You’ll see many looks into this tough green, and the tee shot could be a problem if there’s a gap in your club set where you could really use that extra wedge.  You might be dealing with another 3/4-strength wedge shot with lots of wind into a tough green, so feel fortunate if you can stick the green here for a birdie putt!

Always look at where the sand is vs. the water, and err towards the side of the sand.  If you hit sand, you can still get up and down for par, but if you hit water, it’s bogey time or worse!

Now check out this wild bounce!

Monument Valley finishes with a par 5 that features a very intimidating shot into a canyon that has a little green in the middle, sloping backwards into the abyss!

The tee shot is nothing, but your approach will be a nightmare.  With a cross-wind, you can manage the distance and hit a club with no spin that should hold the green.  With a tailwind, you’ll want to land the front of the green and let the wind take the ball up the green, where it should settle.  If you’re long, though, it’s off the canyon and backwards off the green for a penalty.

A headwind here makes the shot near impossible.  You’ll need to find a way to leave yourself something like a 2-iron into the green, but I don’t think that a 2-iron would make it into a headwind from the end of the fairway.  If you lay up on your second shot, here is a 2-iron into the green — much easier to control.  Also check out this incredible driver skip — must have had a tail-wind and hit a 3/4 shot to keep it low, amazing!

Occasionally you’ll get a setup where you can drive the lower level, which enables you to hit a much easier shot, like this!

One last option, especially with a tailwind, is to go long on purpose, landing on top of the mountain behind the hole.  It slopes down towards the green, and as long as you don’t land too far back on there, your ball will trickle backwards onto the green!  Some examples are below.

One last note — there is a front-left tee box (only available in casual play) that may allow you to carry your tee shot down to the second fairway, creating a much easier approach shot in 2!

RATTLING AROUND AND IN!
GREAT HOLE-OUT
ANOTHER SKILLED HOLE-OUT
TAKING THE HIGH ROAD!
ANOTHER ONE OFF THE TOP
CRAZY SIDEWAYS PINBALL!
5-WOOD DUNK!
QUADRUPLE BANKER!
INCREDIBLE BANK-DUNK!
EVEN BETTER DOUBLE-BANK DUNK!

Some guys are driving this hole with a tailwind using a low-loft driver and the red D2 distance balls!  Even if you can’t drive it, you can consider a big A1 or C3 with roll off the tee to get pretty close to the green.  If you have good chipping skills you might be able to run one in, but be careful not to run it into the sand — par is not how you want to start!

EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT

A very long par 4, but not too difficult with the flat green — make sure to leave yourself a putt.

EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT

The only thing to warn against here is if the pin is tucked in by one of the edges of the star.  If so, make sure you err towards the center of the green so you don’t have to putt through rough towards the pin!  If you have a shorter putt, say 20-feet or less, you can still putt through this fringe, but don’t put yourself in that situation!

HOLE-OUT FROM THE LEFT BOX
HOLE-OUT FROM THE MIDDLE BOX
HOLE-OUT FROM THE RIGHT BOX

The square landing spot is not where you should be aiming.  If you’ve got the red distance balls, just pound your driver straight ahead into the rough — you’ll still be able to get on in 2 easily.

Otherwise, you can play an A1 or C3 into other parts of the rough.  The rough in front of the square patch is a good place to be, but there are a couple obstacles that could give you an unlucky break.

Perhaps a more consistent place to be is to the right of the big tower you see ahead of you.  Pounding a drive out here leaves no obstacles but a slightly longer approach — still, this is probably the safest play.

Here’s an example holeout from the square patch if you insist!

From the front box and middle boxes, this hole is always driveable.  Here’s a driver hole-out from the middle.

From the back box, it depends — it might not be driveable for you.  If you’re playing the balls that give you extra distance off the tee, it can help you drive this green from the back box!  Here’s a nice hole-out with a couple great bounces in the sand.  For GT Par purposes, this is always considered an eagle hole.

There’s nothing wrong with laying back off the tee — it’s just as easy to birdie from here.  Here’s an example hole-out from 212, well behind the water.

If you’re comfortable with a bit of a longer approach shot because it would line you up with the wind, you can blast it straight farther down the fairway.  From here, you can still get there pretty easily, as shown in this hole-out.

Finally, I’ve heard that some pros are driving this hole on occasion!  Take a look at this setup next time you play to see if you can play a huge A1 with roll around the corner, even skipping over the water as it shoots towards the green!  This one had plenty of distance, using the hill to help shoot it into the hole!

3 tee boxes and 3 potential greens present a whole array of possibilities!  The Yin Yang-shaped greens are quite difficult when the pin is tucked back into the tip, so you’ll often have to be quite accurate if you want an easy birdie putt.

FRONT LEFT BOX TO FRONT LEFT GREEN
MIDDLE BOX TO BACK MIDDLE GREEN
RIGHT BOX TO BACK MIDDLE GREEN

As with hole #4, you should bypass the obvious shortcut circle you see.  Instead, rotate right a couple times and play a big C3 with roll down the fairway.  The approach can be long at times, but you should always be able to get there in two, and you’ve taken the risk out of the drive — here’s how that’s done! Here’s another great tee shot that only took normal driver distance to get there.

Here’s a hole-out from that shortcut spot if you insist. Actually, even if you miss long and land in the dirt, you can still reach the green in 2 anyway — here’s proof.  So, if you take aim at the landing spot, err on the side of being long so that you can still ensure your eagle on this hole.

From the front box, you’ll usually have a 3-wood to 5-wood that can be pretty straight at the flag.  Here’s a 3-wood with a bit of curve holed out from the front box.

From the middle box, you’ll usually curve a 3-wood around the corner, usually with backspin to hold the green.  Here’s an example. You can also hit a 5-wood over the corner of the top of the roof, as shown here! Or, you could even hit a 7-wood with the distance balls!

From the back box, it’ll usually be a driver A1 shot, although a 3-wood can work too — here’s a great hole-out from there!

There’s no need to try to clear the river here.  Lay back and stick your approach shot close.  Here’s an example hole-out from laying up a ways back, and here’s one from under 200, still behind the water.

I usually lay back behind the sand and water, allowing me to come into the green with anything from a 5-wood to a 3-wood.  It’s about the same distance right of the sand, too, or if you’re brave you can cut over all of it for a shorter approach!

EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT FROM LAYING BACK
EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT AFTER CUTTING OVER THE HAZARDS OFF THE TEE

Don’t lose sight of the fact that this is a downhill shot, so you may think about clubbing down once off the tee.  If the wind is in your face, try laying off the backspin and just landing on the front of the green, where your ball will trickle down to the middle.  Backspin can pull your ball off the front of the green on shots into the wind that hang in the air a long time.

HOLE-OUT FROM THE FRONT BOX
HOLE-OUT FROM THE MIDDLE BOX
HOLE-OUT FROM THE BACK BOX

A good effort off the tee is required to reach the green on your second shot.  A big A1 is usually best, but you can sometimes cut the corner just as effectively with a straight B2 shot.  Here’s a nice holed-out driver from 301.

This hole is always considered driveable, but sometimes from the back box it can be really tough if you don’t have the right equipment!

HOLE-OUT FROM THE FRONT-LEFT BOX
HOLE-OUT FROM THE MIDDLE-RIGHT BOX

Here’s one of the coolest holes in the game, offering you a chance at eagle if you can somehow land your tee shot on top of The Great Wall!  Difficulty depends on the tee box and wind.  Sometimes a straight-forward 5-wood does the job no problem, but other times you’ll have to find the right degree of cut to curve a shot on top of the wall and stick it there.  7-woods and 9-woods can be wonderful clubs to have here, and you might even find yourself using something like a 7-iron.  Here’s a double eagle from the top of The Great Wall!  And check out the huge bounce this got off the rock!

The penalty for missing can be severe — if you miss left at the base of the wall, you’ll have to shoot backwards, and you’re looking at par instead.  There’s actually a thin line of grass that might catch your ball if you trickle off the right side of the wall — here’s a hole-out from that lucky spot!  As a matter of fact, if you’re really good and have a big right-to-left wind, you might want to aim for this spot off the tee.  If you land on top of the wall, the headwind will be too severe to reach the green in 2.

Check out this crazy double-bank shot — amazing.

Here’s a beautifully creative driver from 350 out!

Find a spot in the rough or the fairway that seems like the best angle towards the flag with the wind conditions.  The approach shot can be tough here, so take a bit of time to strategize your tee shot.

I’ve heard that pros are driving this hole on occasion!  One instance involved a B2 driver with the red D2 distance balls that flew 390 to the green!

EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT FROM THE RIGHT
EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT FROM THE LEFT

Here’s another Yin Yang green, but it’s much more difficult.  As you’ve probably already noticed, the fringe separating the green from the mud will NOT stop the ball — it’s sloped towards the mud.  Actually, it’s like there’s no fringe at all, because if you get too close, that ball is sucked down into the mud.  So, accuracy becomes even more important, and so does trying to play safe towards a fatter part of the green.

It’s almost impossible to overestimate the always nasty wind here, so club up and don’t use any roll if you’ve got anything but a tailwind.

HOLE-OUT FROM THE BACK LEFT BOX
HOLE-OUT FROM THE BACK RIGHT BOX

There are several different angles into this green, but almost all of them will be a straight shot towards a particular target on the green.  The green slopes severely down towards the water, so it can make your decision whether or not to use backspin quite difficult.  Usually, if you’re hitting a driver, you want backspin to hold the green, but if you don’t land far enough up this green, you’ll be sucked back in the water.  Do your best to stick and hold the center of this green, and then take your shot at a very tough putt!

I suggest only using your driver as a last resort.  If you don’t hit it hard enough, you can clip the wall and bounce off.  A 3-wood clears the wall much more safely.

Here’s a perfect 5-wood from the front right box (only available in casual play).
Here’s a 3-wood with no spin from the back right box — the slope is more than enough to bring the ball back towards the hole.  And here’s an incredible bounce off the top of the Great Wall!
Here’s, a driver from the back middle box — great shot!
Here’s a 3-wood with backspin from the back left box. And here’s another driver from the back left box that threads the needle just over the wall!
Horrible angle, but crazy lucky hop!
Beautiful 3-wood curved into the slope.

This section breaks down how to play each hole at Golden Tee’s Bonnie Moor, in Gullane, Scotland.  Check back soon to see how this course and specific holes rates difficulty-wise among all the 2009 courses!

Check back here and learn even more tips and tricks, and how to play from each of the tee boxes on the course!

So what’s the best set of clubs to use when playing Golden Tee 2009’s Bonnie Moor?  Well, I got feedback from 25 pros on their choices, and here’s what I found!

The most votes went to the old hybrids that were offered in 2005 Golden Tee.  This set has always been a favorite among pros and amateurs, and they play well on this course.  If you don’t have this set, the hybrid set sold in 2009 Golden Tee is also a great option!

Coming in second is the Big Bertha set, which features a 310 driver and lofty woods that many players feel come in handy on several holes.

A handful of other players choose different clubs just because they are more comfortable playing the same set each round, but your best bet is one of the two sets above!  Oh, and the D2 balls are the most popular choice, followed closely by the Gamers, and then the Freaks!

Here’s what the players are saying early on about Golden Tee’s new 2009 course Bonnie Moor!

AMJ — GT Par is -30.

Jeff S — Front has a lot of scoring opportunities. A lot of eagle opportunities on the front, watch out for the tall grass!!! Placement with a 3W or 4W is key sometimes just to get another 4W over the grass and hills. Stay OUT of the tall grass. Beautiful layout.  Bonnie Moor is the course to score on!

Make sure you have a lob wedge for this course!

AMJ — Warning! This will be the whore course when scoring average contest come around. Par is -30. Todd L dropped a -27 is his first game….. and lost to a -28. New woods round 1 and Low Loft round 2. More elevation change than I expected. Lots of fun reachable par 4s. A couple Par 5s that can be brutal with the wrong setup. Nice course.

We open up with a long par 4, but it’s straight and flat with a huge green — you should have no problem putting your approach shot close for birdie.

EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT

This par 4 is drivable more times than not, but you can also be pinned up against the wall on the right, or you can be on the far back left of the tee box.  If you’re in one of these spots, you most likely cannot drive the green, so leave yourself a nice approach shot.  There’s no sense in trying the impossible and ending up in the tall grass!

If you’re in the middle of the tee box somewhere, you can drive the green with an A1 — backspin, roll, or nothing depends on the pin placement and the wind!  You can either carry the gully of tall grass, or you can skip over it by bouncing right in front of it — both ways give you a chance to hold the green!

As an alternative, if you’re in the middle of the tee box, you can also play a C3 driver over the wall and curve it into the green, without having to worry about clearing the tall grass ditch! Figure out which approach will be best given your position, wind, and pin placement.

One word of warning — there’s a spot in the patchy tall grass in the front/right part before the green that can give you an unplayable lie!  If your drive is too far to the right down in that grass, you may lose a stroke and be hitting 3 off the tee!  Talk about being on tilt — avoid this area at all costs!

AROUND THE LEFT WITH BACKY
AROUND THE RIGHT WITH BACKY
426-YARDER WITH ROLL!

This par 3 is a bit tricky because it’s a long way downhill!  And you know by now that the wind is going to affect your shot at least twice as much on the way down.  You almost certainly do not want backspin here unless it’s a front pin with wind at your back, because otherwise your ball might be sucked all the way off the green.

I prefer to play a low-lofted club here if possible, because the wind will affect it a lot less, allowing you to be more accurate.  Most of the time I use no roll and try to carry the ball up to wherever the pin is located, where it will land and stick.  Roll can be appropriate at times too.  Remember that short is in the water!

This 9-wood has more than 7 seconds of hangtime!

EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT
THIS ONE IS UNBELIEVABLE!

The tee shot here is all about distance control, and you’ll almost always be using a 3-wood.  Aim for the little gap between the right-most bunkers — you’ll want to stick your tee shot just over the tall grass and just short of the bunker.  The key is to carry the tall grass but use backspin to stick the ball before it carries all the way to one of those bunkers.

If you’re too short, you’ll be in the tall grass, and that’s trouble — you’ll have to guess the distance out of here and try to stick a spot somewhere between sand traps.  If you’re short but in the rough just past the tall grass, that’s okay — you can still get there in two!  If you hit it too far, chances are good that the sloping fairway will carry the ball into a bunker, and you’ll have to pick a spot and chip out.

The tee shot is the key — if you can land safely in the fairway or in the rough just short of it, you’ll have a pretty easy approach shot for an eagle putt!  Hit the tee shot just slightly harder than you think you need to, since it has to carry a bit uphill.

Again, if you have to lay up somewhere between bunkers, be very careful, because the fairway is always sloping down towards these traps!

EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT 1
EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT 2

Depending on the wind and tee box, you’ll be doing one of three things off the tee.  Most often, I like to rotate to the right 2 or 3 times and play a big C3 with roll out to the second fairway.  This way, you’re taking advantage of the slope and direction of the fairway.  A second option is to rotate right once and play an A1 instead.  Make sure you have enough to carry up to the second fairway if you try this.

Finally, if it’s too difficult to carry the second fairway, you can lay up to the little round landing area straight ahead, not too close to the tall grass!  From here, you’ll still be able to reach the green in two.

Be sure to CARRY the green on your approach shot if you can, because there’s elevated rough in front of the green that can stop or redirect your shot if you’re landing short and trying to run it up!

EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT

This par 4 is not tough to drive the green if you get the distance right.  You’ll have an offset look at the green, and it’s a long way downhill again, so you’ll have to pull back at the correct angle (if necessary to pull back) to put you on the green close to the pin.  Remember that the wind will affect the ball more on the way down.  It’s just a matter of selecting the correct club and shot type here — try to land the fat part of the green, putting the pin between the ball and the fringe, and roll/spin the ball towards the pin if needed!  Always err towards the middle of the green because of the hazards all around.

EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT 1
EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT 2

This par 3 can sometimes set up really tough if the pin is in the front.  Why?  Because both tall grass and bunkers guard the front of the green, so it’ll be really difficult to get the ball close to the front of the green!  Use as much loft as you can here, and err on the long side, because it’s really easy to end up short in the tall grass!

If the pin is in the middle or back, it’s much easier — club up a tad because of the uphill shot, but you should be able to put it close with this setup!

EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT