This hole can very easily kill your round, if it’s not dead already by this point.  What makes it so hard is that you have to hit a high-lofted club into a green surrounded by rock and cliffs while fighting a heavy wind! If your ball lands on the rock, the results are almost never […]

On easier courses, this hole might be a par 5, but this is Black Hills!  You can usually play a big C3 with roll to get some extra distance up the fairway, but just being in the fairway is the most important part. Pin placement can be tough here, and you must leave yourself a […]

This hole was custom made for the Big Bertha clubs, and you’ll be losing a stroke to your opponents here if you aren’t losing them.  From the left tee box a 9-wood will clear all the stones and give you a straight shot at the green, and from the right box, a 7-wood does the […]

This tough par 3 has 3 tee boxes, and all offer a difficult shot into the green since 3 sides of the green are OB down the cliff, with the other side being sand!  So, if you do miss to the “safe” side in the sand, you’ll still have to try to stop a downhill […]

This par 4 can really challenge your shot-shaping ability.  First, you’ve got a set of stones by the tee box blocking your way towards the green, and then you have another set of them to miss as your approach comes into the green!  The Kinz videos below are not for the faint of heart, but […]

Here you have 5 tee boxes but one common goal — leave yourself 240-250 yards into this enormously elevated green!  If you’re using the Big Bertha clubs, as you should be on this course, you have a lot more flexibility.  You won’t have to worry about hitting a longer drive because you’ll still have a […]

This hole has 3 different tee boxes shooting into 1 of 2 different greens, so you’ll see a lot of different looks here.  One green is an island, and one is guarded by sand.  Some shots are pretty flat, but you can also see a look into a significantly elevated green. Just apply the principles […]

Most of the time here, you’ll be aiming just to the right of the “praying hands” rocks, which gives you a more forgivable gap into the green.  Hit as much loft as you can, because the more loft, the bigger the gap becomes as your ball descends towards the green.  But, even with a driver, […]

Your drive is crucial here, and it will set up the difficulty of your approach shot and your chance at eagle.  First, notice where the pin stands in relation to the green.  If it’s in the middle, you’ll want your drive to be straight down the middle of the fairway.  If the pin is on […]

Ready for more?  Here’s another par 4 that offers a challenging chance at eagle.  You’ll always be playing some form of A1, down the hill and curving around into the green.  The issue here, again, is the elevation change — you’ll notice the wind affect the ball a LOT on its way down. Most missed […]

Here is your official introduction to the challenges of Black Hills!  So, you want to get there in two?  More than likely, you’ll have to take your chances on one of many “Easter Islands” featured within this course.  Line yourself up with the pin and take note of where all the huge stones are on […]

Here you’ve got water short and sand long, so you don’t have much choice but to carry the green.  Unless the wind is strongly in your face, you should carry the green and use backspin to hold it!  If the pin is in a tough spot, make sure you leave yourself a putt, because the […]

This par 4 is usually drivable, but the difficulty varies quite a bit based on your tee box.  You could have a straight shot into the green, or you might have to play a big C3. At times you’ll have to lay up in the fairway if you’re on the far left of the tee […]

Because of the sharp drop in elevation, this is one of the very few first holes where you can’t take your approach shot for granted.  Keep in mind that the wind will affect you approach shot about twice as much as on flat ground, and a side wind can really cut distance, so club up […]

Sick of these island greens yet?  Don’t worry — this is the last one!  Sunny Wood finishes with a drivable par 4, but if you miss the green, par will be tough to achieve. As with most of the drivable par 4s, you’ll have an offset look, so you’ll have to make sure you pull […]

There are three ways to get there in two.  First is the traditional route, following the fairway on around.  If you’re got a nice wind helping you out (blowing to the right), this may be your best chance of landing the green in two.  Get your drive out there as far as you can, and […]

Think it’s got to get easier?  Think again!  Here’s a really tough par 3 that can burn you in a bunch of ways.  Your attack plan depends on the wind, but you’ll always be shooting into a green that slopes 10 degrees towards the water in back.  If the wind is in your face, it’s […]

This hole is really tough.  You can rarely clear the lake to the fairway on the other side — you need a great wind and a big A1 with roll, and probably a skip, to pull it off. Instead, you’re probably going to be laying up in the fairway right in front of the sand.  […]

This par 5 offers multiple shortcut options!  If you’re back and left, you’ll notice a landing area just over the lake that’s about 200 yards from the hole.  The problem is that you won’t be able to take dead aim at this spot.  Instead, you’ll have to hit an A1 around some trees and over […]

From the back right tees, there’s a nice shortcut over the lake if you play a C3 shot!  It’s not always there and is tricky — you have to make sure you miss the tree right in front of you, and you have to make sure you’ve got enough power to clear the lake and […]

I’m not sure, but it looks like this hole has 1 tee box and 6 possible greens into which to shoot!  Almost all of these greens have water and sand surrounding them, so it makes for a tough little par 3!  Be careful with your low-lofted club here — you don’t want to end up […]

I always play my drive to the middle-left side of the fairway, about even with the middle of the pond on the left.  Even if you’re in the middle of the fairway, you’ll be fine, so just don’t get too aggressive with that water off the tee!  From this area, you’ll have anything from a […]

There are two ways to attack this hole, depending on where you’re at on the tee box and your level of comfort with each! If you’re on the right, your best shot is usually a C3 with backspin around the tree into the green.  It can also be a B3 shot if you’re far enough […]

You can be on any of 3 tee boxes here and will have some sand to negotiate, but it’s not bad.  Err towards the middle of the green if you’re in between clubs! EXAMPLE HOLE-OUT

First, take a look at your teebox and wind, because you might consider driving this hole!  If you have the standard driver, and especially the red D2 balls that add distance with a straight 180 off the tee, you can pound a drive right at the green with either roll or backspin depending on the […]

Now here is a fun tee shot!  Take a close look at the log seemingly lying across the fairway.  You’ll notice there’s room underneath, and this is important because you’re going to be rolling your tee shot right under there!  Pick a low-lofted club that has the distance marker right on the log.  Now just […]

There are a lot of ways to attack this hole depending on the wind and pin placement.  A lower-lofted club works best, and you can even use the hill in front to your advantage, because the ball rolls pretty generously forward onto the green if you land on the back end of this hill.  Try […]

Take a look at your tee box and wind, and figure out whether or not you can safely hit a C3 that will stay in the fairway.  If so, you’ll have a pretty easy approach shot, like this one! If not, then try to lay back for a 5-wood into this green, because you’ll want […]

On this hole, I’ve been lining up with the green, rotating twice to the right, and playing a C2 shot with backspin through the gap in the rock — here’s a great example!  If you can really get the ball going right-to-left (via the C2), you have a better chance of holding the green with […]

From most tee box positions, you can carry either a 3-wood or a 5-wood over the top right at this green.  From the front left tee box, you should be able to take a 5-wood over the top, or maybe a 3-wood with a slight curve — here’s a hole-out from that box. From the […]