By Kim J. Harmon

PLAINVILLE – It isn’t the TPC at River Highlands, but it isn’t bad.

Hawks Landing in Plainville is not a new course, per se, but it will seem that way to the legions that had played the tract when it was known as Pattonbrook. Built in 1967 from an original design by Geoffrey Cornish, Pattonbrook was an executive course with a par of 60.

Over the years, though, the condition of the course deteriorated so badly (amidst the promise of extended renovations) that fewer and fewer golfers were taking to the links. Then came in 18Fore18, Inc., which purchased the land and quickly began the painstaking process of reshaping the course.

The ultimate design (created by Ian Scott-Taylor) promises a par 70 layout, a little over 5,000 yards long, with two entirely new holes and the redesign of several other holes. The full 18-hole layout is expected to open in August.

What 18Fore18, Inc, has done so far, though, is pretty nifty – even though there are some glaring problems (like the par-3 ninth hole, a 235-yard monster that carries water and sand traps to an elevated green).

A couple of rounds in, it became clear that the course plays better from the blue tees.

A first hole is a par-4, 300 yards, with a very slight dogleg left and a new bunker situated at the right side of the fairway. The approach is not difficult, but the green is sloped and can prove tricky.

The second hole is a par-3, 170 yards, skirting woods on the right. A trap guards the green at the right front while a grass bunker swallows balls that stray left. The green is flat and relatively easy,

The third hole has been transformed from a par-4 to a par-5, adding only about 30 yards, but throwing in a lateral water hazard along the left side of the fairway that comes into play on the second shot. The green is elevated and small.

Presently, the fourth hole is a 95-yard, par-3, with a temporary tee and a small water hazard. Soon, though, it will be a 265-yard, par 4, heading straight out with a fair amount of room on either side.

The fifth hole is presently playing to a temporary green, but when construction is finished (and it becomes the sixth hole) it looks as if it will be the second-nicest hole on the course. The tee shot will need to be taken with an iron to a comfortable landing area, with the approach having to cross a new water hazard to drop on a small green.

The seventh hole is a 265-yard, par 4, with a tee shot that has to navigate a narrow alleyway and then a nearly blind approach shot to an elevated green (from the white tees, it is considerably shorter and easier – another problem).

The eighth hole – par 4, 340 yards – has been widened along the left side, but the menacing tree at the top of the hill remains. You have to hit the tee shot to the left side of the fairway to have any hope of getting a clear approach to the green.

The ninth hole – the monster – is an almost impossible par 3. If it were a par 4, the tee shot would be a seven- or eight-iron laid up in front of the water with a short approach to the elevated green. As a par 3, it induces a lot of people to try and go for the green and that just leads to trouble.

The par 4, 10th hole remains unchanged at 410 yards. A long tee shot is needed just to reach the corner and have a visible approach shot to a small, very tough green.

The 11th hole, a par 4 now, has been extended almost 100 yards to 275. It offers an elevated tee and an inducement for someone to just get out there and whack one. Grass bunkers along both sides will swallow up errant balls.

The tee for the par 3, 12th hole has been shifted but the hole still plays about 160 yards and it has a nice, wide, inviting green.

The 13th and 14th holes will be entirely new layouts in August, but the current 13th (which will be the fifth hole next month) is one of the knee-bucklers on the course. From high atop an elevated tee, the golfer must drive to what seems a smallish landing area, braving the woods on the left and the new water hazard on the right. The approach then must carry two trenches.

The current 14th (soon to be the fourth) is a worry-free par-3 because of the wide-open area along the left and the right. The green is about 230 yards away on a slight incline and the green is somewhat small.

The 15th hole has been transformed from a decent par-4 into a short, 465-yard par 5. A misplaced fairway bunker (it seems to be too close to be in anyone’s landing area) is the only real hazard (except for the side hill lies).

The par 3, 16th hole remains one of the most challenging holes on the course because of its small and steeply sloped green. A tee shot that strays to the right will bounce down the hill and into the woods.

The 17th hole – a par 5, 475-yard layout – is the Hawks Landing signature. Playing from the blues, though, the tee shot needs to be precise and long (about 210 yards). The approach is long a narrow fairway with water along the left side, a monstrous tree slightly to the left and bunkers along the front that prevent anyone from running the ball up to the green. The green is huge, too, and well within anyone’s ability to three putt.

The 18th is a 175-yard, par 3, with a tee shot to an elevated green. A short shot in the old days would simply roll down the hill and – during the summer – probably into the water. Now the ball will likely drop into the bunker that squats on the hill.

Hawks Landing is not the TPC at River Highlands, but it isn’t Pattonbrook, either. When all the work is finished (and a couple of problems worked out), it will be a worthy course for anyone to challenge.