Handicap: 5th hardest hole Category: Risk/Reward Average Score: -1.01 / -2.00 Eagle+ 26% Birdie 55% Par 14% Bogey 6% Double+ This one is fun! You will either be shooting through the hole in the building or going around the left side with a 5-wood (or 7-wood if you have one). Let’s talk about the shot […]

Handicap: 9th hardest hole Category: Moderate Average Score: -1.14 / -2.00 Eagle+ 35% Birdie 47% Par 14% Bogey 4% Double+ Most places off the tee are fine here — check out some of these examples to see some spots that work out. A 5-wood will clear the buildings and trees from most all spots assuming […]

Handicap: 8th hardest hole Category: Risk/Reward Average Score: -1.16 / -2.00 Eagle+ 40% Birdie 37% Par 24% Bogey Double+ Your position in the tee box is really what controls the type of shot you use here. If you’re off to the left, you could have a pretty straight shot right at the green. If you’re […]

Handicap: 15th hardest hole Category: Easy Average Score: -0.83 / -1.00 Eagle+ 2% Birdie 80% Par 17% Bogey 1% Double+ You don’t necessarily have to carry the second fairway to get there in two, but you’ll be able to without much hassle most of the time. Tee it high and get there if you can […]

Handicap: 11th hardest hole Category: Moderate Average Score: -0.67 / -1.00 Eagle+ 1% Birdie 76% Par 12% Bogey 10% Double+ 1% This hole provides you with an opportunity to lay up wherever you like, so give yourself an approach shot with a comfortable club. The hole is quirky and can cause some problems if you […]

Handicap: 1st hardest hole Category: Difficult Average Score: -0.46 / -1.00 Eagle+ 18% Birdie 35% Par 25% Bogey 19% Double+ 3% You’ll be using a wider array of shots on this hole than on any other! You also have a bigger shot at bogey here than on any other potential eagle hole, making this a […]

Handicap: 4th hardest hole Category: Professional Average Score: -0.53 / -2.00 Eagle+ 28% Birdie 27% Par 26% Bogey 9% Double+ 9% Many different clubs will be called upon to stick the green here, so do your best to stay dry. Check out the example hole-outs below. Also, if you end up with a putt being […]

As long and as far left in the fairway as you can be — that should always be your mentality off the tee.  This usually leaves something like a 3-wood cut into the green. There’s also a mini-shortcut through the trees after a pretty standard long drive.  After pounding your drive out there as best […]

You can have all kinds of approach shots depending on your club set and the tee box.  From the back right box, hit a 9-wood if you have it.  A 7-wood works from the back of the box, like this, but you can clip the house from the front of the box, so use a […]

I asked our next participant for his information because his enthusiasm and love of the game really rivals mine!  “Cowboy” Miller Montz, who was raised in North Idaho in the mountains, never had running water or power until he was 12 years old!  He plays mostly in the Boise area but has teed off a […]

As you would expect, Golden Tee has added a ton of new features to Golden Tee 2009…not just new courses! It may be more difficult for players to find shortcuts in Golden Tee 2009 — and, you’ll notice that a lot of the greens are shaped to make it much more challenging to put it […]

Some guys are driving this hole with a tailwind using a low-loft driver and the red D2 distance balls!

This is a really tough par 3 that most of us aren’t going to be able to birdie on a regular basis.  You have to have a low-lofted club, and you usually have to cut into the slope of the green, or else you’re going to be wet.  In fact, if it weren’t for this […]

If you’re playing with the red distance balls, then this hole becomes much easier, but you certainly don’t need them.  Usually, even a 3-wood has enough loft to clear the center and left parts of the tree in your way.  If you control the distance, you’ll be on the green for an eagle putt!  Here’s […]

Believe it or not, this hole is driveable from almost any setup.  Read on! If you’re on the far right box, a 5-wood can get over the corner of the house to the green with a minor C3-type shot — here’s an example. Better yet, if you’re towards the back of this box, the 5-wood […]

You’ll have a choice here too depending on the wind and tee.  The best option is to clear the lake to the fairway on the other side, which gives you an open approach with your second shot.  If you get the generous front tee (only available in casual play), you can easily clear the lake […]

Here is a 5-wood from the farthest right box that the tree cuts down just a tiny bit to make it a perfect shot!  You can try this shot with a 4-wood too if you have it.  I’ve also found that a 7-wood can cut over the corner of the tree with an A2-type shot.  […]

A typically tough finishing hole, this green is awful and will take tremendous skill to stick it.  From the right tee box, a driver won’t clear the tree blocking your path, so take this into account. You’ll have an offset look, so you’ll have to be precise with your aim to hold this narrow green. […]

Depending on the tee box, this can be a straight shot to a big A1. Here’s a driver hole-out from the middle-left box, and here’s one from there with a 3-wood. Here’s a great 3-wood A1 backspin shot from the middle-right box. From the far right box, you can take an A1 driver around the […]

As you might expect coming down the stretch, this long par 3 has a horribly-shaped green like a 4-leaf clover and is very hard to stick.  Not only that, but the shape of the green means that even if you stick the green, you might not have a clear putt at the hole.  Your skills […]

This is a tough eagle, especially being a par 5 on the front 9!  You’ll want to get your tee shot out far and left towards the end of the fairway, but that’s not so easy to do.  The best way is to play a C3 shot so that you’re heading to your landing area […]

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

The shortcut here is pretty obvious — you need to stick your drive on one of the grassy pods in the middle of the sandy area straight ahead.  Thus far, I haven’t found any reason to aim for any other spot than the 3rd pod from the back.  If you stick it there, you should […]

A big risk/reward hole, this one challenges your accuracy but rewards you with an eagle putt if you thread the gap!  You’ll actually have to take a bit off your drive because it plays slightly downhill, and your ball may fly farther than you’d expect. The worst thing that can happen is ending up behind […]

You’ll want to play this shot almost identically to how you played #7.  You’ll need a low-lofted club and a bunch of curve — anywhere from a C2 to a C3-type shot.  From the back box, here’s an example of rotating right twice and hitting a C2 3-wood with backspin that got a nice kick […]

From the front box, you may just have a small curve around the mountain into the green.  Here’s a perfect hole-out with a 5-wood. And here’s another one that needed more hook because of the left pin. From the back boxes, you see a tee shot similar to #7 and #14.  This one is much […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]