Most mountain courses are surprisingly flat. Typically, they sit in valleys and
the elevation changes on holes aren't all that extreme. At most mountain
courses, the biggest reminder of the geography (besides the view) is the need to
account for longer shots at elevation when considering club selection.
But its 4,400-foot elevation just begins to explain why I'm standing on the
tee of the 235-yard 10th hole at Mountain Air Country Club—with an 8-iron in my
hands. At the turn, I had run into director of golf Brad Kirkman, who advised me
to play the 10th at about 155 yards.
I glanced at the scorecard and wondered whether he was pulling my leg, but as
I stepped onto the tee, I could understand why: From tee to green, the hole
drops 212 feet. I anxiously watched as my shot, whose hang time could be
measured by a sundial, finally landed on the front half of the green.
A 235-yard 8-iron? At Mountain Air, everyone has a chance to feel like J.B.
Holmes.
Remarkably, the 10th was a bunny slope compared to the black-diamond 599-yard
11th. That hole's elevation drop from tee to green is 388 feet. After a pair of
4-woods, I was just steps short of the green.
The 10th and 11th are the highlights of a 6,425-yard layout that sits near
the peak of 4,919-foot Slickrock Mountain, north of Asheville, North Carolina,
and architect Scott Pool performed a deft job of designing a playable layout
from an inhospitable site.
Of course, whatever goes down, must come up, and Pool finishes the layout
with a series of holes that move steadily uphill, especially the strong 511-yard
18th, which plays far longer than the 11th.
While the back nine
moves up and down along the northwest slope, the front nine sits on a flattish
plain on the opposite side of the mountain and offers 50-mile views of the
spectacular surroundings. Its strongest holes are 417-yard 6th and the 572-yard
8th (pictured), a downhill par 5 that requires a perfectly judged approach to a perched
green. Any shots missing to the right will fall off the side of the
mountain.
But the most interesting feature of the course has little to do with golf. It
is the 2,875-foot runway that bisects the front nine and allows members to fly
in and be on the tee five minutes later. (More than 100 members are pilots, and
the pro shops doubles as a control tower.)
There is more to Mountain Air than golf and flying. The community enjoys a very engaged family-oriented membership, and there are plenty of activities throughout the year, centered around the village, which sits just next to the end of the runway.
Mountain Air has plenty of room to explore, and it is easy to fall into a sense of serenity at the Lost Chimneys Golf Learning Center. The driving range and short-game area are located down the mountain in a valley that is so secluded that while practicing by yourself, the only things disturbing the silence are your swing thoughts and the sweet sound of dead-center impact.
