To go along with Whispering Pines Golf Club is The Needler designed by Chet Williams. The Needler opened in May of 2013 and is one of the finest short courses in the country among others like the ones at Augusta National, Pine Valley, Bandon Preserve, and Top of The Rock. The short course features a wide range of holes varying some 120 yards in distance from the back tees. The variety of holes and design on this course test every aspect of a players game. The skilled player will have good mix of birdie holes as well as some holes that they'll struggle to make par. For the higher handicappers, this course offers great opportunities have success off the tee and score around the greens but also incorporates a couple of challenging shots that can lead to some great stories. Each hole provides a different look and pays homage to some of the great golf around the world. It allows players of different handicaps and strengths to have fun matches regardless of what tees they are playing. Also be sure to check out the Course Profile of Whispering Pines if you haven't already done so!
Hole 1: 118 yards / 82 yards
The first hole on The Needler gives players an opportunity to get off to a great start. Playing as the shortest hole from the back tee box, players really want to take advantage of this hole. The green is guarded by two bunkers and water in the front as well as two bunkers that aren't visible off the tee in the back. The left side of the green is tucked behind a bunker and creates a bowl for shots to funnel towards. There's a number of ways to get to a flag in this location wether it be to fly it there, spin it off the slope, or run one down the slope. The same contour can come into play for other pin locations and make the shot just a little bit tighter. This can green create a lot of interest and variety; depending on the pin placement, this hole can vary by roughly 25 yards. It can give players a tight wedge shot but could also give them a fun short iron.
Hole 2: 164 yards / 87 yards
The second hole on The Needler plays all over water with water also wrapping around the right side of the green. Players will typically have a mid-iron into this green that is guarded in from by a bunker running 20 yards down the left side and a bunker behind the green that is not visible to players. A ridge runs through that middle part of the green and creates a distinct left and right half of the green. The right half of the green is well guarded with water and bunkers whereas the left side is guarded mostly by contours. Player missing the green with a left pin placement will have a variety of shots off the short grass surrounding this part of the green. Smaller contours put a premium on good lag putting for those who hit the green.
Hole 3: 138 yards / 81 yards
The third hole is usually played from a shorter tee box by most players about 120 yards. This is one of the more unique holes on The Needler. Players will have a fairly short club in hand and hit into a green with a lot of movement. There are a lot of options and a lot of ways to have disappointment. The green is guarded by four bunkers and water short. The back bunker is the only bunker not visible off the tee box but is a fairly popular destination for balls. The middle part of the green runs away from players and feeds into the bunker. Depending on the hole location and green speed, it is very possible to have a ball roll back in if you're not careful. A huge premium is put on proximity to the hole. The folds and contours of the green can make lag putting very difficult and quite costly to some players.
Hole 4: 305 yards / 142 yards
The fourth hole on The Needler is by far the longest hole on the course and maybe the most unique hole on the course. A huge tee shot can get players up on the green. However, the majority of us don't hit it 300 yards and it becomes a par and a half kind of hole. A bunker in the middle of the fairway is 250 yards to carry with a fairway just over 40 yards wide. This gives you enough room to position a tee shot on either side of the bunker. The right side is probably the better angle into the green given its contouring but a huge waste bunker guards the right side all the way up to the green. The left side is much wider and a good tee shot can avoid the left bunker. The tee shot, however, is not the only thing that makes this hole so interesting. The fourth green (shared with the eighth) is 28,000 square feet, making it the largest green in Texas and one of the largest greens in the country. The contouring on this green is incredibly severe and has about 9 feet in elevation change. You'll also find a couple of sprinklers in the green! This green plays very links style and most shots you hit around the green will ones that you try to roll up to the pin instead of carrying.
Hole 5: 160 yards / 93 yards
Inspired by Pine Valley's second hole, the fifth hole on The Needler plays uphill with deep bunkers going all the way up. The green itself is not visible and is guarded by a total of seven bunkers.Playing maybe half a club longer players will have to be more committed to their shot and distance in order to not miss (by being long or short) the green and end up in a bunker. The fifth hole gives players a small breather after the last hole but does require your full attention.
Hole 6: 228 yards / 125 yards
The sixth hole is the second longest hole from the back tee box and is one of the more difficult greens to hit on The Needler. The green is closely guarded with a bunker short left of the green and behind the green. Two more bunkers are well short of the green with one being about 15 yards to the front that comes in play for players trying to run it up to the green. The green itself runs away from players and is fairly difficult to hold with a long club. The left side of the green is plenty deep to hold the green giving players 45 yards of green to work with. The right half of the green, however, is only about 20 yards deep and players going over the green will have there ball roll down another 20 yards down into a swale. Like you'll see on nearly every hole on The Needler, players of completely different handicaps and skill sets can have success on the hole with any route they take and have a really fun match.
Hole 7: 200 yards / 118 yards
The seventh hole on The Needler is the only hole on the course playing next to Caney Creek. The creek runs all along the left side of the green most shots left short will roll down the false fronts into the water. The green is also guarded by five bunkers with only three visible from the tee. The bailout area on this hole is to the right just over the right bunker. There is plenty of room there but it is severely undulated and there are very few flat lies. Players missing over here will also have to deal with a number of contours in the green from an awkward angle and sometimes have to flop one over the bunker behind the green. This is yet another hole that is playable and challenging on The Needler.
Hole 8: 195 yards / 144 yards
The eight hole plays to the 28,000 square foot green shared with the fourth. This side of the green is much more severely contoured making it one of the most exciting holes on The Needler. Shots left short and left will roll down the false front some 20 yards and shots hit long an right can also roll down a slope behind the green some 10 yards. The green is also guarded by a total of three bunkers with the left bunker being the most severe. This is the deepest bunker on the hole and given the contours on the green there is very little room for error and it might still be your turn. There are a lot of options around the green and it makes matches all the more interesting and fun.
Hole 9: 174 yards / 120 yards
The final hole on The Needler is one of the most beautiful holes on the course. With water left and three bunkers, this green is well protected. Only two bunkers are visible off the tee with the other one being behind the green on the left that will easily catch anything going remotely long. This hole will surely test your nerve depending on how far left the pin is but a great finish to a great course.
