Champion Hills Club – Played July 2021
- Rankings: None of my four lists
- Location: 1 Hagen Drive, Hendersonville, North Carolina
- Year: 1991
- Architect: Tom Fazio
- Course Access: Private
- Walking Rules: Carts Available
Score Card Information:
- Black: 6,510 yards, Par 72, 71.7 Rating/144 Slope
- Burgundy: 6,177 yards, Par 72, 70.3 Rating/139 Slope
- White: 5,792 yards, Par 72, 68.5 Rating/132 Slope (Men’s), 73.9 Rating/146 Slope (Women’s)
- Green: 5,153 yards, Par 72, 65.5 Rating/124 Slope (Men’s), 70.8 Rating/131 Slope (Women’s)
- Yellow: 4,558 yards, Par 72, 67.3 Rating/118 Slope
Sometimes (a lot) there isn’t much of a backstory to playing a course. I had the opportunity to get to Champion Hills Club on a random weekday and took on the course by myself. It was good to get up into the mountains as there was a heat wave going on when I played.
Champion Hills is just outside of Hendersonville, North Carolina. Being in the mountains, I wouldn’t say the course is walkable. Even at elevation, I still felt the effects of the heatwave and was glad I had a cart.
The range is on a severe piece of land. I noticed an interesting thing when I was driving back from the 18th green. There is a cart path that snakes up the range to bring you back to the clubhouse. It is shielded by a fence and netting. I’ve never experienced that before.
Hole 1 – 335 yards – Par 4
A relatively short hole starts you out on your round. I took less than driver here and was still left with a short club into the green. That’s a benefit of the elevation.
Take note of the big slope at the front portion of this green.
Hole 2 – 133 yards – Par 3
Like many mountain courses, Champion Hills has some lovely views. Focus is required on this hole though to avoid the deep greenside bunkers.
Hole 3 – 529 yards – Par 5
The left side of the hole is preferable here as the fairway slopes to the right.
The approach plays to a shallow green where long is no good.
Hole 4 – 181 yards – Par 3
Hopefully by this point, you’ve gotten a good idea of how your ball is flying at elevation. The front portion of this green is heavily sloped and you’ll want to avoid it.
Hole 5 – 569 yards – Par 5
The view of the fairway can feel claustrophobic from this tee box. At this distance, I knew I couldn’t get home in two, so I went for accuracy with less than driver.
The green is a pretty small target with a hazard lurking to the left. Precision is very important here.
Hole 6 – 427 yards – Par 4
Playing all the way up the hill, this hole is a bear. Approaches from the right side of the fairway have the best angle into the green. Hit is as far as you can here.
The green is quite undulating.
Hole 7 – 375 yards – Par 4
The target area is bigger than it looks. In hindsight, I could’ve taken less club from the tee.
As the hole bends to the left, the green comes into view.
Hole 8 – 373 yards – Par 4
There are no tricks on this one. Two good shots to the green and a par should be no sweat.
Hole 9 – 195 yards – Par 3
This is a specific type of hole you typically encounter with mountain courses. The property inevitably has dramatic elevation changes. I found this one played about 30 yards shorter than the listed yardage.
Hole 10 – 412 yards – Par 4
Fazio can make you feel a bit awkward on this tee, especially the first time through. It’s paramount to hit the fairway. The second shot plays shorter with the downhill slope.
The green has a good deal of contour that you can’t see from the elevated fairway.
Hole 11 – 228 yards – Par 3
The set of par threes at Champion Hills are quite varied. At this point, I had hit pitching wedges, six iron, and then full out three wood here. Don’t stray left because the creek is right next to the green.
Hole 12 – 425 yards – Par 4
I tried to rare back and kill one with driver here. Luckily, it worked out pretty well. If you can catch the downslope, the hole will shorten considerably.
The left side of the fairway keeps you clear of the encroaching trees.
Hole 13- 521 yards – Par 5
Like both par fives on the front, this one plays from an elevated tee. With the tree line hard up the right side, I felt more comfortable with a shorter club to find the fairway.
After the tee shot, the hole flattens out and even goes back uphill at the green.
You don’t want to pull your approach shot!
Hole 14 – 352 yards – Par 4
You’ve got a pretty big target on this short hole. I played to the left side and had a wedge into the green. As you can see below, the green is severely elevated and shallow.
Hole 15 – 350 yards – Par 4
You can probably guess that you must avoid the creek here. At this yardage, something 200-225 yards up the right side is all you need.
The green is set next to a soothing creek where I took in my surroundings on a solo round.
Hole 16 – 503 yards – Par 5
Change of pace from the previous downhill versions here. This hole turns hard right.
The green site is large and provides a welcoming target for those going for it in two.
Hole 17 – 172 yards – Par 3
It may not look like it, but this hole played slightly uphill. The green can feel like a small target with all the surrounding trees.
You can just how close the hazard is to the green below.
Hole 18 – 430 yards – Par 4
At the end of a hot day, I was racking my brain for how I was going to navigate this hole. A good drive is important as the approach is no picnic. I chose the short drive in the rough, layup, hit wedge close, and make a putt path. They all work!
There is ridge running through the green. Even the putt below was quite speedy.
Champion Hills was a nice respite from the heat back home. It’s one of the best parts about the mountains. I typically find mountain courses to be quite penal, but Fazio was able to find a nice balance between challenge, fun, and beauty. If you can find a way to play it, I definitely would take the chance!