This shot is easiest from the left-center box — normally a high tee right at the green, even though a high tee wouldn’t always be needed.  Here’s a high-teed 5-wood ace from there. The same shot works from the right-center box where a high tee is most often needed.  Or you can work a shot around […]

This hole plays uphill, so you’ll usually need to play a little extra distance to stay pin-high.  But above all else here, keep your ball on the same tier as the pin!  It can be tempting to be aggressive, but you’ll likely cost yourself a stroke if you have to putt up or down a […]

Three different fairway approaches to the hole create variety on this short par 4, which is all about distance control.  You need to clear the hill in front while trying not to fall off the slope on the back. Here’s an ace coming down the right fairway, where the angled green makes the shot slightly […]

The best setups allow you to blast a straight high-teed driver over the cacti to the right edge of the second fairway.  If the wind is more challenging, you can rotate left and play a big A1 drive through the gap into that second fairway instead.  Here’s a nice backspin one-hop hole-out with the 7-wood. […]

Here you’ll almost always play a driver straight ahead to just behind the back-left fairway trap.  This is the safe play, and the farther left you can stay, the straighter approach you’ll have — this one played the wind nicely.  Here’s a nice 7-wood curved around from well behind the fairway sand.    Even if you […]

This par 5 is difficult to get close in two because of the narrow fairway and the pesky trees hanging over the green.  However, I’ve found a strategy that works pretty well most of the time. With any type of wind except a strong tailwind, you can lay back in the fairway for a driver […]

There are many ways to play this shot, and often still more than one option given a particular tee box and wind.  The left-center box gives you the best look, because you can take aim straight at the green and play just a small curve around the left of the trees.  You can also rotate […]

This year’s Design-A-Hole has a lot going on.  There are a lot of options, so you’ll need to size them up depending on your tee box.  From the front boxes, this hole can be drivable, and you’ll always want to go for it.  Even with a wind blowing hard right, you can still curve a […]

A low-teed 4-wood often works well here — it stays under the first obstacle and goes through the second obstacle instead of over it.  This lets you hit it hard but still have correct distance.  Check out an example of that shot here.  Just be careful using backspin and/or hitting it super hard, both of […]

The only legitimate chance of eagle here is to look to the right towards the green, and locate the shortcut patch.  Depending on the wind, you’ll play a couple different types of shots.  With a headwind, you’ll want a high tee, loft and an accurate line through the middle of the structures to nail the […]

This is one of the toughest eagles in 2013, followed immediately by perhaps THE toughest eagle in the game.  In most cases, it doesn’t hurt to go for it, because the sand and the rough below the hole will catch most errant shots.  Let’s start there, because this is very entertaining. From the front box, […]

With a tailwind, blast a long drive down the fairway, where you should have enough to get there in two.  Hit it straight or curve it and try to get past the bridge a ways.  The overhanging bridge can be in play if you hit it too hard, so you’ll want the ball on the […]

Here’s a nice 4-wood with backspin from the far right box.  In contrast, here’s a great 7-wood from there as well. This 5-wood rolled in nicely from the center box. Check out this ferocious 3-wood dunk from the back box! VIDEO DEMO

Here’s a nice 3-wood ace from the left-center box followed by one floated in from the right-center box. The hole gets long from the back boxes.  You can work a driver through the gap in the middle like this nice shot from the back right box. Or, you can high tee something like a 3-wood and go […]

From the back left box, this one can be really tough.  The trees reach out and it almost looks undrivable, but it can be done — you’ll just need the right angle of pullback, and take it all the way out to 3 or past.  Here’s an excellent 3-wood ace from the back-left box.  You […]

Here’s a nice 7-wood from the front-left box followed by a 5-wood ace from the back-right box. VIDEO DEMO

Some of you know that I invested in a 2012 Golden Tee Unplugged that I got set up in my basement right before the Super Bowl this year!  It’s been incredible.  Not only do I hope to improve my game, but my mind was also racing with ideas for experiments to run with the luxury […]

Here’s a perfect driver to a back pin.  This one didn’t need to bounce at all.

There’s a lay-up spot towards the green on the right side of the hill, but it’s tough to stick, and usually not worth it!  Be careful of the wood too, which can deflect your ball too much. It’s almost always a better option to blast far out in the main fairway.  Here’s a great hole-out […]

The votes are in! Borrowing from a blog on underdogsports.net, there have been enough votes to have a consensus on the difficulty ranking of each 2008 course in Golden Tee Live. Here’s the breakdown, from hardest to easiest: 1) Bayou Bay — got 41 of 68 votes for hardest course, and average rank was 1.57. […]

This shot varies quite a bit depending on the tee box, with the most challenging setups calling for a high-teed driver from the back box.  Still, it’s a straight shot where you’re just playing the wind, so it comes down to distance control in sticking the green for your eagle putt.

There are some rare setups from the front box with a tailwind that allow big hitters to reach the green, but usually you’re laying up short in the left fairway (here’s a hole-out from there) or trying to curve around the corner right for a clear, shorter approach.  Here’s a hole-out from the right.

Complexities could arise if the pin is close to the tier division on the green, as you never want to be on the wrong side of that…but it’s usually manageable on this par 3.  However, you need to make sure you have the right clubs in your bag for this one.  It can be a […]

It’s not typically too difficult to stick the green here, but if you’re on the wrong tier, you’ll have some problems, as putting behaves peculiarly up the slope.  You may need several attempts to putt up to the second tier depending on the distance.  So, especially with a pin on the top tier, make sure […]

Here’s another always driveable par 5 that will just challenge your shot-making and distance control.  Most often, you’ll set up a bit left of the green and angle it fairly straight right through the gap.  Depending on how hard you hit it, the hills by the green can be in play with the elevation or […]

With golden tees, this par 5 now becomes drivable in most all cases!  There can be straight looks through the cactus gaps right at the green, or you can turn left to play up and over…check out this high-teed 3-wood around the left of the cacti that finds the cup! The best and most controlled […]

Many conditions make this hole drivable with a high-teed driver of any kind…you can often play straight at it, or curve one in there if you need extra distance.  Of course the sand will try to stop your ball in front of the green but it’s great to take advantage of this eagle when it’s […]

Not many holes provide as much risk/reward as this one — it can give you a double-eagle and a chance at a huge round or it can be a blow-up hole, killing your round.  First step is to size up the conditions. I’ve had success over the top with a high 6W but usually only […]

Three different tee boxes here, but there are certainly more challenging finishing holes than this one.  Do your best to stick the middle of the green to give yourself a shot to finish with an eagle. From the center box, here’s a 3-wood with bite that finds the hole.

It appears the layup spot is always the same here…just curve your drive around left-to-right and make sure it sticks in the fairway out to the right.  With a driver off the tee, you’ll have plenty of distance to reach the green in two on your approach.