– Reporter’s note: I am a high-handicap golfer voluntarily putting my novice skills on public record in an attempt to help highlight course features for relatable golfers. Joe Hood is one of three low-handicap golfers who participated in this project to offer insight on playing the course.

Joe Hood remembers the days as a teenager with his friends that included walking Paul Walker Golf Course four times through and capping it off with a Taco Bell run up the street.

The convenience of Bowling Green’s central golf escape is vital to the local recreational community. It was one of the city’s only options through the parks and recreation department during a stretch of strict shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. To highlight one of Bowling Green’s three municipal courses, Hood walked what is considered the two most challenging holes at the nine-hole course in the middle of town.

Paul Walker Golf Course is a 2,957-yard par-35 layout, making it the shortest of the three public courses that include Hobson Grove and CrossWinds. It typically hosts most of the junior golf events and the annual Paul Walker Memorial Golf Tournament the first week of June. That 35-year run hit pause in 2020 due to the pandemic.

When Hood played the course with Daily News sports reporter Elliott Pratt in May, it was his first visit since winning the tournament in 2018.

“Good memories when I come here,” Hood said. “I always enjoy playing here in the tournament and keeping up with the Junior Golf Tournaments.”

Hood is a scratch golfer who knows Paul Walker Golf Course like the back of his hand. Even still, getting out of the trees down the right side of the par-4 No. 7 remains the first step of a successful hole.

“It’s probably one of the toughest, if not the toughest, when it’s this far back,” Hood said from the back pin that sits 412 yards from the green. “It brings in a bunch of trees, these two mainly. But if you push it off to the right you have many more. Trying to hit it past the trees is a must.”

Hood put his drive nearly 300 yards and bypassed the two trees he referenced and set up an open wedge shot at the green. Hood chipped his second shot on the fringe and two-putted for par. I embarrassingly sailed a chip shot past the green and four-putted for a quadruple bogey.

“I’ll take a par on No. 7 every day of the week,” said Hood, who then offered some tips to improve short game. As the golf coach at Warren Central High School, coaching new golfers on putting and chipping techniques is one of his favorite areas of coaching.

“You can do just a couple of little things and show a lot of progress, especially to new kids,” Hood said. “That’s where you knock off strokes. Those add up after a while.”

The next hole played is No. 8, a par 3 that forces you to put the ball high to avoid water or the large bunker on the right.

From the back tee, it plays around 160 to the pin once factoring in location and wind. Hood plays into the wind and hits an 8-iron, putting the ball on the green hitting uphill for birdie.

“This is a tough hole,” Hood said. “I’ve had some good memories here and some bad memories here. This is a good hole when they put the tees back. Makes it a little more challenging for sure.”

I hit 7-iron off the box and missed the green to the left. Chipped on and three-putted for double-bogey. Hood hits it soft on the first attempt and taps in for par.

“Too soft, but I’ll take a three on No. 8 any day,” Hood said.

UP NEXT

Bowling Green High School boys’ golf coach Adam Whitt joins Pratt at the recently renovated Hobson Grove Golf Course. They highlight the new driving range and newly reconfigured holes at the back of the property.{&end}