a number of balls during championship week, but not hitting driver will leave a long second shot over bunkers. Along with hole 6, the toughest par 4s on the course.

Hole 18—538 yards, par 5: Favor the right side of the fairway — the creek is on the left. Hit the second shot just to the right of the bridge on the left side of the fairway, or try to knock it on in two (over the creek running in front of the green).  Some players will walk over the new “swilcan bridge” to the right of the green very happy, others will rue the choice to go for the green in two.

As the players will see, this is a genuine risk/reward golf course. A decision to not play a hole the way Mr. Behr designed it will create a champion or send a player home having missed the cut. I truly hope the players enjoy this course for what it is — an old design that can only defy technology by having the player make choices. I know what’s coming and I can’t wait for championship week!