The Front Nine at
Verdict Ridge Sets the
Stage for one of Charlotte's Best Kept Secrets

ALL DOUBTS LAID TO REST: THE FRONT NINE AT VERDICT RIDGE

DENVER, N.C. - As I was set to tee off, I remember something that Head Professional John Hughes had told me over the phone:

"The topography of the course is what makes it really unique. You have a sand hills feel, a lowcountry feel, and a mountain style feeling. You remember every hole here."

Just as there are three styles of barbecue in North Carolina, there are also three distinct geographic areas: the coast, the piedmont (the gently rolling hills between the coast and the mountains), and the mountains.

I was more than a little ready to find out how a course could feature the maritime feel of the Carolina coast and the lush Appalachian scenery of the Carolina Mountains.

In terms of ergonomics, I was already impressed before I took my first cut at the ball. Just before the first tee box is a generously sized putting green, strategically placed so that one can putt while watching the foursome before them chopping their way through the first fairway.

VERDICT RIDGE IS WARMING IT UP - FRONT NINE HIGHLIGHTS

The first hole is solid, but not spectacular. A downhill tee shot will find its way to a fairway that is as bumpy as Carolina country road, and slides off to the right rather quickly. But what the rest of the hole lacks in drama, the green more than makes up for

The two-tiered green coupled with a rear green hole cut on the second tier will challenge the best wielders of the flat blade to just the correct speed to get it up the slope to the cup. I am a decent golfer, and a pretty solid putter, and my first bid rolled up to the crest of second tier, stopped, rolled back down at me, and proceeded to roll all the way back to the front of the green. Grim. . Bogey.

The first five holes at Verdict Ridge never met a bulldozer they didn't like. The mounding used in the fairways ranges from robust to severe - not that there's anything wrong with that. But just when you are wondering if you're going to get a flat runway all day, the par-5, 6th hole enters the scene.

I have been fortunate enough to digest hundreds of holes of golf over the past year; the 6th hole at Verdict Ridge has to be one of the finest golf holes on which I have ever set soft spike.

The 6th is as traditional as a southern Sunday, what with its wide, flat fairway, tree lined layout, and immaculate green guarded by water. As luck would have it, I was playing with a savvy Verdict Ridge veteran who advised me to hit my tee shot to the left, thus letting it kick off the hill and shoot out a considerable distance into the fairway.

He also said, don't go right towards the big Oak tree in the middle of the fairway, so without hesitation, I went right. But never fear - par is easily recovered from any spot on this fairway. I launched a frozen rope of a 4-iron under Mr. Majestic Fairway Oak and walked away with a five spot.

After my feel good par at the 6th, I played through the circus-like 17th hole and the scary-long par-3, 8th hole at even par. The 9th hole at Verdict does not disappoint. In fact, this narrow, downhill par-4 could play the part of finishing hole at many a course.

The 9th could best be characterized as arena golf. To set the stage for you, the fairway runs downhill and to the right, with water on the right, and a severely sloping hill to the left. In other words, anything hit to the right will disappear down the fairway and into the drink, and anything hit to the left with ricochet off the side of the hill and end up golden. By now, you know where to aim.

I walked off the front nine at Verdict Ridge feeling very good about the golf course. I wasn't quite sure that I had experience coastal, piedmont, and mountain style golf, but I knew the front porch had been totally enjoyable.

I had no idea I was in store for one of the great nine hole experiences of my golfing life with the back nine at Verdict Ridge.

Explore the front and back nines of Verdict Ridge

Due Up - All Doubts Laid to Rest: The Front Nine at Verdict Ridge Makes a Statement Back Nine at Verdict Ridge Seals the Deal for one of the Piedmont's Best