Hole by Hole
Course Overview
Open To The Public!
Description
The bold may choose driver but those of us who are a bit more conservative will choose a long iron or fairway metal to keep the ball in play. Aim down the left side of the fairway to have an un-obstructed shot into the green. Miss it to the right side of the fairway or right rough and you’ll have to hit a pretty good slice to get it on or near the green with your approach shot. The green is fairly level but has subtle breaks; the toughest pin placement is front right.
Description
It may look simple but the green that slopes from back to front can make off target tee shots a bit challenging. This hole is especially scenic from the championship tee in which most of the yardage is a carry over water. Don’t miss it long the OB looms close.
Description
Ok, any time you have a par 3 that is better than 200 yards, watch out. The best thing to do here is swing easy, hit it solid and if it comes up a few yards short be grateful. Over swinging could result in a stray shot going out of bounds left or long and even a possibility of water right. The green here slopes again from back to front and could be difficult putting depending on the pin position.
Description
This one oddly enough is about the same club as #3 even though about 10 yards shorter (blue tee). This is where the birdie charge begins. Mid iron to a fairly flat green, with some tricky breaks with no real trouble unless you hit it to far right or left to target where as usual the OB looms.
Description
If you didn’t birdie #4 this one is a must (not a given). A short shot to another back to front sloping green. A big thing to be careful here is for those that embark a lot of spin on the ball, it’s hard to keep the ball on the green. Oh yea, if you get cute and try to fly it onto the back fringe, don’t blade it or you guessed it, out of bounds. The good news is if you do make it on in one, you’ll have a birdie putt of reasonable length.
Description
All take 5 on this one any day and just skip to #7. On this tight par 4 dogleg right, up the hill a driver is a definite no no. Best to hit a club that you can hit 180 to 200 yards and be thankful if you have a 180 to 150 yard second shot which is an uphill shot to a slightly raised green. This is a quick green with plenty of break so be careful on those side-hillers. Once again, 5 is not a bad score.
Description
A short 191 yards on this downhill par 3. Judging the distance is critical on this one, too long and its certain bogey or other. Out of bounds looms on all sides but if you reach the green in one, birdie is within your grasp. Local knowledge helps in reading the break on this green; it’s not always what it seems.
Description
Fairly long par 3 with hazard in front and on the right and OB left and behind. Sometimes seems longer than it actually is so be careful not to over swing it will just get you into trouble. Even though there is no real water in front you can’t roll the ball to this one so carry is a must. The nice thing here is that the green is large, fairly flat and has predictable breaks.
Description
Time to let the big dog eat! The hardest part of this tee shot is that if you haven’t hit the driver yet, it’s hard to tell where it’s going to go. Have we mentioned that there is OB left and right? Well a well-placed tee shot the raised green will be within reach. A smartly hit second shot must carry all the way to the putting surface to have a chance at an eagle. Anything left or right could spell a difficult chip and if you’re long you’re in for a treat; downhill flop shot to a generally fast green. Good news for this hole is that a score of 4 is achieved more often than on #6.
Description
Well you’ve re-fueled at the snack bar and you have the momentum from the birdie just made at the 9th, which almost makes up for the double bogey on hole #6, time to start the back nine. Some players will choose driver here and try to get the ball as close to green as possible, but you’re better off with a fairway metal or mid iron to which will leave you around 100 yards left to the green. With trees and OB right and hazard and homes to the left it’s just not worth the risk of and errant driver. With a well-placed tee shot, this becomes a birdie hole. The green is fairly level and the breaks are again predictable. Starting the back nine on a good note is important because danger waits ahead.
Description
Arguably our signature hole, this beautiful par 3 is framed with trees and homes to the right and tightly fit lake to the left. The tee shot is demanding not only due to the length but also for accuracy. Left puts you into the water, right puts you OB and long is not much fun either. This is a small green in relation to the length of the hole and has several breaks but the toughest pin placement is middle right. 4 is definitely not a bad score on this one.
Description
If you made a bogey on 11 you may be able to recover with a birdie here. A fairly straightforward tee shot to a small green that is sloped back to front. The main danger here is on the green where due to slope and green speed that first putt can get away from you; try to stay below the cup. The water left does not come into play and with a shorter tee shot to the green you hardly notice the OB on the right.
Description
A temptation to use a driver but be careful, OB is looms on all sides. The dogleg right par 4 is a great test of will power to put your ego in check and just play safe. The best tee shot is a well-placed long iron or fairway metal to the left center fairway. Sometimes the left rough is pretty good also. There are a couple of tall pine trees in the center of the fairway which can make even a good tee shot go bad. If you’ve navigated the tee shot well, you should only have about 150 yards in or so to as close to a two-tiered green as we have here at the lakes. Not much trouble around the green lends a player to score well if they managed to hit their drive ok.
Description
The shortest par 3 on the course. Once again, if you didn’t score as well as you hoped on 13 here’s a chance to get one back. Just keep in mind that you still have OB bordering all sides so anything off target or thin could result in trouble. Hardest part about this hole is club selection and local knowledge really helps.
Description
Due to the fact that it’s an uphill tee shot this one plays longer than on the card. Best thing is to take another club and swing smooth because the tendency here is to over-swing, and we know what that means. The green isn’t very big so if you’re on you will have a good chance at birdie and if you’re going to miss it miss it short.
Description
This hole is a nice par 3 that has birdie potential. A straightaway tee shot to a modest size green (for Pinetop Lakes) with not much trouble around the green. Putting can be tricky depending on length and pin position.
Description
A slight dogleg left and slightly downhill this hole will once again tempt you to hit driver. The smart play, however, will be to choose a club you hit with great accuracy. A 200 to 220 yard tee shot is all you will need to set yourself up with a good approach shot. If you miss the fairway, don’t sweat it, unless you missed it all the way out of bounds, which is once again bordering the hole right and left. The green is reasonably sized for the approach shot and boasts a few tricky pin placements. Local knowledge of this green will greatly improve your chances of success.
Description
Can you say risk reward? Driver is definitely possible here. The reward is after a well-played tee shot the possibility to hit the green in 2 and have a putt for eagle. The risk is hitting the home on the inside dogleg to the right whose owner is usually sitting out on his deck just waiting for that player to hit a wayward tee shot. The good news is we did manage to take the shotgun away from him. The spot to aim for that risky shot is between the tall pines and the house previously mentioned and be prepared to carry it about 280 yard, a draw might help as well. Not quite so gutsy? Take a fairway metal and aim just left of the tall pines on the right and with a little luck and longer second shot may still be able to reach in 2. An elevated green makes approach difficult and you typically must carry the ball all the way to the green to get it on. Once there your chances are again good to make up for some of the errant shots of the previous holes.