MOORHEAD — If there were walk-up songs to the first tee at the Red River Amateur, no one would pick “Who Let the Dogs Out,” by Baha Men which came out in 2000.
The big dogs are staying in the bag.
It’s probably been 26 years too since drivers were a key factor in playing high-level golf at the Moorhead Country Club. With the accuracy needed to play for position off the tee, you’ll find a variety of driving irons, 3-irons, 4-irons and even higher lofted clubs swiped off the tee boxes, even on some par-5 holes during the three-day tournament.
“The course demands keeping the ball in play because you have to be in the right spot on the greens to have a chance at an aggressive birdie putt,” said Andy Doeden, the 46-year-old who has played the course since he was a child and turned pro after his collegiate career at Texas Christian University.
Riley Johnson, a former pro as well after winning the North Dakota Class A title twice at West Fargo, fired a 2-under 69 on Saturday to put himself near the lead.
“You don’t have to come out here and bomb it,” Johnson said, noting that making your second shot playable is paramount since several fairways are lined with trees. “So if that’s a 5-iron or 6-iron off the tee, that’s what you’ve got to do.”
Johnson carries a driving iron, but much of it has to do with wind direction and planning out the hole ahead. On Friday, for instance, there were several front pin positions and players kept that in mind when considering their second shot.
The finishing side-by-side holes of Nos. 17 and 18, with the course’s entrance Caddy Avenue being out of bounds between them, is a narrow challenge for every golfer at MCC. You’ll see golfers pull anything out of the bag depending on what they’re comfortable with.
Some players in Doeden’s group opted for drivers on the 17th, a 341-yard hole that can have a tight-fitting second shot if the pin is not near the center of the green.
“They got it up there 60 yards short, so they had a little closer shot coming in,” Doeden said.
The former hourglass-shaped No. 7, revamped more than 25 years ago, is another example of a par-5 that plays a bit backwards. It always has. You can’t miss right off the tee and the angle to the green demands precision off the tee.
“No one is hitting driver, right?” Doeden said.
The 518-yard hole is typically a long iron off the tee for these guys and a make-or-break second shot if one wants to attack the green protected to the right by water.
Doeden, off in the morning wave off No. 10 on Saturday, shot a 6-over 77, had three birdies in his round and closed with a 40 on the front nine. He’s just inside the cut to advance to Sunday’s final round.
While distance rules golf, it’s not as important at MCC. With several greens sloping front to back, missing long and having a slippery downhiller isn’t the most fun way to score here.
“I think that the players that are going to have the most success this week are going to be the best ball strikers,” Doeden said. “And they’re going to be the best decision-makers.”
Johnson said he hit five drivers on Saturday, a round in which he birdied five holes. His driver on the 558-yard 13th led to one of those birds.
With helping wind on the 533-yard, par-5 fifth, Johnson left his driver in the bag with the fairway having a slight angle to the right.
“You just have to go through your numbers to make sure you have an opportunity to go for it, especially downwind,” Johnson said. “So I hit 3-wood just because the trees are kind of straight-away on the left and if I hit a really good driver, I’d go straight through it.”
Even with 3-wood, he had just an 8-iron approach left to the green.
“If you’re spot on from 150 yards and in, you’ll do pretty well out here,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of wedges that you hit from 85 yards to 150.”