The Oaks Golf Links

The Oaks Golf Links

real estate The Oaks lies on 270 acres, a larger than usual parcel for a golf course, that has many of the same soil characteristics found in the heaths. These well-draining soils are excellent for the growth of bentgrass, which you will find on our fairways, tees and greens. We also have gently rolling terrain, wide fairway corridors and beautiful oaks, pines, hemlock and firs that create the framework for fascinating golf. Except for the trees, you will find our layout is links-like in flavor.

The Oaks Golf Links is located on a site that the city of Somersworth has long designated as being ideal for a golf course. Because of that, almost no houses will line our course. The fairways here will always remain free of distractions and secluded and serene; it's a setting where you can revel in the scenery and your game.

Originally, the city had hoped to build the course itself, but has now leased the land to the same group that owns Candia Woods Golf Links in Candia, New Hampshire. The Oaks will become a sister course to Candia Woods and eventually will provide reciprocal privileges for the members of each course.

"We have the right amount of elevation changes here at The Oaks," says Peter Harrity, one of the partners in the firm developing the course. "If you have too much elevation, you have a lot of going down and trying to get back up. The gentle terrain here is ideal. And although this is a wooded site, you will find that the fairways are very wide."

You'll play from tee boxes at The Oaks that will suit golfers with a wide range of skills - both men and women and players of every generation. That's because our layout varies in length from 6,663 yards at the back tees to 4,932 from the forward. No matter how much distance you get out of your clubs, you'll feel at home here. The par-71 course is designed to have three par-5s, four par-3s and 11 par-4s. Two of the par-5s allow you to see the entire hole from the teeing area. Three ponds also enhance the great vistas seen throughout the course.

William Bradley "Brad" Booth, who is architect for the course, says, "The course is called The Oaks for a reason because most of the trees on the property are oaks. They create a beautiful parkland setting for the fairways."

You'll start out your round at The Oaks on a dogleg right par-4 that ranges in length from 370 to 270 yards. "On the right side," says Booth, "there is a stack of two bunkers that move the fairway to the left. The green is below you with a large bunker on the lefthand side. It's a pushed-up green with a slight false front on the right side."

No. 2 is a dogleg left with a much sharper elbow. It ranges in length from about 360 yards to 250, depending on the tee box. You take your first shot from an elevated tee that is about 15 feet above the landing area. Watch out for the pinching bunkers on the left inside the landing area and one to the right just beyond the landing area. "There's a shallow hanging green, sloping down from front to back," says Booth. "The green is perpendicular to the way you play the hole."

You face the first of a set of very beautiful par-3s on No. 3 which measures about 200 yards from the back tees and 100 from the forward.

The tee boxes are stacked on an elevated area and you'll be making a shot over a wetland that crosses in front of the green and contributes to the beauty of this hole. "There's a kidney-shaped green protected by bunkers and a tree-line behind the green. The trees actually stand on a slope behind the green so it's not likely that you will hit into them," says Booth.

No. 4 he calls an "extremely pretty par-5" one that measures from about 575 to 475 yards depending on the tee box. "You hit from tees above the fairway where you can see the entire hole to the green," Booth says. "The whole fairway is lined on the left with oaks and there is also an impinging wetland. But you can see your way right through to the hole. The second landing area is very substantial, but you're making your approach to a well-protected small green."

No. 5 is another par-3, measuring 210 yards from the back tees and 140 from the front. "There's a large, undulating green," says Booth. "It's protected by bunkers and mounds. You also have to make a substantial wetland carry from the back tees."

On the next hole, a par-4 measuring 440 yards from the back and 310 from the front, you're facing a slight dogleg left. There are elevated tees and an elevated landing area that you must reach with a shot over a dip in the fairway. "The hole is tree-lined on both sides," says Booth, "and also has a wetland to the right that's very attractive. There are some deceptive bunkers in front of the green with elevated backs that may confuse you about how far you have to go. The green is actually farther away than you think it is because the bunkers hide the ground behind them."

For the par-4 No. 7 (430 yards from the back and 320 from the forward), you're hitting from elevated tees that stand near a kettle hole full of pitch pines. You also hit to a fairway that slopes from right to left. You also have to make a wetland crossing on this hole, but you'll find no bunkers in the landing area.

There's a wetland that almost crosses the fairway on the short par-4 No. 8 (330 yards from the back tees and 240 from the forward). For most players that means making a lay-up shot off the tee to avoid going into the marsh. "Long hitters may be tempted to try to over the wetland off the tee," says Booth, "but that will requite a 300 yard drive." You'll also find substantial bunkering around the elevated green.

No. 9 is a spectacular hole, according to Booth. "It's a long par-4 that measures from 425 to 320 yards."
"The fairway is lined with oaks on both sides and there are two bunkers on the right stacked 30 to 40 yards apart. The green rises up and sits on a plateau that is in the middle of what looks like an amphitheater surrounded by oaks"

You'll find the back nine will have very similar challenges and terrain, Booth says. From the tee box of No. 10 (a par-4 that plays from 360 to 260 yards) you look down on several other holes. You can see Nos. 8, 9 and 18 in a beautiful vista across the course.

No. 11 is the second par-5 on the course, a challenging double dogleg that measures from 540 yards from the back to about 430 from the forward tees. "You can see the entire hole in front of you," says Booth. "On this fairway, you also need to make a minor wetland crossing."

No. 17 is a long par-4 (440 yards from the back tees) that offers beautiful views.

No. 18, a long par-5, is "a very exciting hole," Booth says. You start out on this finisher with a short wetland crossing. Then to the left side of the fairway, it's mainly wetland and pond. Your final shot is to an elevated green that is 25 feet above you.


Penny for your thoughts?
How about a chance to win a new iPod!