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.

Desert Valley No. 3

These are the kinds of holes you salivate over: A par-3, no hazards to speak of and a realistic opportunity to be aggressive/unafraid of the consequences of missing.

That’s not to say you should abandon all discipline on Desert Valley No. 3. However, you need to take advantage of moments like this. Rarely can you attack a hole and feel so confident (and safe) while doing so.

The construction of the hole is simple. You have a green that slopes slightly to the right—something you will need to account for regardless of strategy—and a shot that require a middle iron of some kind to get there. There is no water to be concerned with and the suited sand traps (as fun as they are to look at) should never come into play.

Basically you’re left with a similar tee shot each time through that will vary off of two distinct items: Wind and pin placement.

With a wind directly with you or against you, there’s a very good chance you can put the ball close to—or even in—the cup. How you go about it will depend on where the cup is located.

A pin placement near the front of the green will almost certainly require backspin; a pin in the back should be approached with no spin at all or bite, depending on what ball you’re using and the wind involved. The decision on how to approach these shots should also factor in wind, but—for the most part—it’s pretty cut and dry.

However you attack the hole, go after it.

Disclaimer: While we’re preaching aggression, all attempts should be controlled aggression. Don’t risk missing the green and ending up with a chip; you should always be left with a manageable birdie putt. Well, yeah.

And when it comes to playing the break of the green, almost envision your tee shot with a putting mindset. Yes, the wind will undoubtedly make this more complicated, but you can also consciously account for the right break with your attempts. If you do, you might be looking at a lovely early ace.

How do you play?