Fillmore Fairways tempting right from start

CASCADE -- The first tee at Fillmore Fairways tempts you.

You think about cutting off the hardest left dogleg this side of a boomerang. You eye the three big, fully aged trees, you mark the creek that splits the fairway and talk yourself into it. Why not? You cut it, you have a wedge or sand wedge into a large green. If you play to the landing area, which holds the junior and women's tees, you have a full 170 yards.

It's a clear shot, but it's also a 7-iron. Why put yourself through that if you can cut it?

I'm from Dubuque and the Telegraph Herald was my last professional stop before The Gazette. I've played Fillmore, a heavenly 9-holer just a few clicks north of Cascade on 151, dozens of times. I've always tried to cut off No. 1. I've had varying degrees of success, but I've always tried to cut off the dogleg.

I couldn't this weekday in early July. A maintenance crew worked the cart path coming off the wooden bridge that crosses the creek. They were sitting ducks.

"I'd rather you not," the young guy in the clubhouse said when I asked about the shot.

It never hurts to ask.

I unfortunately unleashed the fury and sent my drive over the landing area and into the tall grass that separates Fillmore from the gravel road that borders the north side of the course. Hey, it's been 10 years since I've played Fillmore. I forgot that driver off 1 when you don't cut it off should be 6-iron off 1.

So, yeah, bogey.

Don't get lulled to sleep by Fillmore. The yardage is doable, but the course throws a ton of tricks at you.

No. 2 is a 488-yard par 5 that finishes with an uphill approach to a deep, deep green. Also, the right side of the fairway doesn't exist, with a wire fence keeping you off the aforementioned gravel road.

No. 3, a 403-yard par 4, throws a blind tee shot at you, with a rolling fairway as a landing area. No. 4 is a 146-yard par 3 that goes back up the hill you just descended.

There is no official turn at this 9-hole course, but I think No. 5 is close. It marks the beginning of a string of narrow -- by Fillmore standards -- fairways. Right is deep-woods death on 5, a 351-yard par 4. If right is death, left is purgatory.

If you go too far right on No. 6, a 386-yard par 4, you'll be playing from the machine shed area (been there a few times). No. 7 is a 461-yard par 4 that climbs back up the hill you came down on No. 6. (It's all the same hill. It's a really big hill.) It's another narrow fairway and a green so large it adds hidden yards to your approach.

Nos. 2 and 7 offer distinct features that would tell you you're at Fillmore even if you arrived blindfolded. The greens have a "stadium" feel to them, bordered by hills with cedars encircling. I don't know how or why these turned out this way, but it's a cool touch.

No. 8 is a 209-yard par 3 with no real bailouts on either side. Short is OK to a nasty green that's lipped on the left and that slopes back to front. No. 9 is the opposite boomerang to No. 1, a big dogleg to the right, with the creek coming into play only for the big drives.

You can't cut off 9. The No. 6 green is in the way. I didn't even ask about that one.

The lowdown

Toughest hole- The card says No. 3, a 403-yard par 4 with a blind tee shot and a downhill approach. But I have to go with No. 5, a short 351-yard par 4. What makes 5 a bear is the drive. It's Fillmore's first somewhat narrow fairway -- maybe a little more than 50 yards across -- and it demands accuracy. You go right and you're on a nature hike through Fillmore's recreation area. You go left and you'll be lucky to find your Bridgestone in a pretty good patch of woods. I got lucky with my fade and dropped it dead center about 90 yards out. There is a big bailout on the right, but there's no reason not go right at the pin. Long might make you nervous, though. It drops quickly behind the green. I pulled a sand wedge and ended with a bogey.

Easiest hole- No. 9 is a 370-yard par 4 with a nasty dogleg right that leads you to a creek and a super-huge green that sort of bowls toward the back. I think what makes 9 digestible is the dogleg. It perfectly fits most faders and maybe some slicers. There are some clearance issues, however, on the fairway. There are a few short, bushy pines that'll cost you a shot. If you blast through the dogleg, your view of the green will be blocked. The short, bushy pine tree thing happened to me and I finished with a double.

Overall impression- Fillmore Fairways is a beautiful course that makes the most out of its 3,195 yards. It's also deceptively tough. Don't be fooled by the first few open fairways. Things get narrow after you go over the big hill, head back up and back down. Fillmore is a charmer, with greens and tee boxes you could eat off (not really, but you know what I mean). With gas prices at $4 a gallon, Fillmore is a nice little 45-minute drive from Cedar Rapids.