I recently had my first opportunity to play Wayne CC in the State Senior Am. I should have come up for a practice round, but the two hour drive from home kept me away. I will admit this course was never on my target list, but it is a legitimate18 hole challenge for all golfers.
The course is up and down with very little flat holes. The front 9 is older and on the north side of the highway, with driving range and practice green. The back 9, added later has a few houses around it and backs up to Wayne St College to the south. The clubhouse is nice and appears to have been updated, unlike many of the small town country clubs. Kyle and the staff did a great job hosting the NGA.
The course was in good condition, especially the greens. The rough was not long, but spotty with patches of dirt that my ball seemed to find. I was playing the white tees, which was only 6000 yards, but the trees and doglegs made it play longer. The back 9 has a couple par 5s that have severe doglegs. Hole 13 especially, has a hard right turn and you have to keep your drive off to the left, or hit it about 240 to have a straight second shot.
Holes 14 and 18 are par 4s and a 210 yard drive down the middle will not give you a clear shot to the green. This short hitting senior had to play these as three-shot holes. The par 3s are all fairly long. Hole 12 was 210 yards and hole 8 was 195 up to an elevated green. Hole 17 played 190 the second day. I believe the front 9 is easier with 5 par 4s under 340 yards, but you still need to hit it strait to play these well. It has a lot of small domed greens.
When I looked at this course on google earth I saw plenty of sand traps. However, it was obvious that many traps had recently been removed and were now grass bunkers. Not sure why a course does this except for maintenance reasons.
Overall the course was good for walkers who want a little exercise. You go up and down a lot, but the tees and greens are close. You should not loose many balls on this course, but you will hit a few of the large mature Maple trees. Working through a late tee time, tough pins and lightning delay, I am going to admit I did not play well the second day.
In conclusion, if you are traveling through the area, on your way to Prairie Club, this would be a good place to stop for a challenging round of golf.
