Lake Valley Golf and Country Club (www.lakevalleygolf.com) provides the most unique scorecard of all the courses at the Lake.  Their 6 – 6 – 6 layout, meaning 6 par 5’s, 6 par-4’s and 6 par-3’s provides ample scoring chances, that is if you can find an uphill putt.  Factor in the overall course length of just 6,373 from the back tees and you might think you are about to play a pushover round.  Think again.  With a variety of hole shapes, lots of trees and a few well placed hazards, Lake Valley is a fun and challenging test.

From the time you arrive on property, you get the feeling of an older, established, club feel.  The long drive right through the middle of the golf course to the clubhouse and lots of members that obviously are familiar with each other and the golf course, but Lake Valley is open for public tee times.

From the first hole, a 550 yard par 5 you realize that accuracy is going to play a role in your round.  Drive it just a bit out of the fairway and you will have a challenging layup, over or around a tree lined creek and out of very thick rough.  While hitting the fairway will be a key throughout, the star of the show are the greens at Lake Valley.  Lots of undulation abounds, some is obvious, but other times it is very subtle and you have to take into account uphill and downhill situations to match your speed.  When the conditions are dry, the greens will roll and roll and roll so watch your speed.

The par-5’s are where you have to score because the par-4’s and 3’s are no pushover.  The 4^th hole is a downhill and back up the hill par-4 that plays every bit of 455 yards to a blind green guarded by a steep slope in front and two well placed bunkers front right and long left.  Unless you hit a great long iron shot into the green, bogey is not a bad score.  After navigating the downhill par-3 5^th with a middle, to long iron you think you are getting a break with the short par-4 6^th.  Not the case.  Playing uphill, this dogleg right is well protected by a grove of trees to the right, so despite having less than 200 yards into the green, unless you are in the far left of the fairway you have no choice but to layup which is frustrating to much of us that love to give it a rip.  The par-3 7^th is a long par-3 of 210+ yards depending on the pin placement which makes 2 of the par-3’s at well over 150 yards.

The back nine starts with a short but tougher than it looks par-4, because of the uphill approach to a wide green protected by bunkers on both sides short and long and a very fast and undulating green.  Make a par there and you will be ready to give it a rip at the 11^th.  A relatively short par 5 at just 495 yards, just avoid getting stuck behind a tree right of the fairway and you should have a shot in 2.  The 12^th hole is the shortest par-4 on the course but in my opinion the most challenging.  First off, the tee shot is relatively blind.  Choose a tree in the background to shoot at and a club that you can fly 210-225 yards to ensure that you can get to 150 yards or less or pull out the driver and rip it down the right side.  The good news is there is no OB right, the bad news is it is also the driving range.  Once you navigate the tee shot you are going straight up hill to the green so judging the distance is important, but a double bogey or worse is easy to find here.  As on the front side, two of the par-3’s play from dramatically elevated tees with the 17^th hole being my favorite because of the back drop of the pond that comes into play on 16 and surrounds the 18^th tee box.  The green on the 18^th hole appears to be one of the more benign greens on the course until you realize that the pitch from back to front is so severe that if you get above the hole you can count on at least 8 feet coming back if you don’t make it.

Lake Valley provides a fun and unique layout with the 6-6-6 format and who doesn’t like having an extra par-5 (or 2) to try to score.  Dan Robertson and his team will make you feel welcome and the golf course will challenge and reward you for good shots.  With Lake Valley in the rotation, Camdenton is a worthwhile golf destination at the Lake.