Three down, two to go. And these final two courses happen to be my early personal favorites in 2010.
While Golden Tee 2010 is set to ship on September 29th (whoop, whoop!), we thought we’d tide everyone over with a quick peak at all five of the new courses. And what better source to chat with about GT 2010’s five new gems than the actual source himself.
Course designer Jim Zielinski is here to discuss some of the intriguing factors you can expect to see when playing the update in a matter of days – oh how sweet does that sound! Next up, Monument Valley!
AK: Jim, thanks once again for helping us out at the GTB. We’re in the final stretch and up next down the line is Monument Valley. Give us some background of the design of the course, and what separates it from other GT courses?
JZ: Glad to be here, Adam. Monument Valley is set in northeastern Arizona, and unlike the common perception this isn’t actually a canyon course. Monument Valley isn’t tucked in between canyons the entire course, as both Kings Canyon and Rattlesnake Ridge were. In fact, there’s really only one position where you’ll have to hit an accurate shot between two canyon-like walls. With that being said, there’s plenty of large rocks that come into play and lots of sand and dusty dirt because it is located in the desert.
AK: How would you rate Monument Valley in terms of difficulty?
JZ: In general, I would say the course will play fairly average in terms of difficulty – IF you decide to play it safe. Hole seventeen can be extremely challenging with certain looks, but other than that you should be able to play for birdie and end up just fine on most of the holes.
AK: Okay, but what about those of us who are feeling lucky on a particular shot or would really love that eagle versus settling for a birdie?
JZ: That’s where things get a lot more interesting. Besides the rocks and other items in play, Monument Valley has the most elevation of any course in 2010. Not as much as Black Hills in ’09 but there still is a noticeable amount. And then there’s the risk vs. reward, which can be extremely rewarding but also very punishing if you’re off your mark. The giant rocks create some very fascinating, drivable par-4′s that can be wonderful for your scorecard if you hit the right shot. End up astray, behind a large rock, and it could be a potential blow up.
AK: Which hole on Monument Valley would you say is your personal favorite?
JZ: Actually, I think I like the finishing hole the best – the 18th. Normally I like to design a drivable par-4 to finish the round. The double eagle potential gives players a glimmer of hope even if they are down by a few strokes. On hole 18 of Monument Valley, the double eagle is still available, but this time the round finishes with a really long par-5.
The hole has two levels, and the tee and first fairway are really elevated. The second fairway along with the green sit 200 feet lower. The green is tucked into a nook in the cliff that is protected on 3 sides by walls, and in the front by water, which the green slopes hard towards. This makes the second shot one a real fun one.
If you choose to go for the green, you’d better know how to compensate for wind. Because of the huge drop, the approach shot will stay in the air much longer than a normal shot. Usually the winds on the 18th are pretty severe so it’s not going to be easy. You don’t want to be long on this shot, because the back cliff will ricochet the ball right into the water. The cliff walls around the green can also help a shot. Because it’s semi-enclosed, bad shots can rattle around the cliff walls and some actually go in. I think this will end up being a great YouTube hole!
AK: Thanks again, Jim! Can’t wait for 2010!