The old Blue Rock Springs Golf Course was another course we lost when they modified it and built another 18 holes. When I first started playing the old course I disliked it but came to love playing there through the years. We use to play it after work, during tournaments and it was the host course for the majority of pyramid matches played during that time. Columbus Parkway was a narrow two lane road that wound through the course with large eucalyptus trees located on the both sides of the road. Parking was right off the parkway with a very short walk to the clubhouse. There was no driving range but there was a small practice green with sand traps located on the east side of the road just before you got to the 14th tee box. Play started on the 314 yard 1st hole,( now the 336 yard 10th hole which now has a larger green ) a pretty easy starting hole but many players would lose their tee shots off to the right and into the trees. The 2nd hole was a par 5 of 510 yards ( now the 518 yard 6th hole ) that went up the hill with the wind behind you, a good three shot par 5. The 103 yard par 3 third hole ( now the 110 yard 7th hole facing west ) was short but tricky. First the green was quite elevated and facing north, the wind blew left to right pretty hard and the green had two tiers making for some adventurous putts once you were on it. (Balls putted off the front of the green and didn’t land in the bunker could roll all the way back down the hill towards the tee). The downhill 502 yard 4th hole ( now the 536 yard 6th hole ) could give you fits off the tee, the wind blew left to right and at you, any ball going off the tee to the right was almost always out of bounds. The homes on the hills right have somewhat reduced the wind affect now. If you kept the ball in play it was a pretty easy par 5. The dogleg left 313 yard par 4 fifth hole was short but played into the prevailing wind. Some tall trees behind the green could shelter some of the wind and make your yardage a real guess for your second shot. All that remains of this hole is the tee which is now the tee for the par three 11th hole and the trees behind where the green was (near the school property). The straight away 352 yard par 4 sixth hole was a tough tee shot because of the trees on the left and the big willow tree on the right. The second shot was hit to an elevated green with a huge bunker in front. The green which was shallow in depth, hard to hit and keep the ball on the green. The 6th tee and part of the fairway are now the dogleg right 14th hole, the 15th green now is close to where the 6th green was then. The 323 yard 7th hole ( now the 336 yard 16th hole ) was a straight away par 4 from an elevated tee, normally an fairly easy hole. The 190 yard par 3 eighth hole was one of the best and toughest holes on the course, all carry and a tough green to putt. The hole no longer exists, the green was located where the blue tee is for the ninth hole. The 346 yard par 4 ninth hole ( now the 353 yard 9th hole ) was a straight hole and was our long drive hole in our tournaments. The two tier green sat right on Columbus Parkway, if you hit your second shot long you had to pray the cyclone fence behind the green caught your ball or it was OB. The course was 2953 yards going out. The back nine started with the 334 yard dogleg right par 4 tenth hole ( now the 339 yard 5th hole ) which played into the wind. If your tee shot went right you had big tree problems and had to be lucky to have a clear second shot. The lake on the left didn’t exist. The 352 yard par 4 eleventh hole ( now the 362 yard 17th hole ) was difficult after your tee shot. You had to hit off a downhill lie to an elevated green that sloped very hard back to front. ( the green is much flatter now) If you ended up above the pin or pin high putting was very difficult. The 195 yard par 3 twelfth hole was a difficult hole. You teed off from an elevated tee to a green with a hazard left and behind it and a waste area to the right, putting was tricky also. The 12th green remains and is now the green for the 289 yard par 4 fourth hole. The next three holes, 13, 14 and 15 were named “amen corner” because of their difficulty and the fact that so many pyramid matches were turned around on those holes. The 369 yard par 4 thirteenth hole ( now the 409 yard 18th hole ) was a sharp dogleg right hole with O.B. close in the magnetic trees on the right side. Over the years the O.B. markers on the right were anywhere from right on the tree line to past the maintenance sheds on the right. I saw a player play out of the cubicle that held sand for the course bunkers back to the then 13th fairway. If your tee shot was short the trees blocked you out, if you went left the hole played long ( the lake was not there). You were happy with a par on this hole. You now crossed Columbus Parkway to play the 487 yard par 5 fourteenth hole. The hole went uphill and doglegged left. Trees on the left and a lateral hazard and sand trap on the right made the tee shot difficult. The second shot could also be difficult with the trees on the left and O.B. all the way on the right. The green sat left tucked in against the trees. This hole could be birdied but you could also take a real big number on it. What remains of the 14th hole is now the par 4 fourth hole on the east course, the differences being the tee is now elevated and the hole is now shorter with an elevated green. When you finished the 14th hole you faced the 165 yard par 3 fifteenth hole which played facing north. The prevailing wind was strong left to right and the course boundary fence was close all along the right side. Lots of balls were hit O.B. on this hole over the years. The hole no longer exists. The 391 yard par 4 sixteenth hole played downhill but into the prevailing wind. The O.B. fence ran all along the right side, the green could be tricky to putt. The fairway of this hole is now the 1st hole on the east course played in the opposite direction. The 390 yard par 4 seventeenth hole was played back up the hill but did play with the wind behind you. The green was slanted back to front and very difficult to putt especially pin high or above. The fairway of this hole is now the par 4 third hole on the east course played in the opposite direction. The short slight dogleg left 455 yard par 5 eighteenth hole was played back down the hill. The green could be reached with a very good second shot, the eucalyptus trees behind the green blocked out a lot of the wind. The two big traps in front of the green though made most players lay up with their second shots. It was definitely a good birdie hole and a easy hole to finish your round on. What remains of this hole is the fairway of the par 4 eighteenth hole on the east course. The old 18th tee was back and the green was not elevated as it is now. Mike Cook
Old # 6 hole and green
Old # 12 green (now # 4 green) with the two lane Columbus Parkway in the background