I’ve dusted off my finest and only tux, holy #$%^ this waist is tight, and we have the nominees ready for the Golden Tee 2010 Shot of the Year, along with the many other brilliant efforts that made the final cut.

Now, before everyone begins pelting me with rotten vegetables and kitchen sinks, let’s get a few things out in the open in terms of how this decision-making went down.

We decided against the voting this year because of the debacle that ensued when we did this same feature only a year ago. For those unaware of what happened, you can read up on the Controversy and Chaos that put a giant kink in the announcement of the 2009 Shot of the Year.

Next on the Shot of the Year checklist, the criteria for being included. The “skill” versus “luck” debate, which is a tough one when it comes to rating these shots, has long been a topic of discussion on whether certain efforts should be included. It’s come up in the past whether we should be awarding bad shots that got unbelievably lucky or look to promote those skilled shots that might not provide the same sort of “wow” factor.

You’ll see quite a bit of both luck and skill below, but we’re using entertainment as our deciding factor when sorting and rating these shots. Yes, this means some of you are undoubtedly going to be unhappy with the results, which is understandable. If commenting isn’t enough for you, you can send your hate mail to HateMailisforLosers@GiveitUp.com.

With that on the table, just because we aren’t holding any sort of vote, that doesn’t mean we don’t want your opinion. In fact, WE’D LOVE to hear what you have to say and which shot you don’t believe belongs, who is rated higher than they should be, and which YouTube you feel deserves top shot honors.

I feel better now that we got that out of the way. Alright, let’s get this show going, right after I take off these tux bottoms and switch to a pair of cozy zubaz. Here they are folks, the shots of 2010, counting down to the 2010 Shot of the Year.

We haven’t made it to our top ten just yet, but here are five shots that JUST missed making our countdown. Consider it a YouTube appetizer.

Those That Just Missed

With those fine shots behind us, we’ve made it to our top ten. Here they are, folks…

#10: Thor’s Fantastic Trackball Magic

#9: It Can’t be Done, or Can it?

#8: Putz Walks on Water

#7: Use the Force, Stu

#6: “Super” Sick Skip

#5: Bank On It

#4: Killing Physics

#3: Mouth Makes His Case

#2: Ricochet Madness

#1: Off The Mark, Sure. But Oh so Nasty

That’s all from us, folks. Thanks for playing and we look forward to seeing what 2011 brings us.

Cheers,

-AK

The final hole in our Toughest in 10 is upon us and while I’d love a suspenseful selection, I have a feeling many of you already know which hole will hold the top spot. Our previous selections certainly all presented very challenging looks. In my opinion, however, none of the holes selected 2-5 come close to our #1 selection. There, that should do juuuuuust fine for build up.

Ladies and gentlemen your Golden Tee 2010, Toughest in 10 hole is…

Bella Toscana 18.

The 18^th on Bella Toscana is a drivable par-4 that can usually range anywhere from 260 to 300+ yards. The green is extremely narrow and is surrounded by water on the front, left, and back. There’s a large hill guarding the green which is positioned directly in front of the water.

Typically this hill can be trouble for any ball that may happen to find, although as seen in the shot below – that’s not always the case.

So if you happen to hit a shot like this, you’re gravy. Otherwise there are plenty of items of note that can be trouble when trying to finish off the round. The hole is intimidating from any tee box with any wind, and while there can be some more favorable setups, bagging an eagle requires a truly outstanding shot.

Here are a few of the major factors that make this “The” toughest hole in 2010.

The Green: The green itself is tough to hit even with very little wind and a comfortable club – aka a 3 or 5-wood. It’s extremely narrow, perhaps smaller horizontally than any hole in recent memory. Oh and it has a down-10 slope!

If you’re slightly off laterally, you’ll get wet. If you come up just short, you’ll hit the front wall of the green and ricochet in the water. If you over hit your club slightly, your ball won’t be able to spin enough because of the slope and you’ll find more water. It’s easy to be off on this hole even when you’re off only slightly.

The Wind: It’s obvious that the wind is a critical variable in Golden Tee. Heck, it’s been a major factor in all five of our Toughest in 10. Bella 18 is no exception; in fact, it’s the leader of the pack.

On the rare occasion where you’re given a straighter wind of less than 12 mph you better take advantage. More times then not, you’ll likely have a cross wind that will typically range anywhere from 12 to 17 mph. Yikes. You’ll have to get extremely creative with your shots to battle these winds and also learn to control how your ball spins when it hits the green. Bella 18 has the toughest winds in the 2010. Period.

The Stagger: Stagger is a Golden Tee term that might be new to some. Usually players are lined up straight at the hole from the tee box or fairway, but in some instances they will be moved left or right creating a more difficult shot. This in essence, is a stagger and is seen more on Bella 18 than any other hole in the game.

This particular stagger forces players to be right on with their direction and precise with their distance even with angle or cut shots. Staggers are typically small and sometimes you may not even realize you are playing slightly off of the pin. Not here though. This is a stagger I particularly enjoying cursing out almost every game.

But that’s not all. Say you are having the round of your life and you’re simply looking to birdie this hole. While there is a layup area in the back right portion of the green, this can be a tough spot to get to and can actually be one of the trickiest wedge shots to hit from if the wind is remotely tough. Well, maybe not for you pros but for guys like me.

You can also layup by playing for the middle and knocking it in the fairway, but you might be left with a very challenging look especially if the pin is tucked up near the top portion of the green. While laying up is certainly safer and is almost necessary with some of the looks you’ll get, it doesn’t mean you’re home free.

While the hole is truly challenging, I actually love playing it. I think it plays fair and requires one, (sometimes two), good shots for an eagle or birdie. I’ve seen the hole played in one live event so far and the suspense and strategy that it created in match play was outstanding.

There’s also the chance you’ll have a shot like this and won’t even have to take the putter out of your bag.

How you decide to play Bella 18 is up to you. With time you’ll figure out what works and what doesn’t. While many will share a variety of strategies on how to play this hole, I think (key word here being think) most everyone can agree that this is the Toughest in 10. So I have to ask…

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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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]]> http://blog.goldentee.com/adam-kramer/toughest-looks-in-10-southern-oaks-16/feed/ 4 http://blog.goldentee.com/adam-kramer/toughest-in-10-monument-valley-18/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=toughest-in-10-monument-valley-18 http://blog.goldentee.com/adam-kramer/toughest-in-10-monument-valley-18/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:53:25 +0000 Adam Kramer http://blog.goldentee.com/?p=965

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?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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.

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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]]> http://blog.goldentee.com/adam-kramer/toughest-looks-in-10-monument-valley-17/feed/ 6 http://blog.goldentee.com/design-a-hole-contest/holegate-2010/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=holegate-2010 http://blog.goldentee.com/design-a-hole-contest/holegate-2010/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:39:36 +0000 "Duffer" Dan Schrementi http://blog.goldentee.com/?p=883 Attention Fans of Golden Tee Golf: there’s a possible scandal among us, the gravity of which is unfathomable.  I present to you the following communication, which was intercepted by Incredible Technologies’ Information Observation Team (aka, ITIOT) on October the first, year two thousand and nine.

Great Wall #3

This hole is definitely a rip-off of my design-a-hole entry “star maker/star breaker” which got an honorable mention on GT.com on the 15 designs that didn’t make the cut for voting. WTF….

…yes it is the plnwheel green par 3, I have no pics, my design was drawn on paper with no copies made. My green was star shaped with the pin placement at the ends of the arms of the star requiring a shot in the middle of the green for any chance of a birdie.

Author: MOCHEEZ

Source: Let’s Talk Golf Message Board

*chk* black helicopter 1 to base: requesting profile information on subject, MOCHEEZ, over. *chk*

East China? Coincidence?

PROFILE: MOCHEEZ

Goes by Doug Smalley.  Claims East China, Michigan as his home. Database confirms,  2009 Design-a-Hole Contest semi-finalist.  Known as a “hardcore” member of “Let’s Talk Golf”.  Once shot a -27 on Bonnie Moore to win $2 and was last quoted stating “I’d be a banger if I could hit ‘em straight.”

*chk* black helicopter 1 to base: Roger.  East China, Michigan? hmmm Sounds fishy…  Requesting further profile information.  One James Zielinski, over. *chk*

Grilled Cheese - MOCHEEZ? Coincidence?

PROFILE: JIM ZIELINSKI

Goes by “Jimmy Z.” and known as the co-creator of Golden Tee Golf.  Noted as the game’s virtual course architect and has designed every hole, including Great Wall #3.  From the Chicago area and has been featured in dozens of magazines and TV programs.  Also an acclaimed creator of food and drink, including Golden Tee Grilled Cheese and the creme’ de menth/Goldschlager concoction called the Golden Tee Gulp.

*chk* black helicopter 1 to base: Roger that.  Requesting further details on the scandal…  And aaaa, can we get some of those cheese sandwiches up here? Over… *chk*

THE SCANDAL: HOLE GATE 2010

Doug “MOCHEEZ” Smalley claims that James “Jimmy Z.” Zielinski ripped-off his Design-a-Hole entry “Star Maker/Breaker” when designing hole #3 of The Great Wall.  MOCHEEZ goes on to claim that not only did Jim Z. glean design ideas from him but from other non-suspecting Design-a-Hole Contest semi-finalists. Jim, a proud artist, vehemently denies borrowing any ideas, be them conscious or subconscious.

*chk* black helicopter 1 to base: Roger, dodger.  Requesting further evidence…. and… aaaa… base – those sandwiches please? over.*chk*

EVIDENCE A: STAR MAKER/BREAKER

EVIDENCE B: GREAT WALL #3

*chk* black helicopter 1 to base: 10-4, base but aaaa… where in the hell are the trees and the dirt mounds? And did you say sand – was that sand, base?  This is INSANE.  IT’s black helicopters have WAY more work to do than this – I’m out…  And – aaaaa – screw those sandwiches.   I’m going to get one of those Golden Tee Gulps… over and out.*chk*

YOU TELL US…

Thank you for your cooperation during this critical time.

- ITIOT Agent Duffer Dan Schrementi

ps: we love you, Doug.

AK: We’re on our final course, and once again thanks for offering up an inside look at your latest creations, Jim. Last but certainly not least is Southern Oaks – give us some background on the course.

JZ: Southern Oaks is a more championship style golf course. Many will find this course the closest thing to real golf in almost any of the GT courses we’ve created. As a whole, the course is relatively flat with thick woods surrounding every single hole. There’s a lot of water and a decent amount of sand that will come into play.

AK: How would you rate Southern Oaks in terms of difficulty?

JZ: I would say it’s certainly above average in terms of difficulty, and might be the toughest course in the latest update. On face value, a course without shortcuts and little to no elevation would seem easy, but that’s not really the case. There’s a tons of trees, a lot of water that can be found by shots that aren’t on the mark, and the greens are guarded extremely well by bunkers and mounds.

AK: A lot was made about Southern Oaks because as you said, it has no shortcuts. Can you elaborate more on that?

JZ: The term shortcut can be misconstrued in some of these instances, but Southern Oaks does have a much different feel than any other course in GT history. There are still drivable par-4s, and par-5s will still require an outstanding second shot to reach the green in two. These shots, however, will not have some of the gimmicks or tricks that there have been in the past. Players will have to use a variety of shots to shoot well, and they won’t be able to simply get by off of course memory.

AK: Another item that will resonate unique with players that have played plenty of your courses is the fact that the 18^th hole is a par-4 that is not reachable in one. What led to this unique ending?

JZ: We’re trying to avoid the sort of cookie-cutter mentality, which is why we decided to switch it up. Players have grown to expect a drivable par-4 for hole 18, but we thought that Southern Oaks would be the ideal spot to go with a different approach. The final stretch will still provide plenty of fireworks, and there will be potential to gain and lose strokes. Hole 16 is one of the tougher par-3s in the entire game and Hole 17 is a drivable par-4 that will really test a player’s skills. Hole 18 will provide a very different challenge, and is going to be a tough birdie to come by especially with a tough setup.

AK: Which would you say is your favorite hole on the course?

JZ: On Southern Oaks my favorite hole is the 11^th, and by now you’ve probably noticed a pattern in the holes I like the best. They usually involve strategic options at the tee, and rewards for well placed shots after that. This hole is a good example. It’s a par-4 and the fairway has sort of a “Y” shape. The landing area for the tee shot spans 250 yards from left to right. You can choose to hit your tee anywhere along this span. The water on the left side won’t allow deep drives so any shot hit to the left will have a longer second shot to the green. The right side has trees to contend with. If the tee shot is too far and deep, the second shot requires a fade shot around the trees and over the bunker.

What I like about this hole is that there is no “right” way to play it. I think we’re going to see players choosing different strategies based on different equipment and different conditions.

This hole represents what I think is most fun about Golden Tee. It gives the player many choices and opportunities to make good or bad decisions. That’s the real fun. Make the right decision, then execute. A well-executed shot reaffirms your strategy. There’s a lot of satisfaction when you’re successful.

AK: Jim, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate all your help on breaking down your masterpieces!

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 29^th (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!

Welcome back GT bloggers, it’s time to sort through the next course in the 2010 lineup. And what better source to chat with about GT 2010’s five new gems than the actual source himself. In a five-part series (aka five new courses), I sat down with course designer Jim Zielinski to discuss some of the intriguing factors you can expect to see when playing the update in a matter of weeks.

Next up, the tropical beauty, Tahiti Cove.

AK: Thanks for joining us once again, Jim. We’re more than halfway done with our course feature and the Golden Tee 2010 release date is approaching fast. Next up, Tahiti Cove. Give us a rundown of the course, and some of the things players should know before they play it.

JZ: Tahiti Cove is the first tropical-ocean course we’ve done since Coral Vista in the original Golden Tee LIVE. The major difference between the two is that Coral Vista had more of a Florida-resort feel while Tahiti Cove is positioned more in the wild and has much more of a jungle-esque feel. There are a lot of tropical trees, the ocean comes into play, and revamped lava returns to Golden Tee with sound effects and all.

AK: We’ve heard your thoughts on the difficulty of two our courses thus far. How would you rate Tahiti Cove compared to the previous two and the other courses in GT 2010?

JZ: As is the case with many of the courses, a player’s success of Tahiti Cove will depend in large part on the setup and conditions for that round. As a whole, however, I would say that Tahiti would be slightly more difficult than average. The lava comes into play on a lot of shots that can kill a scorecard, and there’s also a good amount of water. Both 17 and 18 can also be challenging, and will be very good finishing holes for players looking to go for it all.

AK: There’s been a lot of news on our Design-a-Hole winner Jim Little of late and his hole Tropical Torment. Since Tropical Torment is hole 7 on Tahiti Cove, how did this impact your design process of the course?

JZ: Once we had heard that Jim had been voted the winner, we needed to assign him to one of the five courses. Since his design was tropical, we felt that Tahiti Cove was a perfect fit. The only item we really had to add to ensure Jim’s design was exactly the way he wanted, was building the yucca plants he had specified in his description. His hole is the only hole in Golden Tee where these plants can be found.

AK: Out of all the holes YOU designed for this course, which would you say is your personal favorite?

JZ: I think Hole 5 is a fun par-4 that provides unique options and challenges every time through.  It’s a longer par-4 and there are three different ways to attack the hole off the tee.  Where you choose to shoot may change depending on the tee box, the wind, or simply on personal preference. This hole plays similar in strategy to hole 11 on Rustic Bridge. There are trees close on the right, and a hazard that penalizes deep fade shots that don’t curve enough. On this hole it’s not about how far you can hit your drive, it’s about putting yourself in great position to create the easiest shot into the green.

AK: Thanks again for the course info, Jim. Can’t wait to play it!