After playing several rounds this year, people started to realize that there are tee boxes on many holes that you will NOT get during Advanced Play, but you may get them during Casual Play!  Most of these tee boxes make the hole MUCH easier, even giving the player a full stroke advantage on a hole […]

For most of my 2+ year Golden Tee career, I’ve had the pleasure of playing almost every round with the “old birds” — the 2005 hybrid set.  These clubs are preferred by a large percentage of players because they provide a nice set of distance gaps and have a lob wedge, and in general the […]

I took a couple hours this week to go through the write-ups for each hole, revising them and adding more suggestions and strategies as I’ve seen fit.  I strongly suggest you take some time soon also to go back and review the analysis for each hole, because you might still pick up a thing or […]

Handicap: 1st hardest hole Category: Difficult Average Score: -0.15 / -1.00  Eagle+ Birdie 43% Par 35% Bogey 17% Double+ 5% Here is one of the toughest birdies in GT2011, especially if you don’t have a 7/9 wood. While a 5-wood can work out for you, you’re going to love having a 7-wood (or sometimes a […]

Handicap: 3rd hardest hole Category: Difficult Average Score: -0.21 / -1.00 Eagle+ 1% Birdie 35% Par 52% Bogey 7% Double+ 5% This is the toughest par 4 on the course — your fate on this hole relies on your tee shot, which makes you curve around the corner to a narrow fairway. Even with a […]

Handicap: 10th hardest hole Category: Moderate Average Score: -0.52 / -1.00 Eagle+ 1% Birdie 57% Par 35% Bogey 7% Double+ Here’s another difficult par 3 where the green slopes into the abyss below. Don’t worry as much about the pin as just sticking the middle of the green to give yourself a putt, which is […]

Handicap: 12th hardest hole Category: Moderate Average Score: -1.44 / -2.00 Eagle+ 47% Birdie 50% Par 2% Bogey 1% Double+ The wind will determine which way to go here, because you can potentially reach the green from the right or from the left. There’s also a couple of shortcut patches of grass in the middle […]

Handicap: 7th hardest hole Category: Risk/Reward Average Score: -0.89 / -2.00    Eagle+ 21% Birdie 55% Par 19% Bogey 5% Double+ 1% The suggested shot off the tee is much better shown than described. The distance marker in the picture is lined up with a boulder, and you want to get the ball out behind […]

Handicap: 2nd hardest hole Category: Difficult Average Score: -0.19 / -1.00  Eagle+ 2% Birdie 54% Par 13% Bogey 26% Double+ 5% This par 3 causes the most bogeys on the course. You’ve got water on the left and mountain on the right that can deflect your shot right into that water. You’ll likely have to […]

Handicap: 5th hardest hole Category: Professional Average Score: -0.55 / -2.00 Eagle+ 12% Birdie 52% Par 25% Bogey 7% Double+ 4% On this hole, take a look straight at the green. If you’re at 330 yards or less and don’t have a head wind, you can get there with a high-tee 5-wood or 3-wood. Take […]

Handicap: 13th hardest hole Category: Easy Average Score: -0.76 / -1.00 Eagle+ Birdie 81% Par 14% Bogey 5% Double+ Just blast a long drive out right far enough to give you a look at the green. Don’t get too cute with a C3 drive, because the snow is NOT the place to be for your […]

Handicap: 14th hardest hole Category: Easy Average Score: -1.61 / -2.00 Eagle+ 68% Birdie 26% Par 5% Bogey 1% Double+ Hitting to the fairway should always be fine — just cut the corner over the top with a high-teed driver. Here’s a perfect drive — this is usually all you need to do. And then […]

Handicap: 17th hardest hole Category: Easy Average Score: -0.88 / -1.00  Eagle+ 1% Birdie 88% Par 9% Bogey 2% Double+ Be careful trying to run your approach along the left side — it’s not flat, and you’ll get a pretty big deflection off to the right! It’s best to carry the green and use backspin […]

Handicap: 16th hardest hole Category: Easy Average Score: -1.76 / -2.00 Eagle+ 76% Birdie 24% Par Bogey Double+ This hole is quite a ways downhill, so you might want to club down one. Short in the snow is not good, but you don’t want to be chipping from behind the green either! The right side […]

Handicap: 18th hardest hole Category: Easy Average Score: -0.94 / -1.00 Eagle+ Birdie 94% Par 6% Bogey Double+ EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT

Handicap: 2nd hardest hole Category: Difficult Average Score: -0.49 / -2.00  Eagle+ 25% Birdie 31% Par 24% Bogey 13% Double+ Even though you’re downhill, you still need loft to carry the wall blocking the green, so hit as much loft as you can! It’s actually better to be short, because from the sand on top […]

Handicap: 1st hardest hole Category: Difficult Average Score: -0.04 / -1.00 Eagle+ Birdie 52% Par 11% Bogey 24% Double+ 13% This cool looking hole can provide a challenge with a stiff wind if you’re in between clubs. Even after sticking the green, you’ll still have a tough birdie putt! Lots of blow up potential on […]

Handicap: 8th hardest hole Category: Moderate Average Score: -0.55 / -1.00 Eagle+ Birdie 57% Par 42% Bogey 1% Double+ 1% With a good setup, you can carry past the pyramid on the right and get an open look at the green with a short iron. A big A1-type shot is usually pretty safe to get […]

Handicap: 4th hardest hole Category: Risk/Reward Average Score: -0.99 / -2.00  Eagle+ 39% Birdie 31% Par 23% Bogey 6% Double+ 2% Many options off the tee here. The easiest shot is usually a C3 or an A1 past the neck of the fairway, depending on the wind and pin. With a pin on the left, […]

Handicap: 6th hardest hole Category: Moderate Average Score: -0.53 / -1.00 Eagle+ Birdie 59% Par 31% Bogey 8% Double+ There’s normally no advantage to cutting the corner to the fairway strip, since you can reach the green just fine laying back — you’ll have a 3-wood or 5-wood, and both should work fine to stick […]

Handicap: 3rd hardest hole Category: Difficult Average Score: -0.48 / -1.00 Eagle+ Birdie 61% Par 28% Bogey 9% Double+ 2% A low-lofted club like a 2-iron certainly makes this hole easier, and here’s one with a 5-wood — if you have to use a 9-wood and there’s a strong wind, you’re in for an adventure! […]

Handicap: 11th hardest hole Category: Moderate Average Score: -0.72 / -1.00 Eagle+ Birdie 73% Par 22% Bogey 1% Double+ 2% Unfortunately, there’s nothing fancy you can do here to drive the green. Just lay out in the fairway — here’s an example hole-out. Here’s another shot that took advantage of a nice hop! Be wary […]

Handicap: 13th hardest hole Category: Easy Average Score: -1.56 / -2.00 Eagle+ 62% Birdie 34% Par 2% Bogey 2% Double+ No need to cut the corner here — if you hit it to the end of the straight part of the fairway, you still have plenty of club to get it there in two, and […]

Handicap: 16th hardest hole Category: Easy Average Score: -0.90 / -1.00 Eagle+ Birdie 89% Par 11% Bogey Double+ This hole gives you a good shot at a hole-in-one, especially if you have low-lofted clubs in your bag! Here’s an example hole-out.

Handicap: 7th hardest hole Category: Risk/Reward Average Score: -1.07 / -2.00  Eagle+ 31% Birdie 54% Par 14% Bogey Double+ 2% First, you may get a look where you can poke one over the building through the gap. Here’s a medium-teed 4-wood with the Air-O balls that finds the cup, so you shouldn’t have a height […]

Handicap: 17th hardest hole Category: Easy Average Score: -0.91 / -1.00 Eagle+ 2% Birdie 89% Par 7% Bogey 2% Double+ Even if you are 400 yards away, you should at least take a look at the setup for a rare chance to try to drive this green. A tail wind helps a lot. Aim right […]

Handicap: 12th hardest hole Category: Moderate Average Score: -0.73/ -1.00 Eagle+ 2% Birdie 72% Par 23% Bogey 3% Double+ With some setups, you can use a high tee and blast a straight driver to the second fairway. This gives you a short iron, which you’ll want with some of the pin placements. The only danger […]

Handicap: 14th hardest hole Category: Easy Average Score: -1.64 / -2.00 Eagle+ 69% Birdie 25% Par 5% Bogey 1% Double+ You should pretty much always blast a straight, high-teed driver out to the second fairway (here’s a hole-out from there). Even if you don’t get to the fairway, the desert sand is just fine too. […]

Handicap: 15th hardest hole Category: Easy Average Score: -0.86 / -1.00 Eagle+ 2% Birdie 83% Par 14% Bogey 1% Double+ Here’s an example hole-out to a back pin. If you get a front pin, you can actually take advantage of the sand here. It’s elevated, so if you land short, the sand will stop the […]

Handicap: 10th hardest hole Category: Moderate Average Score: -1.27 / -2.00 Eagle+ 46% Birdie 36% Par 16% Bogey 2% Double+ Bottom line — aim straight at the green and let it rip! You’ll almost always be shooting a B2 or other 180-type shot right at this green — even a medium-teed driver hit firmly will […]