Two out of three ain’t bad, and that would seem to be our current ratio in Toughest in 10 hole selections. Our #3 choice, Monument Valley 18, was somewhat of an overwhelming choice as being one of the toughest holes in the game. My feeling, however, is that these previous 3 holes are somewhat easy in comparison to our final two choices of the most challenging holes in Golden Tee 2010.

My #2 ranked hole in 2010 is none other than Southern Oaks #16.

This hole can really make you cringe and can pack quite a punch on your scorecard. It’s a par-3 that can vary greatly in distance, and is highlighted (or sometimes low-lighted) by the giant pond that surrounds the front and entire left side of the green.

Speaking of the green, it slopes extremely hard to the left (go figure), and anything slightly off the mark will most likely find the water.

The real interesting part of this hole is the hill that surrounds the back portion of the green. It almost plays as a backstop would in a baseball, and a lot of players are using this to their advantage. While this might be the “recommended” way to play in a lot of instances, that doesn’t mean that it is necessarily easy. The problem that I have found with this is you never know exactly what type of bounce you’re going to get. The ball seems to land pretty soft overall, but sometimes it can’t land soft enough.

While the shot featured below finds the bottom of the cup, it probably would’ve had a different fait had the hole not gotten in its path.

I’ve beaten the wind to death like a dead horse in our previous selections and I will do it once again -  the wind on Southern 16 can be absolutely BRUTAL. Anything blowing remotely to the left (aka towards the water) will require a picture perfect shot or some serious luck. Miss the green and you’ll most likely be give a drop which is no picnic either. In fact, if the wind is blowing hard with or against you, this could be one of the tougher chips in the game.

The pros will tell you that a big cut shot is required, aka bringing the ball in hard from the left to the right. This strategy certainly makes sense, but please try this at your own risk and stay patient. Using backspin is another story, and use this cautiously if the wind/pin call for it.

Through about fifteen games on Southern, I averaged close to bogey on this hole. “Not good, Peter.”  I’ve had a few birdies, a couple of near aces (turned crooked number), a handful of pars, and a bunch of big numbers in there as well.

Do your scorecards look like this, or am I just that bad? So the question must be asked…

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Posted in Golden Tee 2010, Posts by Adam Kramer | 4 Comments »

Perhaps I missed the boat on my #4 entry in our Toughest in10. Still, I find it hard to believe that people are birding Hole 17 on Tahiti Cove almost every time they play. With that said, the voting was split almost exactly down the middle and it appears that I need to play better and pick better holes from here on out.

And so I move forward… (Taking a deep breath) Our #3 hole in our Toughest of ’10 series is hole 18 on Monument Valley.

Only a few weeks back, The Milkman, (aka a GT player and fan) posted this in our IT Forum regarding this hole and Monument Valley in general.

“Not awesome at all, just silly and not fun. Certainly not for the “regular” player. Maybe worse than Grand Savanna 17. Reminds me of Heather Point 18, in tough setups it’s basically unplayable. Sorry, but Monument Valley seems like a gimmick course to me.”

He’s not the only one who has had issues with perhaps THE feature hole in the entire update. Many have commented on Monument Valley 18 and shared their thoughts on where exactly it stands difficulty-wise in GT 2010.

Let me tackle this item first. After watching literally hundreds of games on Monument Valley at Club Lucky’s Tournament of Champions, I never saw a situation where a player couldn’t reach the green in two. I did, however, see some of the game’s best players cringe at times with certain looks on this finishing hole.

While Monument Valley can be tough, specifically the 17^th and 18^th holes, they are very fair. I believe that the possibility of getting 8 or worse on 18 is there from time-to-time. I also believe the hole is positioned so you have a chance to succeed regardless of how tough it may be. This is also without question the best finishing hole in 2010.

Monument 18 is a two-tiered par-5 that has a severe drop separating the fairway about halfway through the hole. The green is positioned much lower than the top fairway that players “typically” hit out of, and it is surrounded by rock walls. A pond guards the front part of the green and anything short or “too” long is going to get wet. More on that in a bit.

While distance can usually be a problem on longer par-5s this isn’t he case here, well, sort of. Distance alone is never the issue, the wind, however is always the issue.

Whatever wind you have (tailwinds, crosswinds, headwinds) there’s a good chance it’ll be greater than 10 mph and will greatly alter both club and shot selection. I’ve seen 5 hybrids get to the green on the 2^nd shot, while also watching crushed drivers come up short.

If you are off on your distance or direction, you’re going to either end up in water or hit the back/side walls and likely end up in the water after that. Although you could end up with a “Shot of the Month” candidate instead.

Better Lucky Than Good.

The pin placements to go along with these tough winds make this hole truly one of the toughest in the game. When the pin is tucked in the back corners, particularly the far left-back portion of the green, it could mean major problems if you’re not exactly on the mark.

A trend I’ve seen a lot of late is players flying their ball onto the lower portion of the hole and going at the pin out of the “dusty dirt.” This isn’t something you can do with all tee boxes, winds, or club/ball combos, but it’s definitely possible. Here’s one more for good measure.

Sick Shot, Sick Score.

Play safe, learn your distances and what clubs travel best in a given wind, and you should be just fine. Thus far in 2010,  I’ve had a double eagle, a handful of eagles, a LOT of pars, and a few scores that I don’t really feel like mentioning. As I play more, however, I’m starting to get better at scoring on this hole. Still, no matter how much I play, this will always be one of my Toughest in 10.

What about you?

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Posted in Golden Tee 2010, Posts by Adam Kramer | 2 Comments »

Interesting start to our mini-series here on the GTB, as many of you shared your thoughts on our #5 toughest hole, Monument Valley 17. While many conveyed strong arguments on whether it belongs in the discussion compared to others, 70% of you agreed that this was without question one of the top 5 toughest holes in 2010. Only 30% said that I needed to “Play Better,” which is very true but also good news for my first selection.

We continue onward, however, with our #4 Toughest of Ten hole – Tahiti Cove 17.

Tahiti Cove 17 is a par-3 that can vary dramatically in distance and may require any club from a driver to a 5-iron. On the surface, TC 17 doesn’t really appear to be all that hard but as is the case with many holes in Golden Tee, looks can be deceiving.

WIND. It’s without question the biggest factor on this hole and will become a trend as we move forward. There’s a good chance that you’ll be given a setup with a wind greater than 10 mph each time through. You’ll also see A LOT of brutal looks that have crosswinds of 13 mph plus. When you get these looks, usually there is some significant cursing involved and for good reason. The strong winds really, really “blow.”

The green is shaped very similar to our previous hole, Monument Valley 17, and takes on a sort of “dog bone” shape. This means that you will see a variety of pin placements tucked in each of the four corners that can make for an almost impossible birdie. Any shot that heads remotely right will undoubtedly kick that way and find the water.

Even when you manage to stick the green, you may be forced to putt around the cutout of the green and tap in for par – something I’ve unfortunately done on a fair share of occasions.

The safe play on this hole would be to aim for the left-center portion of the green and hope for a reasonable look. If the pin is placed in the center of the green, this hole can be surprisingly manageable – and this strategy can play perfectly. Once again, I cannot stress the “if” enough.

I have averaged around par through 15 rounds on Tahiti Cove. This includes a dunk-ace that would have led to at least a bogey have it not hit the cup on a fly, so the results are skewed thanks to a very lucky shot.

With this in mind, I once again look for your help in assembling our top five hardest holes in GT 2010. Remember, at the end of it all, you’ll be able to cast your vote for Toughest Hole in ’10. For now, let’s see if I am right on, or I missed the mark here.

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Posted in Golden Tee 2010, Posts by Adam Kramer | 4 Comments »

Last year it was Savannah 17 – without question the toughest hole in the game and perhaps the toughest hole of all-time. While Heather Pointe fans may have a bone to pick with that, there’s plenty of holes in GT history that have become famous with the challenges they present.

Flash back once again to ’09, which sounds odd but you know what I’m getting at. It seemed like no matter what I tried, including a 4-hybrid chip and all sorts of horrendous cut shots, I got wet on Savannah 17. Usually my next shot would go in the hazard as well, and suddenly that potential –23 turned into a –16. Just like that.

Tilt. Say it with me, fellas… TILT.

While these challenging looks can be frustrating, they are also what make the game great. They forever go down in GT lore as the true round busters, but when you play them perfectly it makes it all worthwhile. They also force us to be creative. Who would imagine using a 4-iron on a 75-yard shot? I mean really?

A perfect example of this is Monument Valley 17, which leads off this mini-series as my fifth hardest hole in 2010. It gives players an amazing look, but it can be a black eye on the ol’ scorecard if the ball doesn’t roll your way.

17 is a par-3 that has tee boxes surrounding the hole on pretty much all sides. The distance can range anywhere from 95 to 160 yards.

The green, which might be one of, if not the toughest in the game, has a ten slope that can vary in direction depending on which tee box you are placed. There is a bunker surrounding the back, front, or side of the green, (once again depending on placement).

This hole provides a true challenge because the green is really tough to stick at all angles. And even when you do stick it, there’s the possibility that you’ll still have a very missable putt for birdie. The potential to really blowup is there as well. End up in the water and you’ll have a drop that is far from easy. Well, maybe not for you pros out there, but certainly for us donks.

If you have a good club with a nice out or cross wind then the birdie opportunity is very possible – but this easy opportunity won’t be there often. I highlighted 12 games I played on the hole and I got exactly 36 strokes, for an average of 3 strokes per time played. Not bad, especially with a few doubles in there.

Everyone out there has probably played and seen all the new courses and holes in 2010, so I put the question to you. Is Monument Valley 17 one of the top five hardest holes in the game?

Comments as always are welcome and appreciated. What do you think?

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Posted in Golden Tee 2010, Posts by Adam Kramer | 6 Comments »