Hole by Hole

Hole #1: Par 5, 476/461
The opening hole is a user friendly dog left par five. Drive right center to avoid the bunker flanking the left side of the landing area. The second shot is a lay-up to about 100 yards-hit it to the right side of the fairway to get a look around the first of many cross bunkers you will see today. (Longer hitters can go for the green in two!) The green is very flat so with a short club in your hand you should get a good chance for a birdie or a comfortable par to start your day.

Hole #2: Par 4, 361/331
A long iron or 3 wood is a good choice here for this par 4 that swoops down from the elevated tee to a landing area below that is bordered by bunkers on the right and left and a huge quarry ditch long across the center of the fairway. Open access in front of the green allows a short shot in a safe place.

Hole #3: Par 4, 430/410
The hole is straight to the eye but the fairway bunkers on the short left make it a bit of a leaner to the left from the tee. Drive to right center and hope it kicks forward after it lands. You will have a long shot off a slight down slope to a wide open green setting below. A ball landing short should feed onto the green. Getting it to stop in the area of the pin is a real challenge in that the green severely slopes front left to back right.

Hole #4: Par 3, 112/95
Anything long, left or short is real trouble on this classic par 3. Although the green is relatively flat, it sits slightly above the tee and makes the golfer visualize the landing area. Trust your yardage and a you will have a real opportunity for birdie.

Hole #5: Par 4, 448/439
The first hole of LuLu’s version of “Amen Corner”. A left to right drive through a narrow opening will avoid the treacherous bunker on the left and give you a mid to long iron into this green measuring 26 yards in depth. Once on the green, the fun just begins as this green slopes severely left to right and back to front. (A second shot short of the green is not a bad choice) Par is a good score here.

Hole #6: Par 3, 181/165
This is a more middle range par three but the straight uphill angle from tee to a tiered green will take a club more to negotiate. A front pin location requires a shot that lands just short of the front and bounces on. A back pin locations calls for either a high soft shot, or one that lands in the front or middle of the green. Shots played from behind this green will require the skill of a tour player! Picking your spot is critical-offensive to a front pin, defensive to a back one.

Hole #7: Par 4, 436/404
The landing area for your drive is below the elevated tee and very generous to the right. Cross bunker at 75 will again make you take pause before playing your second in. This green is set up the hill with a generous bounce area in front; the fall off is the front so a shot that is timid will be rejected. Small green at 24 yards deep and the steepness of the pitch in the green from back to front makes recover up-and-downs from the sides and back problematic. Par is a good score here.

Hole #8: Par 4, 419/403
This par 4 is from an elevated tee you will want to aim your tee shot at the birdhouse behind the green. The only really bad place to hit the tee ball is to the right into the grass mounds. Once in the fairway, you’ll face an approach shot to a punch bowl green that usually plays one club less. The green is flat and receptive here and birdies are possible.

Hole #9: Par 4, 312/300
This is a very short hole but few players reach the green from their tee shot. Long hitters can try for the green but the play is to hit something 225 yds. and leave a three quarter pitch to a green that will receive it well. Series of bunkers step up the right side of the fairway and one collars the left side of the driving area well out. Any low bouncing shot well figured will end up below the pin and birdie is a good possibility here.

Hole #10: Par 5, 525/486
The inward nine begins with a three shot par five that requires a straight drive. With the only water hazard on the course, the player is faced with a well-chosen lay-up, or for the longer drives, a shot requiring a long iron or wood into a 7:00 to 1:00 angled green with a ridge running through the middle left. Played as 3-shot par 5, aggressive shots can yield birdies here.

Hole #11: Par 4, 347/333
The drive into the uphill fairway landing area needs to reach a somewhat flat area for a decent approach to the green. If you have succeeded in ending up there you will now notice that the entire left side of the approach area to the green is masked by a huge mound that totally blocks your view of the green. Besides hiding any flag left of center you do not see the fact that behind this mound-short left of the green-is the pit of despair. The green itself is banked back to front so you want to work your approach from right to left around the mound and below the days pin location.

Hole #12: Par 3, 181/162
A beautiful mid-length par three plays a good club less because the green sits well below you. The green is a large serving platter that runs from left to right and front to back. Wind, and bunkering on either side of the green, will factor into your club selection. Regardless, it is a beautiful sight to watch your ball float against the backdrop on its way down to this generous putting surface. Enjoy!

Hole #13: Par 4, 438/424
You will drive from a shared teeing area with the sixteenth hole over a hill to an area adjacent to the back of the clubhouse. If you drive over the center of the hill and get a hard bounce you will have a great view and chance of landing the next shot on the long sprawling green set below you. The green access is wide open with one bunker well short of the green on the right and another couple flanking the green on either side. This green runs from right to left and back to front. Do yourself a favor and stay below the hole!

Hole #14: Par 4, 363/329
Medium length four par with bunkering on the short left and long right that make you want to shape a drive from right to left down the slot. If you pick a good line and hit a nice right to left shot, you can end up with a wedge to the green. Front of the green is a bit steep so the timid approach will trickle back down the hill short of the putting surface. Take note from the fairway as you look down at the perched green setting against the tall pines behind the green. It’s worthy of a postcard!

Hole #15: Par 3, 150/128
Another short par three that plays on level tee to green but it is fraught with difficulty on all sides. There is a series of bunkers short of the green and hitting into any of them leaves a very long bunker shot maybe over another bunker. Best shot is a draw working off the bunkers on the right and up to the center of the green. This complicated green complex has the back of the green sharply banked so balls hit to a back pin can be aggressively struck using the bank as a back stop. However, any shot sitting on the back of the green, regardless of the hole location, will test your putting finesse.

Hole #16: Par 4, 333/299
Similar to #9, the tee shot can be a long drive or iron. The approach differs however, and your downhill shot to this shallow green requires a high lofted shot regardless of your distance. This ripple-contoured green challenges event the best "green readers" out there. This very unique par 4 is just fun to play!

Hole #17: Par 5, 515/497
Sounds elementary, but a good straight shot serves you best on this hole. Your second is a lay up with all you have up the right center across a nest of two nasty cross bunkers about 180 from the green. If you play your second just over the right edge of the bunkers you get a peek at a flat green set to the left and behind one very large greenside bunker. Biggest threat on this hole is the narrowing of the hole on the right for the second and third shots. Play it safe and birdie can be made.

Hole #18: Par 4, 406/366
Our signature hole! Drive from a high tee across some cross bunkers that are not in play but for the shortest hitter. One fairway bunker on the right is in play but playing too close to the left can create sight line problems on the second. Now you have about 170 plus to a perched green snuggled up on the left next to the starters staging area. Cross bunker here is set on an angle so the farther up the left you have to play the more the bunker is in play. Nice run up area in front of the green allows for a bouncing approach which is a convenient option. Green is steeply banked back to front and only 26 yards deep so hitting a second from a fairway lie you can control is a huge bonus. This is a very gratifying par if you manage to pull it off no matter how you do it.