Riverside Golf Course

HOLE 1 (441 yard Par 4):

Rarely does a course open with the #1 handicap hole. Most prefer to offer the golfer an easier start to the round – most typically, a mid-length par-4 that gives the golfer a chance to shake off some rust, find a bit of a groove, and walk a way from the first green still feeling optimistic about their chances of having a solid round. Riverside Golf Course in Pocatello, Idaho is an exception. Hole 1 is listed as the toughest hole on the card. This designation is due to its length relative to par, a tough back-to-front sloping green, a late-turning dogleg-right, and a tee box that has you teeing off in close proximity to the hustle and bustle of the clubhouse, putting green, cart return, and parking lot. Length, and finding the right half of the fairway, off of the elevated tee is paramount to give the best angle for the approach to the green. Long, left, and right of the green all provide difficult up-and-downs from around the green. Short, is by far, the best miss.

HOLE 2 (457 yard Par 4):

Here again is another routing anomaly. Hole #2 is one of only a couple candidates on the course that should have been a strong consideration for the toughest hole, and in my opinion, should have been the #1 handicap, instead of the #3 that it was given. Not only is it longer, but there is no elevated tee to add distance, and out-of-bounds runs along the entire left side of the hole. Missing right will leave you in forest of mature trees that gives very few looks at the green. While Hole #1 calls for a slight draw off of the tee, Hole #2 requests a slight fade. The low, seemingly feature-less green, also slopes more than it appears from back to front, and has seen many approach shots hit hole-high and spin back off the front.

HOLE 3 (377 yard Par 4):

Hole #3 offers fewer yards from tee to green, but causes more indecision on the tee box than perhaps any other tee on the course – except maybe the 12th. The hole plays as a sharp dogleg-right around the same forest of mature trees that was on the right side of Hole #2. The safe play is to hit a 225 yard shot past the inside corner of the dogleg and leave a 150 yard shot to the green. However, hitting it a little long will result in overrunning the fairway into thick, un-maintained rough, and hitting it too short will result in the inability to go straight at the green due to the huge trees on the inside corner. Another option is to try to carry the inside corner, but this requires a very high tee shot, and more length than it appears from the tee. Many, many golfers have watched and listened as their “towering” drive gets knocked down before clearing the woods. Again, the green is sloped back to front with the best miss being short.

HOLE 4 (471 yard Par 5):

Hole #4 offers the only par 5 on the front, and a very good birdie opportunity. The short 3-shotter plays uphill, has a fairway that is wider than it appears, and offers a multi-tiered green that can be a very tough 2-putt. Off of the tee, the primary goal is stay right. A well-struck drive to the left half of the fairway typically rolls through into the course’s affectionately dubbed “Bermuda Triangle” – an almost inescapable collection of trees and bushes. Otherwise, though, there is typically a chance to hit the green in two shots. The approach is made difficult by a deceptively uphill grade, and the tiered nature of the green. Ideally, before leaving the putting green prior to starting the round, the location of the pin on the adjacent 4th green should be noted. Finding the right tier on the approach will give a great opportunity for birdie, or even the rare eagle.

HOLE 5 (334 yard Par 4):

The fifth hole is a straight-away, slightly elevated tee that looks even shorter than it is - prompting the aggressive golfer to over-swing in an effort to potentially drive the green. However, a sand trap is placed just short of the green, across the entire width, and acts as a collector to many well-struck drives. The conservative play is to hit a long iron or fairway wood off the tee to the middle of the fairway, leaving a short wedge shot to attack the pin, which is often placed on the front half of the green, just behind the bunker.

HOLE 6 (320 yard Par 4):

The sixth hole runs back parallel with the fifth and offers a similar yardage. However, the fairway is slightly more narrow, with large trees lining both sides, and an elevated green. As is the theme with Riverside greens, the putting surface is small, the front approach is the most forgiving, and there is a fairly severe slope from back to front. While birdie is possible here, the dreaded 3-putt has produced a lot of bogies.

HOLE 7 (427 yard Par 4):

Hole #7 is a deceptively long hole. It runs back parallel to the 6th hole, and appears to be just slightly longer than the 6th, however, it is a full hundred yard from tee to green. A big drive to the left half of the fairway is ideal for the best angle to the green. Length, tall, penal trees on the right, and a typical Riverside green all offer resistance to a good score on this 3rd most difficult hole on the front.

HOLE 8 (185 yard Par 3):

The eighth hole is the only one-shotter on the front, and it is a challenge! On the card it appears tame enough, but out-of-bounds on the entire left side, and its tendency to play a full club longer than the yardage make this short hole the toughest par 3 of the day. Additionally, a bunker on the right side of the green acts a collector to those who bail out to right in an effort to stay in-bounds. Finding the green in regulation, though, should result in a very good chance at par.

HOLE 9 (338 yard Par 4):

Of the seven par 4s on the front, the 9th hole may offer the widest range of scores on the card. Its short length offers the chance at securing a birdie and finishing the front with a bang. However, out-of-bounds left and one of the most difficult greens on the day can just as easily result in a double-bogey and the undoing of a great round. The play off the tee here is to keep it in play! The short overall length of the hole should provide a short approach to the green, no matter the club selection at the tee. Like #6, the utmost care should be taken to stay below the hole, as this larger-than-normal putting surface is a very difficult 2-putt from above, or to either side, of most pin locations. 3 and 4-putts are common.

HOLE 10 (489 yard Par 5):

The 10th tee box is conveniently located adjacent to the 1st, and also features an elevated shot to the fairway on a dogleg left hole design. Unlike #1, though, the 10th is a par 5 and it features out-of-bounds running all the way down the left side. This designation is to discourage golfers from attempting to cut the corner, which would place them in the driving range. A good drive will leave an opportunity to find the green in two. However, the 10th is one of the trickiest green complexes on site. It sits at an angle to most approaches and has abrupt edges to it with the exception of narrow slot on the front and a fairly forgiving splash of grass across the rear. Leaving an approach pin-high to either the left or right with surely test one’s short game in an attempt to “chip it tight.”

HOLE 11 (175 yard Par 3):

Hole #11 is the likely signature hole of the round. It is short par 3 that features Pocatello’s signature trains in the distance, a large shot-dictating tree on the front left, and the evidence of a long abandoned water feature on the far left. The old water feature was once the river that was the course’s namesake. Originally, it flowed past the front side of the green and disappeared through the tunnel in the stone bridge that still remains. When the river was re-routed, the appearance of the hole changed, but the shot-making aspects stayed very similar. The green again sits at an angle to the approach, and is an easy birdie if the putting surface is found on the tee shot, but can easily result in a bogey if it is not.

11th Hole at Riverside Golf Course

HOLE 12 (302 yard Par 4):

Many good courses have a drivable par 4. At 302 yards, with a slightly elevated back tee, the 12th at Riverside definitely fits the bill. Like all good drivable par 4s, though, there is risk that counterbalances the potential reward. O.B. right, huge trees left, a thin strip of fairway, and very narrow front on the green makes club selection difficult, and undermines confidence on full swings. Accuracy is the name of the game on this hole. Hit it straight and it’s an easy hole.

HOLE 13 (140 yard Par 3):

1The final par 3 of the day features a huge green that plays back into an amphitheater of trees. This should be the easiest 1-shotter of the day. Hit the middle of the green, and give birdie a good look.

HOLE 14 (379 yard Par 4):

The 14th is a “corridor hole.” While huge trees are ever-present throughout the round, the 14th has rows that seem to line the edges of the fairway and create the feeling that the landing area is very tight. Left is more forgiving than right off of the tee box, as residences immediately encroach on the right, and then give way to a large expanse of variously sized trees that, if entered, offer few looks at the green. 300 yards out. As is the most common theme at Riverside, keep the ball in play, and good things can happen, but hit it a little too far left or right, and trees and/or O.B can wreak havoc on the scorecard.

HOLE 15 (360 yard Par 4):

The primary feature on the 15th is a substantial grass-lined gully that perpendicularly crosses the entire fairway at about 215 yards from the back tees. To carry it, and take it out of play, requires a big tee shot – approximately 280+ of carry. Anything in between, gets caught in the gorge, and results in very difficult lies and blind shots. Another larger-than-the-norm green slopes subtly from back to front.

HOLE 16 (355 yard Par 4):

The signature feature of hole #16 is the large tree that splits the fairway, about 250 yards out. Avoiding the tree, to either side, usually results in a good look at the green. Failing to hit past it will usually result in an obstructed view and a difficult shot to the green. The green features multiple tiers with very punishing edges on the left and to the rear. Missing the green left or long will leave you with a very difficult up and down.

HOLE 17 (343 yard Par 4):

Hole #17 is another “thinker’s hole” off of the tee. It is a fairly sharp dogleg right, that causes the green to be hidden from the tee. The hole requires a tee shot that moves left to right to follow the shape of the hole , something less than driver off the tee to attempt to stay in the fairway short of the bend, or a high draw that can carry the large trees on the inside corner of the dogleg. The green is plateau’d on all side except the right, and has some areas with severe slope. A good hole. Another one that produces a wide array of scores.

17th Hole at Riverside Golf Course

HOLE 18 (473 Par 5):

The final hole is a reverse “S-turn” par 5 that is typically quite difficult to reach in 2 shots. A good drive can very easily run through the fairway into the driving range, one hit too far right can find houses and out-of-bounds. The multi-tiered green is ultimately elevated and tucked up behind huge pine trees. Only a very high second shot, or one that is working hard from right to left will find the putting surface . Hitting the green above the hole will make for a difficult putt – one that has a chance of running all the way off the front of the green. Played conservatively as a 3-shot hole, the final hole of the round should offer a great chance for a par.

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