Hole 10
Par 4
337 | 322 | 306 | 306 | 214 yards
Stepping onto the 10th tee you're presented with a quote from the other half of the design duo, Bill Coore. "Every interesting course owes a debt of gratitude to the land that gave it life". This quote embodies the minimalist design philosophy held by Coore and Crenshaw, to do as little as possible to the land to create great courses.
The 10th tee is immediately adjacent to the 1st tee. The 10th is to the right, and the 1st is to the left. A small putting green is also located here in the shadow of the halfway house.
From the tees you have one of the higher elevation points on the course. To the northeast you have a great vista of the mountains running across the horizon. Below them, the par 4 10th is exposed.
The largest design feature to this dogleg right hole is the massive bunker that sits at the corner of the bend. From the back tees it is only 230 yards to carry this hazard.
A large landing area sits to the left of the trap, though a line down that side can carry through the fairway as it turns back to the right. Provided you can carry it, the best line is just over the right trap, just in line or slightly to the right of the person in the white shirt below.
Closer to the green, if you approach from the left half of the hole you have to fly a bunker sitting short of the green to the left of the fairway. Another small, deep bunker sits dead center and the front of the green actually wraps around this bunker on both sides.
There is not a lot of room to miss this green, other than short right. Behind and to the left a pair of bunkers sit hidden and to the right below the green is actually the back tees for the 11th hole. Anything missing on that side of the green will fall off down to these tees, as you can see in this photo.
We also ran into another hazard on this hole- a curious coyote who followed us a little too closely during the duration of this hole. Luckily I hadn't used my beef-jerky flavored deodorant this day.
Hole 11
Par 3
197 | 194 | 176 | 154 | 154 yards
The 11th, while not the longest par 3, is a tough test. Slightly uphill, it plays northerly. You must carry a fair distance of desert before a small fairway area comes into play short of the green.
Short and left of the fairway is a large deep bunker. Anything hit to the dormant grass area will roll back towards the desert.
There is about 25 yards of fairway short of this green. The green is 40 yards deep but only around 20 yards across. Obviously misses to the right will bring in the bunkers sitting down that side.
Hole 12
Par 4
476 | 461 | 423 | 332 | 332 yards
A long straight ahead par 4. From the tips it is 190 yards to carry the desert and the large centrally located trap before finding the rough. It is another 30 yards still until you reach the fairway.
Provided you can carry it far enough, the fairway is massive to land on- almost 50 yards across. A bunker complex does sit just off the left side of the fairway at 300 yards from the back tees.
Even with the left bunkers you still have 220 yards into the green. The green is fronted by a cross bunker that sits in the center of the hole. The bunker starts at 40 yards from the front of the green and is in play until about 15 yards from the green.
Running up to the green is not likely to happen on this hole. If played into the wind on this westward facing hole, three shots to reach the green are likely. The designers did take mercy on you though. Aside from that front bunker the green is otherwise unguarded and presents a massive target, being almost 50 yards deep.
Hole 13
Par 4
470 | 457 | 417 | 417 |324 yards
A second back-to-back long par 4 awaits you on the 13th. The landing zone off the tee is gigantic- almost 70 yards across! There is a single small bunker sitting in the middle of this fairway but provided you avoid this (it is about 280 yards from the back tees) you should not have a problem finding the short stuff.
This is yet another fairly lengthy forced carry of about 200 yards from the back tees to reach the fairway.
Playing even with that fairway bunker you'll have 170 yards to the center of the green on your second shot.
A pair of bunkers 80 yards short of the green squeezes down the fairway visually but should not really be in play for most people.
Short and right of the green there is a bunker that is much more in play. If you avoid that, again you'll have plenty of room if you do not hit the green.
Hole 14
Par 5
538 | 527 | 513 | 513 | 433 yards
The 14th features the only split fairway on the course. A smaller fairway on the right offers a shorter route to the green but it requires a more accurate tee shot and a second forced carry on your second shot.
The left fairway runs continuously up to the green but doglegs to the right and presents a longer route to get home.
Regardless of the course you choose to play you will have another forced carry to reach the fairway. On either direction there is a possibility of running out of fairway for long hitters. From the tips the right island fairway ends about 310 yards out.
At the furthest, the left fairway is slightly longer down its heart, quitting about 320 yards. This distance reduces as you play further down the left though.
Not that many have to worry about 300+ yard drives but if you are playing up it could be a concern.
Of course you could split the difference of the two fairways and find the strip of desert separating the two options :)
As you make the turn on the left fairway's dogleg you have an unobstructed run to the green in the distance.
A smattering of bunkers run up the left side of the fairway, in strategic positions corresponding to landing areas for those playing to reach the green in three shots. One more sits on the left side of the green. Down the other side, the desert is more in play until you reach the green where a trio of bunkers protect that side.
This is an accessible green to try reach in two. A large area to the left of the green is the spot to miss on long approaches. While there is a bunker on that side also, it is the more favorable side to miss than the right side where the desert can come quickly into play.
Hole 15
Par 3
255 | 233 | 209 | 209 | 114 yards
It is 150 yards down the right side to reach the grass. If you go at the green, bunkers run almost the entire distance to the front of the green requiring a true carry onto the green.
Keeping with the course's theme, a generous grass area to the left of the green is offered for those who can't reach from the tee, or who just don't manage to hit this green which is one of the largest on the course, being over 50 yards from front to back.
Playing from the fairway short of the the green is not too bad an option. Likely a better one than a wild shot into the desert, or a long bunker shot from the left side.
Part 1: Holes 1-3
Part 2: Holes 4-9
Part 4: Holes 16-18
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