Your shot here depends on the pin location and the wind.  You’ll usually curve over or in with the direction of the wind.  The best setups allow you to use a medium-teed 9-wood so that you can use backspin to hold the green.  Another good setup allows you to high-tee a 9-wood into a headwind […]

The left box here gives you the straightest shot at the green, usually requiring only a small cut around the trees.  Here’s a nice driver to a back pin. From the front box, you can either take aim at the pin and play a B1-type shot into the green, or rotate left and curve it […]

Many different tee boxes here give you different slopes to deal with, but all are challenging.  With a wind blowing to the right, you’ll have to cut a shot into the wind and slope to hold the green.  Favor over-cutting it here — the hill can still project your ball back onto the green, but […]

Lots of little fairway patches to choose from off the tee — pick one you are comfortable with, or if you are confident, pick the one that gives you the best approach shot given the wind and pin.  The fairway to the right is the safest, and here’s a 4-wood hole-out from the left edge […]

This hole is tricky because it combines an elevated green with a likely gap in your club distances.  Many times you’ll want to change tee height to get the distance you want.  Be careful with the low-teed 9-iron, because elevation will be lower AND backspin is stronger! Here’s an ace into a tough pin from the […]

As long as you can pull back and hammer a solid drive, you should always be using a high tee to cut the corner of the fairway over the left side of the hill.  There are several gaps in the cacti, and it’s rare to actually catch one.  Even if you do, it’s also rare […]

The only danger here would be an unforced error by placing your drive between fairways.  Don’t do it — just lay up towards the end of the first fairway.  Here’s a 5-wood hole-out from there. There are some setups where you can clearly drive the second fairway, so that’s fine too — here’s a hole-out […]

If you can use a high tee and blast your drive out to the second fairway, it’s certainly best — here’s a wide-open 7-wood hole-out from there.  Even from the back box, a high-teed drive can many times carry over.  Staying to the left is a plus too, since a cactus guards the right side […]

Many different tee boxes here, but you’ll just be plopping your tee shot onto the green for a birdie putt.  Normally no danger in being a bit long, as you can bounce back off the hill.  So just worry about carrying the green, and don’t get crazy with backspin. Here’s an ace from one of […]

Again, not much to do here but get it out to the bend in the fairway for your approach.  Don’t hang it out right or a little cactus might spoil your round early!  Here’s an example hole-out. This hole can be drivable from the front boxes, some of which may only be available in casual […]

Never drivable, and with a narrow fairway, all you can do is put it out there and bring it in for birdie.  Here’s an example hole-out. VIDEO DEMO

This tricky par 5 forces you to plan ahead, because you have a couple options for your approach shot.  One common approach is to lay up towards the left edge of the fairway before the trees.  Here’s a 9-wood curved through the left gap that got a nice bounce into the hole.  This 7-wood also […]

With a good tee box and wind this hole can be drivable!  You may have a shot straight at it with a huge tail wind, but the safer play is to curve a big high-teed driver around the trees.  This long drive found the green. Otherwise, lay up out in the fairway.  Here’s an example […]

With a favorable wind, this opening hole can certainly be drivable from the front box.  Here’s a high-teed driver right at it that found a front pin!  A big A1 high-teed driver can work too — here I am driving the green on my opening round here.  Of course, you don’t want to find yourself […]

Here’s an ace from the second-closest box. Here’s a great 9-wood hole-out from the second farthest box followed by another one from the back box. Finally, check out this incredible pinball action — THREE bounces back and forth off the trees and shot into the hole! VIDEO DEMO

This tough par 3 usually forces you to carry the green to retain your backspin.  You’ll often be in between clubs, and the wind will be tough.  Here is where you can practice your curve shots into the wind to counteract it, especially if you need to cut into a tough pin placement.  Be creative […]

There are tee boxes from the side and from the corner here, and the shot can get tricky when the pin is tucked up against the wall with a wind countering it.  From the side, here’s a nice 9-wood ace to a front-right pin.  There is also a ledge you may have to deal with […]

You’ll always want to play over the top of the structure, with any setup.  From the front two boxes, you don’t even necessarily need a high tee to get over the top, although that’s the most common option and may be more comfortable.  Here’s a high-teed 3-wood from the middle box floated over and in. […]

The only trouble here would be self-inflicted — you should be able to put this one close.  Just don’t get too aggressive to a tough pin and leave yourself without a putt.  Here’s an ace from the right box, followed by an example ace from the center box.  Here’s another one from the back box […]

The following grid breaks down the best and worst you should be able to shoot on Coconut Beach relative to the possible setups you could get on each hole: Hole Par GT Par Total Min Max Min Max 1  4  2  3  -2  -1 2  4  3  3  -3  -2 3  5  3  3  -5 […]

This 7-wood from the second-closest box went right through the gap and found a right pin. From the back box, this 3-wood went around the left side of the trees and sucked back into the hole.  This 9-wood also floated around the left side with a right-blowing wind and found the cup. VIDEO DEMO

The following grid breaks down the best and worst you should be able to shoot on Sequoia Grove relative to the possible setups you could get on each hole: Hole Par GT Par Total Min Max Min Max 1  4  3  3  -1  -1 2  4  3  3  -2  -2 3  3  2  2  -3 […]

Three shot options here depending on the wind and pin placement.  You can either go around the left, around the right, or straight through depending on your setup. This 5-wood curved around the left side from the front box.  And this one went right through the gap and got a nice kick back off the […]

You usually need to carry across if you want to reach the green in two — the first island fairway should be too far away.  However, if you find the very end of the fairway and are a big hitter, you may be able to still get there — check out this awesome hole-out. Sometimes […]

If the wind is NOT blowing left and/or straight out, you’ll try to curve the ball around the mountain to the right and land on the green patch that surrounds it.   The farther around you go, the better approach shot you’ll have, because a driver can be very tough especially with a left pin. […]

Most of the time you’ll be shooting to a spot in the fairway that leaves you an opening through a gap in the trees towards the green.    Draw a line from the green through the gap in the forest to a point in the fairway to know where to shoot.  Here’s a nice 4-wood […]

The following grid breaks down the best and worst you should be able to shoot on Jackrabbit Junction relative to the possible setups you could get on each hole: Hole Par GT Par Total Min Max Min Max 1  4  3  3  -1  -1 2  4  3  3  -2  -2 3  3  2  2  -3 […]

Here is a description of this new course for Golden Tee 2013: “Situated directly under the sweltering sun, Jackrabbit Junction is an 18-hole trek well off the beaten path. Unlike most desert courses, this Gila Bend, Arizona creation is not jam-packed with sand, but instead spreads across the dry, sun-drenched earth that stopped growing grass […]

Lots of tee boxes here, from the side to the back, will give you many challenging looks.  Here’s a 9-iron from the side that caught a nice bounce into the hole.  This one was well-played to a left-center pin. This one was well-played from behind the hole, and so was this one.  And this shot found […]

The following grid breaks down the best and worst you should be able to shoot on Bear Lodge relative to the possible setups you could get on each hole: Hole Par GT Par Total Min Max Min Max 1  4  2  3  -2  -1 2  4  2  3  -4  -2 3  3  2  2  -5 […]