Palmer's 9 hole haven

Tucked amid the farmland and wooden acres off Fishhook Road just off the Glenn Highway, north of Palmer lies a haven for both the avid and recreational golfer.

The Fishhook Golf Course, a nine-hole par 36 course and driving range, has established itself as a favorite with the local golf community.

Established in 1997 by Jess Werner, Skip Pelletier and Tracy Moffitt, the Fishhook Golf Course has evolved from a driving range with a putting green, to a six-hole course and to the nine-hole course seen now.

Though the course did not open until 1997, it was a long-time idea of Werner's.

"When I moved out here on Fishhook in 1971 I looked out the window and thought this was a good place for a golf course," Werner said. "I had five acres with a pitching and putting range for my own amusement. In the spring everyone would come out and drive balls. Skip and I got to talking, why don't we put a driving range in."

Werner and Pelletier consulted with Moffitt, who owns the land the course lies on, and the rest is history.

Werner said that when the course was built, they surveyed the lay of the land and established where the greens would best be placed.

"We bulldozed a few areas, but the rest is the lay of the land," Werner said.

The par-36 course features two par-five holes, a pair of par-three holes and five par-four holes.

The course starts off with a long 453-yard par-five first hole. Golfers that are aiming for their PGA card can tee off 507 yards away from the flag on the first hole.

The longest hole on the course is the 518-yard par-five, sixth hole, which features a sharp dog-leg left.

"People think this is a small course," Werner said. "It

isn't."

"Walk it, you will know it is not."

The total length of the course is just more than 3,300 yards.

"It is not a forgiving course," frequent customer Jim Straayer said as he was teeing off in the driving range.

Straayer is an example of what Werner calls his primary clientele.

Straayer was at the driving range Thursday afternoon teaching his daughter, Annie, the basics of the sport.

"That's an example of a father teaching his daughter," Werner said. "The biggest thing we see is a father and son or father and daughter.

"The father knows how to play and introduces his kids to the game."

It is not only the course, but the affordability of a day of golf that attracts people to the Fishhook Golf Course. A round of nine holes is just $8 during the weekend and $6 on a weekday, compared to the $30 and $40 charge for a round of 18 holes at the major courses.

Carts can be rented for a mere eight bucks.

Annual passes are available, $300 per individual ofr$450 for the family.

The pass buys unlimited golf for a year.

"It is affordable enough to learn the game without spending a fortune," Werner said. "This is a place where beginning and avid golfers are comfortable with the surroundings and laid-back attitude."

"It gets better each time I come here," Marty Rinke said as he was working on the first hole of the course. "It is one of the better kept secrets of the Valley."

It took just three years for the course to evolve to nine holes and a future 18-hole course may not be out of the question.

"It is always in the back of my mind," Werner said. "Until we get the water hazards established and the greens good, we will stick to nine holes," Werner said.