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Enjoy this remastered course from Bitter Springs, Arizona!
It looks like GT Par could potentially set up for -34 on this course! The worst case setups still seem to be -29 or -30, making this one of the most scoreable courses ever released on LIVE.
This doesn’t ever appear to be driveable so just plop it in the fairway. Here’s a hole-out to start the round.
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 there! Even if you can’t quite get it there, it’s usually great to be in the sand in front of the green so that you at least have a short chip at eagle.
Here’s a driver that had plenty of speed into a back pin.
Here’s a big curving driver that was way too fast but the hole got in the way!
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 option is the high-teed driver straight at the green…the higher lofted driver avoids the cactii, but the lower-lofted driver must be shot through any of them, so be more careful if you need that extra distance. This driver goes right through a cap in the cacti to find the hole.
With a headwind, this 7-hybrid settles into a left pin.
This downhill shot carries farther than you may think, so you’ll always have enough club to get there in one…you might club down one to account for the downhill shot.
The bridge can also assist — check out this 3-wood that catches the wood and bounces into a front pin!
From the back box, here’s a driver to a back pin.
There never seems to be a reason to have to curve around the right side of the hill — you should almost always be able to go right over the top.
With a tailwind, just club down and carry to the downside of the hill with backspin to settle down onto the green. From the back, a medium-teed 3-wood even has enough loft to carry over the cacti to the green, making backspin an option.
With a headwind, you can use a high tee to carry and settle the green. This high-teed 3-wood had plenty of loft to clear and find the hole.
Here’s one of the most amazing shots you’ll see — cactus plinko!
And watch out for that pesky ostrich – check out this hilarious shot!
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 sometimes not. The good news here is that the green is flat, so anywhere should give you a great chance at double eagle! The bad news is that if you get wet off the tee, you’re put back in the rough by the green with almost no chance of taking that same route into the green, so you’ll be going the long way around and putting up a big score. Lesson learned – don’t be short! A chip back into the green for eagle is fine.
This high-teed 3-wood was angled perfectly through the gap to find the hole for an ace.
While a high tee is safest, it’s not always necessary…check out this 5-wood that catches a great bounce off the top of the back-right hill directly into the hole!
Here’s a nice backspin ace to a front-right pin.
From the front left box this appears always to be driveable…here’s a nice high-teed driver ace from there to a left pin.
From the back right box this is sometimes driveable depending on the wind. If you like your chipping skills you may want to try to drive the sand in front of the green for a nice uphill chip.
From the back center box, you’re probably laying up for birdie.
Some setups allow you to cut around the corner taking aim directly at the green, but of course the water makes this risky. Check out this great ace!
It’s also not a bad approach to try to cut a big driver around the corner and hope to catch a deflection off the back wall onto the green…here’s a perfect example of that for an ace. But of course there’s risk of getting stuck in a sandy mess or catching water too. This one uses the rock behind the green to bounce back into the hole!
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 you aren’t short…a chip back down is likely better! It’s slightly downhill so tee shots carry well here also.
This drive deflects off the right edge perfectly into a front pin.
Here’s a nice drive with bite to settle into a back pin. And this drive catches a nice little hop to the upper tier for an ace.
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 with a side wind. A head wind means you won’t get there, and a tail wind means you’re going long in the water. Here’s an ace with the high-teed 6-wood. Here’s another great one to a left pin. Here’s a third to a back-right pin. It clears most any point over the arch but it helps if you don’t necessarily have to go over the highest point. So the high 6W seems to be the best choice if you have the distance and especially with side winds.
With a head wind and a back tee box I’ve made a high 5W over the top work as well…you’re back far enough for that extra elevation and the extra club gives you the distance you need, while the wind will help it stop short of the water. From really far back, a high-teed 4W makes it over the sides of the arch too, but you won’t often need that much club.
But what about tailwinds? From the far back, a medium-teed 5W will clear the sides of the arches but not the high center, and then you can use backspin and hopefully hold the green. In the Fore! version, you could play a driver under the arch and get a certain kick up the rocks onto the green. However, it doesn’t seem to play the same in the LIVE version. We may see people get lucky with this shot but it seems difficult to pull off. It’s something about playing to the back angle side of the high point on the large rock in front of green that will pop your ball up on the green, but you have to have precise distance and elevation to hit this point.
If you’re frustrated yourself too many times by getting wet long or going OB short and being put back on the tee, then lay up for eagle — eagle is a fine score here. There’s the traditional layup spot out left that allows for something like a 7-hybrid or 7/8-iron over the top into the green. If you find yourself in trouble you can try to cut around the left, but it’s risky…check out this amazing hole-out!
But there is also a layup spot up top and left along the ridge, among the bushes and cactii that “usually” works out okay. Pop your tee shot up there and you should have a clean shot into the green, unless you happen to catch one of the obstacles. Still, this is usually worth the risk as it’s an easy tee shot once you get the hang of it and then a fairly easy approach. Don’t lay up to the ridge short and right — that one’s OB! Remember, eagle is a great score here!
From the center box, here’s an ace to a front-right pin.
From the left box, this shot uses the bridge to bounce back to a front pin!
Not too much to think about off the tee here…you’re going to have a wood into the green, potentially fighting a nasty wind with a downhill shot. Here’s a nice 6-wood that trickles into a left pin.
Some rare setups allow you to drive the green here — it can either be a high-teed driver A1 or C3 depending on the wind. There’s not too much risk to try either as the only real trouble is the water on the right. There are some bushes and things in the dirt short but it’s still worth a chance at an eagle putt or chip if conditions are favorable…but like with other holes, you’ll want to have a lob wedge in your bag. Check out this giant A1 drive that carried the green and into the hole!
Most other times you can either lay out right in the fairway or carry down to the next tier in the rough for a shorter shot.
