Elma Meadows is one of two Erie County Parks golf courses. Located on rolling terrain, south-east of the city, Elma Meadows combines an exciting challenge with an enjoyable walk in the park, a guaranteed walk not spoiled!<\/p>\n
1
\nWithout a doubt, the most breathtaking first hole tee shot in the area.\u00a0 From 40 feet above the fairway, the first tee gives you an immediate preview of the hills and elevation changes that are in store.\u00a0 Arguably the toughest opening hole in WNY, you will need two solid shots to reach the first green.\u00a0 You have plenty of room on the right, but any slice will add even more distance to this 422 yard dogleg left.\u00a0 A par on this one feels like a birdie, and gets you into the round immediately.<\/p>\n
2
\nThis medium length par-4 plays back up the hill with a slight dogleg left.\u00a0 Big hitters can flirt with the trees guarding the left corner and a fairway bunker further down to leave a shorter approach.\u00a0 There is room to miss to the right, but a large tree at the right 150 marker will force you to get creative with your second shot.\u00a0 It is possible to miss right and get past the 150 marker without much penalty, but only for another 15 years.\u00a0 A recently planted sapling further down in the right rough will bolster the hole\u2019s defense against stray tee shots.<\/p>\n
3
\nSimply from the card, it is difficult to imagine how this straight, relatively short par-4 is the most difficult handicap hole.\u00a0 Standing on the tee, the answer lies approximately 90 yards ahead, as two maple trees guard the entrance to the remainder of the hole.\u00a0 If you manage to get past the first two sentinels on your uphill drive, your ball had better be continuing on a straight path.\u00a0 To the left, another large maple reaches slightly into the fairway and a line of large trees guard the right.\u00a0 Once safely in the narrow fairway, be sure to take notice of the pin\u2019s depth, as the green is split between the front and back by a large ridge which invites a three putt.<\/p>\n
4
\nOne of the best designed short par-4\u2019s in the area.\u00a0 An out of bounds fence lines the right side of the hole.\u00a0 People wanting to avoid out of bounds must navigate a single large and wide maple tree that stands 210 yards from the tee to the left-center, creating a slight dogleg left with a relatively narrow fairway.\u00a0 The hole even allows room to bail out left of the maple tree, but a group of tall trees just short and left of the green precludes any airborn approach.\u00a0 The ideal tee shot is down the right side of the fairway, leaving the best angle to the green.\u00a0 In the spirit of strategic design, the more risk taken off the tee, the easier the approach.<\/p>\n
5
\nThe fifth at Elma is the closest to what Jack Nicklaus describes as a \u201cpar-4\u00bd.\u201d\u00a0 At only 484 yards and all downhill, this dogleg left provides a great opportunity to card a birdie and is the easiest par available on the front nine.\u00a0 There are primarily two ways to screw up this hole.\u00a0 You can drive through the dogleg with a straight tee shot leaving only a punch-out option, or hit the short evergreens that sit just to the left of the tee, both of which are a real possibility with a driver in hand.\u00a0 Most players would be better served with a 3 or 5-wood, allowing an additional margin for error in clearing the evergreens and removing the possibility of being in jail through the dogleg.\u00a0 The \u201csafe\u201d straight tee shot leaves the possibility of a downhill lie from 260+ yards out.\u00a0 A tee shot that flirts with the evergreens and cuts some of the corner is rewarded with a flatter lie and opportunity to reach the green some 60 feet below in two.\u00a0 The green is easily accessible, guarded only by a bunker short right and a lateral hazard well to the right.<\/p>\n
6
\nThe only flat hole on the course, the 6th green is fairly generous, but is guarded to the right by a pond, and protected by bunkers in front and to the left.\u00a0 The front left corner provides the best opening for a safe shot.\u00a0 The green is framed by a hillside to the back, and is one of the most picturesque holes when the fall foliage arrives.<\/p>\n
7
\nFrom an elevated tee, your tee shot carries over a pond to one of the tougher driving holes at Elma.\u00a0 To the left are a group of pine trees while a fairway bunker guards the right side of the hole.\u00a0 Laying up short of the hazards leaves a blind second shot, while shorter shots that are pushed to the right fall down a slope, leaving a difficult recovery.\u00a0 A good straight drive rewards the player with a downhill approach with a mid-iron.\u00a0 As with most holes at Elma, the front of the green is open, allowing players to play a variety of approaches between the left and right bunkers.<\/p>\n
8
\nUnlike the generous green provided on the 122 yard 6th, this uphill par 3 provides a much narrower target, with bunkers hugging the front left and front right corners.\u00a0 The 8th green also starts a theme of \u201cknow where not to miss\u201d that you should keep in mind for the rest of the round.\u00a0 Once past the corner bunkers, the green falls off sharply to left, right and back, leaving difficult uphill chips for misses in these areas.<\/p>\n
9
\nThe closest imitation of a driving range you will find on the course, as the fairway is very wide here.\u00a0 There is another 40 yards of rough to the right before any trees come in play.\u00a0 Depending on rainfall, the penalty for hitting to the rough at Elma varies significantly during the year, so there are times the driver may be unleashed with impunity.<\/p>\n
10
\nAt peak volume times, many people start their round on the back nine.\u00a0 Compared to the difficult 1st, the 10th allows a much easier start.\u00a0 At only 365 yards, this hole cascades downhill to various plateaus, with the bottom of the hill approximately 240 yards from the tee.\u00a0 Depending on distance, one could be left with a difficult downhill lie.\u00a0 However, with the demise of a large tree guarding the left hand side this past winter, there is little to deter players from hitting the driver.\u00a0 This leaves the swales and slopes of this 10th green as the primary defense on this short par-4.\u00a0 Leave your approach below the hole and you should have little difficulty.<\/p>\n
11
\nThose who do play the back nine first better have had a good start because the 11th will severely test even the best player\u2019s game.\u00a0 This dogleg left requires an uphill drive to a sloped landing area.\u00a0 Slicers have more difficulty here because, unlike many holes at Elma, there are a number of tall pines that don\u2019t allow the ball to start left.\u00a0 Shots that bail out to the right don\u2019t get the benefit of the sloped landing area, which will push good drives forward.\u00a0 Also, long drives left out to the right will be hindered by a single row of tall trees, which can be cleared, but usually not with enough club to reach the green.\u00a0 From the fairway, the approach is slightly downhill, with bunkers left and right.<\/p>\n
12
\nWhile the 11th is a long par-4 favoring the right-to-left, the faders get their advantage coming back on the gentle dogleg right 12th.\u00a0 The right side is lined by large overhanging maple trees and guarded by a fairway bunker, while the left side is wide open, with one fairway bunker well left into the rough.\u00a0 Big hitters can get the benefit of some extra roll as the fairway starts sloping down towards the hole approximately 160 yards from the hole.\u00a0 On the approach, the banked green falls of sharply behind and to the sides, leaving delicate pitches for misses.<\/p>\n
13
\nA classic heroic hole distinguished by the rows of tall pine trees that guard the corner of this sharp dogleg left.\u00a0 The hole may be played safely to the right of these trees, leaving an approach of 180 yards.\u00a0 The brave may attempt to carry the pines, cutting the approach down to 100 yards, if successful, or requiring some creative punch shot, if failed.\u00a0 Once again, the banked green is bunkered left and falls off sharply to the back and sides, severely punishing left and long shots.<\/p>\n
14
\nThis gentle dogleg right is also sloped from left to right, and provides a fairly generous fairway.\u00a0 People who take more risk by hitting driver for length or flirting with the right side of the fairway are given a flatter lie for their approach, while those who lay up are likely to have the ball below their feet.\u00a0 After an uphill drive, the approach is slightly downhill to a green that slopes away from the fairway, and is guarded by bunkers on the left side and front right corner.<\/p>\n
15
\nThis uphill par-3 can require anywhere from 8 iron to 4 iron, depending on wind conditions and tee position.\u00a0 An out-of-bounds fence lines the right side, leading many to miss to the left.\u00a0 The left side of the green is raised and slopes toward the right, leaving a more difficult chip for those who play safe.\u00a0 Be careful not to miss pin-high to the right, as the banking of the green will kick such shots up against the fence for a likely unplayable lie.<\/p>\n
16
\nThe first of two straight birdie opportunities, the drive climbs straight up for 250 yards, up a slope affectionately called \u201cCardiac Hill\u201d by the members.\u00a0 A number of smaller trees run the entire length on the right, while the left is guarded by a solitary large maple.\u00a0 The raised green falls off sharply to the right side, and is protected by a left side bunker.\u00a0 Two very good shots leave an eagle opportunity or an easy pitch to set up birdie.<\/p>\n
17
\nThe 17th offers another great birdie opportunity to those needing to make a move.\u00a0 Playing downhill and often downwind, you are tempted to hit driver to leave a short approach.\u00a0 Drives pulled left may be blocked from the green by a group of pine trees or be left with a downhill lie from the rough.\u00a0 Those laying up need to be cognizant of their landing area as the fairway falls off diagonally, and could leave an awkward downhill lie.\u00a0 With such a short downhill hole, the designers made the penalty for missing the green anywhere but in front very severe, adding significant slopes away from the green that will leave blind recovery shots.<\/p>\n
18 Elma Meadows is one of two Erie County Parks golf courses. Located on rolling terrain, south-east of the city, Elma Meadows combines an exciting challenge with an enjoyable walk in the park, a guaranteed walk not spoiled!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mo-golf"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nIf you need a birdie to make your score, you better have picked it up on 16 or 17, because the 18th is anything but a birdie hole.\u00a0 Playing downhill, the hole is guarded on the right by a bunker, and a run up to the left will likely be caught by a bunker 10 yards short of the green.\u00a0 Short right is the best place to miss, while shots that are left will generally kick away from the green and down the slope of the adjacent 14th hole, leaving a blind uphill pitch to a green sloping away from you.\u00a0 A par finish here is always well earned.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"