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GOLF’S TOUGHEST HOLES
Debate rules in Belle Fourche By Padraic Duffy Journal staff
BELLE FOURCHE — There is plenty of debate surrounding just what is the most difficult hole to play at the Belle Fourche Country Club, a nine-hole course that measures just more than 3,000 yards from the back tees. The elderly gentlemen spending an afternoon playing cards in the clubhouse don’t even agree, finally settling with an, “Isn’t it on the card there?” as an adequate response. For starters, the top-ranked hole in terms of handicap changes depending on whether you are a man or a woman. The 406-yard par-4 No. 4 is the toughest hole according to the scorecard for men, while the 466-yard par-5 No. 7 is ranked as the toughest for the women. Hole No. 4 is a slight dogleg right with trouble on the right side of the fairway. Do not slice your tee shot. In fact, while it looks like there is trouble to the left on the hole, it is actually much better to miss way left off the tee as opposed to right. The raised, turtle-backed green is difficult to hit on the second shot, so be precise. Another difficulty in playing No. 4 comes with the wind, which is usually in to a player’s face on the hole. Hole No. 7 is a straightaway par-5 that plays differently depending on the wind.
Belle Fourche County Club No. 2 200 yards Par 3 Usually, you’re getting a little bit of a boost off the tee box, but on days when the wind is in your face, look out. The hole can be a bear. With all that said, the hardest hole has to be No. 2, a par-3 that plays more than 200 yards from the back tees and 178 from the women’s tees. The downhill hole doesn’t play as long as the yardage would indicate, but it’s not necessarily the length of the hole that makes it so difficult — although it doesn’t hurt. The first order of business on the second hole at Belle Fourche is committing to a shot. The distance can be a little hard to gauge as there is a good 45 to 50 feet of drop from tee to green. Once you’ve committed to a club selection, give it a rip to get there, but not too much because short is far better than long on this hole. The green on No. 2 isn’t large — about 40 feet by 40 feet — and there is danger in the form of a hazard just a couple of yards behind it. This is a green that can sometimes be hard to hit even on your second shot, so concentrate, take a deep breath and have some fun. You’ll be putting — eventually.
Padraic Duffy/Journal staff
The second hole at the Belle Fourche Golf Course may measure just 200 yards, but there are plenty of challenges along the way.
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Technology continues to drive golf By Jeff Budlong Journal staff
Bringing an iPhone onto the golf course can lead to questions of etiquette, but now golfers have a good reason to do so — it is key to improving their game on the green. In a sport that is dominated by technological advancements, the iPhone and an application from Ping are helping many golfers solve issues while standing over the ball on a green. “Ping came out with an iPhone app called ‘iPing,’ and they have designed a cradle … and it is a little plastic cradle that your iPhone slips into,” Arrowhead Country Club PGA Professional Tina Heinbaugh said. “You open up the application and the cradle clips on to your existing putter. It allows
Kristina Barker/Journal staff
A look at the new iPhone application that helps golfers with their putting.
PGA professionals to fit you on-site with the right putter.” Ping uses the philosophy that golfers have one of three putting strokes: the straight-
A House
back, straight-through, the slight arc and the more dramatic arc. Ping has designed its putters to fit one of those three strokes to benefit the golfer and offset some of the issue. “You hit five putts with this clipped on your putter, and then this tells you whether you are straight back, straight forward or a slight arc. It will tell you that your average putt is maybe two degrees closed through the closing stroke of impact.” The app will than make recommendations for which putter best fits your stroke type. The free application is userfriendly and easily downloaded to the phone. It also allows you to practice with phone attached to help develop a more consistent putting stroke, and it has also been updated to allow for a golfer to play a skins game with
another golfer that has the app without being at the same course. “If you have a buddy that lives down in Scottsdale, (Ariz.) and you want to have a little competition, you can do that through this application,” Heinbaugh said. As far as clubs, Ping has caught plenty of golfers’ eyes with their i20s and G20s, and the TaylorMade RocketBallz line is also popular this season. “You can’t go wrong with either of those, in my opinion,” Heinbaugh said. “I think the biggest thing, in my opinion, is to find a PGA professional and get fit for any clubs you purchase before you make the purchase.” Not surprisingly, both makers are touting the distance that golfers can gain by using these clubs.
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GOLF’S TOUGHEST HOLES
Elkhorn proves to be big hill to climb By Danny Lawhon Journal staff
Tough golf holes can often seem like impossible mountains to climb, especially if you’re not swinging the club well. Unprepared or rusty golfers, then, ought to tread lightly when they come to the tee at the intimidating second hole at Spearfish’s Elkhorn Ridge Golf Club. Measuring at 406 yards from the tips, this par-4 climbs roughly 120 feet uphill on the tee shot alone, according to Elkhorn PGA club professional J.R. Hamblet. Then it’s another 30 feet up the hillside on the approach to a two-tiered green. Sound tough? You’re darn right it’s tough. “That tee shot is so severely uphill, and it’s a dogleg left,” Hamblet said. “Then it’s another 30 feet uphill, trouble left and right. It’s a hard hole, and with that two-tiered green, it’s just a damn hard hole.” Because of the length, driver
Elkhorn Ridge No. 2 406 yards Par 4 will almost certainly be a must for most golfers. With elevation included, the hole plays roughly 440 to 450 yards from the back tees, Hamblet said. Further compounding the worries is that the ideal position in the fairway is closest to a hazard on the left. The right side of the fairway has severe undulations that can create awkward, uneven lies on the approach. “You really don’t want to be anywhere further right than the middle or left-center of the fairway,” he said. “You need to be as close to the hazard as you can get.” The placement of the hole within the round is often undervalued. Hamblet said that if the hole was further along in the card, say, at No. 7 or 8, then maybe it doesn’t seem as deathly difficult. But being placed when golfers are still getting their on-course swing
Kristina Barker/Journal staff
A view from the top of the hill at hole No. 2 at Elkhorn Ridge Golf Club.
in groove makes the second all the more fearsome. The placement in the layout isn’t unfair, however, and it was really one of necessity. It’s been in vogue for a couple of decades now to use gigantic elevation changes on downhill par-3 shots, but Hamblet says the lay of the Elkhorn land forced the
difficulty of No. 2. “There was no other way from an architectural standpoint to get the nine routed into the surrounding hillside. It was the only direction for the architect to go,” Hamblet said. “That’s not to take anything away from the hole at all. It’s really, really tough.”
Devils Tower course tests even the best golfers By Jeff Budlong Journal staff
Bryan Avery was rolling in last year’s pro-am at the Golf Club at Devils Tower coming to the 17th hole at 4-under. Avery, the head golf professional at the course, walked off the No. 17 green 10 shots later, shaking his head at what had just happened to his round. “The tee shot, if you are playing from the black or blue (tees) is very narrow,” Avery said. “You
Golf Club at Devils Tower No. 17 457 yards Par 4 have to hit 220 (yards) to clear the canyon, and the farther you hit it the wider it gets.” How important is a good tee shot? “It is all native grass and trees on the right and if you hit it there, it is gone,” said Avery, adding that the wind is often in your face. “You hit it to the left,
and you are in chest-high grass and tall pines.” Although the right side is unforgiving now, it was worse last summer until 6 feet of native grass was removed to give golfers a bit more room. Ideally, a golfer would put the ball down the right side of the fairway and play a mid-iron into the green. The biggest mistake is golfers trying to muscle the tee shot too much and putting themselves in a near-impossible second shot.
The green is slightly elevated with two big pines on the right. The turtle-back green is sloped and will make for a fast putt if you hit it above the hole. The 17th hole is just the fourth-ranked handicap hole at Devils Tower, but the punishment of an errant tee shot zooms it to No. 1 in Avery’s mind. “I play a three times a week, and if one guy makes a par they are doing good,” he said. “I have birdied it once with a massive tee shot.”
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GOLF’S TOUGHEST HOLES
Tee shot key to success in Spearfish By Jim Holland Journal staff
Rob Kortan’s nod for Spearfish Canyon Country Club’s toughest hole is not cutand-dried, but he can pretty well narrow it down. “It’s not an easy choice, but I’d have to say our toughest hole is probably our No. 1 handicap hole, which is our 14th,” Kortan said. “It’s a fairly intimidating tee shot. You’ve got to hit your tee ball through a gap of oak trees and you’ve got to place it into a somewhat narrow fairway. There’s out-of-bounds that frames the hole on the left side and a lateral water hazard on the right side of the hole as well. Another lateral hazard on the right also crosses the fairway at about 100 yards and obviously it’s a direct hazard as it crosses,” Kortan said. The hole plays to 415 yards from the blue championship tee, 395 yards from the standard mens tee and and 331 yards from the women’s red marker. Kortan said if your first shot isn’t well-centered, the score will reflect it. “If you miss in either direction, it’s going to produce a number for you,” Kortan said. Kortan said the intimidating tee shot is the most difficult part, but is not No. 14’s only challenge. “The prevailing wind is out of the west so it does play downwind most of the time, but when the wind is out of the east it’s an absolute bear of a hole,” he said. “There really is no secret there. You’ve got to stand up there and hit a golf shot. The advice I give to anyone is just to
Kristina Barker/Journal staff
A view of the tee box at hole No. 14 at Spearfish Canyon Country Club. The 415-yard hole offers plenty of challenges.
Spearfish Canyon Country “A good player is going to realize that it’s a slim Club birdie opportunity.You’re not going to make a lot of No. 14 birdies, and a par is great score. With that mindset, 415 yards Par 4 you’re not necessarily trying to make par.” commit to the golf swing and try to hit a good shot.” The green is long and narrow side to side, crowns slightly and features some treacherous hole locations, Kortan said. “It makes it difficult to get an approach shot close to the hole, and if you miss the green it makes it difficult to get it up and down,” he said Experienced players will often use an iron off the tee to put the ball in play, leaving a
Rob Kortan Spearfish Canyon Country Club golf professional
longer but more manageable approach. “A good player is going to realize that it’s a slim birdie opportunity. You’re not going to make a lot of birdies, and a par is great score. With that mindset, you’re not necessarily trying to make par. You hit that iron off the tee, then you get a
175-200 yard approach shot give or take a little bit you’re not going to hit too many of those close to the hole, so par is a real good score,” he said. “It’s the No. 1 handicapped hole on the scorecard for a reason. You see a lot of big numbers and not a lot of birdies,” Kortan said.
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MORE THAN PASTURE POOL
GOLF’S TOUGHEST HOLES
Brushing up the golf bucket list “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain
Ryan Soderlin/Journal staff
The Elks Golf Course has excellent views, but there are plenty of challenges waiting for golfers including hole No. 8.
Hazards post huge challenge By Vance Janak Journal staff
Aaron Roeber has no problems settling for par on No. 8 at the Elks Golf Course. The club pro knows how devastating the par-5, 475 yard hole can be to a good round. “It’s a hole that I never mess with,” Roeber said. “If I can make a five on that hole and go to the next one, I’m plum happy. I don’t ever try to make something happen that won’t on that hole.” Although No. 8 is the fifth toughest hole by handicap, Roeber said it’s one of the two most difficult holes on the course. Water hazards and cottonwood trees make No. 8 a handful. Off the tee box, there’s water to the right and left and then water about 260 yards out. There’s also a grove of mature cottonwood trees that
Elks Golf Course No. 8 475 yards Par 5 line the fairway, leaving little room for error if a shot isn’t placed perfectly. “It requires a pretty surgical tee shot just so that you can lay up,” Roeber said, “and have the ability to hit your second shot so you can lay up for that one.” One has to choke up a second time because of a creek that runs in front of the green. “Even though it’s a short hole for a par-5 yardage-wise, it pretty much requires three shots to get it up to the green,” Roeber said. “Your first shot has to be a good enough shot that you have room to hit it to a good spot for your third shot.” So what’s the best way to approach the difficult hole? Roeber said he doesn’t get
aggressive off the tee box. He hits a 4- or 5-iron but keeps it short in order to stay away from the water that cuts through the fairway, leaving him about 200 yards before laying up for his next shot. His second stroke is usually with a hybrid club or a 4-iron. Roeber said his ideal placement is about 100 to 125 yards out in front of the green in order to avoid the second water hazard. Approaching the green can also be challenging. “The green is heavily bunkered and it slopes from the front to the back,” Roeber said. “You don’t want to go over the green, either, because you have a real hard chip shot coming back. Then of course the green is covered in mature cottonwoods, so it makes it a good, tough hole.” One that leaves many wishing they could settle for par.
You should have your golf notebook operational by now, and one of the 12 tabs, if you followed my suggestion, is labeled “Bucket List.” This is not intended to be a morbid subject. Remember, it’s a golf notebook; therefore, it’s about your passion for the game. I love the stories of baseball Dean who set out HENZLIK fans to travel to different majorleague stadiums. Each stadium is unique, and there is such a joy of the game to the baseball fan, that they will remember each memory with a smile. Golf is no different. The golf fan who takes the time to travel to a major golf venue will be rewarded with a wonderful experience and the lasting memories that go along with it. This year has several excellent suggestions to consider. Foremost is the opportunity in Chicago in late September. The Ryder Cup — the U.S. versus Europe — is at Medinah, a great course for a tremendous event. Europe is loaded with top10-in-the-world players, but
See HENZLIK, Page 16
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GOLF’S TOUGHEST HOLES
Little forgiveness to be found on No. 17 By Padraic Duffy Journal staff
The toughest hole at Arrowhead Country Club isn’t necessarily the longest one. Or even the hole that ranks as No. 1 in terms of handicap. It is No. 17, a 200-yard par-3 that plays even longer than that thanks to being deceptively uphill. The proof is in the pudding, or at least on the putting surface. “Just from a general agronomy standpoint, you go and look at ball marks on that green,” Arrowhead club pro Tina Heinbaugh said. “Compared to every other green on the course, there just aren’t that many there.” Much of No. 17’s difficulty stems from its deceptive length and the fact that there isn’t really a place to “miss.” “There’s no bailout area,” Heinbaugh said. “You can’t bail out left or right because of trees to the left and the big tree blocking you on the right. It also plays a little more uphill than it looks. The tendency is to come up right and short, usually a club short.” With plenty of other birdie opportunities on the back nine at Arrowhead, where the toughest hole on the course falls can often have a huge
SOUTHERN: Birdies are a possibility on the putting surface. From Page 10 you’re not within a few yards of the fairway. That approach is to one of the smaller greens
Arrowhead Country Club
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Rapid City Elks Golf Course at the Elks Lodge #1187
No. 17 200 yards Par 3 impact on the outcome of tournaments, and especially match play, at the par-71 track in Rapid City. Arrowhead plays 6,378 yards from the blue tees, 5,948 from the white and 5,218 from the red. “When you look at it from a club or match play-type format, even the pro-am if you come down to that final day, depending on the match and how the momentum sways back and forth, it can be a huge hole,” Heinbaugh said. “You’ve got some drivable par 4s and an eagle opportunity on 14 and then you get to 17 and 18, which isn’t really a reachable par-5. The way the course is designed and where that hole comes into play makes it, and the hole that follows it, critical.” Heinbaugh said if she was caddying on the hole, she would encourage her golfer to take plenty of club. “You’re better off missing (the green) long than short,” she said. “The tendency is to not take enough club and come up short, and then you’re trying to pitch from an uphill lie. You’re
on the course, cut by the canyon in front and a rock wall not far past the back edge. To call No. 11 a risk-reward hole is probably a little much, considering that only the longest of the long hitters can carry the canyon on the tee shot. But the carrot is there for anyone who can
Non members welcome every day except Wednesday. Tim Appel/Journal staff
Arrowhead Country Club golf professional Tina Heinbaugh stands on the 17th green, the toughest hole on the course.
going to be on the back edge of the green if you try to go long.” Heinbaugh pointed to holes No. 2 and 3 as other contenders for toughest test on the course. No. 2 is a narrow 400-yard par 4 with an even slimmer green.
play two solid shots on Southern Hills’ signature hole, as birdie putts are realistic from almost any point on the putting surface. “If you’re a person who can place the ball fairly accurately and have confidence in you’re clubs, it’ll certainly play easier than a person who has to play the shoulders of the course,”
No. 3 is a 190-yard, uphill par-3 with one of the toughest putting greens around. “I’ve seen guys four- or fiveputt that green depending on where they miss,” Heinbaugh said.
Happe said. “You’ve got to stay to the left. Aim for the left side of the fairway or even the rough on left side if you have to. You want to get as close as you can to that canyon in front, but you don’t want to be reaching out too much. It’s tempting, but it probably rewards the more accurate player.”
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GOLF’S TOUGHEST HOLES
Chance to pull out the driver in Sturgis By Padraic Duffy Journal staff
STURGIS — The second shot is what makes No. 7 at Boulder Canyon Country Club so tough. Sure, as with any par 5, it doesn’t hurt a bit to crank that drive out there 300 yards, but the make-or-break swing comes on the second one. “It’s all about that second shot around the bend,” Boulder Canyon superintendent Clint Dunker said. “You’ve got a hazard on the left and the trees over on the right. A lot of times, if you push that second shot right, you end up pitching out of the trees on your third.” The 500-yard par-5 is a dogleg left and the top-ranked hole in terms of handicap at the par-36 nine-hole course on U.S. Highway 14A between Sturgis and Deadwood. Getting into position to hit the green with a second shot takes a pretty good wallop off the tee box. “The drive is also uphill, which makes it even tougher,”
Boulder Canyon CountryClub No. 7 500 yards Par 5 Dunker said. “You can get up there and hit a pretty good drive and if you don’t get it to the top of the hill, it really kills it and you don’t get any roll.” There isn’t much in terms of trickiness when it comes to the green on No. 7, which is guarded by a single sand trap on the front right. “A lot of the greens out here have what I like to call the ‘Cosmos effect,’” Dunker said. “You look at them and you could swear they’re going to break one way and they break the complete opposite. You really can’t see some of the valleys until you play here a few times. No. 7 doesn’t have a lot of undulations or anything, though. It’s a pretty straightforward green.” Dunker said that while the greens at Boulder Canyon may
Tim Appel/Journal staff
A look from behind the green at No. 7, a 500-yard par 5 that doglegs to the left.
not necessarily look intimidating, don’t relax too much. “It isn’t like Red Rock or anything, with all the undulations that they have out there,” Dunker said. “Most of our greens are pretty flat, but they’re unusual, though. You really don’t see the break. You hear, ‘Wow, I didn’t see that at all,’ quite a bit from people who don’t play out here a lot.” Dunker offers a tip to folks who may not be regulars at the course. “A big percentage of the greens out here are going to
break towards the highway,” he said. Dunker also said that there’s some debate as to just what exactly is the toughest hole on his course. “Number one, because it used to be a par 5, is pretty tough,” he said. “It’s one of the longer par 4s in the Hills and its green is built for a par 5. It’s not the most receptive green around. I’ve birdied that hole and I’ve taken an 8 or 9 on it. “Those are the two toughest, though, depending on what members you talk to.”
Accuracy needed to conquer No. 1 at Rocky Knolls SCENIC: Custer golf course has plenty of challenges, but also several great views. By Jeff Budlong Journal staff
Rocky Knolls Golf Course gets its name for a reason, and
Rocky Knolls Golf Course No. 1 402 yards Par 5 the challenges begin right from the first tee box. The par-5, 402 yard first hole requires two accurate shots off the tee before a golfer has to deal with a challenging green.
“You have to hit your tee shot into a narrow area 20 yards wide, and if you drive out there you go through trees for the second shot through an area 15 yards wide,” said Larry Barnes, president of the Rocky Knolls board of directors. “The third shot is just to the green.” The hole is the signature one of the Custer golf course. An errant tee shot can lead to several tough situations to
get out of with a second shot. “If you hit it too far right you are behind the trees, and if you hit it to the left you are in the trees,” Barnes said. Barnes, who tracks the scores of the 84-golfer league at the course, said he has seen scores on the hole range from an eagle to a 12. There is a large bunker on
See KNOLLS, Page 12
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GOLF’S TOUGHEST HOLES
One must tame the wind at Prairie Ridge By Jeff Budlong Journal staff
This is South Dakota, so it should come as little surprise that the wind can turn a seemingly unassuming par-3 hole into a golfer’s nightmare. Prairie Ridge Golf Course’s par-3 seventh hole is just 173 yards to the center of the green from the white tees, but it is anything but easy to find. “It depends on the wind and it’s deceiving depending on what direction the wind is blowing,” director of golf Jim Holec said. The seventh hole starts a challenging three-hole stretch that will test a golfer’s resolve. “The hole goes uphill and into the north wind that we usually have,” assistant director of golf Jerry Gullion said. “The green is sloped from top to bottom heading to the creek. If you go left you are in the creek. Go
HENZLIK: Must-play spots are close to the Black Hills. From Page 6 Davis Love is our captain, with hungry-to-prove-themselves Americans. I can hear the chants now of “U-S-A, U-S-A.” Wow, it’s a chance of a lifetime. Another international event within reasonable distance is July’s U.S.Women’s Open at Kohler, Wis.The photos I have seen of Kohler makes Blackwolf Run even more attractive to attend.
Prairie Ridge Golf Course No. 7 173 yards Par 3 to the right, and there is some space and a cart path. But if you do that you are chipping downhill to the green.” The green slopes to the left and makes for more than a few tricky putts to try to save par on the hole. Gullion said the best strategy is to take more club than you would normally use and not overswing. Hitting to an uphill green has golfers often leaving the shot short. “A lot of times, you can get a bogey and you feel relieved,” Gullion said. To illustrate the frustration that can come with the hole, Gullion recalls the story of a friend on the seventh hole. “A friend of mine teed off and hit it into the creek,” he Lexi Thompson will be a player to watch. I see young Thompson as America’s hope for re-igniting the imaginations of young girls attracted to our sport. Last year, as a 16-year-old, she became the youngest to win an LPGA event. There is nothing like a U.S. Open — men or women. This promises to be a great event at a beautiful site. The opportunity in August at Cherry Hills in Denver is worth considering.It’s the U.S.Amateur.The crowds will be negligible,and that is the magic.You will see the world’s best amateurs up close.It’s essentially a college
Tim Appel/Journal staff
Prairie Ridge Golf Course assistant director Jerry Gullion stands at hole No. 7, which is the toughest hole on the course in Box Elder.
said. “He re-teed and hit a hole-in-one for a par.” Gullion has worked at the
Box Elder golf course since 2000 and can recall just two holes-in-one during that time.
all-star tournament,but there will be a few long-shot older players as well as the pre-college phenoms that also make the field. Lifetime memories are also the driving force behind doing a “golf destination.” When I read that the Bandon Dunes Resort in Oregon has several of their courses rated in the top 25 in the country, I want to see it. Friends of mine who have been there struggle to find the words to fully pay tribute to the experience. It doesn’t have to be a major trip, though. We have a multitude of candidates for a special experience very close by. Consider the The Golf Club at
Devils Tower in Hulett. If you haven’t been there, you need to. Half the fun is going to their website to view the virtual tour of the course before you play it. Playing the back nine is an unforgettable treat. The courses dotting the Sand Hills area of Nebraska are close and so awesome. Or the mountain courses in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. Start by recording your “someday” vision in the Bucket List section of your golf notebook. You will get it done. Dean Henzlik, CEBS, CSA, can be reached at goodhealthagent@aol.com.
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GOLF’S TOUGHEST HOLES
Don’t fall into the hole at Red Rock By Vance Janak Journal staff
There are a lot of variables that factor into how Jason Young approaches No. 14 at the Golf Club at Red Rock. But one is more important than most. “It depends on how well I’m hitting the ball,” Young said,“and how much money I’m down or how much money I’m up.” The par-5 that’s 468 yards from the most-forward tees has left quite a few feeling down. It’s a hole Young has heard many golfers call the toughest at Red Rock. It’s easy to see why. It starts with not being able to see much of anything at the tee box. “You don’t see anything except the horizon,” Young said. “You don’t see the green. So that makes it very, very unnerving.” Some confidence is restored if one can clear the initial hill. Club selection is
Golf Club at Red Rock No. 14 603 yards Par 5 either driver or hybrid, Young said. The first stroke must carry roughly 230 yards to allow a better sightline for the second shot. If using a driver, Young said the green can be reached in two shots. But the second stroke will likely be another blind one from the bottom of the fairway. With a hybrid, it will likely take three strokes to reach the green. “It’s a big risk-reward proposition off the tee box,” Young said. “I let the weather dictate what club I’m going to use.” Young said a hybrid is usually the club choice for the second shot. Keeping the ball straight is important. Natural out of bounds lines the fairway and there are several canyons that can come into play if a shot is offline.
Ryan Soderlin/Journal staff
The Golf Club at Red Rock club professional Jason Young stands at hole No. 14, the course’s toughest hole.
“I try to play from plateau to plateau,” Young said. “I can keep everything in sight that way. Once you start going over the hills to gamble to get extra distance, you bring in some of the extra factors.” That’s what leads to a big number. Playing the hole perfectly can result in a birdie. Or it can go the other way, Young
said, and end up with a “10 on the hole very easily.” The green is at the top of the hill. There’s a trio of bunkers on the right and one to the left of the green. “The green’s not very receptive to shots from the side,” Young said. “So you have to stay short and have a clear shot straight into the green.”
Hitting the ball straight the key on 11th hole By Danny Lawhon Journal staff
There’s little about the 11th hole at Southern Hills Golf Course in Hot Springs that will leave golfers quivering at the elevated tee. At just 338 yards, it’s the third-shortest par-4 on a sub6,000-yard par-70 course. When the wind is right, the
Southern Hills Golf Course No. 11 338 yards Par 4 biggest hitters can drive the green. Why, then, is this little gem the No. 1 handicap and the generally accepted toughest hole on the property?
Up on that tee box, and in reality as well, safe targets are pine-needle thin. “If you’re not a straight-ball shooter, an accurate shooter, you’re going to be in trouble,” course superintendent Jason Happe said. That’s because there’s trouble everywhere you look. Although that green is drivable, a canyon guards the front of the
green about 310 yards from the tee. It also hugs the right side of a left-to-right sloping fairway, so that birdie opportunity can quickly turn into a scramble to salvage a bogey. The bailout option isn’t exactly a picnic, either, as the left-hand rough makes the second shot more precarious if
See SOUTHERN, Page 18
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GOLF’S TOUGHEST HOLES
Third hole proves to be an uphill battle By Jim Holland Journal staff
Lead Country Club
One of the region’s most vexing shots is right out of the clubhouse, but that’s just the beginning for golfers at the Lead Country Club. “We get the most comments about our No. 1 hole with the elevated tee box, one of the prettiest and most challenging shots in the Black Hills,” said golf course manager Al Varland. However, the honor for the most difficult overall hole and the No. 1 handicap hole on the par-36, nine-hole layout south of Lead is No. 3, a 400-yard, par-4 that plays uphill to a small, well-protected, sloping green. The course is situated at 6,000 feet of altitude and is one of the last to surrender its winter snow cover, even during this
year’s unseasonably warm spring. The course plays 3,202 yards from the white tees and 3,331 yards from the blue markers. The red tees measure 2,733 yards and play to a par 37. Five of the six par-4s exceed 400 yards. “The toughest hole on the score card is that No. 3 simply because it’s long and generally into a prevailing wind — not that we ever get any wind,” Varland said. Varland advises staying to the center of the fairway and not hitting too long on the drive. “On the right side there’s a
No. 3 400 yards Par 4
Kristina Barker/Journal staff
The third hole at the Lead Country Club has a well-protected, sloping green to challenge golfers.
real wicked rough. You want to be real accurate with your yardage coming in. You don’t want to be long, right or left,” Varland said. “To play it well, you need to hit a real good drive, but it’s better to be left than right.”
Golfers need to aim for the low side of the green on their approach shot. “As with all of our holes, you always want to stay below the hole. If you get above the hole, you’re in trouble,” Varland said.
Front nine does not go quietly at Meadowbrook By Vance Janak Journal staff
A good front nine at Meadowbrook has been known to go awry because of No. 9. The par-5, 534-yard hole is the toughest by handicap and one that clubhouse manager Matt Brandhagen said usually leaves many frustrated. The hole’s difficulty is caused by a creek cutting through the fairway a couple times and Jackson Boulevard running along the right side of the fairway. Depending on the tee
Meadowbrook Golf Course No. 9 534 yards Par 5 markers, a tee shot needs to carry anywhere from 250 to 300 yards to avoid the creek cutting from left to right early in the fairway. “Most have to lay up,” Brandhagen said. “Then laying up at the first creek means you’ve got to lay up at the second creek.” Playing short a second time
also requires the next stroke to be placed to the right side of the fairway to avoid a mature cottonwood tree on the left side of the fairway. That makes for a tough placement. “There’s no way that you can lay up anywhere from half of a fairway to the left without being in that tree’s way to lay up again over the next creek,” Brandhagen said. The next creek runs along the right side of the fairway before crossing from right to left. There are a pair of sand traps in front of the green and another behind.
How does Brandhagen attack the course’s most difficult hole? He starts by muscling up with his tee shot. “I try to hit it over the creek, but sometimes I don’t make it,” Brandhagen said. “There’s a lot of hitters that make it to the 280, 300 that make it over the creek and rolls to pass the big cottonwood tree to the right, which gets you a good shot to the green in two. From there, you’ve got to take care of business.” That will keep a good round going.
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GOLF’S TOUGHEST HOLES
Plenty of challenges at Hart Ranch By Jim Holland Journal staff
Hart Ranch professional Craig Hatch said any number of holes could be considered a challenge, but if required to pick just one, he’ll go with No. 12, a frustrating 400-plus yarder framed with water hazards and replete with thick rough and an undulating green. “It has a creek that runs a long side of it and then also runs in front of the green. It has a large lake on it. The creek runs along the left side and the there’s a large lake that eats up golf balls on the right side,” Hatch said. “From the middle men’s tees it can play over 400 yards and it can play up to 470 yards. The women’s tee is considerably shorter but you’re still susceptible to the hazards on either side, even from the ladies tee,” he said. Hatch said No. 12 is best played with reserve, not bravado. “It’s the type of hole, if you just relax on the tee box and play conservatively, a person can get out of there with a reasonable score,” he said. By conservative, Hatch means an 18-handicap golfer playing to be on the green in three and two-putting for a five on the par-4 hole.
KNOLLS: Players can easily make the hole harder on themselves. From Page 8 the right that can come into play on a second shot, and
Hart Ranch Golf Course No. 12 470 yards Par 4 “If they just didn’t let their ego get a hold of them on the first shot and just play it to be on the green in three and twoputt for a five and go to the next tee, you’d probably be able to maintain your emotional equilibrium a lot better for the day,” he said. But No. 12 has a way of biting golfers that try to do too much. “A person gets out there and hits a decent drive and says, ‘Hey, I can go for the green now,’ and that’s usually when the party starts,” Hatch said. “The risk-reward on that hole is there on every shot, so a person really needs to keep their head about them and not get too excited about a real good drive and play within their means.” And the show isn’t over once you do get to the green, which is laid out in three nodules, resembling the leaves of a shamrock, Hatch said. “The pin is probably going to be in one of those leaves, and if you’re in the wrong leaf, getting to the right one is tricky,” Hatch said. “You’ve just got to grind every stroke. You can easily three-putt that green.” trying to chip out of trouble can lead to other problems with limited room to land the shot. “People seem to find a way to make this hole tough,” Barnes said. The key is to get the ball above the hole to make it an
Tim Appel/Journal staff
Hart Ranch golf pro Craig Hatch stands at the 12th hole, which he considers the toughest hole on the course.
Hatch said the difficulty of Hart Ranch’s back nine generates the most talk among golfers, and No. 12 is just part of the story.
“If you could walk off 12 with a four or five and be all excited, Nos. 13, 14, 15 or 16 will eat your lunch. It’s just a tough stretch of holes,” he said.
easier putt on the challenging green. The green is not easy to deal with, with its different slopes and the other challenges it presents, especially if a golfer has already been penalized with his swing off the tee.
Getting through the first hole leads to two manageable holes before encountering another major challenge at the fourth hole. “It is a really interesting course because every hole is a good picture, but a challenge,” Barnes said.
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