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From the right box, here’s a hybrid into a tough pin.
From the center box, here’s an ace to a back pin.
Fun trivia — the message in the sand behind the green translates to “hazard”. Naturally.
Your best landing area, given a front or perhaps middle tee, is the center of the three shortcut pods in the water. It’s an offset shot but is the easiest to hit and clears the way for your approach. Here’s a 3-wood hole-out from the center of there.
From the back tees you can’t get there, so aim for the smaller single pod straight ahead off the fairway. This gives you a decent angle into the pin. Here’s a driver hole-out from there.
Another option to avoid the risk of the water is the far end of the right fairway…it takes away more of the water risk if you can high-tee a driver out there, but you’ll have a more challenging curve shot into the green.
Five tee boxes here and a difficult green sloped towards the water make this another tough early eagle. You might need a small cut over the left edge of the trees or you may high tee a wood straight at it.
From the 2nd box, this 5-wood curves around to a front pin.
From the 3rd tee box, here’s a great 4-wood pretty straight over the top to a back pin.
From the back box, this driver went over the top corner to a back pin.
From the middle box, here’s a dunk to a center pin.
From the back box, here’s a 6-wood ace to a front pin.
This should be a pretty easy eagle most of the time…a good layup spot with all tee boxes is the center fairway area between the circular water and sand pods. It’s a long wood from here into an uphill green but it’s a pretty easy approach.
Here’s a 5-wood dunk to a front pin.
From the center box, take aim at the green…your wood will have plenty of loft. Here’s a 5-wood ace to a front pin. And here’s a 3-wood with backspin. This 6-wood also had enough to clear and spin back to a front pin.
Be careful with a front pin, as you’ll still want to make sure you hit far enough to clear the gong…this can inhibit you being too aggressive since you can’t as easily drop a shot into the front of the green. Check out this 4-wood with some cut that fell too early but got amazing deflections to find the hole!
From the left box, it’s usually best to cut around the left side with backspin over the water to hold the green. Here’s a great 4-wood cut around the left side to a right pin. This driver took a straighter approach but still avoided the building on its way around left to find a right pin! If you try to cut around the right side, you may not have enough loft to clear the gong guarding the approach! If that’s the case, why not bounce UNDER it like this incredible shot!
The safe play here with all tee boxes is to club down to the highest-lofted wood you can play with a high-tee and still make the center landing pod straight ahead. With this strategy you’ll always have enough loft to clear the trees and you’ll be rewarded with an open approach shot. Here’s a 6-wood dunk from there.
Left and right are options too, but you’ll want to be careful with your drive to leave an open approach instead of having to curve around the trees. From the left fairway, here’s a 3-wood hole-out.
There’s a tee box on both sides of this island green. From the elevated box, here’s a 9-iron ace into a cross-wind.
From the lower box, here’s a 9-iron ace to a back pin.
A high-teed driver to the left or right neck (or beyond to the fairway) gives you the most reasonable approach…your choice will depend on the wind and pin placement as always. Here’s a 3-wood holeout from the left neck.
While it certainly helps to drive out past the neck to either second fairway, straight ahead short of the water is fine too — here’s a driver hole-out from there.
This can be a challenging par 3 since this uniquely-shaped green is surrounded by hazards. While distance control is paramount, you’ll also need to be accurate to have a clear putt at the pin. Do your best to stay safe — here’s where tools like bite and high tees are handy to give the best chance to stick and stay put.
From the back box, here’s a great 5-wood cut into a center pin.
I don’t know if I condone this hole being drivable, but someone did it — check out this giant high-teed driver from the back box that bounces on!
From the center box, this high-teed 3-wood almost hung on for a DE putt. And this high-teed turbo driver almost found the hole!
Without the turbo, this high-teed 3W made its way through the trees and bounced onto the green for the DE putt! And this high-teed driver shot straight at the trees left of the green also found its way through! Finally, this high-loft, high-teed driver did carry around to the green and find the hole for the ace!
Otherwise, the far-right fairway is a nice place to be, but it can also be an unnecessary risk. The shortcut circle straight ahead over the trees is easy to land and will give you an open approach shot.
You can also lay out left and potentially avoid a tee if you leave enough loft…here’s a 7-wood hole-out straight over the trees.
With the right tee boxes, the safest shot off the tee that gives you a nice approach shot is out to the right fairway just short of the sand circle. It’s usually a driver that you can stick to give yourself a middle wood into the green. Here’s a 3-wood hole-out from there.
The center pod straight ahead is a good option that offers a longer wood into the green. Sometimes even a driver will clear — check out this driver over the bridge that finds the cup! This driver cut around the side with some hot backspin to grab the hole.
Finally, there’s the layup spot out left that also offers a good approach if that’s your best option off the tee.
From the front box, here’s a nice ace to a back pin.
From the center box, here’s a dunk to a left pin! And here’s another ace to a left pin.
From the back box, this 7-wood finds a front pin.
A big risk/reward hole towards the end of your round that will challenge your ability to put the ball through a tight space or hope to get lucky!
From the front box, the 5-hybrid is the club to use in most cases…it fits nicely through either side of the box between the bell and the wood pillars. A 5 or 6-iron or low-teed 7-iron is also an option that works. And the 9-wood is an interesting club here too that affords an option to go around the right into the green. You’ll need to have different distance options given the wind and pin placement.
This 5-iron goes through the right side and cuts over to a left pin. With a headwind, this 8-wood went straight over the top with backspin to find the hole!
From the back of the front box, this 6-iron just cut around the right side and found a back-left pin! And this 8-wood went around the right as well with an amazing hop up into the hole.
From the back box, a 4-5 hybrid can cut through the gap and other clubs can clear over the top. The high-teed 8-wood is an option here too to go over the top, especially with a headwind. With a tailwind, this high-teed 6-iron finds a front pin. And this high-teed 7-iron easily cleared to find a center pin.
Ideally you get a setup where you can take something like a high-teed 5-wood right over the top at the green. This takes away the cut shot and only forces you to manage the wind and distance, although that’s no small task on this tough closing hole.
From the right-front box, this high-teed 3-wood with a small cut around the right amazingly hangs on to drop into a back pin! Here’s a great 4-wood cut around to a back pin. And this high-teed 6-wood went over the right corner to find a back pin. Finally, this high-teed 8-wood went straight over the top and carried to a back pin.
From the right-back box, this high-teed 3-wood went over the left corner and found a right pin! This high-teed 5-wood went straight over for the ace.
Here are some early screenshots of the course! Here is the official preview of the new 2017 Maldives course.
“On the other side of the world, tucked between continents and encased by the Indian Ocean, sits Sandy Reef. Golden Tee has found a new tropical home in the Maldives, and the views are breathtaking. Oh, we’ve done tropical courses in the past, you say? Certainly. But never quite like this. The vibrant blue waters, twisting palm trees and infinity beaches are easy on the eyes and soul. Just because it’s one of the flattest places on earth, don’t think you’re off the hook. Those beautiful views can come at a cost.”
Here is a 6-hole demo from the Golden Tee Lounge!
Here is a YouTube demo of all 18 holes from the beta version!
GT Par can range from -29 to -31 on this course, as #14 and #15 are sometimes drivable.
This post contains tips, tricks, and information related to the 2017 Golden Tee course Sandy Reef! Check out the hole-by-hole breakdowns and example hole-outs as I partner up with the Golden Tee community to give you the edge you need to beat your friends!
The most popular club/ball combo on this course will also be discussed.
From the front box, you may be able to drive the green…check out this huge turbo A1 drive that blew past it!
Here’s a nice hole-out to start the round.
Here’s a straight-on ace to a back pin.
With most setups, you can turn left and play along the right edge of the fairway as far as you can. You’ll be able to get there with a driver or less. Here’s a driver hole-out to a back pin.
There are a couple other options to play to spots in the right fairway towards the water, but you’ll need to shoot over/around trees on the approach. This is usually not a problem with a 5/6-wood if you’re left with a setup where you need to hammer it, which allows extra height…smoother shots can still catch trees. That’s why the left route is preferable as long as you can get past that set of trees on that side. From the center fairway layup spot, here’s a nice 5-wood over the top.
From the far-right end of the fairway, this 3-wood goes around the right side of the trees to find the hole.
The shape of the green and tough pin placements make this challenging to end up with a straight putt at the cup. Sometimes it’s a short chip instead, which is okay. You’ll either be cutting a lower-lofted shot through the gap or playing a high tee over instead.
From the front-right box, here’s a 4-wood cut around to a back pin. And here’s an incredible driver shot through the trees for an ace!
From the left box, this 3-wood cuts around to a right pin. And this high-teed 5-wood had enough to go straight over at a right pin!
From the back box, this low-teed driver skipped the water and bounced up to find the hole!
Ideally you carry your drive out to the farthest fat part of the skinny center fairway for a shorter approach, which is always possible with the closer tee box. Here’s a 4-wood hole-out from there.
That’s not always possible, and you can get there from the closer fat part of this center fairway too…fairway is essential but the more distance, the better. Here’s a driver hole-out from there.
With a side wind, it looks like you might be able to get a long driver to the green in two from the very end of the first fairway…TBD.
From the front box, you can go through, over, or around.
This medium-teed 6-iron went right through the gap to backspin into a front cup!
Higher-lofted clubs may be able to go right over the top — here’s a high-lofted hybrid for the dunk! Even this high-teed 7-iron made it straight over the top for the ace.
Other times you’ll be cutting around the side, most likely the right side…something like a 6/7-iron and sometimes high-teed. Here’s a great high-teed 7-iron around the left side to a back-right pin. You can also cut something like a 6-iron around the right side into the green if that works better…here’s a great ace to a left pin with the 5-iron. It’s challenging not to let the tree leaves catch your ball, so play it out wide! Or, just miss them altogether 🙂.
From the back box, an 8-wood is fantastic…high-tee it to go right over the top to the green to give yourself a putt. Also, this high-teed 7-wood cuts around the right side to a back pin. And here’s a high-teed 6-wood up around the right side to a left pin. With stock clubs, this 3-iron found a nice gap through the trees for the ace! And here’s a 2-iron coming in hot around the left side for another ace.
There’s no real advantage to aiming for the left fairway off the tee…you’ll often need to shoot around those trees for the approach. Rather, turn right and aim for the right fairway over the water. This affords you a clear approach shot and distance is not an issue at all from here. Here’s a 6-wood hole-out from there.
If you’re tight on tees, another option is to lay up straight ahead where the fairway juts out into the water a bit. Here’s a clear 3-wood hole-out from there!
NOTE – this is a par 5 even though it was listed as a par 4 in the beta.
A popular shot for me is a high-teed 8-wood or 7-wood around the left side cut over the trees to the green. From the middle box, this high-teed 8-wood went straight over the top for the ace.
From the back right box, here’s a great 5-wood cut around to a back pin. And here’s an awesome 2-iron skipped through the sand to find the cup! Finally, here’s a high-teed 8-wood cut over the top left to find a front-right pin.
And here’s an unbelievable 7-wood ace through the RIGHT side…how did it dodge all the trees? This high-teed 6-wood also found a way through the right side! Apparently there is a consistent shot here that can also be executed with a high 5W or 7W, or a low driver.
Finally, for the low-lofters, this 3-hybrid made its way around the left side and cut back for the ace.
From the front box, aim to the left edge of the tree island to the right. There’s plenty of safe landing area that will give you a short open approach to the green.
The tree island to the left is good too — here’s a hole-out from the right edge of that spot.
From the back box, lay up at the end of the left fairway and cut a wood into the green. It’s a tough approach but generally safe of any hazards if you play towards the center of the green.
Another option is the island pods straight towards the green (either the far left or right, which are biggest). If you can stick these, you’ll have an easy open approach. Here’s a 5-wood hole-out to a back pin.
A couple different tee boxes here offer different approach options.
From the left box, the tree can partially guard the approach — this 5-wood cuts into a back pin.
It’s not usually hard to carry and stick this green, but it may be hard to get close to the hole with the setup. Play a small cut if you are comfortable but make sure you at least have a putt at the eagle.
Here’s a nice 3-wood ace to a back-right pin.
It’s possible to drive this par 5 with a tailwind! From the front-right box, this big A1 driver missed the trees and just ran on by the hole. And here’s a huge C3 around the right side that came so close to dropping! Finally, this giant C3 did find the cup for the amazing super albatross!
Otherwise, there are a couple decent landing areas off the tee to give a good approach. From the front box, and pretty much always from the back box, you can play for the sand on the right side of the left area with trees. It’s easy to stick and hold the sand and will afford an open approach shot to the green. Here’s a hole-out from there.
From the back box, you can aim for the fairway pod a bit farther left, which also gives you a decent approach. Here’s a 7-wood hole-out from there.
You can also turn right and play farther back to a landing area which gives you an open approach with a medium wood.
