Swan Lake Front Nine
My Front 9 Review of Swan Lake Golf Club
Living in Manorville, New York, I play this course a lot. By ‘a lot’, I mean once or twice a
week. To keep my review in the proper context, I am a borderline bogey golfer, generally
playing the white tees. If you haven’t played here in the last few years, they flipped the front
and back nine back in 2019. I am referring to the current layout when I refer to the holes.
In general, the course is pretty wide, so a lack of accuracy isn’t punished too much. The
greens are pretty big, so you can end up with a lot of long putts. IF you putt like I do, this can
turn into a lot of 3 putts (where I generally give up). Pace wise, it depends, during the week,
rounds go pretty quick. On a weekend, it can be an all day adventure, like all of the other local
public courses. They do keep the course in great shape. Off the whites, yardage is 6275, par
72. The Rating/ slope is 70.6/123.
Due to the lack of a driving range, there are a lot of ‘breakfast balls’ on the 1st hole. It isn’t a
hard hole, when it was the 10th hole, I’d be warmed up and usually 3 putting away my par
opportunity. The approach shot into the green has trees and a bunker on the left, water to the
right.
The 2nd hole is a 542 yd straight par 5. The right side is all woods, and can punish players
with a slice. The left side is pretty open, so of course I always go up the right.
The 3rd hole is the hardest according to the score card. My experience with it is hit or miss. I
can birdie it one day, or fly the white flag and give up around 9 or 10 strokes in. If you can drive
to the bunkers, the approach shot to the green plays short, I’ve hit out of the sand with a 9 iron
and reached the green, though the wind was on my side.
The 4th hole is a par 3 and a birdie/ par opportunity. The green is big and elevated if you
come up short or to the sides.
The 5th hole is a fun dogleg right with a nice big bunker in the middle on the right. You can
try to cut it, but there are trees along the right side. There are bunkers and thick rough around
the green, so the right side isn’t the easiest spot to chip from. I think I have hit every tree over
here.
Hole 6 is another par 5, with out of bounds along the right side. Stay towards the left and
this is a good birdie opportunity, eagle for the bigger hitters.
Next up is a short, fun par 3, depending on where the tee box is set. This is a windier spot on
the course. Come up short and you are hitting up a big hill, with a scary looking bunker in front
of you, which can turn this from a fun little hole into a nightmare. The green is big, but if I hit a
good 9 iron, I am generally putting for birdie.
The 8th hole is another good birdie or par opportunity. My biggest problem with this hole is I
tend to come up the 9th hole instead. You should check where the 9th pin is set from the tee
box. I’m not sure why, but I tend to putt very well on this hole.
The 9th hole is blind off the tee box. The drive is uphill a bit, with traps to either side. There
is a big landing area. Personally, I don’t have the range to carry the hill, but if you carry it, you
have a good look at another large green. There is water around the green, so try to stretch that
2nd shot at your own risk.
That is my review of the front 9. It is fun to just sneak a quick morning 9 holes in. I find it
very enjoyable. My review of the back will follow soon
