Jan. 5-11
|
No. 18
|
Mercedes-Benz Championship
Plantation Course at Kapalua
Maui, Hawaii
|
PAR: 5 | YARDS: 663
The hole around which the rest of the course was formulated, "Home" is an extremely long downhill, downwind par 5. The hole is made reachable in two powerful blows by the assisting winds and slope. The large, receptive fairway and green are difficult to judge owing to the vast panoramas and the scale of the background. Here, the scale and drama are uncommon; the challenge is within reason, while the surrounding beauty is unparalleled. |
Jan. 19-25
|
No. 17
|
Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
Arnold Palmer Private Course at PGA WEST
La Quinta, Calif.
|
PAR: 3 | YARDS: 130
From the tee of this short par 3, you will have a beautiful panoramic view of PGA WEST. Don't forget to focus in on the pin on this long narrow green. Proper position is a must on this dangerous little hole. |
Jan. 26-Feb. 1
|
No. 16
|
FBR Open
TPC Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Ariz.
|
PAR: 3 | YARDS: 162
This is designer Tom Weiskopf's favorite par 3 on the stadium-style course. The green is an elusive target, requiring accuracy. Scores vary from 2-4, offering the player a good birdie opportunity. |
Feb. 2-8
|
No. 14
|
Buick Invitational
Torrey Pines South Course
San Diego, Calif.
|
PAR: 4 | YARDS: 435
You will want to favor the right side of the fairway with a long tee shot to have the best approach to the green. You should place your second shot in the middle of the green, avoiding left and long as that is an automatic penalty. What you see is what you get when putting. |
Feb. 9-15
|
No. 18
|
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Pebble Beach Golf Links
Pebble Beach, Calif.
|
PAR: 5 | YARDS: 543
A new tee further out to sea actually makes the tee shot a little easier, but it still must negotiate the coastline. Only the longest hitters will be able to reach the green in two if they keep their balls in the fairway, although a good, hard drive will bounce considerably because these fairways run firm and fast in the summer. |
Feb. 16-22
|
No. 10
|
Northern Trust Open
Riviera CC
Pacific Palisades, Calif.
|
PAR: 4 | YARDS: 315
Jack Nicklaus calls this "one of the best 10th holes in major championship golf." A short hole but by no means easy, longer hitters can drive this green, but extreme accuracy is required. The ideal spot to come into this green is from the left side of the fairway. An extremely narrow green with bunkers right, left and behind gives this hole its character. |
March 5-8
|
No. 16
|
The Honda Classic
PGA National
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
|
PAR: 4 | YARDS: 434
This dogleg right is the toughest par 4 of all of PGA National's 90 holes. Off the tee, everything slopes toward the water on the right, but a bunker was added to catch balls that roll too far right. Those who bail out left are faced with a 220-yard second shot over water, into the wind. |
March 12-15
|
No. 8
|
World Golf Championships-CA Championship
Doral Golf Resort
Miami, Fla.
|
PAR: 5 | 560
On this par 5, the lake is very much in play for longer hitters. Numerous palm trees beyond the bunker on the right punish any bailout to that side. Many players go for the green in two, but to do so requires a long, accurate drive usually into the winter wind from the southwest. |
March 26-29
|
No. 18
|
Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard
Bay Hill Club and Lodge
Orlando, Fla.
|
PAR: 4 | YARDS: 441
The finishing hole looks simple on paper. It's straight away to a wide fairway, but that's where simple ends. The large, kidney shaped green is fronted by rocks and water, requiring a longer carry to the right half. The bunkers left of the green await errant shorts of the hydrophobic. |
April 2-5
|
No. 18
|
Shell Houston Open
Red Stone GC
Humble, Texas
|
PAR: 4 | YARDS: 488
A challenging and dramatic finishing hole with a lake bordering the entire left side of the hole, the tee shot challenges the golfer to carry as much water as possible, while also avoiding the large sculptured bunker along the left of the fairway landing area. The approach leaves little margin for error, with water on the left and a sand bunker on the right. With the tournament on the line, attacking the left-back hole location is a gutsy proposition. |
April 13-19
|
No. 18
|
Verizon Heritage
Harbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head, S.C.
|
PAR: 4 | YARDS: 452
In this emerald-hued finale, the famous lighthouse becomes a beacon to landlubbers. A successful shot is one aimed toward the cherished landmark. The goal is the wide landing area jutting into Calibogue Sound. A word of advice on one of golf's most spectacular finishing holes: The long approach to the flag offers ample bailout to the right where the innocent-looking but insidious mounding has caused many a wannabe champ to lose a sought-after par. |
April 23-26
|
No. 17
|
Zurich Classic of New Orleans
TPC Louisiana
Avondale, La.
|
PAR: 3 | YARDS: 215
Bunkers to the left were eliminated and replaced by bulkheading but the pot bunker on the right remains. Par will be a great score on the newly reshaped green. |
May 11-17
|
No. 16
|
Valero Texas Open
The Resort Course at La Cantera
San Antonio, Texas
|
PAR: 4 | YARDS: 380
The day's flagstick placement is the key in determining a successful playing strategy on this drivable par 4. A three-quarter-acre fairway bunker dominates the left side of the fairway, and the player has the option of trying to drive the green or of laying up over the single pot bunker in the center of the fairway. The lay-up shot will leave the player a short approach to the largest, most heavily contoured green on the LaCantera layout. Tiger Woods drove the green in 1996 but three-putted for par. |
May 25-31
|
No.13
|
Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
Colonial Country Club
Ft. Worth, Texas
|
PAR: 3 | YARDS: 171
You face a tee shot with total carry over water to this two-tiered green. Winds can make this hole very difficult. |
June 8-14
|
No. 14
|
St. Jude Classic
TPC Southwind
Memphis, Tenn.
|
PAR: 3 | YARDS: 239
Elevated tee and a full carry over water to a severely undulated green. A very difficult par 3, set among a natural amphitheater. |
June 22-28
|
No. 15
|
Travelers Championship
TPC River Highlands
Cromwell, Conn.
|
PAR: 4 | YARDS: 296
Unless you're playing for the Travelers Championship title, or you're having the round of your life, take out the driver and have some fun. You will have few opportunities in your life to say you drove a par 4 at a TPC. In windy conditions, the pros often hit an iron off the tee, leaving a full wedge to the green. |
June 29-July 5
|
No. 18
|
AT&T National
Congressional CC
Bethesda, Md.
|
PAR: 4 | YARDS: 466
Congressional's signature hole sets up perfectly for a long, right-to-left tee shot. Anything too far right could find trouble as well as a thick grove of cedars. Bunkers right of the green combined with water on three sides make the second shot a test of courage. |
July 6-12
|
No. 17
|
John Deere Classic
TPC Deere Run
Silvis, Ill.
|
PAR: 5 | YARDS: 557
It's reachable in two for big hitters, but they will have to perfectly place a tee ball on this slight dogleg left to do it. The fairway is tight, tree-lined and canted in the landing area. The green is guarded in front by bunkers, some quite short of the green to throw off your perspective. The green is elevated slightly with Pinehurst No. 2-style bentgrass collection areas all around. Miss the green, and you will have a very tough up-and-down. |
July 13-19
|
No. 18
|
U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee
Brown Deer Park Golf Course
Milwaukee, Wis.
|
PAR: 5 | YARDS: 557
This par 5 may well decide the tournament. A good drive over the creek allows you to go for the green in two, otherwise you must lay up. The green has five bunkers in front to penalize the daring golfer who needs an eagle to win. |
July 20-26
|
No. 11
|
RBC Canadian Open
Glen Abbey GC
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
|
PAR: 4 | YARDS: 452
This green was rebuilt recently by Jack Nicklaus and tends to be a little firm and very fast (especially putting towards the creek). No. 11 is the first of the spectacular "Valley Holes" and is recognized as one of the most beautiful holes in all of golf. Check the tree tops for wind direction and try to split the fairway. On your approach, be sure to remember the distance to the flag is all carry. An extra club is recommended, and, if the pin is at the back, add another. |
July 27-Aug. 2
|
No. 17
|
Buick Open
Warwick Hills G&CC
Grand Blanc, Mich.
|
PAR: 3 | YARDS: 197
The 17th is perhaps the most picturesque hole on the course and traditionally plays as one of the most difficult par 3s in the Buick Open. It is also where the most enthusiastic crowds can be found at Warwick. The front bunker has been lengthened for 2001, capturing shots that come up short of the green. From the tee, the player must hit a middle iron to a green that subtly slopes toward the water hazard. Missing the green left is particularly bad, as the ball will tend to kick into the woods if it misses both of the bunkers. |
Aug. 6-9
|
No. 16
|
World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational
Firestone CC
Akron, Ohio
|
PAR: 5 | YARDS: 667
The 16th is the signature hole at Firestone. The extension of the tee now brings the bunkers into play, which are approximately 280 to 290 yards off the tee. A long iron second shot down the hill must avoid a creek on the right and stay short of the pond that guards this small green. The front right pin is the most challenging. |
Aug. 6-9
|
No. 16
|
Legends Reno-Tahoe Open
Montreux Golf & Country Club
Reno, Nev.
|
PAR: 3 | YARDS: 163
This tricky par 3 is the shortest hole on the course, but club selection here is critical. You're faced with a long carry over water to a narrow, shallow green that is divided in the middle by a large ridge. You've got more room on the right half of this green, but the toughest hole location will be tucked into the left-hand corner, underneath the huge pines. Hopefully, you'll avoid the pot bunker that protects the left-hand side as well. |
Aug. 17-23
|
No. 15
|
Wyndham Championship
Sedgefield Country Club
Greensboro, N.C.
|
PAR: 5 | YARDS: 547
The downhill tee shot must avoid a small creek on the left and a large fairway bunker on the right. Going for the green in two will require a long carry over water and deep greenside bunkering to a severe back to front sloping green. |
Aug. 24-30
|
No. 14
|
The Barclays
Liberty National Golf Club
Jersey City, N.J.
|
PAR: 3 | YARDS: 149
Even the greatest courses in the world do not have a hole like the eighth at Royal Troon -- the famous postage stamp -- or the seventh at Pebble Beach hard by the Pacific Ocean. The waves of Upper New York Bay lap gently on the shore near the tees, and the sea grasses wave in the breeze like the links courses in the howling wilderness of Scotland and Ireland. And like the postage stamp and the seventh at Pebble Beach, this is the shortest par 3 at Liberty National. To add to the mix, it is downwind. The setting is incredible. The Manhattan skyline looms behind the green, the Verrazano Narrows Bridge is over the shoulder and the Statue is ever present. Club selection is everything, in spite of the scenery. |
| Oct. 1-4 |
|
No. 11
|
Turning Stone Resort Championship
Atunyote Golf Club
Verona, N.Y.
|
PAR: 3 | YARDS: 230
The longest par 3 on the course is protected on the right by a stream and a greenside bunker. Favor the left side of this large green as it slopes from left to right toward the water. |
Oct. 15-18
|
No. 16
|
Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open
TPC Summerlin
Las Vegas, Nev.
|
PAR: 5 | YARDS: 560
A good tee shot puts big hitters in position to go for the green in two. Trees guard both sides of the fairway, and a lake guards the front of the green. |
Oct. 22-25
|
No. 16
|
Frys.com Open
Little Creek
Grayhawk GC
Raptor Scottsdale, Ariz.
|
PAR: 3 | YARDS: 211
Perhaps the most scenic hole on the golf course, the sixteenth plays downhill into a natural amphitheater with a creek tumbling down the left side and emptying into a greenside pond. A large grass collection area to the right side of the green acts as a bailout for those who lose their nerve. But from there, the pitch back towards a front pin location can easily result in a dip in the pond. The ideal play is to aim at the collection area and work the ball back to the green, which is severely sloped from back to front. |
Oct. 29-Nov.1
|
No. 18
|
Viking Classic
Annandale GC
Madison, Miss.
|
PAR: 5 | YARDS: 532
Water comes into play on every shot at this hole, but don't expect PGA TOUR players to be shy here -- especially if they need an eagle or birdie. The green is big enough to hold a 3-wood or long-iron second shot. It's a great hole for pros to finish on. |
Nov. 12-15
|
No. 17
|
Children's Miracle Network Classic
Magnolia Golf Club
Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
|
PAR: 4 | YARDS: 485
"The most dangerous hole on the course: Tee shot over water, then a long mid-iron to a well-protected narrow green. Give me a 4 here and I'll run to 18!" -- Lanny Wadkins |
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