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. 6
By golly, you’ve found it. You’ve found the most interesting hole in Golden Tee 2015, and it’s not even up for discussion: A par-3 so short you can actually touch the pin, Hole 6 on Desert Valley provides an opportunity to be all sorts of aggressive as you size up an ace.
Now, there’s another part of this discussion, of course. Salivating over holes-in-one can sometimes lead to far worse, non-holes-in-one outcomes. These Outcomes—usually pars—have no business here, not with any hazards or concerns to speak of beyond the occasional tricky wind and pin placement.
Yes, some looks can be more difficult than others. You might be stuck between wedges or have to fight the elements in order to land on the green safely. This will happen on occasion, and if that’s the case, do your best to follow safety protocol.
Hit it on the green, make your putt and move on. Don’t bother getting wacky and weird; just tap in and move on.
There is, of course, another way. For those looking to spice up their Golden Tee lives, you have the opportunity to do that here. With a good look, chipping—yes, chipping—at the hole is absolutely an option.
We’ve seen it done with drivers, with fairway woods and, of course, with irons. There is no better way to take out factors like wind then by keeping your ball low to the ground. And by aggressively going at the pin in this fashion, you are able to do just that.
It’s a slight pullback and a swing forward; NOT a hammer forward, but a smooth enough motion to get the ball moving at a quality pace.
This method comes with a lot of risk, so much so that I have fire off an all-caps DISCLAIMER. You can miss short, you can miss long and you can miss a birdie by being too aggressive. Finding the right club to chip with can be difficult. Finding the right speed to hit this right club can be even more challenging.
And, if you go at the hole this way and miss, you might have another chip to save birdie.
But it does work, and I feel obligated to tell you about this approach because many great players are using it and finding success. That doesn’t mean you’ll have the same results, but it is something to consider.
There’s also the concept of attacking this hole with a wedge, being mindful of spin and going after the hole the ol’ fashion way. This works, it’s safer and you still have a great chance to holeout. The choice, as always, is yours.
How do you play?