Tartan Pines Golf Club

Detailed description of Tartan Pines Golf Club

Tartan Pines Golf Club is a Semi-Private, 18 hole golf course located in Enterprise, Alabama. Enterprise is located in southeast Alabama, close to helicopter base Fort Rucker and about 30 minutes from Dothan.

Tartan Pines Golf Club first opened for play in 2000. The course was designed by Alan Blalock.

The course rolls out among the lakes and woods of the Tartan Pines Golf Community. Carefully designed to be both a challenge for the scratch golfer and a satisfying round for the rest of us. As you walk down to the green on hole #9, the clubhouse ahead overlooks not only your green, but also the green on #18, and the tee on #10. The trees in the distance mirror a reflection on the lake below the clubhouse.

Swing away on the front nine and choose your shots carefully on the back nine. Tartan Pines is a tale of two nines, which are very different from one another. The front nine is the far easier nine. The front nine terrain is much flatter, and thedistance is 300 yards shorter than the back nine - 3249 yards versus 3538 yards. The total distance from the back black tees adds up to 6787 yards, but the blue tees play to a much more playable 6055 yards.

Dense pine trees line the first hole, but keep it within their generous confines and you should make on a par five without too much trouble. Some very straightforward holes follow. The course takes on more character as you reach #6, a par-4 and the lowest handicap hole on the front nine.

#7 is a short, only 127 yards, par-3, but danger lurks. This downhill par three has both a pond and bunker fronting the small green and dense undergrowth long left and right. Either hit the two-tiered green or accept a double bogey.

#10 from the tips is 467 yards and uphill all the way from the back tee. It starts with a forced carry of 223 yards over wetlands, which plays 15-20 yards more because it is uphill.

#11 features the Tiger's Paw - a grouping of bunkers behind the large green.

Next there comes a run of four devilishly difficult holes - none more so than the 476-yard par four 12th (and that yardage is not a typo). The tee shot is uphill and once you reach the top of the hill you are faced with a second shot to an island green with no bailout. You have two choices: Play the hole from the back tee as a par five and lay up your second shot short of the water or move up 90 yards to the blue tee and accept the hole as a challenging par four.

#14 and 15 require pinpoint precision and accuracy - both par fours. #14 is a 90-degree dogleg to the right, where you will be best served by a long iron tee shot that favors the left side of the landing area, after which you will face a mid to short iron over wetlands to the putting surface.

#15 requires two well struck and straight shots to reach the most undulating green on the course. This green is atypical from most of the greens, which are relatively flat. Trees on either side of the narrow fairway and wetlands that you must cross on your long, uphill second shot make this a hole on which making par will feel like a birdie.

#16 will feel like a bit of a breather, but only because the tee shot is not as confined. You will still face an uphill approach shot over three greenside bunkers. That sums up the challenge of the back nine - there are quite a few forced carries on tee and/or approach shots to deal with.

#17 is the final par three and it features a beautifully designed tee that is banana-shaped and hugs the water over which you must play to the green. Each of the four tees is found on this curved teeing surface which range from 173 to 111 yards.

#18 is a short par five with water lurking for any shot that does not sail over the tall trees that guard the approach to the green. Being able to hit the ball high on this hole is a definite asset. The challenge is not over once you reach the green as it tilts substantially from back to front, making for some fast putts if the flag is in the front half.