Sometimes this hole can set up pretty darn tough, but often it’s not too bad for an 18th hole.  You’ll size up the wind and pin placement and then see if you’re able to drive out to the second fairway, from where you’ll be shooting downhill into this down-sloped green.  A 3-hybrid is often a […]

Several options here with different woods and tee heights, so you’ll adjust and play the wind and pin as needed.  With a pin tucked front right, you can also trickle down off the hill to the right of the green. From the front box, here’s a 9-wood that is short but catches some incredible bounces […]

With a huge wind, you might consider taking a shot at the green with a huge C3, as this one can be drivable…this one almost got there!  Even an A1 can be an option to try, but there’s more trouble on that side if you don’t have a lob wedge or something to flop over […]

From the right box, you can either use a tee to hit over the cactii (clubbing down and hitting hard is always good to maximize elevation and minimize chance of hitting anything), or you can club up a bit and play a small hook around the right side of the cactii into the green, like […]

Just throw your drive out in the fairway (avoid the dirt with the right-sloping fairway, though!), but you might want to consider leaving yourself between a 3W-5W approach…those clubs give you flexibility to fight any wind with enough elevation to easily reach the green on this uphill shot, but also without much gap in distance.  […]

From the right box it’s usually best to play a high tee…you’ll notice shots coming up short here at times so I tend to hit a bit harder to urge the ball into those back pins.  Here’s a high-teed 4W floated into a back pin. From the left box, you’ll have a straighter look at […]

Rare setups allow you to drive within about 25 yards of the green on this hole!  So if you see a favorable look, it might be good to attempt a big drive at it to see if you can make the chip…you’ll line up one click left of the hole and play a big A1 […]

This hole is not too challenging other than the offset…it’s slightly uphill from the left boxes and slightly downhill from the far-right box.  It’s a pretty big green so just make sure to give yourself a putt! From the back-right box, this driver finds a right pin. One new box is left of the front-left […]

Perhaps the best, most consistent look off the tee is to turn way right of the green and play out to the grassy area that is actually desert turf, which plays like the first cut of the fairway.  Playing out to the end here means a clearer approach shot into the green where you can […]

Three tee boxes here offer varying looks…one short-right, one medium-center and one back-left. From the back box, this driver finds a back pin. One new tee box is to the right from about 160 yards…here’s a nice 5-iron worked into a right pin. Another new box is way out left from about 230 yards instead.

From the front-left box, the hill is not really in play…it’s the easiest look.  Just carry a wood over the edge of the hill into the green…here’s an ace with the 5-wood. From the back-center box, you’ll high tee a 5W or 6W over the hill into the green…elevation usually isn’t an issue to clear […]

Here’s a 7-hybrid ace to a front pin. One new tee box is behind the original from about 190 yards instead.

Rare setups make this hole drivable from the front box. Some players can even reach from the middle box especially by using Streaks – check out this huge C3 that finds the hole! After a drive down the fairway, here’s an example hole-out. One new tee box is left of the original middle box where […]

Usually I’d say you need to be careful thumbing any shot where you’re clearing a wall with water in front, but because this shot is often a more-lofted 5W or 6W anyway, thumbing is not a bad option, especially with a tailwind.  And tailwinds are what present the most trouble here…just make sure your worst […]

For a 17th hole par 3, this one usually plays pretty easy.  The only issue might be a gap in clubs where you have to use a tee to adjust.  When in doubt, the center of the green is a big landing area! From the front-center box, here’s the same distance and two very different […]

Most looks have you floating a high-teed wood over the trees into the green, especially from the back boxes.  With a tailwind, you can even get by with a medium-teed 6W so that you can use backspin.  Here’s one with the medium-5W that made it straight over with backspin to a back pin. From the […]

Some looks let you go straight at this green…it depends what kind of line you have and how lofted a club you can use.  From the back box, here’s a high-teed 5W over the top to a back pin.  And this high-teed 3W easily clears the right side of the trees to a right pin. […]

You’ll almost always be using a high tee to safely blast into the second fairway for an open approach shot. However, from the right tee box, there’s an area of rough to the right of the grove of trees that can be an option too depending on wind and pin. There’s a new tee box […]

There are two shorter boxes and one or two longer boxes that can play almost 300 yards.  This is a tougher green that definitely brings water into play, more so as you see the pin tucked away in the front or right.  You can attack this pin more with the flag on the left. From […]

From either of the back-right boxes, there are a couple routes you can take to reach the second fairway.  Some looks let you just blast a high-teed driver straight over the trees.  If you need more distance, you can turn left and play a high A1 drive.  But you should also consider turning right and […]

The only note here is that this hole plays slightly uphill, and the green slopes up, so you might consider a little extra strength with your approach to accommodate. There’s a new tee box way up right from about 200 yards where you have a shot into a left 5 green instead.

With most setups, you can blast over the water to the left side of the second fairway for a clear approach.  Even being in the rough here is fine and will leave your club with enough distance to get there. With really bad setups, you might want to read the pin placement.  Laying up to […]

Not much to this one – no reason not to just lay back in the first fairway and bring in your approach.  You could drive to the second fairway but the extra distance doesn’t offer you much here.  Over time, you might just find a spot that leaves you with your favorite club on the […]

From the front box, this hole is usually drivable – here’s a high-teed driver straight at it for the ace.  And here’s a big C3 that gets it done too! From the middle box, it can still be worth it to attempt a big drive to get up in the sand for a chip at […]

It can be tough with some setups, but a high-teed 10.5 driver hit well can still carry up onto the plateau to the left.  Going up top, as usual, gives you the advantage of a straight shot down into the green.  Distance is important too, since it can be tough to get an approach driver […]

Most times the best shot here is to blast as far as you can down the left fairway, either a B2 hammer or a curve shot.  In the right conditions, you’ll carry far enough to have a clear shot at the pin.  Sometimes you’ll have to play a small cut into the green still, but […]

This par 4 is sometimes drivable, but sometimes shut down from the back box. There are 3 tee boxes, and the first two are always there either straight at the green or using a C3 shot. From the front-left box, here’s a driver straight at it for the ace. From the back box, you need […]

This is perhaps the toughest hole this year, where birdie is outstanding and par can be just fine…it’s so difficult to avoid the water with some looks.  You have an awkward green with water everywhere and rocks to deflect errant shots into said water.  Loft is key to clear everything, and accuracy is key to […]

A really tough finishing hole for a really tough course.  The easiest box here is the front-right one which at least allows a straight shot into the green, although you still have to manage the wind and avoid the water.  Shot-making can get very creative here; sometimes you want low-loft and sometimes you need to […]

Some setups here can be really tough, because you can face distance challenges as well as finding the right cut.  You’ll be coming in left-to-right usually, so angle is important. A common mistake I’ve seen early is to come up short, and then compound the issue by using bite or backspin, which pulls your ball […]