Golfing Edinburgh USA

This course always baffles me.  Despite my best efforts this course just chews me up.  I headed out with Vigen today to try punch this course in the face.  Instead it punched me.

Rather than go through the course hole by hole let's just talk about the top viscous holes.

Hole 1- 492 yard par 4.
An easy tee shot, unless you hit the fairway bunkers down the right or left.  Oh yeah, OB down the left too.

 If you miss the bunkers off the tee (Vigen didn't) your second shot must navigate a shoot of trees.

Your third shot is to a wicked small green with 2 tiers and all kinds of problems short and deep.

Hole 3- 393 yard par 4.
Number one handicap.  Water right.  Fairway sloping right. Need I say more?

 Yes you want more?  Water guards the front of the green right and bunkers line behind the green.

Hole 4- AKA the first big Mr. Evil.  484 yard Par 5.
The lack of distance on this hole is made up for on the tee shot.  A forced layup short of the large bunker left.  Water right off the tee.

 Your second shot gets worse.  Water right.  Water left.  Trees right too.

To finish a rather shallow green with bunkers short and deep and water left.

Hole 5- 315 yard par 5.
This hole is all kinds of danger if you are not careful.  Don't be that guy.  Hit 200 yards over the cross bunker and take par.  This one makes the list just because of the temptation.

Hole 6- 178 yards par 3.
This hole always seems to play into the wind.  There is no room to miss here unless you are extremely short and left.  Right is water.  Left is tree trouble.  Short is sand and deep is a bad down hill lie on the hills.

Hole 7- 404 yard par 4

I actually really like this tee shot.  My favorite on the course.  There is death left though.  And right is OB and some bunkers.  The reason this one makes the list is the approach to the green that falls away on all sides. A good drive is good for nothing without a second shot here.

Hole 10- 361 yards par 4.
This tee shot can make you reconsider.  Trees down both sides.  It actually opens up down the right- to the driving range.  The thing that elevates this hole is the green and all the dangers around it.

 Vigen here has a slightly open face at impact.  Wonder where this went?

Hole 11- The hits keep coming on the back.  415 yards par 4.  The hardest on the back nine.  There are two main concerns here.  The tee shot must be straight.  Trees down the left and trees and a bonus creek down the right.  The other thing is length.  This is just a plain long hole.  A bit of mercy is shown on the green here which is relatively unguarded.

Hole 12- 515 yard par 5
This one barely makes the list.  The hardest thing here is the tee shot.  The second shot really is not bad, nor is the green.  But that tee shot- water right.  Fairway slopes right.  And all kinds of trees and OB, etc. down the left.

Hole 13- 390 yards par 4.
At this point you might ask: "are we done yet?".  No we are not.  Stay the course.  This is the last of the 4 hole stretch.  At least for one hole.  The name of this hole is trees. Enough said.

Hole 15- 528 yard par 5.
"The big nasty".  This hole just absolutely blows.  Trees, trees, and more trees.  You have to stay left off the tee to avoid the trees that jut out on the right.  Then you have to avoid more trees.  I just close my eyes on this hole.

Hole 16- 145 yards par 3.
Just kidding on this one.  The easiest on the course.  Enjoy the moment.

Hole 17- 374 yard par 4.
Remember how nice and calm you were on 16?  Now bend over and grab your ankles.  Tee off to an island fairway.  Now carry the water to a peninsula green.  The good news?  No trees on this hole!  But two drop areas on this hole make this one one of the last suck punches you will take.  (Since there is only one hole left)

Hole 18- 370 yard par 4.
Sure there are lots of trees on this one, but so what?  You have to be used to that by now.  The killer on this one is the friggin bunkers off the tee.  Don't worry that you cant see them from the tee.  They are there.  They will find you.

The best part of 18:  HOME!

6 killers on the front.  7 on the back.  The ridiculous thing?  Jeff Sorenson tied the course record from the tips on this monster this year with a 64.  Holy cow!!!

You might think from this post that I don't like this course.  That is not true.  I think Edinburgh USA is maybe one of the top 10 courses in the metro.  It is just a really difficult track. But that is something to love.  I always get butterflies playing this one and at the end of the day I always end up having fun!

Today I ended up having 87 strokes of fun ; )