This year’s breakdowns now include video of each hole being played, although your feedback is most appreciated on these designs. How do you play? Share your strategy or Golden Tee Great Shots in the comments below.

All holes will then be available for reference on the Course Caddies page—a bookmark must for the entire encyclopedia! Enjoy, and stay tuned for plenty more.

Celtic Shores No. 3

In the words of the great Ron Burgandy, “That escalated quickly.”

That’s what comes to mind on Hole 3 of Celtic, a drivable par-4 with more elevation that just about any hole in 2015. Its competition for this honor will come later in the round, but we can’t worry about that now. We have eagles to chase.

The most notable item on this design isn’t actually the elevation. It’s the gorgeous concrete tower situated right smack-dab in your line of sight; it’s amazing how that happens. To reach the green tucked well below the tee box, you can attack it going left or right of the structure.

Most of the time, you’ll likely approach the hole from the left. It’s the more open way to approach this hole, and you’ll have slightly more flexibility. Depending on the distance—and on occasion, you’ll be a long ways away—you might have to use a high tee to reach.

Cutting the ball left to right while managing a wind and distance can make for a rather difficult shot. The good news here is that missing the green won’t result in anything catastrophic. In fact, you’ll almost certainly be able to chip on and have a good look at a birdie putt.  

That’s nice, but again, we want that eagle. Be mindful of your spin and what it will do when your ball land. Do your best to find the appropriate power for the distance required. If you can do those things, you should be left with a manageable putt for eagle, which is all one can hope for.

Now, let’s up the ante.

On the select occasions when you’re greeted with a strong left-to-right wind, you can also turn left and attack this hole from going around the other side. It’s a more dangerous shot. It’s also a more complicated and challenging shot.

But, it works.

The trick here is to get your ball out far enough and ensure you get beyond the structure. Landing the green is another animal entirely; giving yourself an opportunity to land it, first and foremost, should be your approach. You can—and probably should—still use a high tee if you have one handy.

However you decide to play this hole, take note of what methods work best for you. Duplication is key, and finding particular shots for particular setups will ultimate be a huge plus round to round.

How do you play?