Inside the course: Hillcrest Country Club

text size

Sep. 9, 2008

The Nationwide Tour heads to Boise, Idaho for the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft. Here's all you need to know about the course:

Fast facts

Original architect	A. Vernon Macan (1940)
Course redesign	Robert Muir Graves (1968)
Course superintendent	Joe Aholt
Number of Nationwide Tour events as host venue	19 (including 2008)
Course ranking	Ranked 28 (out of 34) in difficulty on the Nationwide Tour in 2007
Par value	71
Yardage history	6,739 yards (1990)
	6,773 yards (1991-1995)
	6,885 (1996-1999)
	6,698 (2000-2001)
	6,765 (2002)
	6,789 (2003-2006)
	6,801 (2007)
	6,698 (2008)
Grass	Perennial ryegrass, Poa annua (tees, fairways); Bentgrass, Poa annua (greens); Perennial ryegrass, Poa trivialis (rough)
Tournament Stimpmeter	12 ft
Sand bunkers	57
Water hazards	4
Course tour	Click here

Course record

Player
J.P. Hayes
Woody Austin

Year
1994
1994

Round
2nd
3rd

Finish
T3
T3

Holes-in-one

There have been 16 aces recorded at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft.

Player	Hole	Year
Mike Brisky	4	1992
J.P. Hayes	8	1994
Rocky Walcher	17	1997
Terry Price	8	1997
Larry Silveira	17	1999
Curt Byrum	8	1999
Rob McKelvey	4	2001
Tim Clark	4	2001
Jeff Quinney	13	2003
Jody Bellflower	17	2004
Aaron Barber	17	2005
Rick Fehr	8	2005
Ricky Barnes	4	2006
Ricky Barnes	17	2007
David Hearn	17	2007
Tadd Fujikawa	17	2007

2007 Rankings

Most Difficult Hole

	The par-3 13th The 13th hole is a demanding 216-yard par 3 that plays into a prevailing breeze, which quarters from left to right and into the players. Mature trees on both sides of the green complex will not come into play for the Nationwide Tour players, but greenside bunkers guard both sides of the small green surface. Players that short-side themselves will have difficulty getting up and down from the deep ryegrass rough that surrounds the putting green. This is a hole that the players will hit a long iron or hybrid club into, and par is a good score, especially on Sunday. 2007: 0 eagles, 28 birdies, 292 pars, 110 bogeys, 6 double bogeys, 2 others
Easiest hole in 2007
	The par-5 2nd No. 2 is the first of two back-to-back par 5 holes. It plays a short 523 yards with a prevailing wind at the players' backs. Dense evergreen trees and deep rough guard the right side of the fairway and bunkers guard the left side of the landing area, but a good drive will leave a second shot of between 180 and 220 yards to a large, well-bunkered green surface. Tour players will be disappointed to make par on this hole and there will likely be several eagles during the course of play. This hole is definitely an opportunity to pick up strokes on your card. 2007: 18 eagles, 239 birdies, 164 pars, 15 bogeys, 1 double bogeys, 1 others

Hillcrest CC			2007 rankings		Last 18 years
Hole	Par	Yards	Avg. Score	Rank	Avg. Score	Rank
1	4	409	4.046	5	4.145	5
2	5	523	4.418	18	4.558	17
3	5	561	4.589	16	4.736	16
4	3	182	3.039	9	3.096	8
5	4	440	4.144	3	4.171	4
6	4	414	3.989	11	4.016	12
7	4	422	4.009	10	4.040	10
8	3	199	3.046	5	3.077	9
9	4	407	4.043	8	4.138	6
10	4	359	3.877	14	3.957	13
11	4	462	4.148	2	4.306	1
12	4	408	3.947	12	4.096	7
13	3	216	3.228	1	3.305	2
14	4	438	4.105	4	4.248	3
15	4	293	3.779	15	3.836	15
16	5	535	4.457	17	4.522	18
17	3	134	2.895	13	2.893	14
18	4	399	4.046	5	4.037	11

NOTES: In 2007, the front nine played to a 35.323 average, which was 0.677 strokes below par.
• Last season, the back nine had a stroke average of 34.482, which was 0.518 strokes below par.
• The Nationwide Tour pros made 58 eagles; 1,699 birdies; 4,955 pars; 1,071 bogeys; 85 double bogeys and 16 others last season.

Course origins

Since 1951, Hillcrest Country Club has operated a trolley train to lift golfers from the ninth fairway to the green some 80 feet above. While many courses around the country employ this type of transportation, very few come with the story Hillcrest has to tell. In 1951, 11 years after the incorporation of the club, five club members donated the trolley. The "Junior Pacific," as it was named, came from one of the lumber processing plants owned by Boise Cascade Lumber Company.

When it was christened, the trolley was draped in red, white and blue bunting used to cover President Woodrow Wilson's stand when he spoke at Cheumont, France after World War I ended. All the money, materials, and labor used to construct the "train" was donated. The purpose of the Junior Pacific, as stated in the invitation to the christening, was as follows: An aid to the aged...A lift for the laggers...A solace for the slicer...A hoist for the hooker.
-- Source: Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

Tournament course history