(NOTE: This is the second installment in a weekly series featuring some of the toughest golf holes across Hampshire County. The series will run each Saturday in print throughout the summer.)

SOUTH HADLEY — When it comes to the overall condition of a public golf course, Ledges Golf Club is up there with the best of them in Hampshire County.

From tee to green, the place is in terrific shape. And on certain holes the mountain range in the background provides plenty of scenic views. In the fall when the leaves turn to the renowned combination of red, orange and yellow, there aren’t too many courses that can replicate the natural beauty of Ledges.

The 6,507-yard (from the tips) par-72 is a testy 18-hole course with a great balance of long, challenging holes, dog-legs turning both ways and straight-forward, short holes that are friendly to the average golfer.

As a bonus, the course and its clubhouse areabout a half-mile away from the entrance. The only loud noises you’ll hear are an occasional “fore” when someone misses off the tee.

It’s a peaceful round on a fun setup.

“The golf course itself, the looks of it are pretty great, and you got the mountain range overlooking it,” Ledges head golf professional Rick Leal, who started his gig just a couple months back, said. “I think it’s just a good-looking golf course. It’s in great shape, and when the foliage hits in the fall it’s just beautiful out here. It’s pretty quiet, there isn’t any road traffic out here, so that makes it nice too. You’re secluded out here and you don’t have to hear any horns honking or anything like that.”

The course record at Ledges Golf Club is a 63, and after the town of South Hadley purchased the 244-acre site in 1996, it officially opened for its first round of golf in August of 2001. At the time (23 years ago), a double-wide trailer stood as the course’s clubhouse – a large tent serving as the banquet facility.

Things have since changed, with Sunset Grille – a nice restaurant and bar area – now adjacent to the pro shop (which is no longer in a double-wide trailer, by the way). Even Chicago Bears legend Jim McMahon stopped by to play Ledges back in the original stages of its existence.

“The course is just in great shape right now, and you never have complaints,” Leal said. “People don’t come off the course and talk about what they didn’t like. It’s always something positive to say. As a pro, that’s nice to have. You don’t have to deal with any negativity. People come in, play a round, have their food and drink, and that’s it. The people here really are great.”

Do you like long and narrow?

If so, the second hole will be a piece of cake!

If you’re like 99 percent of golfers, you’re just glad No. 2 is over with early on in your round and you’ll have forgotten about it by the time you make the turn.

The 448-yard (tips), par-4 is as tight as it gets on the course, with nothing but out-of-bounds (OB) and hazard parading down both sides of the hole. There is room to miss left, but not until you avoid the first 250 yards of trees. Driver off the tee is probably necessary considering the length of the hole, yet a fairway wood or even a low iron wouldn’t be completely ridiculous to help keep it straight.

Once you’re in play, the second shot into the green isn’t exactly easy either. Miss the green long, you’re probably in the woods, because everything slopes off the back and into more trees. Miss the green right, and you’re in a bunker with a pretty sizable lip that you’d be happy just to get on the green somewhere.

The green itself has two tiers, with everything running toward the front. The second hole is listed as the No. 1 handicap on the scorecard, and for good reason.

“I think No. 2 is probably the hardest [hole],” Leal said of the course. “You’ve got trees down the right side and everything tilts to the right side. You’ve got trees up the left as well, so trees both sides, and heavy grass in certain areas. And it’s still a pretty lengthy shot into the green, which is a narrow green. All of those things combined makes that one of the toughest ones out here.”

Don’t judge a book by its cover

Remember being told that growing up? Well, the old adage couldn’t be more true when stepping up to the tee box on No. 3, a hole that can play as short as 70 yards depending on what tee you play from. It’s almost too short a shot to be confident in.

The par 3 has become one of the most well-known holes across the Commonwealth. The green stretches wide from left to right but is narrow front to back, and there are two bunkers out front guarding it.

Stories have been told where some players even take out a putter on the tee, simply because they don’t have a club they feel comfortable hitting that distance.

It’s a shot that surely gets your mind racing, but the better players don’t ever have a problem with.

“It’s one of the shortest holes in the state, so it’s definitely interesting,” Leal said. “It’s straight-forward, has a bunker around it, but it’s very short. It’s unique. When you talk to people, they either hate or love that third hole. That’s the hole people talk about.”

Avoiding the bunkers on 15 should mean the hole is stress-free

No. 15 is the shortest par 4 on the course, and it’s about as straightforward as any hole, but it’s littered with bunkers – both fairway and green-side – on each side. The reachable 287-yarder can be quite easy if you miss those sand traps off the tee.

Any club is acceptable so long as you keep it in play.

The green has some undulation, but nothing egregious enough to leave you with a putt that doesn’t at least have a chance to go in. With the 16th hole (298 yards) being very similar, walking off the green with anything more than a par is a missed opportunity to card consecutive low numbers heading into the final two holes.

“Fifteen is a drive-able hole for most players, and it’s fairly open off the tee so I feel like that one is a pretty easy one,” Leal said. “It’s a simple, score-able one for most people in general.”

Garrett Cote is a Gazette sports reporter. He can be reached at gcote@gazettenet.com